A Digital Quartet: Thoughts from the ADC Interactive Jury

By Brett McKenzie on Mar 16, 2018

Four ADC Interactive judges share their thoughts on the work they're reviewing


Final judging for both the ADC 97th Annual Awards and The One Show 2018 is officially underway! Over the next three weeks, more than 200 esteemed creatives from all corners of the globe and across a multitude of disciplines will be selecting who will take home a coveted Pencil or Cube this May at Creative Week.

During a break in the judging sessions, we had a quick chat with four of the ADC Interactive Jury Members: Valentina Culatti, Managing Director of Unit9 in London; Claudia Cristovao, Head of Brand Studio, Google APAC in Tokyo; Lili Jiang, Creative Director, Cheil Worldwide in Hong Kong; and Luciana Haguiera, Digital Creative Director, Almap BBDO in Sao Paulo.


Now that you've gone through a few rounds of judging, what type of work are you seeing rise to the top?

Valentina: There's more AI, AR and VR, and we're seeing a combination of experiences for which you've got the Internet of Things. The offline elements are starting to take up more space that are usually allocated to online ones. I think these are all in line with the trends we are seeing out in the world.

Claudia: I'd also have to say that humor is playing a big role in the work we are currently judging. There are a lot of funny entries — as well of those that are trying to be funny.

Are there any techniques and platforms that you feel that people aren't using to its potential?

Claudia: (laughs) Yes, Snapchat! There's a lot of Snapchat experimentation, but not a lot of good usage, and you can see that in some of the entries.

Lili: I've noticed a number of Facebook Live uses that, while interesting, don't seem particularly groundbreaking.

Claudia: But sometimes there's such a drive to be groundbreaking that you lose sight of the fact that simple online video can be beautiful. There is no need to use something new just because it's new.

Valentina: I find that some entries rely too much on the novelty of the technology. One great thing about judging this show is that we are able separate creativity from technology. If something doesn't shine creatively, all of the new and exciting technology you're using runs a great risk of being gimmicky, not good. On the other hand, if the content is brilliant, if the writing is amazing, if the utmost care was taken on the creative end, then you can be a bit more forgiving with novelty and gimmicky experimentation.

"If something doesn't shine creatively, all of the new and exciting technology you're using runs a great risk of being gimmicky, not good."

The blessing and the curse of our connected world is that you tend to see great work before you get into the jury room — if something is a amazing, chances are you saw it on a blog or in your social media feed months ago. That said, and without giving too much away, are you seeing any gems that were completely new to you?

Valentina: With the ADC Annual Awards, and both its emphasis on craft and its appeal to smaller creative companies and sources for the entries, there is always something that surprises you. There are numerous examples of work that I haven't seen before, work from all corners of the globe where people may think similarly to you, or approach things in a completely different way. I know that there have been some entries where we've collectively said "wow, where did this come from?"

Lili: I think that while people tend to share interesting content on their social media platforms, you're probably not going to share a beautifully crafted website on Facebook. Here at the ADC Annual Awards judging, you're going to see things that aren't necessarily shareable amongst your friends, but are still beautifully detailed. This is really where the craft comes through.

 

Judging for both the ADC 97th Annual Awards and The One Show 2018 continue through to April. All winners will be unveiled during Creative Week, May 7–11

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