Non-aesthetic considerations
Eye-catching design stirs public interest in watching awards shows, but designers working in the thick of such projects aspire to more than just a “good looking” show. Chad Liu bluntly states: “Making it pretty is just one of the basics. It isn’t the goal nor the end result. The key question for designers is: what’s the objective?”
In other words, what ideas are the designers aiming to convey? What questions are they answering? What effect do they want to achieve? The spirit and ideas that the objects embody are more important than the objects themselves.
Johnason Lo felt a sense of mission when designing the 25th Golden Melody Awards, perhaps stemming from his position as one of the first people in Taiwan to be involved in the motion graphics industry. Seeking to convey the importance of multidisciplinary cooperation, he integrated the old-fashioned with the cutting edge and motion graphics with 2D design. He also got designers from different generations and fields to work together, generously sharing his own decade-plus of knowhow with all of them.
It’s important to mention that Lo had previously organized the Golden Pin Design Awards ceremony, completely revamping its logo design, the flow of the ceremony, the performances, the international forums, and the press conferences. He even recruited corporate sponsors in his effort to elevate it into Taiwan’s fourth “Gold.”
While these ethnically Chinese design awards, which deliberately emulate international giants like iF and Red Dot, have become the focus of enthusiastic competition among designers, they also have significance for the public at large. Liu explains that Golden-Pin-winning works offer the general public an accessible means of gaining a better understanding of good design.
Speaking about designing awards ceremonies, Lo says, “We’ve already achieved some things, so why not give other designers a shot? We want to see design’s possibilities. The point isn’t whether something is good or bad—everybody naturally wants to make something good—the point is what you’re trying to express. If it says something, it’s good design.”
The key visual designs for the 27th Golden Melody Awards resembled fashion photography and pushed the pop-music industry’s behind-the-scenes workers into the spotlight. (courtesy of Yen Po-chun Design, © Ministry of Culture)
Designer Johnason Lo has used his Golden Melody Awards designs to engage with questions he has about the design industry and about Taiwan. (photo by Lin Min-hsuan)
Multidisciplinary discussions are crucial to producing a great awards ceremony.
Event design has lifted the design-oriented Golden Pin Awards ceremony to a new level.