Should we aim to win awards?
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- MatDolphin
If you're a small design agency, freelancer or sole trader you've probably considered entering a creative award at some point. But aren't the odds stacked against us before we even start? We decided to explore all options in our latest blog post 'Gold Star'. We hope you enjoy it and encourage debate on the bog post.
- vaxorcist0
The "awards" landscape is different from what it once was...
I once worked for an agency that went nuts to win awards, most of the stuff that won was for pro-bono clients or small local shops we knew wo let us do anything.... the inside joke was said when the head of the agency did an internal review, one side of the wall was the "award winning work", the other was the work "for paying clients"... but hey, we did win a golden lion at Cannes...
The other joke was "win the award but lose the client" because it seemed clients thought we were doing work for an audience of other agency creatives and awards judges, not real actual customers...
I also worked at a small agency run by refugees from the big agencies, they refused to enter any awards shows, they just wanted to do great work and it should be obvious what that is to all creatives anyway... they did get some respect too..... they knew the hard part is not doing great work but getting clients to actually let you do great work....
- GeorgesII0
No,
why??
because you got better shit to doand vaxorcist summed it up
"one side of the wall was the "award winning work", the other was the work "for paying clients"pretty much all the big agencies creates tons of fakes just to win award, if your goal is to win, you either try for years or intern in one of these behemoths
do I even make sense?
- Morning_star0
A cynic writes:
You get what you pay for.
- eficks0
a large agency i was at had a "mandate" come from the top. which was to win more awards.
- Projectile0
I don't know a single person that has won an award for themselves or helped get one for their company with paid work for a client.
It's all self-motivated or pro-bono. In fact, ngo's have the best advertising ever... basically because they don't have fuckwit clients who want a bigger logo all the time.
...or is it that the awards all go to the fancy eye-candy stuff that has no functional value?
- Continuity0
A former CD of mine at a big network shop eventually got shown the door for not winning awards.
- Douglas0
i think winning awards can help your chances at getting a green card or visa if you ever want live/work abroad when filling out govt. application forms.
- MatDolphin0
Thanks for the comments chaps, some interesting points being being raised. Particularly the 'paid client work is never going to win and award' theory.
- ive won four awards i think for web work. unfortunately, no one gives a shit about web awards unless it's a webby.********
- ive won four awards i think for web work. unfortunately, no one gives a shit about web awards unless it's a webby.
- ********0
No one really cares about the award. It is just an ego booster. You should work to make it popular.
- formed0
Everything has been said, more or less, but being "award winning" is better than not, in anyone's eye.
Generally, no one really cares beyond that, unless it was a very publicized work, in that case it could be considered marketing/advertising.
I've worked for many architect's that were obsessed with awards (I was too, at the beginning), and it did make a difference business wise. You enter an office with a wall full of awards and it makes an impression (I left the profession before I filled a wall ;-) ).
BUT architecture has more standardized awards, people know who the AIA is. Graphics is kinda nebulas, so many 'fake' awards out there.
If it is a 'good' award, then it'll make a difference, if it is a lesser or unknown, not really worth the entry fees.
- mg330
- showpony0
I'll say this... when i was younger, i entered everything and won many. the awards don't mean shit, but, at the time, they did open some doors (i got some offers from great places as a result). the awards landscape has changed radically over the last 5 years, though, and things just don't work the way they used to.
also, i've seen some ridiculous things happen behind the scenes at major awards shows that made me decide once and for all that i was never going to enter another one. good riddance.
- You need to elaborate on this. What did you see behind the scenes?monNom
- ********0
aim to do the best work you can do.