What Are the Top Competitors in Graphic Design Up To?

In the information age in which we now live, graphic design has changed over time, it requires innovative thinking, and innovative thinking can improve the originality and validity of graphic design works. 

But is there a perfect formula to successful graphic design innovation? Let us find out by looking at what events the top competitors in the field are currently interested in. 

Illustrators 

There are many well-established competitions that are now accepting submissions from graphic designers of all walks of life. Top illustrators in the field are entering competitions such as the Communications Arts 2021 Illustrations Competition to showcase their creativity in illustration by submitting new works. Communications Art’s Award of Excellence is a very prestigious award and elevates winners to the highest ranks with their profession. All top illustrators from different fields, including advertising and packaging, editorial and publishing industries, institutional productions, motion pictures and animations.

Another fun event that many illustrators are also interested in is the Spirito Di Vino 2020 International Illustrators Competition who are looking for artists who make satirical cartoons concerning the world and wine culture. This less serious, but still well-established competition brings together some of the best artists in the world to share in the humor of satirical cartoons about wine. Just like the illustrators entering the Spirito Di Vino 2020 International Illustrators Competition, many other top illustrators in the field have tailored their style to produce work according to a specific genre, art medium or even specific industries as emotive writers and painters often do. 

Comic Creators 

Comic creators have no shortage of competitions they can enter into to showcase the design works and creations. The Fumetto International Comix Competition 2021 allows entries to compare their work, present it to the public and communicate and exchange ideas with other top competitors in the field. The Fumetto International Comix Competition 2021 is a competition without borders, which means competitors are able to do whatever they like; it encourages innovation as competitors aim to go beyond their designing limits. The Aminte Europe 2020 International Comic Competition is another very popular comic creations competition in its 5th year running. The topic this year is “Restart – The Street of Europe,” and competitors are asked to submit comic strips that relieve the lives, realities and priorities of the European citizens, taking us back to where it all began, the public. In this competition, competitors are again encouraged to be innovative in their comic creations, they are asked to concern and illustrate Europe’s citizens in their natural environment, the streets, however they perceive it, be it a countryside road or a gloomy sidestreet.   

Other competitions that are of interest to the top competitors in the graphic design field are the STA 100 International Typography Competition 2020, to honor the best 100 communication designs and typography from around the world, and the Spark Design Awards 2020 that seeks to encourage fresh thinking and innovation across all disciplines of graphic design, including student design, product design and packaging to mention a few. These types of competitions foster innovative thinking and competitors want to produce work that shows true innovation in their design works.  

What are the top competitors doing right?

All graphic designers and artists strive to create awareness around their design work and innovations. Many of them use simple, yet powerful logos to craft their brand around their design work, often using simple yet useful tools like TRUIC’s free logo maker, while others, who can afford it, go the more professional route of hiring marketing agencies and promoters. But entering these types of competitions levels the playing field, so to speak, and creates the best types of international awareness for all illustrators, comic creators, artists and writers, and their work. 

So not start promoting your designs, artwork and innovative skills as top competitors in the field have done. Create brand awareness around your work. An easy way to start is with a simple brand logo, which will compound all your work into a single all-encompassing symbol or emblem that people can immediately recognize your work, and then start entering these types of competitions. It won’t be long before you get noticed!