Competition for New Designers

[MariahLW]

Hi everyone!

I'm a recent graduate and I've started putting together film festivals-with the most recent one in September. The whole premise was that I wanted to be able to reward new creatives in more ways than "exposure" when trying to land their first gigs in their industry. I found so much of it was unpaid and work experience.

The first festival went well, and as it grows I want to integrate more industries into the festival and now wasnt to create fairer opportunities for new, young designers. I'm thinking of opening up a competition for designers to create the look of the festival and reward the winner in some way that will help facilitate the next step of their career.

I'm not a graphic designer myself, so I was hoping you could give me some tips on what it is that new designers are most looking for and would benefit from when they're first starting out in their field - other than finances (most of the prizes i've been able to get have been equipment and sponsored software, but as this is very start-up, monetary prizes are something I hope to do in the future).

So far people have suggested adobe subscriptions and a 1-on-1 portfolio walk through with a design company.

If you are starting out, or when you were starting out, what would new designers and design students most benefit from?

Or if you have any other ideas of ways to help combat the struggles young designers face when trying to get their foot in the door, I'd love to listen and see how I can adapt the process to be most fair and beneficial.

Thanks for your words of wisdom!

Mariah

 

[Levi]

um... don't take this the wrong way but how is this competition any different than 'exposure' or 'work experience' that you're initially saying you're against.

It could also be seen as crowdsourcing which is universally hated in the creative industries if the contest is to 'design the look of the festival'.

While the idea of supporting new designers is great the way you're proposing here doesn't seem like it's actually going to do that or am I missing something.

 

[MariahLW]

Hi! Thanks for the reply.
This is good to know, if it's not thought to be fair. That's what I'd like to find out and improve.

So, say if I can find sponsorship in the form of a software subscription and equipment (things people might otherwise have to pay for) to give as a prize, as well as some mentor ship or opportunity with a company (if that's useful?), and maybe something like profits of any shirts the design might be used for as merch, is this something that wouldn't be thought of as somewhat fair compensation? Or is it the element of the competition that's the issue?
I'm not familiar with the irk or crowdsourcing and what that implies.
If this isn't the best way to go about it, then I'd like to know, and if you have any suggestions for what you think might work better, i'd like to know.
Please keep in mind though that I'm 23 with limited personal finances and no financial backing (my last festival was self funded starting with £200 I'd saved from bartending), so even if it's something to refine in the future, I'd like to get this element started in some small way if this is feasible.

Thanks again for your comment, this is all great to know and discuss.

 

[Paul Murray]

The best way to reward new creatives is to just pay them for their time and skills like you would any other service provider. Whilst I'm sure your intentions are honest, possible future royalties on merch, or some software, or a subscription, are just other ways to avoid paying the going rate. I'm personally of the opinion that prizes are fine if the competition is just for fun, but if you're planning on using that work as a business or organisation then you absolutely should financially compensate that designer as a business transaction.

You may have some luck if you contact a local university and ask to arrange a meeting with a tutor to discuss the possibility of having the students brand your festival and design the promotional material as part of a live brief, but again, this could be seen as just a way to get something for free. It really depends on how you approach the situation, and with whom. Personally, I'd look at ways to raise funds through sponsorship, pre-ticket sales, stall/vendor fees, etc and use that money to pay a professional (branding a festival is probably not a great brief for inexperienced students, even with the guidance of a tutor).

Crowdsourcing as a whole generally asks people to spend time to produce and present work they have no guarantee of getting paid for. It seems almost exclusive to the creative/digital industries and it's important that students as well as clients, learn and understand the value of what they provide to businesses.

 

[Levi]

You may have some luck if you contact a local university and ask to arrange a meeting with a tutor to discuss the possibility of having the students brand your festival and design the promotional material as part of a live brief, but again, this could be seen as just a way to get something for free. It really depends on how you approach the situation, and with whom. Personally, I'd look at ways to raise funds through sponsorship, pre-ticket sales, stall/vendor fees, etc and use that money to pay a professional (branding a festival is probably not a great brief for inexperienced students, even with the guidance of a tutor)

Had this a fair bit while at uni... at the time felt it was fine because we got 'feedback' from companies (actually we didn't it came from the tutors...) etc but looking back at it it really does just seem like crowdsourcing wrapped up in the term 'live brief' in education.

 

[scotty]

Had this a fair bit while at uni... at the time felt it was fine because we got 'feedback' from companies (actually we didn't it came from the tutors...) etc but looking back at it it really does just seem like crowdsourcing wrapped up in the term 'live brief' in education.

I guess it was a bit like finding out that glass of port and the carrot you left out for Santa and Rudolf weren't actually consumed by Santa and Rudolf.

I still feel that pain.

 

[Paul Murray]

Had this a fair bit while at uni... at the time felt it was fine because we got 'feedback' from companies (actually we didn't it came from the tutors...) etc but looking back at it it really does just seem like crowdsourcing wrapped up in the term 'live brief' in education.

One of the life-briefs the students a year above me did was for a local couple that were appearing on Dragon's Den with their eco-homes idea. They actually did pretty well and I think one of the students now works for them full-time, practically as a partner in the business. The course leaders were pretty picky about who and what they would consider for a live-brief to ensure it was actually worthwhile.

 

[Levi]

The course leaders were pretty picky about who and what they would consider for a live-brief to ensure it was actually worthwhile.

That's debatable with mine.... course was product design, so basically everyone on the course is expecting things like furniture, electronics, 'engineered items' that sort of thing and we get one to 'design some trainers for a specific company' which we basically felt belonged on the fashion design course. Because we got it instead of fashion design most of us looked at ways of 'improving' the product so come up with some 'non standard' designs or areas where they could expand into yet the company only really liked ones which essentially boiled down to what they already sold just in a different colour/fabric...

 

[Paul Murray]

That's debatable with mine.... course was product design, so basically everyone on the course is expecting things like furniture, electronics, 'engineered items' that sort of thing and we get one to 'design some trainers for a specific company' which we basically felt belonged on the fashion design course. Because we got it instead of fashion design most of us looked at ways of 'improving' the product so come up with some 'non standard' designs or areas where they could expand into yet the company only really liked ones which essentially boiled down to what they already sold just in a different colour/fabric...

That's similar to my years' live brief which was to produce a shop-window display for a toy shop. It always seemed better suited to the illustration students (who we were collaborating with). My year was in an unfortunate situation where we were without a design tutor for a few months due to the course leader leaving so the illustration leader took us under her wing for a brief period. Those life drawing classes didn't really help since I can't actually draw!

 

[@GCarlD]

Those life drawing classes didn't really help since I can't actually draw!

One of the most annoying misconceptions about designers, everyone expects us to be great illustrators as well as designers.

And I'm sure you can draw, maybe not at a professional level but well enough for you to understand your own little sketches and thumbnailed ideas (that's the level I'm at anyway!)