STEPHANIE ORMA :: travel, arts, & design writer

The February 2010 issue of HOW magazine is currently on newstands and in bookstores all across the country. The article I wrote, “Turn Downtime into Playtime” features the awesome work by design firms Flywheel Design, Brand Engine, and graphic designer France Liddell.

DOWNLOAD & READ STEPHANIE ORMA’S ARTICLE (the PDF is 8.9mb so download time is a little slow – but SO worth it!)

It’s that time of year again – call for entries. Try as we might to escape it, reminders are everywhere: in our mailbox, our e-mail, advertised on our favorite design sites. And all the big players are pushing hard for our attention: Communication Arts, HOW Magazine, and CMYK, to name just a few. Frankly, I personally found the lure too enticing too resist. Last week, I caved in and shelled out nearly $200 on design competition entrance fees. I was even contemplating entering another, when I was suddenly stricken with a bad case of “graphic designer’s entrance fee remorse.” $200 is a lot of money – especially if you don’t win. So with the economy still on shaky ground and clients few and far between, one has to ask: are design competitions the best place to spend our precious marketing dollars?

You have to admit, the idea of your work featured in one of the best design annuals in the country – if not the world, is pretty darn alluring. These are the same books and magazines that were “required reading” when we first entered graphic design school. The ones we spent hours upon hours pouring through (and for that matter, still do), in awe of the incredible talent gracing the pages. And now is the very real chance that our work could appear side by side with the best in the industry. Sounds pretty darn exciting to me!

Sure there are some designers out there who say they don’t care about winning awards or having their work featured in annuals. These are probably the same designers who’ve received tons of accolades in the past…the handful of “famous” designers we all know by name. But as a newbie to design competitions, I’ll be the first to admit that receiving recognition for all your sweat and tears sounds nothing short of being paid the highest industry compliment. Not to mention, priceless PR.

On the other hand, placing too much importance on competitions can be dangerous. If you think about it, winning boils down to a very small jury of people saying they like your work. Congratulations. You are now worthy. And if you seriously need validation from other people to tell you your work is good, well than, therapy might just be the best place for those marketing dollars.

Of course, there’s the most common design competition scenario, “I entered, but I lost.” If your work fails to make the cut, yes, you’re in the hole a good chunk of money. But you also took a chance and invested in yourself. And that definitely counts for something. After all, if you never put yourself in a position for good things to happen, they never will.

I’ll never forget when I was 17 years old and had the opportunity to enter a statewide flute playing competition. I’d been seriously playing the flute since I was about 12. But for whatever reason (nerves, shyness, fear of failure, etc.) I never went through with the competition. Who knows what would have happened…maybe nothing, maybe something great. The point is, I’ll never know. And life is just too short to be filled with a series of regrets for what might have been.

So are design competitions worth their hefty entrance fees? To quote the legendary Clint Eastwood, “…you’ve got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?” Me? I’m a gambling girl. I’ve entered my best work and all I can do now is hope I’ve got a winning hand. Come on graphic design jackpot!
(originally appeared in SF Examiner  5/14/09)