The Europe By Designers competition that ran a few months ago has announced its winners, or rather an exhibit of the 52 designs that were chosen. From the site:
EUROPE BY DESIGNERS is an international artistic project whose aim is to unveil a multitude of images of Europe from the inside and from the outside. Design as the expression of a cultural vision, a political vision or a simple and unposed feeling… Design and its diversity as a new way to catch Europe.
I was one of the judges, and so partially responsible for the selection that is now displayed. And to be brutally honest I’m surprised at the quality of some of the pieces that made it through. I know that an open competition yields a large fluctuation in work, but it looks like the overall sense of quality control seemed to be incredibly relaxed. Sorry to burst your bubble but thats how I’m seeing it. Personally, I think the list could be slashed even further to get rid of some of the tired and clichéd ideas and some badly executed work.
Am I too uptight? Should I be more lenient when I’m judging work, or were my expectations unrealistically high?
