ADC Young Guns is the industry’s only international, cross-disciplinary, portfolio-based awards competition that identifies today’s vanguard of young creatives, and is open to both ADC members and nonmembers. The program is open internationally to creatives age 30 and under who have been working for at least two years, full-time or freelance. Eligible entrants can submit a combination of professional and personal work in graphic design, photography, illustration, advertising, art direction, environmental design, film, animation, motion graphics, interactive design, typography, architecture, copywriting, product design, package design, fashion design, furniture design, interior design, sound design and industrial design.

Entries will be accepted here starting on May 1, 2012. Entries submitted on or before June 2, 2013 will qualify for early bird pricing of $99. Entries submitted after that date and before the June 16 deadline will cost $135. 

This year’s call-for-entries campaign was created by Grand Army who were recognized during Young Guns 9. Partners LARRY PIPITONE, JOEY ELLIS and ERIC COLLINS sum up the Call for Entries with ‘Level Up’ - an aspirational concept which speaks to the ability to advance one’s career by being named ADC Young Gun. 

ADC Young Guns 11 was kicked off in style last Thursday, April 25. Current Young Guns and future Young Guns gathered at the Art Director’s Club 29th Street Gallery for ‘Level Up’ a party which mirrored the conceptual and design aesthetic of the Call for Entries campaign. Young creatives were treated to a larger than life custom built game of PONG. The classic video game was projected 60 feet wide and two stories high. 

ADC Young Guns would not be possible without the support of it’s generous sponsors: iStock and Adobe. 

Every year, a committee of past Young Guns is assembled to oversee the development and execution of the competition: 

Rich Tu (YG9) - Art Director, AKA NYC and ADC Young Guns 11 Chair

Bill Oberlander - Managing Director, Robin Hood and Co-Founder of ADC Young Guns 

Ian Wharton (YG8) - Partner, Zolmo

Michael Fremiuth (YG8) - Partner, Franklyn 

Nicole Jacek (YG8) - Founder, Creative Director, NJ(L.A.) 

Elle Kim (YG8) - Senior Art Director, The Museum of Modern Art

Stewart Smith (YG7) - Founder, STEWDIO

Timothy Goodman (YG7) - Designer, Illustrator, Independent  

Dan Blackman (YG9)  - Designer, Independent  

Jon Contino (YG9) - Founder, Jon Contino Studio  

Julie Glassberg (YG9) - Photographer, Independent 

All ADC Young Guns 11 winners receive the following:

A unique version of the iconic ADC Young Guns Cube, designed exclusively for YG11

Their work featured in an exhibition at the ADC Gallery in New York;

Their work included in the ADC Young Guns 11 Annual;

Their work added to their permanent profile page on www.adcyoungguns.org;

Complimentary one-year ADC membership;

Permanent membership in ADC Young Guns network;

The chance to be featured in ADC Young Guns events, including presentations of their work at Apple stores around the world;

YG6 • MENNO KLUIN

What will you be looking for as a juror? Undeniable talent. People who’s work you have seen already before. Work that blew you away. Work that you love. Stuff you bookmarked and referenced. And then you see that they submitted it to young guns and you hate/love them even more because turns out they weren’t even 30 when they made it.

What excites you about the current creative climate? The barrier to get stuff out there is gone. If you want to share something with the world a little over a decade ago you need a nice big client that was willing to spread your work or money to submit to award shows. Nowadays if its creative, it will spread naturally. This notion is pushing me personally forward. Its a good trigger. The work better be amazing otherwise it will be ignored. 

Define a winning Young Gun entry in three words. Fresh. Unique. Talented.

If you have judged before, what mistakes did you see in the entries? Its a delicate balance. If you enter too less, it feels like you can’t hit it enough. If you enter too much but there are weaker pieces in it raises some questions. Everything has to be solid. And thankfully the best talent has that edge. Consistently delivering quality. Talent means that creativity is in you. You have no choice but to do good stuff. Stuff that excites you as an individual.

YGX • GABRIEL SHALOM

When you entered Young Guns what do you think made you stand out? I am pretty sure being a video artist set me apart from many of the other Young Guns applicants. I entered a body of work which is highly audiovisual yet nonetheless has strong graphic properties.

