By Gray Chapman
Nearly four months after graphic design students competed in the ING Poster Challenge, the winning design was unveiled on Feb. 12, at SCAD-Atlanta. The judges chose Mark Baker, a fourth-year graphic design student, as the winning designer. Baker’s design will be used for the 2009 ING Marathon, and he will receive $1,500 as a cash prize. Michael Albuquerque, a second-year graphic design M.F.A. student, designed the second-place poster, which garnered him a $500 prize.
Students spent 13 hours and one minute, corresponding with the 13.1 mile half-marathon, conceiving and designing a poster for the race’s marketing campaign at Generate, the 24-hour Art Challenge. Since then, graphic design students have been awaiting the judges’ decision. “We’ve been waiting for months to hear the results,” said Albuquerque before the unveiling. Before the unveiling, the judges spoke of the immense quality of all of the designs that were submitted. “Each one of you is great at your job and has bright futures ahead,” said Greg Pappas of Graphics Central, a design firm in Atlanta. “We are so excited about what we’ve seen here that we’re working on an internship program with SCAD.”
After announcing Baker and Albuquerque as the top two winners, the judges spoke about why each design was so appealing. Henry Kim, the head of the graphic design department who orchestrated SCAD-Atlanta’s collaboration with ING, spoke about the balance in Baker’s design. “While it is very aesthetically pleasing, it also has a sense of playfulness,” said Kim. Kim also spoke about the professional appearance of Albuquerque’s work. “It is very strong and professional, yet different and unique.”
For Mark Baker, designing a poster for a marathon was a somewhat familiar task. “I’ve run marathons before, and my family is very involved with them,” he said. “Marathons aren’t just about the running and the competition. They’re very festive community events. I wanted my poster to reflect that.” Baker said he took the entire 13 hours to finish the colorful, playful design. “I’m completely in shock right now,” he said after the judges unveiled his design as the winner. “But I’m so excited about it and very, very grateful.” When asked if he had any exciting plans for the money, he chuckled and said, “Definitely putting that towards my education, and probably paying my parents back!”
Albuquerque used a multitude of photographs from last year’s marathon. “I wanted to show that it’s more than just a race. There’s a lot of community involvement,” he said. “But the hardest part of the whole ordeal was choosing the best photos out of the thousands provided for us.” Albuquerque was last year’s winner, yet his designs from each year were very different. “Mike’s piece was so different from last year’s, which shows that he’s truly multi-dimensional in his work,” said Lora Drapeau, who works in Special Projects for the Marathon.
Dr. Teresa Griffis, associate vice president of SCAD-Atlanta, gave opening remarks before the unveiling and assured students that by participating in this event, they would all come away with more knowledge and experience. “Everyone here today is a winner, because this opportunity provides you with a real-world situation in a very competitive art world and a chance to showcase your talents,” said Griffis. “I thank you for taking the time out of your busy course demands to showcase your work. To do what you truly want to do, sometimes you have to sacrifice a few things – but I promise that it’s worth it.”
Read about the 24-Hour Art Challenge here: https://www.scadconnector.com/?p=601