After sorting through our most recent theme competitions design submissions I noticed a few designs that I felt were very simple. Do you think we have the right to simply exclude a design based on how “good it is” compared to the Springleap.com design elite? Shouldn’t all design regardless of intricacy and delivery have the right to be included in the competition?
Now I’m embarrassed to admit that I usually shoot simple designs down when I vote. I don’t mean that I write harsh comments. Rather I give low votes…which I suppose is what most people do. It’s not that I don’t appreciate these designs, because I really am happy that designers will take the initiative and time to put together a design and send it through to us. My main concern is deciding what level of design should be accepted through to the Springleap.com competitions. I know for a fact that there are design websites online that vet every design before it goes live by first seeing if it adheres to a certain level of design power. In many respects I understand why they do this, but on the opposite side of the coin I think it is evil to deny an artist the ability to grow by having his artwork shown to a community who could give them some worthwhile pointers on how to achieve more affective artworks.
First off let me just say that I was really happy with the sheer volume of designs that have been submitted to the What you got?theme competition. It’s probably the most we have received in quite some time, although I must say I’m not overly surprised as it was “open theme”. There was however one type of theme that I spotted quite a few examples of in this competition though and that is political designs.
I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised to see so many political designs on Springleap.com, after all we are a South African website and at the moment there is much political intrigue with our leaders. If it’s not Zuma it’s Malema, if it’s not Malema it some AWB fellow. I suppose in some respects it’s good to see that our designers are taking their “real world” and applying it to their artwork…it shows that people are not simply forgetting about what is happening around them but actually taking it further and using it in their art, which I think is really something awesome!I had to
Laugh when I saw that there was not 1 but 2 submissions that took a poke at the hilarious incident of AWB General Secretary Andre Visagie going nuts on live televisionand swearing revenge for the death of the former AWB leader Eugene Terreblanche. Yes indeed it shocked the nation and we all shunned his actions, however there was one small glimmer of fun that came from the broadcast and that is the line that will go down in infamy, “Don’t touch me on my studio”. Yes indeed Chris Maroleng’s words as he tried to intervene between a fight between his two guests, crippled the entire country with fits of laughter.
Bunny Milk’sDon’t touch me on my studio design has been recreated to resemble a warning sign, which I must say is rather simple but highly effective, while Clamjar’sI’ll touch you on your studio submission has a simple microphone with the words written underneath…which is a tad too simple for my liking, but still a really great design!
