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Alex Naghavi

Alex is a talented Designer, Photographer and Illustrator, who entered the competition to not only gain attention for her work, but to make a difference in the lives of thousands of Australian youth. “The intention behind the design was to appeal to both men and women – responsibility goes both ways; so I hope my design helps lessen the embarrassment of carrying around condoms as well as lessen the risks associated with unprotected sex,” said Alex.

Vladimir Zokic

Vladimir is an inspired Multimedia and Graphic Designer, who found the competition an exciting challenge creatively and a chance to become involved in a relevant initiative for all Australian youth. “I designed this tin with the intention of people keeping the tin and using it.  I hope my tin will show young people that carrying a condom is ok – in fact it is cool,” said Vladimir.

The two winning designs were selected from an enormous pool of entries by the industry and celebrity judging panel:  dating, sex and relationships commentator Samantha Brett; pop, rock and music sensation Bluejuice; and visual and performing artist Ben Frost.

These two unique, winning designs will now feature on the next set of condom tins that will be distributed around the country.

The competition was part of the National Sexually Transmissible Infections Prevention Program: Sexual Health Campaign to address a significant rise in sexually transmissible infections (STIs). The campaign promotes condoms as one of the best ways to protect against STIs and encourages those who have had unprotected sex to see a doctor about getting tested.

More info here

The Creative RAW competition allows upcoming advertising juniors the opportunity to showcase their skills and talents to top names in the creative industry. Melbourne advertising agencies are also encouraged to put forward a team for the competition to give their juniors practical hands-on experience with a live client.

The competition is a one-day event, held on Friday 19 September, with the winning campaign to be published in The Age.

For more information, visit MADC’s website.

Matthew Dent, a 26-year-old graphic designer, has achieved so early in his career what other designers only hope to do in their lifetime: to make a lasting impact on not only the design world, but to people’s lives in general. Matthew’s design will soon be in the hands of millions of people, used every day, and has the potential to stay in circulation for a very long time. This achievement comes from submitting the winning design in an open competition to design the new reverses on the coins of the United Kingdom. Out of over 4,000 entries, The Royal Mint Advisory Committee selected Matthew’s concept and design because of his respect for the British traditions of heraldry combined with a contemporary, fresh approach to the project.

Courtesy of the Royal Mint.

Beginnings
Matthew Dent, grew up in Bangor in North Wales where he studied art at Coleg Menai, before moving to England to study graphic design at the University of Brighton from 2000-2003.
‘The two faculties were hugely influential on my creating thinking,’ he recalls of his student years, ‘and both instilled in me the importance of an idea at the very forefront of any design work produced.’

The coin design competition
A friend of Matthew’s alerted him to an unusual competition with a remarkable prize: that The Royal Mint was inviting the general public to submit ideas for the first redesign in almost 40 years of the reverse side for six of the United Kingdom’s eight circulating coins. The winning design would feature on the circulating coinage, used by millions of people everyday and an extraordinary brief for any designer: ‘I couldn’t pass up the chance to have a go; it was a fantastic once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,’ says Matthew.

The design journey
Today’s designers increasingly find themselves branching out into other design disciplines and Matthew Dent is no exception. Having studied both art and graphic design, he was able to envisage how his design for the coin reverses would translate to different formats. After deciding on a heraldic approach to the brief, Matthew chose the Shield of the Royal Arms as the basis of his design, the Shield being a traditional element of the United Kingdom’s coinage. However, the way in which he would be apply it to the coins would be done in a decidedly non-traditional way; for the first time, a single design would be used across a range of United Kingdom’s coins.
Matthew explains, ‘I’d had an idea ticking away about a single design spread over several coins, and whereby arranging them in a certain way might produce a composite image. Since heraldry has been the basis of coinage design in Britain for hundreds of years, I wondered about a heraldic solution. This seemed to work successfully in my mind; coins could be arranged above and below each other, as well as to the left and right of each other, to carry the whole design.’

