The Show, hosted annually by AIGA Nebraska, exhibits the best in graphic design, photography, and illustration produced in the region, and includes entries from design professionals and students, featuring both published and unpublished work. This year, we had a record number of 465 entries which were reviewed by three judges; Sam Shelton of KINETIK Communication Graphics in Washington D.C., Bill Grant of Grant Design Collaborative in Atlanta, and Sean Adams of AdamsMorioka in Los Angeles. The judges, who are nationally recognized for their work in design, have a collective client base which includes National Geographic, Old Navy, Adobe Systems and Nickelodeon, among others.

Sean Adams
www.adamsmorioka.com
The experience of judging The Show could not have been better executed. It was organized and efficient. The work was almost overall thoughtful. The most successful pieces seemed “true to themselves”, that is, they came from a personal vision. The pieces that fell short, for me, were the ones that depended on another designer’s vision. Charles Anderson, David Carson and Art Chantry are amazing designers. Let them be the ones who do their work. Finally, the highlight of the judging experience, beyond some of the work in The Show, was definitely the Runzas.

Bill Grant
www.grantcollaborative.com
I was encouraged to see that design is alive and well in Nebraska! It was a pleasure and honor to serve on the jury with Sean Adams and Sam Shelton. I know from personal experience that each entry was considered carefully. Overall, we were impressed with the quality of concepts and production. Like any design competition, there were some mediocre concepts that fell short, but I was impressed with how the winning designers executed their work, strategically and aesthetically. Most of all, I was enamored by the conversations I had with the Nebraska design community. It is clear that designers in this region aspire to great design, and the unbridled enthusiasm was truly astounding.

Sam Shelton
www.kinetikcom.com
[Sam could not be reached for comment on The Show. But he’s a pretty nice guy, so we’re betting he would’ve had something positive and uplifting to say.]

Special thanks goes out to all the sponsors.