Student Design Competition
02.25.15
Student Design Competition Q&A: A Villain in the News Category?
I'm interested in entering work in the News Category as described in the Call for Entries, but I'm curious about the subhead. It reads: "He/She has been called every name under the sun. We decided to find out who this so-called villain really is." So does that mean the person I choose to feature has to be seen as a villain character?
--Michelle Lock, University of Miami
--Michelle Lock, University of Miami
As for that News Magazine category, ideally yes, the person you choose to feature should have some controversial quality that has at least some people seeing him or her as a bad guy. (Think about politicians, for instance.) That doesn't mean they have to truly be a "villain" though, just someone who's in the news enough to have some bad things said about him or her from time to time.
But to be honest, with this and EVERY category, we're more interested in how you design than who your featured person or topic is. For this News Magazine Category, we've used the headline "50 Questions with..." as a way to honor SPD's 50th Anniversary ... so we don't really care about the person you're featuring, we want to see how you play with the "50" and the typography overall.
And for all the categories, it's about your execution, not your topic: the typography, the layout, the sidebars and/or graphics, the details. (Hint: Be sure you've followed all of our Competition Tips!)
If it's too hard to think of someone real to fit this News Category subhead and that bothers you, feel free to make the person up ... use a photo or illustration of a friend or someone no one knows and create a made-up character to be interviewed.
In the end, whomever you choose, don't worry: we're not going to judge the person or topic you choose ... just your design.
Got a question of your own? Don't forget to check out other Frequently Asked Questions and some tips and tricks on the main competition info page here. Or if you can't find an answer, email us at spdstudentoutreach@gmail.com and we'll answer you.