Events

D&AD Judging ‘09 - Brought to you by Gazz Wood -

I’ve been grappling with this one for a couple of weeks now. The D&AD Judging Week and Exhibition was at the end of April, culminating with my 25th birthday actually, and since then I’ve tried this write-up several times.

The first one seemed pretty good, until I re-read it and discovered that it was nothing more than a four page bitching session about some of the other people I was working there with. My second attempt was nothing more than a dispassionate list of everything that happened on every day of the event for the full four days, and try number three boiled down to something less than an essay entitled “What I Did At Work This Week”.

None of which was the slightest bit entertaining.

My problem, I think, is that no matter which way I attack the week’s events it comes off as stayed and kind of dull. Which is a shame, because the actual idea behind the week and the job as a whole was pretty interesting. Creative Awards exhibition of both professional and student work both physical and digital, hanging out and witnessing people from various walks of creative life critiquing the work and deciding which is best. That, if you’re into this sort of thing, is an interesting prospect to be involved in. What it is NOT, sadly, is an interesting prospect to read about over a month later.

At the time, during any of the 14/15 hour shifts necessary for myself and the rest of the Student Awards Team had to work to get everything done, we were too immersed in the tasks at hand and our perceived arm-shackling by the Professional Team. That’s where the four page bitch sessions comes in you see. Two teams... Student and Professional. One team given much higher priority than the other one in so many overtly noticeable ways it’s tough not to start to feel bitter, should you find yourself on the Red-Headed Step-Child of the Student Team. Like I did.

These instances punctuated the week for us, providing a continuous stream of things to see our arses about, and that’s really what my account of the week would end up as no matter how I choose to slice it. Chances are if any one of the other Student Team members tried to write this it would be much the same. I’ve been asked to focus on some of the more personal stories, shy away from the work aspect as much as I can. I can talk about the porters at the venue, one of whom tried to steal a packet of cigarettes which was actually part of an exhibit and was fired on the spot... or even the light fingers bastard who lifted the contents of Charlene & Tomoko’s respective purses out of the staff room right from under the noses of the supposedly constant manned security force [READ: Fat Middle Aged Men For Hire}, but that’s really as far as those tales go. One line each. These are some things that occurred. End.

If you’ve ever worked a week of long shifts you’ll know that trying to recall anything after the fact can prove difficult, and details are almost impossible. Yeah, we went out after the days were over but only a couple of times, only for something to eat and since we stayed later than the other team [bitch] we invariably got there once everyone else had eaten and they usually left pretty soon afterwards. One night me and John were so tired we got The Mania and started giggling like twats at the very sight of each other, but that’s not much of a story is it?

Were there any bawdy anecdotes to recount from boozy shattered nights in the staff hotel?

Probably. Yeah. But I didn’t stay there so I don’t know any of them.

What I can tell you is the following:

I met the founder of RatherGood.com, the editor of Grazia Magazine and many other important names which I have since forgotten. When I was helping out with some judging on the Faber and Faber book cover design category [the winner of which, incidentally, may be receiving a call from F&F about a job opportunity] and the main man over at the company took my address so he could send me an ass load of free books [which I have not received] and at one point Kate had to show a video, the jist of which was “To Stop Kids Smoking, We Should Encourage Them To Finger Each Other” which I expect was uncomfortable viewing.

The rest is a blur of boxes, sub-par buffet food and yawning. In all honesty I expect anyone who’s reading this to be someone who was there, so you know all about it. Go have a look at the pictures and savour the memory of being shattered and overlooked.

I realise that this account gives off the impression that I had a shit time and nothing worth remembering happened, which is not the case. Fact of the matter is that I was too busy working to really get up to anything fable-worthy. Perhaps if you asked some of the Professional Team they might have better stories... if you catch my meaning.