What will you be looking for as a juror? I will be looking for the sublime.

What excites you about the current creative climate? I love the way digital aesthetics are informing the analog world.

YG8 • SCOTT AMRON

How did becoming a Young Gun change your life/career? It was a credibility boost.  

What will you be looking for as a juror? Something interesting and potentially significant that changes your perspective on things.

Complete this sentence: Young Guns entrants would be more successful if they…they make things easy for the user/viewer. Great work requires very little effort on the part of the viewer to appreciate.

YGX • CALEB BENNETT

When you entered Young Guns what do you think made you stand out? What did you enter? I entered mostly the work I had done for Texas Monthly and The New York Times Magazine. In some ways I found myself at a bit of a disadvantage by submitting work from one specific focus like editorial design. Constantly designing and art directing within a specific set of dimensions and parameters can be limiting, but it’s also what you do within those parameters that can be quite liberating or that allows you to make a mark. I think in the end, the pieces that I submitted were cohesive as a group because of the medium, but the experimentation that was present within those restrictions is what showed my potential and made the work stand out.  

What will you be looking for as a juror? A point of view. The ability to express him or herself in a unique and appropriate way whatever medium it may be. Too often there is a tendency to get caught up in aesthetics or trends and it’s about so much more than that. 

How do you define a Young Gun? What separates them from everyone else? Good work is noticed, but smart work is remembered. Young guns create work that is engaging and memorable.

What excites you about the current creative climate? The potential. Its exciting to think that we are all pushing each other to approach projects in new and unexpected ways. It’s becoming more and more possible to create any idea one might have. Technology provides the capabilities for much of that, but I also enjoy the continued exploration of traditional methods and how they can be used to take a concept to the next level. 

“Cybu Richli and Fabienne Burri are the founders of the communication design studio C2F located in Lucerne, Switzerland. C2F has earned international attention for their experimental and innovative works. With a curious and sensitive approach they realize projects in the field of editorial design, information design, corporate design and poster design.

In their speech, they will show a selection of their work, talk about their inspirations and give a view behind-the-scenes.”

Monday, June 24, 2013

7:00 - 8:00 PM

Apple Store San Francisco

One Stockton Street

San Francisco, CA 94108

YG9 • JESSE RIESER

How did becoming a Young Gun ‘LEVEL UP’ your life/career? Being a part of the Young Guns 9 class allowed me to make new personal and professional connections. There hasn’t been any one single game changing experience, but it has been an invaluable tool for laying the groundwork for future collaborations and an increase in visibility.  

When you entered Young Guns what do you think made you stand out? What did you enter?  I think my work stood out because it was a fresh balance of advertising and personal work that is based on subtleties of everyday life, humor, and curiosity.  My advertising print work looks like my personal work, and not the other way around. Meaning I get hired from my personal projects, and I don’t base my personal projects on what I think is going to be marketable.  I entered my personal series, “Christmas In America:  Happy Birthday, Jesus”  “Starting Over: Will Move For Work,” “The Class of 99 Turns 30” and advertising work for The Ritz Carlton, The Getty Museum, The NFL, and New Mexico State Tourism 

How would you compare your current work to the work you submitted when you became a Young Gun?  I would say my work in the past two years has become more refined.  Really honing in on my personal style.  I have also broadened my interests. Recently I have had the chance to write and direct a series of commercial campaigns and currently directing my first short film, which I wrote as well. 

What will you be looking for as a juror?  I have a feeling there will not be a shortage of talent. But what I am really excited to see is how the younger creative is more diversified with his and her interests. How the democratization of creativity by way of digital, has pushed and blurred the boundaries of how they can express their vision in multiple mediums.  

Define a winning Young Gun entry in three words: Daring. Confident. Hungry. 

YG8 • MARK WARD

How would you compare your current work to the work you submitted when you became a Young Gun?  The work I entered for Young Guns was a cross section of my best work at the time, which included design, concepts and illustration. Since becoming a Young Gun, my work has focused more on illustration and pushing my aesthetic, but concepts are still integral to my work as I developed a more defined style. 

