Ode to design (and some words on competitions)

Design is a good idea, a famous quote and true indeed. Product design, graphic design, type design, interior design and all the other disciplines are one of the most important parts in marketing and often give people the reason to tick. I love good design, so I take this discipline as a key factor, also due to my heritage in this field. It seems that in 2008 design has come (once again) in the focus of the advertising community. Naturally advertising and design are connected with each others, but in 2008 the biggest advertising festivals Cannes Lions and Eurobest have introduced a design category to their competition cluster. Lots of works were submitted, so the introduction of these categories was a success. On the advertising festival in Cannes I spoke with the Design Lion Grand Prix winner (Turner Duckworth London for Coca Cola), and they were very pleased to stand in the center of attention for a while - not a bad thing. My view on design categories in these competitions is a bit split, however. I would like to encourage people to take part in design only competitions, which have a long heritage and a better reputation within the design industry. Red Dot, Type Directors club, if awards, you name it. Long live design!