The 2010 GRAPHEX Awards were presented to a packed house on April 29, 2010. Canada’s leading designers were joined by international delegates from Design Week 2010. The goal: to celebrate the very best in Canadian communication design. Held at Gastown’s Canvas Lounge, attendees mixed, mingled and reflected on the week’s events.
Marga Lopez, GDC/BC President, and Andy Maier, GDC/BC Vice President of Sponsorship, kicked off the award ceremony with the newly elected National President of the GDC, Jim Hudson. Emcee Debbie Millman required no introduction: president of AIGA, renowned for her work at Sterling Brands and author of many books, she received a warm welcome from the crowd.
The evening kicked off with a short video of the GRAPHEX judging process, prepared by Todd Smith and Jason Murphy, GDC/BC AV content chairs. The video spliced short interviews with the judges with action from the judging to provide a behind-the-scenes look at the process.
Design studios from Quebec took home the lion’s share of the prizes, with notable wins by Paprika and orangetango. Local winners included the MEC in-house design team and ReThink Communications. The judges’ choice awards were presented in memory of Leo Ostbaum, Design Director of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Games. Ali Gardner, Ostbaum’s colleague, presented a moving description of his work and passion for design.
Following the award ceremony, attendees were invited to see the winning pieces on display in the next room. Attendees discussed the winning pieces while listening to the musical stylings of the Jesse Cahill Quartet. In addition to the winning pieces, there was a sponsor trade show featuring 3S Printers, Ampco Grafix, Function Fox and Coast Paper.
An exhibit of all the GRAPHEX 2010 winners was displayed at the HSBC Pendulum Gallery, and is currently on a cross-Canada tour with the first stops in Edmonton and then Calgary.