ADC 98th Annual Awards Adds Spatial Design As New Discipline, Clive Wilkinson Named Jury Chair

Creativity in Spatial Design has been added as a separate and distinct discipline to the ADC 98th Annual Awards, one of the world’s longest-running and most prestigious global competition celebrating excellence in craft and innovation in all forms of design.

Established nearly a century ago by the legendary Art Directors Club, the ADC Annual Awards (http://www.adcawards.org) are part of The One Club for Creativity, the world’s foremost non-profit organization celebrating creative excellence in all forms of advertising and design.  The programs utilizes a tiered pricing system to make entry more affordable for small firms and independent/freelance designers, deadline for entry is January 31, 2019.

Serving as chairman of the first-ever Spatial Design jury is Clive Wilkinson, FAIA, FIIDA, RIBA, president and design director, Clive Wilkinson Architects, Culver City, CA.  Wilkinson is a renowned architect, strategist and writer with over 30 years of experience working at the intersection of urban design, architecture and interior design.  His practice is an acknowledged global leader in workplace design.

“I am very honored to be chair of the inaugural Spatial Design jury for this prestigious global design awards program,” said Wilkinson.  “It’s exciting to see the changes taking place today where the various design disciplines increasingly come together to create richer and more immersive experiences for people. This new addition to the awards helps move us into a multi-disciplinary future.

He added the ADC Annual Awards are an unparalleled opportunity for creatives in spatial design to be recognized on the same stage with top creatives in other design fields from around the world.  “Of course, it is also a chance to share with the creative world at large all of the amazing and innovative work being down within spatial design,” said Wilkinson.

By recognizing work in this growing field that defines the relationship between physical and social spaces, the new discipline will honor and celebrate innovation and design in environments that are aimed towards enhancing the human experience in both private and public design realms.

The Spatial Design discipline includes various categories related to man-made human environments including architecture, landscape architecture, urban design & infrastructure,  interior design, service design, retail design, lighting design and some areas of public art.

For those whose work addresses the industry’s environmental footprint and sustainability issues, the ADC 98th Annual Awards has a Design for Good category to recognize creativity and innovation in that critical area.

Spatial Design entries will be judged by a dedicated jury of creative experts from the profession, to be announced shortly, who will select the best work from around the world.  The ADC Annual Awards is widely recognized for selecting judges who are true artists who will focus on excellence in craftsmanship above all other aspects. 

“While the ADC Annual Awards has recognized some environmental design work in the past, we will now have a strong focus on identifying and celebrating the work of creatives in all aspects of spatial design who are dedicated to the highest levels of painstaking craftsmanship, artistry and innovation,” said Michael O’Rourke, executive director, ADC.  “We are honored to have Clive Wilkinson serve as our first Spatial Design jury chair, and look forward to him leading the jury to identify true creative excellence in the field.”

He added that creatives working in the discipline will now have a global platform to draw inspiration from top creatives in other fields, and to potentially make connections that can propel their work and careers to new heights.

ADC Annual Awards provide more than just a global spotlight for spatial design creatives.  Participation in the program also benefits the creative community at large by helping fund more than two dozen education, professional development, gender equality and inclusion & diversity programs for those in design and advertising.

“As a non-profit organization, our mission is support and celebrate the success of the global creative community,” said Kevin Swanepoel, CEO, The One Club for Creativity (http://www.oneclub.org).  “Revenue generated from our global awards shows is directed right back into the industry to produce relevant education and professional development programing for creatives at all levels of experience.”

Those programs range from workshops for high school students and Creative Boot Camps for college students interested in design to Executive Creative Summits for c-suite creative leaders to discuss critical business issues affecting the industry.

Tiered pricing structure

The global competition is open to firms of all sizes, and uses a special tiered pricing structure (http://www.adcawards.org/tieredpricing/) to make it more affordable for small studios and independent/freelance designers to participate.

Costs vary depending on size: studios with between 2-20 employees get a discount on standard entry fees (amount varies by discipline), while independent/freelance creatives and one-person shops are eligible for an even greater reduction.

Winners will be announced at the ADC 98th Annual Awards ceremony on May 6, 2019 at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York, as part of The One Club’s annual Creative Week.

For more information on the ADC 98th Annual Awards, please visit http://www.adcawards.org.

The One Club for Creativity (www.oneclub.org), producer of the prestigious One Show, ADC Annual Awards and Creative Week, is the world's foremost non-profit organization whose mission is to support and celebrate the success of the global creative community. The One Show is a top global awards show for advertising, design and digital marketing focusing on creativity of idea and quality of execution.  The ADC Annual Awards honors the best creative work in terms of craft, design and innovation across all disciplines.  Creative Week takes place in New York City every May and is the preeminent festival celebrating the intersection of advertising and the arts.