What will you be looking for as a juror?  What I look for is something unique to the entrant - An aspect to their work that makes it theirs. Essentially a different approach to their chosen creative area. Work that makes me jealous that I didn’t create it. That’s what makes work memorable for me, and when looking through the long list of entrants for Young Guns, memorable work will always be a good way to make you stand out.

What excites you about the current creative climate?  The current climate seems to move incredibly fast. New methods of communication appear to be created every other week. This opens up potential new ways of getting creative in a fresh way. It’s funny that even though the climate is very technology driven, most ideas still start with a pencil and paper.

Define a winning Young Gun entry in three words: Green with envy!

YGX • DANIEL ROBITAILLE

What will you be looking for as a juror?  I will be looking for work that stands out from what I see everyday and for original projects that don’t follow the trends.

What mistakes might you see in this year’s entries?  A common mistake is showing too many things or too many pictures of their project in their entries. Unfortunately when that happens it’s hard for the judges to focus on the project. 

What excites you about the current creative climate?  What I find exciting is the multidisciplinary approach that can ally graphic design, architecture, space organization and mutlimedia in one single project. Those projects make us feel that everything is possible and that there is no boundaries to bring a project where we want.

Define a winning Young Gun entry in three words.  Distinctive. Smart. Timeless.

YGX • BRADONIO

How would you compare your current work to the work you submitted when you became a Young Gun?  Since becoming a Young Gun, my work has continued to get more and more focused on what makes me the happiest to make. The ideas are becoming more niche, and I’m enjoying it. It’s easier to focus that way. 

How do you define a Young Gun? What separates them from everyone else?  I feel like a Young Gun really has a distinct personal style. It’s not like just one or two pieces of big agency work that gets them in, it’s a body of work that showcases who they truly are as an artist. You see this craft come through not only in their passion projects, but also fully devoted towards their commissioned work. 

Complete this sentence: Young Guns entrants would be more successful if they…applied with projects that they were the most excited about and personally invested in, rather than just what they think a judge may want to see. 

Define a winning Young Gun entry in three words: Made with love.

”Here brings together a vast array of the best practitioners and creative talent from the UK and abroad for a one-day, fast-paced festival of creativity. The speakers will be sharing their practice, process, ideas, and expertise with an emphasis on inspiration.”

If you couldn’t snag a ticket to the sold-out event, you can watch some of the speeches from Here 2012…here.

TGIF!

YG8 • MICHAEL FREIMUTH

How did becoming a Young Gun ‘LEVEL UP’ your life/career?  Directly, it played a role in working with Stefan Sagmeister and helping me launch my company, Franklyn. Indirectly, it’s given me a network of colleagues and friends that happen to be extremely talented. I can also count on dropping in at a YG’s studio almost anywhere in the world on a moment’s notice, just ask Ian Wharton (YG8)… It may not be quite like having a Black AmEx Card, but it can’t be that far off. 

When you entered Young Guns what do you think made you stand out? What did you enter?   I’m only slightly embarrassed to say, I entered three times – and got in just under the 30 year old wire. I’m not like some of our rockstar 22-year-old winners who got in on the first try… so I may be in a unique position to answer this one. My first pass was too corporate. I thought a big client name (IBM, Motorola) might be attractive, but in retrospect that wasn’t enough and the work wasn’t that interesting. The second time I may have gone a little too boutique, (read: silkscreen posters and illustration heavy), when really my strengths are in my breadth of work. Third time was the charm, thankfully – my work was a mix of my most creative professional client work, favorite personal projects and one or two pieces that put me out on a limb (an app and a series of flatware designs).

What will you be looking for as a juror? I’ll be looking for opinions. Individuals who are actually trying to change something in the world or say something of importance. I also look for breadth and depth in an entrant’s work. Is she or he flexible, or are they style-driven? My personal favorites are the folks that are doing several things, and clearly doing them well… when you catch a glimpse of a methodology that’s going to carry someone for decades, as opposed to just through the next fashion cycle.

How are Young Guns different today compared to a year ago? 5 years ago?  I see more diversity in backgrounds today. The competition used to be primarily about graphic designers by default, look at our YG1’s (who are amazing, by the way). Today its not only designers, illustrators and photographers – but product designers, developers, fashion designers and interior architects. The term ‘Art Director’ in ADC may even be a little misleading for the most recent YG’s, we’re much much broader than that today.

