The fourth-annual Astral Media Outdoor Design competition kicked off yesterday, when the four finalists’ OOH ads appeared in 200 transit shelters across Toronto.
Playing on the Obama vibe of hope, third-year ad students at the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) were asked by prof Tony Kerr to express the optimism of living in Toronto, and to ‘make me smile when I see the transit shelter.’
The ads run until May 24, and the public can vote on their faves by going to the My Toronto Is website. The winning design will be announced late May, and will receive $3,000.
The judging process changed this year when OCAD enlisted the fourth-year advertising students who participated in last year’s competition to choose the semi-finalists, and a panel of industry judges picked the final four.
The finalist concepts are: ‘Colour and Light,’ capturing energy, life and happiness in the city; ‘Happy to Be Here,’ expressing positive energy and attitudes; the self-explainatory ‘It’s Easy to Love a City that Loves You Back,’; and ‘Keep on Shining Toronto,’ enlisting a warm smile to reflect the positive energy of Toronto.
