Fed Up with the Pikes Peak Ad Fed

New York. San Francisco. LA. Portland. Chicago. These places are filled with people working hard hours with the dedication and determination to settle only for the best work. These people do not live in Colorado Springs. There shouldn’t even BE awards in the Springs at all.

Doing great work has absolutely nothing to do with where you live, Steve. That’s like saying you’re a better athlete because you live in Tokyo. There’s no relationship. It’s about setting a bar in keeping with the best work around the world, no matter where you live, and trying to hit it daily.

where’s is colorado springs again?

Well, who were the judges? I looked around on the site, and couldn’t find them.

For the ADDYs, One of the largest problems on the local level is the inability to draw quality creative leaders—especially in an unknown market like Springs.

What then happens is someone swinging a title like “Vice-President/Executive Creative Director” sounds very attractive.
Problem is, the agency he or she comes from isn’t. I’d be more interested in having a Copywriter or Art Director from a great, known agency judge than someone high up from an agency that isn’t producing good work.

Finally someone is stepping up and shining light on our PPAF! I have been to the annual Addy’s in the past and have seen some great work get recognized, but the bulk of the “awards” were always politically motivated to me. It seems as if the PPAF has been going down hill fast, and I can no longer support a group that does not recognize excellence in design. Shame on the PPAF, I truly hope you fix your problem soon.

And Steve, there are some EXCELLENT designers here in Colorado Springs…they just aren’t being recognized by the PPAF. It is interesting to note that these same designers ARE being recognized Nationally and Internationally, makes you wonder?

Very well written, and agreed.

@Steve: What in the world are you basing your statements on? Are you standing over these agencies’ shoulders as they work on their projects?

The fact that you judged Colorado Springs as a whole just a few minutes after the original post shows your ignorance.

Also, why would someone from another area make a writeup about the talent in Colorado Springs area and how they were upset with the PPAF? They would have nothing to gain by doing it. And even if they were from another area, there would be absolutely no reason to lie about being from the Springs.

Kindly do some research before throwing out ridiculous accusations.

Yo, this post is dank! Git wit it PPAF! Steve, you’s a fool son! You got’s the audacity to say there is no talent in the Springs? Have you seen your website fool? Shut yo face! Hey- you deserve an award! “best of show- jackass”

Part of your problem may lie in the fact that of the 15 board members only TWO are creatives. Unless I’m mistaken, it seems like you (the Co. Springs creative community) needs to get more involved in dictating the direction of the PFAA.

i’m sorry, but why is everyone concerned with a local ad show? if you believe in your work, why not enter them into more national award shows? after looking at the website, why not just start something like denver’s 50? if you’re truly disgusted with the way PPAF is judged, send them a message by starting another award show that you creatives would consider more prestigious. PPAF and other award shows depend on submissions and memberships. It might take losing money to get their attention.

On a side note, I’m not saying you should start something new every time you don’t get your way. I’m just saying if you can make a better product for you and everyone else – do it.

Wow. This is a trip. First things first, it takes all kinds of talent from across the industry to RUN A NON-PROFIT BOARD. It takes people to sell it, finance it, connect it and promote it NOT just design it. But any body actually in the business and not fresh off the design graduation plank would know that. So, I am wondering if the obviously WAY TO TALENTED FOR WORDS, Fo’Real, JP, Steve, and Fed UP would like to see if they can walk the walk and not just talkety talk? PPAF is all volunteer driven and I’m sure they would gladly accept everyone’s and anyone’s wisdom, time, talent and expertise. So I say put up or shut up. Or like Wiley said, bring it. Like their slogan says – GET INVOLVED. Be a part of the solution people or straight up quit your whining.

The beauty of local award shows are the free entry (for winners) into some of the larger ones. Plus, it’s a great excuse to get loaded and maybe bag the hot AE if you’re lucky, oh, and not work that evening.

Seriously? – I think the point of the ed is about calling out the ‘judging’ of a group saying they recognize real, solid creative, when in fact… (did you see the bacon logo?)… they don’t appear to be able to do. You need to be called out when you claim something which is false.

