2017 One Show Jury Preview

It’s awards season. Entry deadlines are here and awards managers are working late to get amazing work entered in the hopes of taking home a coveted One Show Pencil. We sat down with a few of the 2017 One Show judges to get an inside scoop — from what they look for in a winning piece to work that they would like to be seen in this year's show.

What do you look for in a winning piece?

Jenny Tsai: A piece that is authentic, heartfelt, original and builds strong connection with the audience!

Albert Shum: I’m looking for insights. Insights can be information or observations. Strong insights can create an emotional connection with an audience by demonstrating understanding of what that audience needs. Insights also inform solutions that help the audience achieve a goal. For example, how do you create technology that not only engages people but helps them achieve something meaningful? Uncovering those insights is the tough part, and everything else follows: point of view, execution, form. But it’s hard to create resonance without getting really clear about that spark of insight. It should ground the work.

Giles Rhys Jones: Wait, what?
Something to make me stop in my tracks. I am personally interested in something that can make a profound impact beyond a one-off campaign. An ongoing initiative that can make the world a more enjoyable, safer or more efficient place. To do that it needs to be real and authentic.

Kazoo Sato: So far (in the judging process) from the work that I have seen, Trip to Mars was one of the best pieces.

Jill Applebaum: A winning piece is one that breaks convention. It can come from an insight so unique and true that it deeply resonates. Perhaps it puts a whole platform to use in an innovative way. It can provide a new utility. There’s no one way to get there but, generally speaking, a winning piece will be something that causes the judges’ collective hearts to skip a beat.

What interesting project are you currently working on?

JT: We are planning on a project that leverages a large group of influencers to change consumer behaviour and create social impact. It's early days so stay tuned!

AS: One project that’s been inspiring teams across Microsoft is Inclusive Design. It began as we explored how we scale our design work to truly create for each of the 7.4 billion people in the world. 7.4 billion people includes a lot of diversity. If our ambition is to create products that are physically, cognitively, and emotionally appropriate for everyone, we need methodologies and practices that help us learn from people with a range of perspectives. It starts with seeing diversity differently: as an inspiration for better design. We still have a lot of work to do, and we’ve published our Inclusive methodology online with principles, activities, a film, and an open-source toolkit, to share what we’ve learned. Check it out, and we’d love to hear your feedback: www.microsoft.com/design/inclusive.

GRJ: So many, but one in particular am excited about.
We are working with a charity in South Africa to make a portable address printing machine that will tour townships to give women physical 3 word address house signs that they can use immediately so they can get emergency care. Many die due to complications in childbirth when ambulances can’t find them.

KS: We’re making second version of Lyrical School music video. I believe it’ll again be a widely shared piece.

JA: We just launched a piece of content for Love Has No Labels for the Ad Council called Meet John Smith. We met dozens of people who shared the name John Smith which is one of the most common names in America. We then documented their diverse backgrounds and stories of how they’ve been “labeled” in an effort to challenge the audiences’ assumptions and make them aware of their own implicit bias.

Are there any great pieces you have seen this year that you would love to see submitted to The One Show?

JT: The space is continuously involving with lots of great and new talent emerging — look forward to seeing the submissions!

AS: An Inclusive approach starts with learning from a diverse range people, not just retrofitting a solution at the end of a design process. A great example is how the company Pillpack has done this. From interacting with patients as a pharmacist, CEO TJ Parker saw how complicated and frustrating it was for people to manage large quantities of medications. Listening to patients and incorporating those insights informed the design of Pillpack's service: delivery of discrete pre-sorted prescriptions by dose. I’d like to see pieces that demonstrate that approach.

GRJ: I want to see more start-ups apply. It is amazing to see large brands doing amazing work but truly smart, innovative, and conscious work often comes from the smaller folk. It is great to see more IP based categories in awards and start-ups shouldn't be intimidated by the process or lack of budgets. what3words is proof that the idea can shine through and win.

KS: “Dreams of Dali” was such a wonderful work. It gives a new way to experience classic art pieces.

JA: Ally Bank “Lucky Penny” has people reconsidering the value of their money. Lockheed Martin took kids on a mystery bus ride to Mars using group VR. Motorola showed how a shattered screen feels from the emojis’ point of view. I look forward to the long, impassioned debate in the jury room.

To enter the 2017 One Show visit http://www.oneshow.org/.

Jenny Tsai
Social Influencer Marketing Jury
CEO / Wearisma

Albert Shum
UX/UI
CVP, Design & Content Publishing, Microsoft / Seattle

Giles Rhys Jones
Mobile
CMO what3words / London

Kazoo Sato
Interactive
CCO, TBWAHakuhodo / Tokyo

Jill Applebaum
UX/UI
CD Facebook / New York