2010 AGDA AWARDS - Judges Choice

24th October, 2010

Homepage image:HGM ©h®is^TMa by Alt Group
Above image: Chef's Special issue 69 by Mash


Thank you to our judges for their wonderful contribution and hard work! Here are their personal choices for 'best of show' in the 2010 AGDA Awards


Judge Jason Little

Title A Lean Year
Client Alt Group
Studio Alt Group

When a piece of design draws your attention, makes you think, and in-turn causes a smile, you know it's a winner. There were a number of pieces this year that created these emotions, many of them as self-promotions for studios. Ordinarily I would look beyond these, towards work designed to answer a clients brief, however I could not look past this one. ‘A Lean Year' is stunningly simple. It's clever.
It's beautifully designed. It bypasses the usual restrictions we impose on ourselves. It needs no explanation. Most of all it delivers a message of empathy and hope for our industry, with ideas positioned firmly at its heart.

Judge Linda Jukic

Title 21.100.100 Exhibition
Client Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces
Studio Fabio Ongarato Design

Every now and then a piece of design sends shivers down my spine because of how incredible it is.
This was one of those.

When I came across this submission I was deeply captivated. Everything about this exhibition piece is absolutely considered and absolutely right. The materials, the lighting, the typography, the spatial arrangement, the installation approach. And then there's the beautiful book that accompanies the exhibition that is as exceptional in thought and execution as the environment it lives for. This is one immersive, interactive and inspiring piece of design that takes its audience to another place. I want to go there and I want a copy of that book.

Judge Nic Eldridge

Title A Picture Book First and Foremost
Client David Bromley
Studio 3 Deep Design

"As soon as I glimpsed the custom-made leather satchel on the desk across from me, I knew this was going to be good..."

Designers sometimes suffer from envy of the opportunities that their peers have been fortunate enough to get. This project is not an exception, however the extraordinary work that has been delivered with this piece makes this an opportunity that was truly well deserved.
Everything about this piece was considered and appropriate; the copy, the art direction, the photography, the set building, the hand-made special edition covers, the leather satchel, the typography and restrained layout all come together to present an artist of renown in an engaging and unexpected manner.
The standout aspect of the publication are the photographic dioramas of the artist and his coterie. With beautiful lighting and stunning arrangements the photographs are what make this extraordinary piece such a lavish treat for the eyes.
The photographs play with subtle surrealism-giant toy building blocks surfaced with the artists signature images being assembled in a parched field, children playing in a giant sand castle with a miniature lighthouse while the artist adds the finishing touches to his painting-capturing the essence of the artist's life and his various companions.
While there were many extraordinary pieces that we saw over the judging weekend, this was my choice for the best example of graphic design at its most potent. A perfect balance between communication and style, where the form IS the function.

Judge Domenic Hofstede

Title Auckland Museum - LATE
Client Auckland Museum
Studio Alt Group

It was made abundantly clear to me that this a judge's choice, singular, not plural. So, as much as I wanted to, I couldn't include such sublimely detailed pieces as the K.P.D.O. stationery set, and the stupendously surreal NZ Music CD Series, or perhaps the rigorously crafted Tasman type family. So, I won't mention those as that would be stretching the brief.
Instead, I'll just single out this intelligent and adaptable type-based campaign for the Auckland Museum's nocturnal activities program as my choice. Environmental design was a category distinguished by the depth its quality, and LATE resonated with me particularly because it is just the kind of audaciously ambitious work I view with a mix of envy and admiration.

Judge Mark Gowing

Title 21.100.100 Publication
Client Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces
Studio Fabio Ongarato Design

As I leaf through this book I can almost hear sound pieces buzzing and throbbing off the pages. It's powerful stuff. This the perfect example of both the gallery catalogue as well as the designer's art. The gallery has succeeded in perfectly capturing the tone and context of their exhibited content, while the book itself is an idyllic piece of craft that can be experienced as a publication independent of the exhibit.

