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CODE: UNESCO Cities of Design collaborate on joint project

20.05.2010 News

MontrÃ©al (Canada) - On World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, the cities of Berlin, Buenos Aires, Kobe, MontrÃ©al, Nagoya, Shanghai and Shenzhen invite designers to enter one or more of six international poster competitions aimed at defining and promoting the identities of these UNESCO Cities of Design.

What CODE defines each city?

Every metropolis has its own visual identity, an individual CODE. This competition aims to stimulate creation of posters that, through symbols, forms, colours and stories, express the singular characteristics - the codes - of Berlin, Buenos Aires, Kobe, MontrÃ©al, Nagoya, Shanghai and Shenzhen.

About the CODE competition

The idea for the competition originated with MontrÃ©al agency Sid Lee, which, inspired by the theme "MontrÃ©al, UNESCO City of Design," designed and produced a series of posters celebrating that designation in 2006. At the urging of Sid Lee, Create Berlin organised a similar project in 2009, on which the current competition is largely based.

The success of the MontrÃ©al and Berlin initiatives has prompted all the UNESCO Cities of Design to repeat the competition, as their first-ever joint project, and to showcase the winning entries in a group exhibition to be held in each city between September 2010 and December 2011.

Entry in each cityÂ’s poster design competition is free, anonymous and open to graphic designers, illustrators and photographers - professionals and students - living or working in one of the seven UNESCO Cities of Design. Since Berlin has already held its own competition in 2009 and the winners have been selected, the city is not issuing a new call for entries. Berlin-based designers are, however, invited to submit poster designs to the other citiesÂ’ competitions.

Judging criteria

In each participating city, a jury of five design experts (including one international expert from another UNESCO City of Design) will select 10 finalist designs, including a Grand Prize winner, among the submitted works. Entries will be judged based on the following criteria:

The design must:

meet the competition requirements;
demonstrate originality and creativity in describing, representing or suggesting the competition theme;
demonstrate good design through its concept and the actual design, layout and expressiveness;
show adaptability in whole or in part to other applications, formats or merchandise products.

For further information or to enter, visit the websites below:

CODE BERLIN
www.create-berlin.de

CODE BUENOS AIRES
code.buenosaires.gob.ar

CODE KOBE
www.ithinkobe.jp/kobe-code

CODE MONTRÃ‰AL
www.buildingmontreal.com

CODE NAGOYA
www.creative-nagoya.jp/code

CODE SHANGHAI
www.scic.gov.cn
www.021ci.com

CODE SHENZHEN
www.shenzhendesign.org

Awards and recognition

The 70 selected poster designs will be included in a group exhibition displayed for at least two weeks in each UNESCO City of Design between September 2010 and December 2011. They will also be showcased on the websites of the participating cities.

In addition, each of the seven Grand Prize winners will receive a cash award of USD $2000 and a UNESCO medal.

Download the competition regulations.

For more information contact:

StÃ©phanie Jecrois
Design MontrÃ©al
T: +1 514 872 5388

Melinda Pap
Atelier Punkt
T: +1 514 458 7960

About the UNESCO Creative Cities Network

Established in October 2004, the UNESCO Creative Cities Network seeks to facilitate and promote exchanges of best practices and know-how among cities that have creativity in common and, as a result, help spur their development via international networking.

Building MontrÃ©al, UNESCO City of Design is an initiative of the Design MontrÃ©al office of the Ville de MontrÃ©al and the UNESCO Chair in Landscape and Environmental Design of UniversitÃ© de MontrÃ©al. The $1.2-million project is being funded in equal parts by the Minist?re de la Culture, des Communications et de la Condition fÃ©minine, the Minist?re des Affaires municipales, des RÃ©gions et de lÂ’Occupation du territoire, the ConfÃ©rence rÃ©gionale des Ã©lus de MontrÃ©al and the Ville de MontrÃ©al.