3 Shillington Winners of TDK Awards ’16

Huge congratulations to our three Shillington winners of the TDK Awards ’16!

The Design Kids invited nine industry leaders across Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada to judge more than 600 entries. They were told to pretend they were hiring for a junior role and to pick three people they would get in for an interview based on all the applications.

We’re thrilled to announce that Michelle Sharkey, Rueben Mergard and Stephen Grace were all selected as winners. Read on to learn why.

Michelle Sharkey
@creolelovecall 
Brisbane, Australia 
Shillington

Dawn’s pick: Absolutely loved the LGBTQ Mardi Gras campaign. As a member of that community myself, I’ve seen so many rainbows I could barf. This felt minty fresh and on point. Sure there are a lot of squiggles in the design-o-sphere these days, but given the candy concept, I think they work perfectly in this context. Nicely done Michelle!

Reuben Mergard 
Instagram: @reubenmergard 
Brisbane, Australia 
Shillington

Tim’s pick: Reuben’s ability to combine strong formal and type skills with a good sense of “making” is refreshing.

Stephen Grace 
Instagram: @_sgrace 
Sydney, Australia
Shillington

Sam’s pick: Stephen’s work was conceptualised and executed in a similar fashion to the work that we produce. It’s evident that he establishes a strong idea relevant to the topic or brief and pairs it with a strong visual concept that isn’t over-produced or forced. He shows a good level of craft and is able to produce well-structured design. His ‘H is for Horror’ and ‘The Big Unpeeling’ projects in particular showcase key elements I look for in a design project – the ability to inform, delight and surprise. Stephen has a well designed portfolio that’s simple, isn’t over-designed and professional.