The result is graphic design at its most potent. The combination of content and design is seamless. The publication features supplied images from the one hundred artists involved. Daniel and Fabio have forged a system that combines imagery and typography, creating clarity and consistency while still maintaining the individual artists vision and integrity. Bravo.

Judge Zoe Wishart

Title Marion Boyce Business Card
Client Marion Boyce
Studio Design By Pidgeon

The tactile idea and lack of pretension made it really stand out.

Judge Dean Poole

Title A Picture Book First and Foremost
Client David Bromley
Studio 3 Deep Design

The paradox of choice.
Judging a design awards is like going to a grocer and fondling all the fruit until you find one that you like. Every now and then one piece yells out from the crowd-"pick me". However design doesn't have to be noisy to be noticed, it can be polite. In this case it is more of a whisper than a shout.
There are two ways to judge great design. Either ‘I wish I'd done that', or ‘I couldn't do that'. For me, it was the later. This is one of those rare moments of convergence between art and design, between inquiry and obsession, between object and memory.
You can imagine finding this satchel and its cargo of old schoolbooks in a second hand shop. In this case, rather than the object and its contents being abandoned, they have been meticulously crafted. It's not a book about an artist by a designer, or an art book about an artist that's more about the designer, but a new kind of thing.


Judge Leah Dent

Title Chef's Special issue 69
Client Meat & Livestock Australia
Studio Mash

For a gal who can't confidently choose from a menu and be sure she won't get meal envy, selecting just one piece of design from hundreds of award entries was a seriously daunting task.

Appropriately, Mash's Chef's Special #69 was the piece I most wanted to pilfer in order to take home and read from cover to cover - exactly the feeling a good publication should elicit. Tasty typography designed to enhance great writing, skilled illustration and photography, humour and wit and clever content combined. Who wants to send me a copy? Seriously.

Judge Tim Kotsiakos

Title Rundle Lantern
Client Adelaide City Council
Studio Fusion

This work shows us how interdisciplinary digital work can be. That it's sometimes o.k. to invite a little abstraction into our lives.
And how well it can engage a community. With it's oversized pixel sequences, the Rundle Street Lantern says to the passer-by how well digital can offer an alternate view of an otherwise dull situation.


Judge Don Ryun Chang

Title Wurrook - Fine Grained Australian Merino Meat
Client Wurrook Superfine Prime
Studio Elmwood Design

The rebrand and packaging design of Wurrook Fine Grained Australian Merino Meat is an excellent example of how effective storytelling and sophisticated design can communicate the unique functional and emotional attributes of the product and is verified by the great increased in sales and expanded customer markets. The romantic sunset image of the open range with the sheep, organic colors and vintage typography becomes memorable visual elements to enhance the natural premium quality. Furthermore, the packaging provides the purchasers the important holistic information related to ingredients, cooking recipe and how the food was processed which addresses their evolving aspirations for sustainable practices.

Judge Kevin Blackburn

Title HGM ©h®is^TMas
Studio Alt Group
Client Hudson Gavin Martin

Pick one. Pick one piece from thousands. One piece that stands out above all the others, one piece that represents everything these awards stand for. One piece that any designer worth there salt wishes they had done - one piece I really wish I'd done. One simple, crafted, beautiful piece of design that answers the brief, talks to the intended audience, really pushes the boundries and stands out above all the others.

The Hudson Gavin Marshall christmas gift really stood out for me - for all the reasons above and more. It starts with a strong idea, that relates directly back to the brand idea of three, then distills it down into a truly timeless piece of design. A piece that doesn't follow a current design trend or whim, a piece that is lovingly crafted on every level - from the use of the copyright, trademark and registered symbols that are incorporated into the word ©h®is^TMas, through to the craft involved in creating the wine bottle shaped candle stick and rolling pin. To top it all off the piece contains all the ingredients for a fantastic ©h®is^TMas - simple, crafted and beautiful.