New graphic design contest on desall.com: For its 30th anniversary, EMERGENCY, in partnership with Desall, is calling on students, young designers, and emerging talents worldwide to design an illustration
that envisions a possible future and embodies the values of the Organization.
Company description
EMERGENCY ONG Onlus, established in Italy in 1994, is an international organisation dedicated to providing medical and surgical assistance to victims of war, landmines, and poverty. It also actively promotes a culture of peace, solidarity, and respect for human rights.
What we are looking for
We are looking for an illustration based on the EMERGENCY logo, commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Organisation, telling a story yet to be written and representing a vision of a possible future. The selected illustration will be featured on a special edition T-shirt (and potentially other merchandise), becoming a part of a 12-piece collection designed by internationally acclaimed illustrators.
The proceeds from the sale of the T-shirts will be fully allocated to EMERGENCY through the Organisation’s e-commerce channel.
Guidelines
To ensure the successful implementation of your proposals, please consider the following guidelines:
The Story of the EMERGENCY Logo
“Simple and immediate. Clear and essential, easily replicable wherever you are, even with a little red paint, a piece of wood, and a rope.” Thirty years ago, Max Casalini brought Gino Strada’s words to life by creating the iconic EMERGENCY logo.
Since 15 May 1994, the red, encircled “E” has symbolised the daily effort to provide free, high-quality care to victims of war, landmines, and poverty, wherever it is needed.
The EMERGENCY logo symbolises a medical practice grounded in equality and human rights.
It represents a commitment against armed conflicts, for a world free from wars and inhumanity.
That red, encircled ‘E’ represents the more than 13 million people that EMERGENCY has treated over these 30 years, as well as those who will receive treatment in the future.
It represents doctors, nurses, technicians, logisticians, cooks, gardeners, administrators. Women and men from all over the world who work every day to build a peaceful future.
For additional information about EMERGENCY, please visit their website at https://en.emergency.it/.
Project typology
You are invited to tell a “story yet to be written” using the art of drawing and illustration. This involves graphically interpreting the work, values, and ideas of the Organisation. The journey begins with the EMERGENCY logo: although a restyling is not required, the logo will need to be included in the design. The overall image should depict a vision of a possible future, one that emphasises the peaceful coexistence of peoples, the guarantee of rights without discrimination, and values of solidarity and mutual respect.
The illustration will serve as a way to express the world we aspire to create, echoing the sentiment of Gino Strada, surgeon and founder of EMERGENCY: “Utopia is simply something that has not yet come into existence.”
Style and colours
There are no specific restrictions on the style and colours for the illustration. You may use the Organisation’s institutional colours, red (CMYK = 0-100-100-0, Pantone 185) and teal (CMYK = 100-20-40-0, Pantone 321), at your discretion.
Digital illustration techniques are acceptable.
Due to printing limitations on products like t-shirts and other merchandise, please avoid using transparencies, gradients, and shadows. Note that the base colour for all products featuring the illustration will be white.
The use of photographic content or images generated by AI software is not allowed.
Logo
The illustration must incorporate the EMERGENCY logo, ensuring it interacts with the other elements in the design. The logo does not necessarily need to be used in its original form. Ensuring it remains easily recognizable, it will be possible to creatively reimagine or deconstruct it.
Il logo EMERGENCY dovrà essere presente all’interno dell’illustrazione, ed interagire con i suoi elementi. Il logo non dovrà essere necessariamente utilizzato nella sua forma originale, ma sarà possibile rivisitarlo o scomporlo, mantenendo la sua riconoscibilità.
The original logo can be found in the downloadable Material files provided.
Submission materials
Please submit up to 5 images and comprehensive descriptions to effectively showcase your project.
Image specifications:
- Aspect ratio: 4:3.
- Accepted file formats: .jpg, .gif, .png.
- Colour mode: RGB.
- Maximum file size: 1MB per image.
For students: your submission should also include personal details such as your full name, age, university affiliation, and your current academic year. If submitting a group project, provide these details for all group members.
Additional file submission: You are encouraged to upload the source material of your project as a .zip file, 100MB max. Use the dedicated field in the upload page to attach the zipped file to your entry.
Technical specifications for source illustrations:
- Maximum size: 40 cm in diameter.
- Minimum resolution: 300 dpi or higher.
- Colour mode: CMYK four-colour process.
Accepted formats for source illustrations:
- Vector graphics (.pdf, .ai, .eps) with text converted to vector paths/outlines.
- Raster images (.png) with transparent backgrounds.
- For exceptional cases, high-resolution (600 dpi) scans of drawings on white paper are acceptable.
Jury
- Angela Fittipaldi: (Pomigliano D’arco, Napoli, 1974).
