Minted Holiday [Round One]

Minted had well over 1300 designs submitted for their holiday challenge! So many in fact that they are doing two rounds of voting to determine which designs will go on to compete for the final prizes. Round one voting has started and ends this Monday. Only 25% of the current designs will make it on to the final round. There is some major talent going on over there, so if you like pretty things and you like voting, check it out! Below are the designs that I submitted this year [click on the image to go to the voting page]:





















Some may wonder why I submit designs to these challenges, so let me share with you some of my reasons:

One, having this forum of other designers makes me a better designer. When I know a design is going to be critiqued, it gives me even more motivation to come up with something fresh and new. And this fosters better design in general as I'm sure other designers feel the same way. It takes me back to art school. I value knowing how other people interpret something -- it helps me to see things in other perspectives.

Two, I had the opportunity to meet with the founder and CEO of Minted while we were in DC, and I really appreciate how she values independent design. The folks at Minted appreciate design risks and want to give independent designers a platform for their work. As any small business owner/artist can attest to, having a larger platform for their work is a welcomed thing.

And three, I like Bravo. There I said it. And entering challenges makes me feel like I'm on Project Runway [I know it's not on Bravo anymore, but I liked it better on Bravo. What happened to all the PR marathons, people? I'm just sayin'...].

Entering this particular challenge also helped jumpstart the designing of the 2010 holiday collection at b.wise papers. I've got lots of ideas flowing, and I'm excited to see what designs will result. I'll keep you posted on the process!