#OneShow2019: David Tshabalala and Sarah Waiswa's online judging panel insights
Tshabalala, cofounder of creative director at Suketchi Branding and Design in Johannesburg, has grown quite a following for his own ‘Davetionary’ of social commentary-based illustration design skills, as demonstrated on his ‘Slaying Goliath’ social media accounts and what Between10and5 calls his ‘unwavering passion for graphic design; while Nairobi, Kenya-based ‘phoet’ – photographer-poet Waiswa is perhaps better known as the Afrohemian Nomad, capturing snaps of real life in all its bright beauty across the globe.
Both had work commitments that prevented them from taking part in the main judging experience in the Dominican Republic, both followed the action with interest, and made their own selections through a rigorous remote process.
Here, they share insights into this year’s One Show online judging experience as well as what to expect from The One Club for Creativity’s Creative Week 2019…
I loved the variety of work, the talent that was on show was on par with some work that I've seen in our country so that was really great to witness, as a young South African.
What did you most enjoy about this year’s One Show judging experience?
Tshabalala: It was my first time judging, so it was amazing for me to be amongst my fellow judges from Africa and SA, whom I've admired for my whole career.
Waiswa: I did the judging online, in sections. Overall, it took maybe four hours for the first section and then two hours for the next round. It was really interesting to go through all the entries, to see the campaigns and work from creatives from different parts of the world.
Waiswa: I basically went through the brief in the beginning, so I could better understand the judging criteria and then looked through the visuals of each entry before reading the project statement, and then went on to assign a score/rating. Let’s take that a little further: Describe your personal judging process and how you stuck to the brief.
Tshabalala: I looked for technical ability and the conceptual approach that was hopefully applied to each piece of work.
Without giving too much away then, talk us through the quantity and overall calibre of entries you judged and any stand-out trends.
Tshabalala: I probably judged over 200 entries and the calibre of entries was amazing.
There's little difference in quality between the big guys and the smaller studios and individuals. The trends I've noticed are the use of bright colours and illustrators mixing textures with shapes to create bold and abstract designs.Waiswa: There was some amazing work submitted, but I would have like to see more entries from the continent.
Keep an eye on our One Show Awards special section, where roving reporter Ann Nurock will be sharing insights and interviews on all her One Show Creative Week experiences. Also be sure to follow Nurock as well as the SA Creative Circle, Bizcommunity and The One Club for Creativity on Twitter for the latest updates.
About Leigh Andrews
Leigh Andrews AKA the #MilkshakeQueen, is former Editor-in-Chief: Marketing & Media at Bizcommunity.com, with a passion for issues of diversity, inclusion and equality, and of course, gourmet food and drinks! She can be reached on Twitter at @Leigh_Andrews.