What excites you about the current creative climate? The heightened mixture of entrepreneurialism and creativity. Look at Airbnb, Behance or BestMade (and that’s just the top of the alphabet) – all either founded by creatives working with business counterparts, or vice versa. There are so many opportunities for creatives to no longer just ‘add value’ to brands, but literally build life-changing, societally-impacting products and services… that’s exciting to me. 

YGX • EMILY MACRAE

Complete this sentence: Young Guns entrants would be more successful if they….showed personal work as well as commercial. And only show their strongest projects, quality over quantity.

What will you be looking for as a juror?  Intelligent ideas I wish had been mine.

What excites you about the current creative climate?  Thanks to the internet, you don’t have to live in an area with a strong arts culture to be inspired and see what’s out there. It doesn’t beat experiencing it for yourself, but it’s definitely a good start. 

Define a winning Young Gun entry in three words. Makes me salivate. 

YG5 • LEIF PARSONS

When you entered Young Guns what do you think made you stand out? What did you enter?  A large range of approaches to projects, combined with some “odd” conceptual approaches…

How would you compare your current work to the work you submitted when you became a Young Gun?  For part of my practice I have gone way off the deep end and am making art drawings and sculptures, when I submitted  I was really only approaching work as a direct problem solver.

Complete this sentence: Young Guns entrants would be more successful if they….submitted quality over quantity, one off project can put your entire thinking into question.

What will you be looking for as a juror?  Surprises. 

What excites you about the current creative climate? The mixing of fields, art blending into industrial design and back again for example (as long as it does not become an excuse where work does not quite fully function in any world.)

YGX • DARK IGLOO  

When you entered Young Guns what do you think made you stand out? What did you enter? Diverse work, killer ideas, solid execution.

How do you define a Young Gun? What separates them from everyone else? A Young Gun has fired & misfired a thousand times.  The award is recognition of hard work and experience during the competitive gambit of your early career.  

Define a winning Young Gun entry in three words: Passion, Execution, Vibe

Another dream? Being named a Young Gun. The deadline for submissions is June 16, so enter now. 

Ludvig Bruneau Rossow: I understand you’ve started teaching and giving lectures. How has that been going? 

Jessica Walsh: Yes, I did. I had my first class last Wednesday, and it went very well. I am teaching about designing with type for junior and senior level students. I gave them their first assignment, which was to create a specific word. I gave each of them a different material and a different typeface to base it on. This will basically be a whole course of projects and assignments. One assignment might be to do a logo or an identity, and then another project might be a poster design. Afterwards, each class is a critique of the work. I might give some lectures or give them little homework assignments about typography, but it’s mostly a critiquing class. How about you, have you done any teaching or lecturing? 

Ludvig: Well last year, I held a talk at Westerdals, that’s the school I went to. I tried it once, and then they wanted me to come back again this year. 

Jessica: Oh, cool. So what kind of stuff are you up to working at Bleed? You had told me before that you were going to be focusing on web work there. 

Ludvig: I am getting to work on lots of different stuff. It’s actually really great. I get lots of responsibility for the tasks. I’ve done a visual identity for a theater, and I’ve had some poster campaigns. 

Jessica: Have you ever thought about starting your own studio after a few years of working there? 

Ludvig: Yeah, I think so. That’s kind of like the dream everyone has. It’s going to happen, but I don’t know when. For now, I think it’s great to just stay here, and try lots of different projects and get the experience I need. I also always try to have some personal projects on the side, just to be able to test out very random stuff that probably wouldn’t work for a client. But yes, I’ve often wondered what it would be like to start my own company. What suggestions would you give? 

Jessica: Well how big do you want your studio to be? Do you want to be just yourself, do you want to hire people, do you want to grow organically? I think it’s definitely easier if you start on your own. If you start getting your own freelance clients now while you do have a full-time job, it will make it easier to transition because then you’ll already have some clients and contacts. It’s much easier to grow organically. You’ll know when you get to the point when you just can’t handle the workload yourself. That’s when you hire one or two extra people to help you out. 

“The biggest thing with having your own studio versus working for someone else is that there’s less time for creative work.”

