About AGDA Student Brief

Introduction

In October 2010, AGDA will play host to the international design community at Icograda Design Week in Brisbane. This is your opportunity to show the world how intelligent, progressive and confident Australia’s own design industry is. What’s more, it is an opportunity to showcase the talents of an emerging generation of designers.

What better way to celebrate the theme of Icograda Design Week, ‘Optimism’?

Graphic design in Australia may be flourishing now, but just wait until the world sees what our future has in store; a generation of designers who are educated in the ways of the past, but progressive in their adoption of fledgling practices.

AGDA is inviting Australia’s graphic design students to take part in a brief designed to promote their talent on a world stage. ‘Words of Optimism’ is all about looking forward, whilst paying homage to the traditions and techniques that brought us to this exciting juncture in time.

Call for entries

Entries open at studentbrief.agda.com.au from 9am AEST Tuesday 27 April 2010. The final deadline for all submissions will be 27 July 2010.

Entry pricing

AGDA student members: free entry
Non AGDA members: $10 per entry

Eligibility

The 2010 AGDA Student Brief is open to students from any field of design, enrolled in a nationally accredited full or part time course. Entries may be submitted on an individual or collective (eg. institution) basis, providing a clear description of authorship is supplied with each submission. All 30 shortlisted entries will be displayed at the ‘Words of Optimism’ AGDA Student Brief 2010 exhibition, to be held in conjunction with Icograda Design Week in Brisbane.

The objective

To promote the work of student graphic designers to both the Australian and international design communities, through an exhibition of shortlisted entries both online, and at Icograda Design Week Brisbane in October 2010.

The brief

Over the centuries, design practice has evolved in response to both cultural and technological influences. This evolution is clear when we look back at the graphic design of the 19th century, as opposed to that of our own lifetime. Advances in production techniques in order to meet the demands of an increasingly information-hungry world have led to fundamental changes in the way the ingredients of design are applied and combined. This is arguably most evident in the presentation of the written word through typography. Anyone who has done even a little research into the history of typography will see how designers have used it to shape perceptions over time. The evolution of type has brought with it moments of anticipation, empowerment, and indeed, optimism for our predecessors. The seemingly boundless possibilities within the fields of type design and application continue to inspire us each and every day. So much type, so many techniques, and still so much more to look forward to.

Your challenge, in response to this, is to: Pay homage to the milestones of our typographic past, through words of an optimistic future. In other words, ask yourself, ‘what are you looking forward to?’ The answer could be in relation to your professional future, or it could be more broad. What about your community, the nation, or the world? What are we aiming for, and what do we have to be optimistic about?

Create a poster illustrating your word/s of optimism through type. Refer to Stephen Banham’s ‘Milestones of our Typographic Past’ (studentbrief.agda.com.au) for inspiration in creating your design. The poster should be ‘type-based’ in that its main focus is on the typographic form/s, rather than on an illustration, photograph etc. Students are encouraged to create their own letterforms as part of their design.

Entry specifications, judging process and terms and conditions of entry available at: studentbrief.agda.com.au

Judges will look for entries that best demonstrate the following:

• A solid idea responding to the theme of ‘Optimism’
• A connection to historical reference/s (eg. style, technique etc.)
• Originality and effectiveness of the communication.