Judges
GDC Elevators Awards 2010 will feature these inspiring speakers/judges:
Martin Batten, MGDC
Creative Director, Karo Vancouver
With over 20 years designing compelling brands, Martin knows how to bring big
ideas to life. Prior to joining Karo, Martin worked for some of toronto's premier
design studios creating compelling design for top retail brands like Nestlé, Swiss
Chalet, Smarties and Nescafé. At Karo, Martin has become one of the top brand
advisors for their finance and insurance clients. His brand solutions helped Pi
Financial to overcome poor market reputation and re-positioned Schill Insurance
and Renfrew Insurance to prepare them for market growth. Moreover, Martin is
the creative lead in the development of Vancity's first combined annual and
accountability report for 2010.
As well as his creative expertise, Martin brings an acute understanding of design and branding to all his work. He received his undergraduate degree in graphic design at Kingston University in the U.K. After being awarded a Fellowship, Martin pursued his master's in Graphic Design at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, where he focused on strategically applying graphic design to brand development.
Martin is a member of the Graphic Designers of Canada and has received numerous design and advertising awards throughout his career.
Monique Gamache
Partner and Design Director, WAX Partnership Inc.
Monique came to the design world in part by chance (looking for career ideas while flipping through a university calendar), but also through a natural talent fostered at a young age.
After completing her major in communications design at the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in Vancouver, Monique returned to Alberta to work in her field. She is currently partner and communications designer for WAX Partnership Inc. where she works with clients to develop accurate and memorable representations of the company in their annual reports, brochures, packaging, corporate identity stationery and websites.
Monique likes to think of her craft as problem solving. “It's more than just making a product pretty. It's learning about the company, targeting the end user, and finding interesting and compelling solutions.”
She says the key to discovering how best to represent a company is in the research. “Researching who they are, what their needs are and who their audience is—that's where the idea is, it's often something hidden but simple.”
Monique has received numerous awards for her work, and much of her inspiration comes from her love of being part of a talented team that she considers to be the best in their field. She stresses that the best work is done as a team: “This is not a solo effort.”
Giles Woodward, MGDC
Senior Design Instructor, Medicine Hat College
A British born graphic designer and educator, Giles moved from the UK to
Alberta, Canada in 1998 to assume the position of Senior Design
Instructor at Medicine Hat College. From 2002 - 2010 he was a partner in
the design studio Fishten. His works have appeared in many journals, including Applied Arts, Coupe, and Creative Review, and in books by such publishers as Rockport, Rotovision, and How. Giles has been recognized for design
accomplishments by Ad Rodeo, AIGA, and GDC Graphex. In 2008 he attained a
Master of Design degree from NSCAD University. His ongoing design research
includes localized problem solving and vernacular communication.
He is also interested in popular culture, fashion, music and
collecting unique artifacts.