Choose the Manifest Creative Director

Three students are competing to be the next student Creative Director for the Manifest Urban Arts Festival. The winner will shape the look and feel of the print and web campaigns for Manifest 2013. Their work will represent Columbia around the South Loop, Chicago and beyond. Your "Likes" will determine that winner.

Your school. Your festival. Your choice.

Voting Ends December 8th, 2012

Glenn Madigan

Senior - Advertising Art Direction

Manifest is a day of inspiration. In the past, I've gone to the festival and walked from gallery to gallery absorbing the work of soon-to-be-graduates. Aside from asking "how'd they do that?" I've thought "how can I do that? How can I do more? How can I be better?" After each exhibition I became more and more inspired to elevate my own work. At Columbia we see the world differently, not just as right brain vs. left brain, but even among our peers and faculty we see things differently. Think of an ink blot test. A group of people can view the same splash of black ink and all see something different, respond in a completely unique way. The things you see, the stories you create, and the inspiration you find are a direct response to your experiences and reaction to something as simple as an ink blot. My Manifest star symbolizes this uncontrollable creative process. Taking this idea further, I explored elements of our world that test vision and perception. If you've ever taken a color blindness test you'll recognize the circle made up of colored dots and another element "hidden" in the center. My audience may agree on what they see, or disagree, or question it, or be more interested by the arrangement of circles, or see more than what's on the page. My poster is not necessarily about what I've presented to my audience, but about our ability as creative minds to find inspiration all around us. I believe this defines Manifest. Everyone takes something a little different away from our festival. The college and Chicago community come together to view work, participate in art, and to be inspired. *Alongside the visual identity I've created, my Manifest campaign also includes an opportunity for a social media component by encouraging students and the city to share their sources of inspiration leading up to Manifest. Utilizing apps like Instagram, users can upload a photo of their favorite poem, album cover, artwork, park, coffee shop, or t-shirt that inspires them. Simply tag it #getinspired to share.

Martin Sitta

Senior - Graphic Design

I wanted to go with a custom approach, that would resonate not only in design, but to a wide spectrum of audience. I designed a custom typeface for this festival, which defines the identity of Manifest. Rectangular shapes of the typeface mimic that of urban blocks, while the open shapes of the letterforms represent the openness of the event to all. These distinctive typographic characteristics, are also applied to the Manifest star. Strict black and orange color palette was chosen along with a distinct color change in the 3 and E which compliments the expressive design elements to create an ideal design for Manifest 2013.

Thumy Phan

Senior - Graphic Design

My concept explores the possibility of layering not only text and illustration, but photography as well. We, as human beings, do more than just live. We learn, we love, and we create. We are made up of different layers. The creative layer, the fun layer, the serious layer. Everybody has different layers that when combined together makes them who they are. I would not be Thumy if I weren’t an artist, an activist, multiracial, a coffee addict, and a volleyball player. There are so many little things that make up each and every one of us and this is how I perceive Chicago and Columbia College Chicago. Columbia is so diverse because of all the different students, with all their different layers, who have had different experiences, seen different things, and have been to different places. The art and design, fashion, film, journalism, photography students, etc. all bring that special experience to Columbia, creating this environment with an energy unlike any other college and city. Chicago and Columbia wouldn’t be as vibrant, as fun, and as energetic, without this diverse group of students. The 3 elements, photography, text, and illustration can be serious or fun. Chicago's 4 seasons also tie in as well. 4 seasons, 4 layers. The layering possibilities are limitless!

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