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2010 NEI Poster Competition

As part of 2010 Architecture Week celebrations, AIA Northeast Illinois organized a poster competition.  Entries were to explore the theme of how “Design Matters” and were open to the author’s interpretation of what that meant to her/him.  The Poster Competition jury selected the following three winners. Click on image to view detail

First Place
Titled “Fairland’s Bookstore”
By Nick Bernardi from SRBL Architects
The concept for this poster explores the fundamentals of why design matters in our lives. Every day humans interact with something that has been designed to make our lives better: a mattress, a sink, a car, a roof, a train, a sidewalk, a cell phone. Someone, at some time, planned out how these items would better our lives. Too often we take these brilliant ideas for granted and have grown numb to these “everyday designs”. This type of design has become second nature in our lives and we, as humans, live thanklessly just expecting it to be there when we need it. Today it takes a multi-billion dollar mind-blowing museum or skyscraper with platinum cladding to stimulate a positive reaction from people in our society. This poster is homage to the “everyday design”. The poster emulates a typical Chicago-School style infill building.  This type of architecture is regularly looked over and taken for granted. The poster then pronounces each window of the building with “everyday” children’sstories to paint a picture of how basic “everyday-design” matters. Each window shows how architecture and design has shaped these fairytales. The overall look and graphics are not intended to “blow your mind” like a billion dollar building, but to be simple, cartoony and understood.  The goal of this poster is not only to be fun and humorous, but also to bring awareness that we should appreciate the subtleties in “everyday design.” The intent was to explore this message in a fun and enjoyable way.

 

 

Second Place
Titled:  “Build on the past, create for the present, design for the future”
By Kimberly Wiskup of Flint Architects.
Her poster is based on the idea that through the power of design, Architects influence, change & create environments.  By using knowledge of the past and looking toward the future, Architects can use design to positively change the environment . . . and it is up to Architects to continue this progression towards a sustainable future.
If Architects begin to think not only about today but also about future generations, they can redefine the future.

 

 

 

Third Place
Titled “Home”
By Maria Novosa, Assoc. AIA.
A home is no longer something that is designed, but something that is simply placed in various parts of the world. If this is to continue it will make no difference where we are and traveling will not have a purpose. If local diversity in design is lost all together the diversity of cultures will be lost with it.
Depicted on the poster is the common home on Oak Park Ave in the Polish neighborhood of Chicago and a modern interpretation of the home. The house is in the front since that is what dominates the neighborhood. The modern dwelling is there to show the contrast between what is created and what can be done using the same lines, but reinterpreting the overall appearance. The design can be custom, creative and still fit in with its surroundings.
We do not see people dressing in gowns on every day basis. At the same time most suburban architecture is a smaller version of a castle. The reason for that is that people simply want to copy the most common image and designers do what will be sure to bring in money. The result is modern suburbia.
No one is to say that the client will not be pleased with something they never saw before. Since we all live different lives and have different interests we do not have to live in the same house.

 


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