Matthew began by sketching out his ideas on paper, and cutting out discs of the paper to get an idea of how the designs would translate to the coins’ shape. Although the competition only required drawings in the first instance, Matthew’s submission caught the attention of the judging panel at The Royal Mint – The Royal Mint Advisory Committee on the Design of Coins, Medals, Seals and Decorations – who then introduced him to John Bergdahl, a sculptor with the expertise to help Matthew translate his designs into 3D. These models were scanned into a computer and it was the  following data that was used to create the finished metal coins.
‘This was a fascinating journey to be privy to,’ Matthew recalls, ‘seeing how the designs translated from one medium to the next. The things I learnt along the way will no doubt come in handy in future.’

Courtesy of the Royal Mint.

3 fish in a tree
Matthew Dent is part of the creative team at established design practice 3 fish in a tree, which is based in London. This close-knit team of eight enjoys working collaboratively, and draws its creative energy and strength from working together on projects for their clients. Matthew says that having input from each member of the team on a project ‘means that the result is all the richer because of this pooling of ideas. I love working in this way.’
Matthew counts highly among his influential artists and designers his tutors that he has studied under as well as close friends whom he has worked alongside, who help him to hone the way he thinks and looks at things. His enthusiastic approach to working collaboratively with his colleagues and peers coupled with an instinctive desire to branch out across design media and disciplines are  qualities that are indeed must-haves for the next generation of designers.

The Giraffe was eating his leaves… A story book exploring animal characteristics through typography, developed in collaboration with rooftopillustrations, www.rooftopillustrations.net

Matthew is currently completing a series of digitally-printed bespoke books selling a retail space. Bound in felt, the books feature specifically commissioned photography and elegant typography. Matthew says that it’s a project that is ‘pushing the boundaries of not only what I’m used to producing but also what this client is used to receiving.’

Kate McCurdy

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Further information

The Royal Mint

3 Fish in a Tree

Matthew Dent, a 26-year-old graphic designer, has achieved so early in his career what other designers only hope to do in their lifetime: to make a lasting impact on not only the design world, but to people’s lives in general. Matthew’s design will soon be in the hands of millions of people, used every day, and has the potential to stay in circulation for a very long time. This achievement comes from submitting the winning design in an open competition to design the new reverses on the coins of the United Kingdom. Out of over 4,000 entries, The Royal Mint Advisory Committee selected Matthew’s concept and design because of his respect for the British traditions of heraldry combined with a contemporary, fresh approach to the project.

Print & File [Members]

The brief: To create a design for a limited edition 385ml glass Coke bottle which conveys the theme of ‘Happiness’ or ‘Optimism’.A judging panel which included representatives from Nando’s, Coca-Cola and the DG Design Network chose Mary Pham’s design for its lively and eye-catching response to the brief. Wrapping around the iconic Coke bottle waved circles of bright pinks, yellows, and red increase in size stretching from the top to the base of the bottle. This vibrant pattern is overlayed with fine line art in black and grey depicting Nando’s famous chicken and peri-peri chillies as cute and happy characters living in a country, perhaps called ‘Psychedelia’. It is the combination of colours and the little characters in the illustration which work to create feelings of happiness or optimism. Mary’s design not only strongly addresses the theme of the brief, but its bright visual impact also enhances Coca-Cola’s marketing of the Coke brand in store.

Mary is a young designer and a recent graduate with an Advanced Diploma of Business in Creative Design from the International College of Creative Arts in South Melbourne. She is delighted with her win, and is now looking for work in graphic design and art direction. Her prizes included not only having her design featured on the limited edition Coke bottle, but also a twelve month individual membership to the DG Design Network, one year’s supply of Nando’s, $1000 worth of Apple merchandise, and a framed sample of her winning bottle.

Mary Pham’s winning design Coke bottles will be sold from March in Nando’s restaurants nationally through 2008.