The judging is done by two outside guest judges (different every year)not the local PPAF Board. It is anonymous. Rules and criteria are set by AAF. Check out AAF.org. Not everything that wins a design competition is going to suit everyone’s tastes or standards. The idea behind the ADDY’s is to celebrate and recognize creative – all creative – no matter who thinks it is or isn’t up to snuff. Obviously, who ever designed the bacon logo thought it was great, the client obviously thought it was great. And trust me the logo my company designed and submitted we definitely thought ours was great, but hey – the bacon logo won. Get over it. We did. I encourage you to get involved in the process so you can truly see how it works and contribute. Obviously you are passionate about design, the industry and the ADDYs. But if all you really want to do is criticize, shame on you. It takes a much bigger designer to cheer and recognize their peers – no matter what they won for or how, than it does to gripe about how you were robbed of success or recognition.

Maybe its just me, but this is an editorial, correct? This is only one side of the “award” issue. In fact, this problem can be found in many industries, not just our own. The problem being “defining good work”…If we can never actually get to that point – let’s just celebrate and recognize all creative. Next year everyone that enters gets an award, that way there is zero judgment. Oh wait, but then what will the judges do?

@Wiley: show me an ad from Colorado Springs that can come close to a Skittles ad, not just in execution but in concept. Or howabout the latest Nike Golf ad featuring, or rather not featuring, Tiger Woods. Or howabout creating something like Whopper Sacrifice? Sure, there aren’t big clients in the Springs. Howabout something new and original like the Tap Project? Howabout something like the work for the Tate Modern?

Colorado Springs isn’t the same league as worldwide advertising. Or even the same game. So all I’m saying is this: The results of the ADDYs there are about as good as I’d expect.

@ seriously,

First, I think you’re taking unnecessary offense to my comments. The charge “the co. springs creative community needs to get more involved if they want to dictate the direction of the PPAF” seems pretty clear to me if the goal is to raise the creative standards of the Colorado Springs ad community. As I see it, unless the creative community (e.g. designers, art directors, copywriters) plays a more active role than is indicated by the lack of creative representation on the PPAF board, it seems it would be difficult for the PPAF to ever achieve its goal of raising the standards of advertising practice by improving the ability of advertising people.

Second, we’ve got our own issues that need dealing with up here- which is why we’ve got a number of different ad and design clubs run by dozens of volunteers busting their asses to make the Denver ad community a stronger ad community. So with all due respect, I think we know how much time and effort is needed to make a not-for-profit, volunteer led organization run.

Third, you should know that advertising is subjective and for every piece of work you produce you’re bound to hear that many differing opinions. The fact that you’re pissed is a good thing, obviously you are passionate about advertising and care about the health of the Colorado Springs ad market. That being said, if you know the quality of work could be better, it falls upon the Colorado Springs ad community and the PPAF to see to it that that happens.

@ Steve-

To be fair, neither is Denver (CPB doesn’t count). But we’re working on it.

@Steve – Fair enough, though I don’t remember reading that the PPAF Addys were being compared to the One Show here? You have a point regarding the caliber of work. Perhaps one advantage those locations have is a saturated (and equally as talented) industry in those particularly large cities. But correct me if I’m wrong, was Boulder a worldy, creative hub before Bogusky came into town? Should we count them out at the next award show because they set foot outside of Miami? Just because you call a place home, doesn’t mean you don’t impact other parts of the country, or world for that matter. We’re all trying to do better work, no matter where we come from.

@Vegetarian: my only point was that i never expected the work to be good.

in fact, I didn’t even say denver was any better. if someone is talking shit about denver and pointing out that CPB isn’t REALLY a boulder agency, it’s probably me under a different anonymous name.

Denver is just as bad. Just look at the denver 50.

@vegetarian: also, i don’t think “we’re all trying to do better work.”

small town advertising is where people go because they’re lazy and the work is easy. a lot of them are probably people who realized they couldn’t make it in the big, competetive markets, and just wanted to settle down and have a family. i know a few examples of this working in denver, and they’ve sort of accepted it. i’m not saying it’s wrong. being famous isn’t the goal for everyone, certainly not me, but i just don’t feel like it’s necessary to give eachother a pat on the back and a trophy for doing work that’s just “good enough.”

and even if someone really dedicated moved to the springs, nobody is going to get focus on the family to do groundbreaking work.

i’m not hating on these people, just trying to get people to stop pretending as though small town advertising is just as good as in the big markets.

@Steve

But wait… you look like your just a guido from Jersey, so why are you commenting on TDE?

@Steve

Maybe you can enlighten us with some of your meaningful award winning work so we can get all inspired and take it to the next level?!?

@Steve
You’re not making any sense. You want all of us small town, lazy folk to aspire to do famous work…but you don’t want that for yourself? And successful, dedicated people producing excellent work sleep under their desks, without families and friends to tuck them in? That is just not true.

people who are talking about steves appearance and website – do you REALLY think that is him? he clearly took a random name – and put that name with a .com after it as his site. geez.