Ludvig: On a different subject, you’ve done lots of different projects, from editorial to campaigns to identities, pretty much almost everything. What do you think is the most fun to work on? 

Jessica: I actually don’t find one thing way more interesting than the other. What I love about being where I am now is that we have such a variety in projects. One day I could be more focused on an editorial illustration, the next day we’re working on a big ad campaign, and I’m more focused on organizing and hiring other creatives that I think would help make our idea come to life, and then the next day, I could be doing something completely different or dealing with the business side. I personally love having that dynamic where you’re never focused on just one part of the creative. I really like that, but I know some people do prefer to specialize and just be doing type all day or just be doing websites all day. What about you? 

Ludvig: I also like to do a lot of different stuff. I have mostly worked on identities, but lately, I’ve been working with more editorials, book design, that stuff. I think it’s great to do different things. I really enjoy working with books, so maybe I should try that out some more. 

Jessica: Yeah. Unfortunately, there’s not that much money in books anymore, though.  

YG9 • DAN BLACKMAN

How did becoming a Young Gun ‘LEVEL UP’ you life/career? Becoming a Young Gun definitely helped with getting some of my work out there. Which in turn brought me more work. It also opened up opportunities to give more lectures and conduct workshops. Which is something that I love doing.

What will you be looking for as a juror? I’ll definitely be looking for a balance between personal work and “commercial” work. I think it’s really important for a good creative to have a portfolio filled with both. I’ll also be looking for people who take chances with their work and try new things.

What excites you about the current creative climate? What most excites me about today’s current creative climate is just the sheer number of opportunities. Just speaking as a designer I love that I can find myself getting involved with everything from illustrations, to product design, to creating videos. 

YG6 • YO SANTOSA

Define a winning Young Gun entry in three words. Flexible, Driven and Consistent 

How did becoming a Young Gun ‘LEVEL UP’ you life/career? When you have a Young Gun in your resume, companies are eager to meet you for an interview. Not to mention it’s such a cool title.

How do you define a Young Gun? What separates them from everyone else?  They show a maturity that’s beyond their years.

Define a winning Young Gun entry in three words.  Bold, innovative and clever.

YGX • DANIEL SAVAGE

When you entered Young Guns what do you think made you stand out? What did you enter? It was the variety of work. I submitted big budget interactive installations and motion graphics, to DIY apps and short films.

Complete this sentence: Young Guns entrants would be more successful if they….didn’t submit projects that aren’t their best. Just because you can submit 10 doesn’t mean you have to.

What will you be looking for as a juror? I want to see a balance of client work as well as personal work. And if you are in a field that doesn’t really allow for personal work, I want to see that you’ve poured everything you possibly have into each project.

YG9 • TAMAR LEVINE

What will you be looking for as a juror? I’ll be looking for artists who have a unique vision and the technical and creative tools to execute that vision. Artists who bring a unique perspective to whatever field(s) they are in…artists who aren’t afraid to push creative boundaries. 

Complete this sentence: Young Gun entrants will be more successful if they….only entered work they are most proud of as opposed to work they think the jurors will be impressed by because of the caliber of the client. 

When you entered Young Guns what do you think made you stand out? What did you enter?  I entered a mix of personal and commercial work (about 50/50). I think the fact that I had this mix was important, because it showed that I have a honed-in style that expands throughout all of my work, both personal and commercial. 

What excites you about the current creative climate?  We live in a very exciting time for commercial art, and technology has a lot to do with it. With blogs, eBooks, etc we can share art faster than ever before. We can collaborate and interact with artists from across the world. We can learn about other cultures and other artistic movements with a click of a button. We have a wealth of information at our fingertips, and as emerging professional artists we should use these tools. Also as technology develops it is now easier to use certain tools to create art (cameras, software, etc). Because of this it is easier for artists to expand into different fields other than their own. If there is a vision, there is an easier way to make that come to life. Artists aren’t as stuck to their specific tools as they once were. 

You can stream the album on Bandcamp, buy a digital copy on iTunes or Amazon (both if you’re feeling redundant), or hear it live and buy an album at the show. The physical 10” vinyl is stuffed with extra printed surprises full of painstaking detail. You can take the boy out of graphic design, but you can’t take graphic design out of the boy…