Angela Fittipaldi is an industrial designer with a background in the furniture and design sector. In 2002, she started working with the humanitarian Organisation EMERGENCY ONG Onlus. Today, she serves as the Coordinator of the Graphics Department at EMERGENCY, where she is responsible for designing and developing various institutional communication materials, fundraising initiatives, exhibitions, and editorial products.
- Max Casalini: (Sesto San Giovanni, Milan, 1943).
Max Casalini is an architect, founding member of Arcoquattro, and partner at the ARCOQUATTRO_ARCHITETTURA architectural and urban design studio. While his primary focus is architecture and interior design, Casalini’s artistic pursuits extend to illustration and graphics. He has worked with several of Italy’s prestigious publishing houses, such as Mondadori, Rizzoli, Feltrinelli, Quadratum, Periplo, Camunia, and Aragno. In 1981, he co-founded the Associazione Illustratori, playing a key role in the Organisation’s development and organising various events and exhibitions.
- Guido Scarabottolo: (Sesto San Giovanni, Milan, 1947).
Guido Scarabottolo is an architect who also works as an illustrator and graphic designer, particularly in the field of publishing. His work includes collaborations with numerous periodicals, and he has, and still is, illustrating books and covers for a diverse range of publishers, including Mondadori, Rizzoli, Feltrinelli, Laterza, Einaudi, 66th&2nd, Principi e principi, Topipittori, Vanvere, Gallucci, La Grande Illusion, Terre di Mezzo, Lazy dog, and Ediciclo. For twelve years he designed all the Guanda covers and illustrated most of them. Scarabottolo also engages in research work, leading to the publication of several books and the curation of numerous exhibitions, both in Italy and internationally. He has been an active collaborator with EMERGENCY since its inception. He resides in Milan.
- Mauro Biani: (Roma, 1967).
Mauro Bianchi is a satirical cartoonist for La Repubblica. He also draws for L’Espresso and other international newspapers, and collaborates with Atlantide (La7). Bianchi’s work has earned him numerous accolades, including the Forte dei Marmi Satira Award in 2007 and the Premio Nazionale Nonviolenza in 2012. His recent publications include “La banalità del ma” (People, 2019), an illustrated narrative exploring the integration of migrants in Italy; “È questo il fiore” (People, 2021), a tribute to anti-fascism; and “Le cose non andarono bene” (People, 2022), reflecting on the Covid-19 pandemic and war.
- Davide Scomparin: (Treviso, 1982).
Davide Scomparin is an industrial designer and entrepreneur. In 2011, he founded Desall, driven by his belief in the potential of participatory development to enhance the creative process. Under his guidance, Desall.com has become a prominent platform in open innovation and new product development, facilitating connections among a global community of over 150,000 designers and encouraging collaboration with some of the world’s most prestigious brands.
Judging criteria
Entries will be judged based on the following criteria:
Ability to convey the message 5/5
Consistency with the brand 5/5
Aesthetic quality 4/5
Emotional impact 3/5
Technical feasibility 2/5
Language
Desall is an international community; therefore, all text (abstract, description, tags, etc.) must be in English.
Contest timeline
Upload phase: 30 November 2023 – 29 February 2024 (1.59 PM UTC)
Concept review: 14 January 2024 (1.59 PM UTC)
Client vote: starting 29 February 2024
Winner announcement: tentatively by end of March 2024
Concept review (optional)
Participants have the opportunity to request an optional review of their project by the Desall team by the date indicated above. To do so, they must 1) save their project as a draft from the upload page and 2) send a request to the Desall team via email at contest@desall.com or through the contact form. This review is entirely optional and only provides an opportunity for participants to receive feedback. It does not constitute a necessary condition for participation or provide any advantage in the final evaluation by the Sponsor.
Eligibility and submission criteria
Participation is free and aimed at students, young designers and emerging talents of any nationality, aged 18 or older.
Only unpublished and non-copyrighted images will be admitted.
The use of photographic content or images generated by AI software is not permitted.
Participants will be able to submit one or more projects. Only projects published on the website www.desall.com, from the upload page relating to the contest, will be accepted.
Award
- The winning illustration will be featured on a commemorative T-shirt, part of a collection of 12 T-shirts designed by globally acclaimed illustrators.
- By the end of 2024, the winner will receive the complete set of commemorative T-shirts as a complimentary gift.
- The winner will be credited in the EMERGENCY and Desall communication plan, which has international distribution.
Extra Award (option right)
During the option right period, EMERGENCY offers all participants the opportunity to be assigned an Extra Award (option right). Recipients will be awarded the same benefits as the winner of the main Award, in exchange for transferring the exclusive economic/commercial exploitation licence of their submitted projects to EMERGENCY.
For more information, log in and read the Contest Agreement from the Upload page. For questions about the brief, use the “Have a question” button or write to contest@desall.com.
