All work submitted in the A7 competition is juried by a panel of nationally recognized design leaders. This year's jurors are a veritable cadre of design rock stars whose combined experience covers a wide range of regions, industries and design expertise, including branding, motion graphics and interface design.
The Esteemed Jurors of A7
Connie Birdsall
Lippincott
NYC
Based in New York City, Connie Birdsall leads the design practice at Lippincott and serves on the firm's executive committee. Birdsall brings clients 20 years of directing and designing global corporate and brand identity, marketing communications, information design, and launch and implementation programs. She has directed programs for Coca-Cola, Continental Airlines, and Sprint to name a few.
Birdsall's design work has been widely recognized. In fact, graphic design for Continental Airlines was included in the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum's exhibition "Mixing Messages: Graphic Design in Contemporary Culture." Her IBM work garnered international acclaim and both Communication Arts and Graphis have cited her work for excellence. Connie speaks frequently on the power of design success and best practices for identity development and brand management, and has served on the AIGA national board.
Aaron Draplin
Draplin Design Co.
Portland
Raised in the Michigan northwoods and schooled at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Aaron Draplin is currently principal of Draplin Design Co. He rolls up his sleeves on projects including Print, Identity, Web Development, Illustration and Gocco Muscle. Draplin produces design for diverse clients from Coal Headwear, Union Binding Co. and Nike to Target, Esquire and the Obama Administration. Aaron prides himself on a high level of craftsmanship and quality that keep him up late into the wet Portland night.
A list of Draplin's services would not be complete without the following: Graphic Design, Illustration, Friendship, Clipping Pathery, Garying, Jokes/Laughter, Campfire Strummin', Gocco Dynamics, Road Trip Navigation, Trust, Guitar Tuning, Culture Critique, Color Correcting, Existential Wondering and the Occasional Use of Big Words.
Will Russell
Firstborn
NYC
Will Russell joined New York-based digital agency, Firstborn, in 2008 and leads video production for Firstborn's Studio Department. In addition to his focus on interactive video direction and production - and recently commercial television - Russell produces motion graphics and 3d animation. Will has produced high profile digital projects for brands like Sobe, Wrigley, at&t, ibm, Jet Blue, Puma and more. Recognition for Firstborn has come from the Clio Awards, The One Show, The Webby Awards, The London International Awards and The fwa. Additionally, Firstborn received the honor of being named to the Advertising Age '2010 Agency A-List'.
Will claims a local connection, having graduated from the University of Kansas with degrees in Communications and History. In his free time, Will enjoys cooking and playing air guitar.
The design party of the year
See all the pics from the A7 gala
Entry Guidelines
Get all the juicy details on entry guidelines and requirements here.
Awards Gallery
See all the winners from previous years awards and learn what it takes to rise to the top of the amazing KC creative community.