@ Steve
I really feel sorry for you if you feel like the only way to “make it big” in the ad world is to give up your life and soul to the god’s of advertising and design. It’s a pity you are so out of touch…

@hater: what i’m saying has to be said, whether people want to hear it or not. my only point through all of this is small town advertising is not in the same league as big market advertising. and if you really want to do good work you probably aren’t going to do it in bum-fuck nowhere. it’s not impossible, just highly unlikely.

that said, of course i’m not going to tell you what i’ve worked on. that’s the point of anonymity, duh. everybody wants to wants to kill the messenger, even if he’s right.

from the looks of it, no one ever said small town was better than big market advertising. sounds like whether it is or isn’t is up to steve. i don’t think it’s hard to decipher what people (myself included) want – qualified and fair judging that awards deserving work. that being said, deserving work doesn’t have to surpass something like Whopper Sacrifice. There’s no comparison there – that’s why this post is about a local addy group.

Steve – To each their own, right? Everyone has to their own opinions and perspectives.

But, you are so wrong in suggesting that hard work does not exist in Colorado. I suspect, as I can only do, that perhaps you don’t work in our industry? Or maybe you can’t get a job, and you are bitter? I would like to think that if you were a real contributor to our local (co) scene you would have a bit more pride man.

I don’t think anyone is pretending that “bum-fuck” advertising is as good as in the major markets (with major clients). The truth is, Colorado as a whole, I’m talking the “front-range” market, Boulder, Denver, the Springs, can compete with any, any, big city market in this country. We have god damn awesome talent in this state.

On to respond to the subject of this rant though. We can all debate what may be good or bad advertising. Is it good because it looks cutting edge as shit and blows your skull? Or is it good because it boosted the clients annual revenue by 35%? When it comes to some aspects of advertising however, i.e. design, certain things cannot be argued with. I did see things recognized by the ppaf that showcased a complete lack of proper design skill. You cannot debate kerning, it is what it is, and if the typography of a piece looks like it was set by a little kid, then… that is wrong and it should not be awarded; a design award.

As a former AdFed board member in a smaller market similar to CS, I would have to totally agree. I hung on for a couple years but couldn’t handle how political and financial everything was driven. I had hoped I could make a difference but that didn’t happen. I no longer enter the competition.

They would make sure work would win because they knew the next year more entries would be submitted and more money would be added into the account so the leaders on the board could travel to out of town events etc.

You get the idea and it sucks.

Love the part in the article about “clip-art collaboration-of-a-logo can bring home the bacon.” I too have seen this happen from a good size agency in our area. The client has no idea they paid way to much for that clip art.

So, I am somehwat of a noob. New to TDE and fairly new to the strictly graphic design side of my career. I was an interior architectural designer with my focus on graphics and 3D modeling. However, the industry has died and, of course, I’m out of a job. So, I started to freelance for a major design software company and a few individual clients; doing logos (which is my bread and butter), collateral print packages, etc. I’ve started to enjoy it immensely and people have responded to my work quite well.
So, here is my question: How do I actually gauge the quality of my work? I feel it is good work but, it’s a tough industry and I don’t want a bunch of other designers just passing me off as a hack. I am constantly browsing other graphic work, parousing the design sites and scanning every design mag I can get my hands on. Also, I’m sort of stuck between worlds because I have an interior arch degree and formal college training in graphic design but I’m not officially a graphic designer. I’ve essentially become both professions, and then neither.

Well, anyone have any insight into my situation and where to go from here? I only ask because I feel very passionate about the work I do and all of you designers out there rightly want and demand the best. I would like to be a part of that group as a well informed, suberb designer.

final note* Why does the Addy site not show the actual work of the Addys. Isn’t this a visual profession? Did I miss something?

Quality is a characteristic of thought and statement that is
recognized by a nonthinking process. Because definitions are a product of rigid, formal thinking, quality cannot be defined.

-Robert Pirsig

Steve, You seem to be backtracking. I believe your original statement expressed that Colorado Springs should not even have an awards show. Which is like saying there should be no Minor League Baseball. Some people are in this business because they’re trying hard to do the best work they can, regardless of what level they’re doing it on. The creatives in CSprings have the same CA sitting on their desk as you do. They know what good work is and aspire to do it. Winning a small market award is a big deal in a small market. Pride is pride and it’s all relative.