In the world of design and advertising, we?re often influenced by the most obvious factors?the assumptions and considerations of our audience, the opinions of the people who hire and fire us, and in many cases, we?re swayed by our colleagues? ideals. But just as we?re reminded of these influences, we can be equally moved by the simple and relevant promise of another conviction. Great work, and all it represents, somehow gets beyond the ropes and barricades of personal taste and professional decorum. Its purpose, or meaning, is immediately recognizable. As Harry Bertoia implies, design can lead us to a better place. This year?s One Show was graced by many entries that got by the ropes.

In a competition traditionally known for advertising, our team of judges was especially pleased to see a rich and relevant abundance of exceptional work. The design division has been part of the One Show line up for only two years. Nonetheless, there?s strong evidence here of an award winning collection that is already hitting its stride. My friends and colleagues had better sit up and take notice.

The old ball and socket.
While the selection process during the judging was at times exhaustive and furious, a familiar notion surfaced: ?When it comes to the work itself, are the fundamental differences between design and advertising that distinguishable?? Sure, as practitioners, we all behave differently and run in distinct circles, but the work that emerges from both camps are distinctly similar?connected by ball and socket. Both are highly subjective, driven by the trends of fashion, buzz, fame and what the cognoscenti says is hip. I might note that during the selection process, each group of judges saw the many ways the realities of good advertising influence design and vise-versa, how design has made a difference in advertising. To this end, we also discovered that the process of criticism itself would often forward a rational set of inquiries: Is the work of the creative industry getting better or worse? Is it reflecting what?s happening in society? Is it merely doing what industry paymasters want it to do?sell more soap, or cars, or whatever? Furthermore, for any of this work to matter, must it first and foremost sell the soap?

What we learn from judging.
Designers and advertisers, and anybody connected with broadcast media, are just beginning to understand the deeper meaning of criticism. Analyzing and evaluating is not so much about pointing out what?s wrong (although that?s important, too), it?s about identifying and describing what many fail to understand. Can something good carry more weight than something that fails to achieve whatever standard is being held up at the moment?

Perhaps awards show judges can learn from Emerson. Few writers were more qualified to also bear the title of ?critic.? At a time when classical conventions were the standards of his craft, Emerson was one of the first to publicly debate the importance of alternative styles and ideals. When nearly everyone else considered Walt Whitman nothing more than a radical poet from Brooklyn, Emerson proclaimed his greatness. That proclamation was less about Whitman and more about where writing in general was heading. As a critic, Emerson opened the door for his colleague and the rest of the world to discover the vast possibilities of the written medium.

The inquiry of possibilities and intent.
Having roamed the entry tables of a number of different competitions, I half expected this latest judging experience to be regimented. After all, many competitions are less about purpose and intent and more about beauty. On the contrary, this selection process was careful and unrushed. The jury placed equal emphasis on content and form. The work that made the cut wasn?t chosen based on trend. And we weren?t willing to let style alone stand in the way of vision. Perhaps it was the panel of judges that made the process so enjoyable?we did share an immediate chemistry and repartee. Or maybe it was the work itself that ultimately established the positive course. Whatever the logic or structure, we were able to agree on what was important and necessary for elevating this area of the competition. The answers, once again, lay in the work.

Some exceptionally strong yet uniquely different entries rose through the ranks to win One Show Pencils. From the articulate and heartfelt tribute book, ?Identifying Courage,? by Slaughter Hanson/Birmingham for Alabama Vets (Gold Pencil) to the equally stunning and sublime fragrance packaging, ?Unavailable Perfume,? by Sagmeister/New York for Blue Q (Gold Pencil), we saw the best. The packaging category was impressive. Rather than resorting to the typical restraints of a ?rigid systems approach,? many entries broke ground by simply applying smarter combinations of type, color, and pattern to their final solutions. The wrapping paper collection, designed by Reservoir/San Francisco, titled ?Artifacts,? (Silver Pencil) was a brilliant example of how graphic elements in their purest form can create a complete visual vocabulary. In the area of identity, the simple wit and charm of the ?Kidswear? corporate identity by Grey Worldwide for Premsons Bazaar (Silver Pencil) delighted us. This branded program incorporated the application of a small silk apparel label to state its purpose-nothing more and nothing less was needed to communicate the thought.

To the delight of the judging panel, the overall quality of entries surpassed our expectations. We were inspired by the ?sense of thoughtfulness? that prevailed in each category, and finally, we were pleased to see a classical sense of ?fit and finish? in the final form of each winner. When the judging was complete and a body of winning work emerged, we ultimately discovered a few things about ourselves. In any impartial jury process, your act of selection is a clear statement of your taste. Your choices are made in the sense that it?s ?you? who is picking one entry while dismissing others. And with a competition of this scale and notoriety, you?re defining a standard for the profession as a whole. It?s true, a strong-minded critic of design may ultimately gather converts by the truckload, whether these disciples understand design or not. But in the end a powerful idea can stand on its own merits and represent something totally new for the entire industry.

As professionals who create ?things? for a living, we share in the luxuries that few have and many desire. We can actually express ourselves through our work. Better yet, we can step back and let that work speak for itself. In the case of the One Show, the privilege to see and experience the ?powerful ideas of the moment? was evidence enough. The acknowledgement for each judge was as easy as letting our guard down for a few days?discovering the bigger purpose and joy of design, the work itself.