“It was interesting to see the different focuses across the disciplines as well as the impact of having a truly global set of entries,” says juror Jonathan Brodie. “You couldn’t wish for a greater mix. It really kept me on my toes as a judge.”

“I was thoroughly impressed by the breadth of work, topics and sectors,” juror Julie Vander Herberg says.

“My overall impression of this competition was that the works are very excellent,” says juror XiongBo Deng. “It wasn’t so much about me selecting; it was more about me learning.”

“Many designs took on social issues and applied design solutions to publicizing them, taking an ethical stand or even trying to solve an issue in a practical manner,” juror Eurydyka Kata says.

“I have a sense of what people in other parts of the world are concerned with, but I gained a deeper understanding of how some communities are being plagued by social issues, as well as the initiatives and programs that were developed to create awareness and promote social justice,” says juror Sharon Oiga.

Several judges commented specifically on the strength of the student work.

“It was a surprise to see so many nice student entries in motion, some with detailed and complex animations,” juror Renata Alcantara says.

“The quality of design and craft within the student entries blew me away, [particularly with] their motion design,” says Brodie. “The storytelling felt mature and sophisticated. The future is definitely bright.”

“I was surprised by the number of amazing student animation and motion graphic entries,” juror Jon Key says. “Really exciting to see the future of title graphics and movie titles—refined and sophis- ticated examples inspired by contemporary motion graphics with glimpses of new shifts and clever remixing of the expected.”

“Owing to my other job as an educator, I paid special attention to student entries and was really impressed with many of them,” says Kata. “They showed a level of attention, creativity and involvement that does credit to their teaching institutions and makes me think my hopes for the profession are well-founded.”

I asked the judges what innovative work they saw this year.

“There’s a lot of great work happening in the craft beer industry,” juror Rob Duncan says.

“It was exciting to see works that utilize the latest in technology—various forms of XR and AI-generated content—in creative ways,” says Oiga.

“There are interesting integrations between AR/VR and traditional formats emerging,” Brodie says. “I expect to see more and more of these in the coming years.”

“The strength and balance of the ideation and documentation,” says Vander Herberg. “The ideas presented were multifaceted and thorough, and the supporting documentation was extremely innovative and exciting.” 

I also asked jurors what their biggest disappointments were with this year’s entries.

“I expected to see more sustainable entries,” Alcantara says.

“A lack of ideas and surprising moments,” says Duncan. “There was a lot of very generic graphic design.”

“It would have been good to see more focus on the idea overall,” Brodie says. “Simple, cut-through work with a powerful, engaging idea is always the goal, so it’s no surprise these are hard to find!”

“Mockup templates were used profusely to present work,” says Oiga. “While they indeed help to make projects appear polished and professional, their ubiquitous use—along with the perfect or sterile appearance of many of these templates—added a generic, homogenous quality to the work. The feeling is similar to looking at stock photography.”

Looking forward, I asked the jurors what business, cultural and social developments will alter the role of design in the future.

“Working from home is reducing the level of creativity,” says Duncan. “Design cannot happen in a vacuum. Ideas happen best when people are all in the same space, collaborating with each other in person. The best ideas strike at the most unexpected moments, not over a scheduled Zoom meeting. If Steve Jobs and Jony Ive were working remotely, Apple wouldn’t be half the company it is today.”

“The secondary utilization or minimi-zation of factors, such as materials during the design process, will have a more profound impact on future design work,” Deng says. “Pollution and waste are still huge issues in current commercial design.”

“Design won’t fix the world by itself, but it should do its part by helping those who are making important changes—and maybe refraining from supporting those who harm everyone,” says Kata.

“Technological advancements constantly shift the way we approach and produce design,” juror Nathan Hill says. “The rise of AI, AR, VR and other emerging technologies requires designers to adapt and incorporate these tools into their creative processes. The questions of how and where are curious ones.”

Lastly, I asked jurors where they think the design industry is headed.

“I believe motion is a big trend in design,” says Alcantara. “Soon almost every image will be animated.”

“Motion is continuing to expand rapidly into new areas,” Brodie says. “We can probably expect most traditional static forms of com-munication to have an interactive potential or alternative in the near future. Hopefully this added emphasis on functional design won’t come at the sacrifice of powerful engaging ideas.”

“I believe [the Apple] Vision Pro will bring changes that we can’t even imagine,” says Alcantara. “Technology is what always pushes design forward.”

“Integrating technology will continue to produce innovative ideas and impact the way we approach design and arrive at solutions,” Hill says. “Our continued focus on human-centered design method-ologies will undoubtedly lead to better products and services that will be more intuitive and inclusive to end users. Another influential evolution in the field is within cross-disciplinary collaboration. As this continues to become an ever-present part of the design practice, the blurring between different disciplines will enable designers and thinkers from various backgrounds to better tackle complex solutions together.”

“Without a doubt, AI will have the biggest impact on the future of design,” says Vander Herberg.

“My hope is that the role of an individual designer—their sensitivities and abilities—will be recognized for their importance,” Kata says.

“After a hopefully brief period of fascination with AI as a creator—which makes little sense—it will probably go back to being the tool it should be: to be used with discernment by people who take control and responsibility for the final result of their creation, formed with whatever tools they choose.”

“Design is moving more into motion, digital and AI-supported models,” says Key. “Technology, as we all know, has completely changed the way we work and communicate, but the rise of hyper-efficient beings will change the role of the human graphic designer. I wonder: Will the design world push back and create organic, human-centered design objects? Will tactility reign again over the sleek screen? Probably not.”

“Design is moving simultaneously towards the technological and the analog,” Oiga says. “As much as designers embrace technology, there is an equal reaction to tech that causes other designers to embrace the crafty, handmade and lo-tech—perhaps as a way to evoke authenticity, experimentation, warmth and humanity, or a simpler time.”

A minimum of six out of ten votes was required for a project to be awarded in this year’s competition. Judges were not permitted to vote on projects with which they were directly involved; I voted in their stead. I would like to extend our grateful appreciation to our jurors for their conscientious efforts in selecting our 64th Design Annual. —Patrick Coyne ca