Bernard and I are currently competing in a postcard design contest!
The rules are as follows:
1) Each of us selected 4 one-word categories.
2) We each designed (and professionally printed) one postcard per category and sent them once per week to each other.
3) Each pair of designs will be presented to a team of five elite judges who will select the best card each week.
The judges were not selected until after we’d made the cards, so as to avoid choosing designs to cater to a particular judge.
As of today we’re four weeks into the eight week contest. Four cards judged, four to go. Here’s the current results…
Category 1: Android
The first category was chosen by me, and both entries are shown above. Mine is the lovely shot of Cara D in a chrome suit, and Bernard cheekily chose Aegis in an effort to confuse the judges and maybe nick a point! Neither of these are technically androids, but there’s no rule that said that the cards had to adhere to the categories.
The votes were 3-2 in favour of my card. Here’s one judges comment: (She) has strong eyebrow game, and reminiscent of my purple rock star Barbie growing up!
Category 2: Computation
Bernard chose this category and his design – some esoteric code – is on the left. I chose an artistic shot of Andy Warhol and Debbie Harry at the American Amiga launch in the 80s. As with all my designs I tried to make cards you’d see on a rack in a postcard shop, and this one certainly fits the bill!
Once again the judges favoured my design 3-1 (with one tie!). One judge said: While I appreciate the mathematical notation, which in this font resembles an ancient inscription, I cannot go past Andy and Deb “using” an Amiga.
Category 3: Gold
Once again this was my category, and it was a difficult one to choose an image of! I rejected many options before coming up with the cozy shot of the golden loo. I thought it was funny and would certainly buy such a card myself. Bernard on the other hand forgot to make a specific card and instead chose a flower card he has (coincidentally) printed and sent it as his entry 🙂
And… the judges chose his in a landslide 4-1 win. They were strangely quiet about their decision, so we can only guess as to why they preferred the flower to the toilet!
Category 4: The Holy See
Bernard chose this not-quite-one-word category, and I think both of us regretted it since it was very difficult! He went with a safe choice – the Vatican flag – and I went with a too-clever choice of Francis Bacon’s Study after Velázquez’s Portrait of Pope Innocent X. This was of course because it was used as the cover of a Sisters Of Mercy record, but I wonder if the judges would know that?
They didn’t, or perhaps they just preferred the flag, since once again Bernard won 3-2! Two judges commented on how they preferred the flag since the Bacon art was scary 🙂
Halftime Score: Tied!
So after four cards the score is even Stevens: 2 points each!
Four cards left! What could the categories be? Will the judges remain as unpredictable as they have been? What about the fourth rule not listed above since it hasn’t come into play yet?
In a month, all will be revealed…