Lia Aleksan's Triumph
By Alixandra Rutnik on Mar 03, 2023
Career talk with Young Ones 2022 Gold Pencil Winner
The Young Ones Student Awards is your official gateway into the creative career of your dreams, but there's only one week left to enter into this global student competition that celebrates college kids' creativity. The extended and final deadline is Friday, March 10, for all four categories: Young Ones One Show, ADC, TDC, and Portfolio. Maybe this is your year to win a Gold, Silver, or Bronze Pencil or Cube, but you won’t know until you try– so enter ASAP!
Lia Aleksan is here to inspire you and your future student glory. She is a 2022 Young Ones One Show winner, and impressively submitted her work to Young Ones three years in a row, over the course of her sophomore, junior, and senior years. Finally, on her third try, she won a well deserved Gold Pencil. Her winning concept, titled DoorDash Health Concierge, is a unique solution to the brief she chose to work on.
We talked to Lia about her experiences with Young Ones and her professional career goals going forward.
How did you first hear about Young Ones Awards and The One Club for Creativity?
During my first semester at ArtCenter, a senior who had won a competition told me to take advantage of every opportunity to compete and submit my work. Despite my lack of knowledge about case studies at the age of 17, she shared some of her concepts with me and gave me valuable advice, which I greatly appreciated.
How many times during college did you sumbit work to Young Ones, before the Gold Pencil win?
Submitting my work consistently to the brief category played a significant role in my eventual success at The One Show, because it helped me develop the crucial skill of following project requirements. This skill not only helped me win a gold award, but also proved to be valuable in my professional work. Over the course of my sophomore, junior, and senior years, I submitted a total of seven projects across different categories. As a team, we decided on the categories to submit to after the project was completed, and we typically submitted to all applicable categories for a given campaign.
What was most fun and exciting to you about entering the Young Ones brief competition?
For me, the most enjoyable part of this process is decoding the brief and coming up with ideas and insights that align with the project goals. A successful example of this was the “health concierge” project, where we drew inspiration from my father’s post-open heart surgery diet to cater to individuals with dietary restrictions. With the help of my partner, Ebelle Weng, we developed a script and expanded upon it to create a comprehensive plan.
" The most enjoyable part of this process is decoding the brief and coming up with ideas and insights that align with the project goals."
What other programs have you participated in through The One Club?
I attended Portfolio Night last year in person in New York, and it was an amazing experience. I highly recommend it to all young creatives, even if you’re not participating in The One Show. Attending portfolio reviews allowed me to receive valuable feedback and advice on my book from some of the biggest companies in the industry. This feedback helped me gain confidence in my work, and it was also interesting to see what my competitors were doing. Overall, Portfolio Night is a beneficial and insightful experience.
You just finished up an internship at RPA as a Jr. Art Director. How did that go for you?
Participating in Young Ones brought a lot of attention to my book and even caught the eye of Doordash, who loved our idea. Thanks to the Young Ones platform, these opportunities are possible. While working at RPA was enjoyable and allowed me to learn about industry dynamics, I am currently seeking a junior position that offers a more challenging experience. (I am open to relocating).
"Participating in Young Ones brought a lot of attention to my book and even caught the eye of Doordash, who loved our idea. Thanks to the Young Ones platform, these opportunities are possible."
What advice would you give to other college students who are contemplating entering the Young One’s awards this year?
To the new Young Ones One Show competitors, my advice is to focus on studying. Take the time to thoroughly analyze the brief and study what has been successful in past competitions. It’s important to be observant and humble, and to learn and improve.
What are some of the creative goals you are looking forward to working on this year?
My current goal is to produce work I can confidently submit to The One Show during my first year in the industry. In the future, I aspire to become a teacher at ArtCenter. Although this goal may take some time to achieve, I am constantly noting everything I learn that could be useful in my future curriculum.
"My current goal is to produce work I can confidently submit to The One Show during my first year in the industry."
One Club for Creativity Members get featured here on the One Club website and across our social media channels. Have a new project you'd love to share? An upcoming exhibition and you'd like us to help spread the word? We always love to know what our One Club Members have been up to, so don’t forget to send us your cool work!
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