Quebec Designers Rejoice: Grafika 2018

Back for its 21st consecutive year, the Grafika competition is set to announce its winners on February 8th in Montreal’s Quartier des Spectacles. Serving as an exchange forum for the graphic design community, the awards ceremony showcases the talent of Quebec designers giving visibility and recognition to the best achievements. The event will be followed by a much anticipated celebration at la Société des arts technologiques.

Back in December, the jury went through over 500 different applications to determine the best 100 based on innovation, creativity, quality and the relevance of the work’s message. The tone for deliberations was defined by this year’s president, Philippe Archontakis, Associate at ByHaus, who wishes to see work that stands out for its audacity and innovative character.

“With sources of inspiration at your fingertips, graphic design tends to become uniform. Being original is a daily challenge.” – Philippe Archontakis

The seven jurists tasked with sorting through all the applications this year are professionals from various fields of the design industry:

• Christian Bélanger, calligrapher and professor from the graphic design department of Cégep Marie-Victorin
• Sébastien Bisson, Associate at Polygraphe Studio
• Marie-Claude Doyon, Art Director at Orangetango
• David Kessous, Creative Director at Lg2
• Alix Neyvoz, Art Director at Gauthier designers
• Maude Thibodeau, Art Director at Dpt.
• And Lightspeed’s very own Creative Director, Patrick Williams

“The talent was particularly strong this year and it wasn’t an easy deliberation,” explains Patrick. “As an artist, it was refreshing to see all these projects. It also reminded us how much of an important role design plays in conveying purpose for companies and their products.”

According to our inside source, this year’s event is shaping up to be quite the evening. Whether you’re part of the competition or just attending, this is one celebration Quebec graphic designers do not want to miss out on.