Two young Australians win gold in Agfa’s global design contest

Australian graphic arts students Sarah Birks, from Ballarat University, and Andrew Koch, from Southbank Institute in Queensland, are among ten Gold and four Platinum award recipients chosen from over 1000 entries in Agfa’s Young Creatives Contest.

Design, graphic arts, and photography students between the ages of 17 and 30 from around the world were invited to submit a packaging design with the theme The Time of Your Life. Over 90 entries were received from Australian students alone.

The package, for a promotional watch giveaway, included a folding box, a label for a tin can (which would hold the watch), and a sticker for the top of the tin. Agfa supplied the templates for the three items, which entrants could download from the AYCC website.

Andrew’s inspiration for his design was his father – “having time out with my old man,” said Andrew. “I went on a trip to Adelaide with Dad about ten years ago, driving all the way. We went through a few towns and along a lot of desert roads,” he explained. He used the many images from that experience – road signs, windmills, petrol bowsers - in his Road Trip design.

For Sarah, time spent with her grandmother when she was young was her inspiration. “Nana used to take me and my brothers and sisters shopping. As a treat, she’d buy us each a ‘jelly-in-a-cup’ and when we got home we would sit in front of the TV and watch cartoons or colour-in while we ate our jellies,” Sarah said. “I had fond memories of that and, as the contest asked for a unique time, I though it was appropriate.”

Sarah and Andrew entered the Agfa contest as part of their course assessments. Both winners’ educational institutions, Ballarat University and Southbank Institute, have produced previous Young Creatives Contest winners with each having students who have won Platinum and Gold awards.

Sarah is in her final year of her Bachelor of Visual Arts (Graphic Design/Multimedia) degree at Ballarat University. She has a keen interest in publication design, particularly fashion design magazines and would like to find work in this area after she graduates next year. She also hopes to spend some time working and travelling overseas.

Andrew completed his two-year Diploma in Graphic Design course at Southbank Institute of TAFE last year, where he was also awarded his graduating class’s Folio of the Year prize. He has recently enjoyed doing contract design work for surf clothing company Voodoo Dolls and is looking forward to finding further work in the graphic arts field.

The Agfa Young Creatives Contest was conceived six years ago. By targeting young people, the contest aimed to stimulate their interest in graphic arts and help to educate them in the intricacies of the production process. Since its initiation, thousands of students from over 25 countries have participated in the yearly design challenge.

For this year’s contest, an international jury (comprising graphic arts, packaging and print specialists) selected four Platinum-award winners and 10 Gold-award winners. Platinum award recipients won a trip to Europe in February to participate in graphic arts workshops, etc. and had their designs made into actual promotional packaging for a watch give-away. Gold-award winners received samples of their wristwatch packages, and a high-quality publication on graphic arts and design.