Designs of the Quarter

The “Designs of the Quarter” contest was launched with our first issue of the Affinity Express company newsletter in the third quarter of 2008. Since then, each quarter, we have turned the spotlight on a few of our products and award the best designs in each category. Of course, “best” is relative, but our judges try to be fair! Kelly Glass, Vice President of Marketing, and Tinna Hall, VP of Global Human Resources, judge the contest. They also seek the opinions of the business head of the relevant product category.

A call for entries is sent to all employees and they are free to submit designs they created that were accepted by clients within the designated quarter.  Winners receive a certificate and recognition in the newsletter.

So here are the winning designs for Q1. The three categories were flash ads, vector artwork and programs.

Flash Ad

(Click here to view the Flash ad)

The judges say they chose this ad out of all the submissions because of how compelling and visually appealing it was, even though it was one of the few in black and white.  I actually think the starkness of the colors adds to the attractiveness of the ad. The message comes through well because the animation highlights rather than competes.

Program

A very simple, traditional piece that won out because of the cleanliness of the design and how it managed to conveyed a lot of information in a format that also allowed for cost-effective printing (two-up). Vector Artwork

This was a complex design because of the level of detail involved. The artist enhanced the image appropriately while staying true to the input file.

What do you think of these designs? Which of these are winners in your book? If you don’t like one of the designs, what would you have changed to make it better?

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