聖誕快樂！

新年進步！

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設計大抽獎

早前貪錢，參加了一個由 Design21 舉辦的撈稿設計比賽 —— ‘Stories from the Field’。頭獎乙名，US$5,000，最受歡迎撈稿 (不是男歌手) 乙名，US$500。最後，1604 份參賽作品中，無一奪魁*。頭獎無人中，獎金留作多寶，下次獎金 double。

設計比賽，有如「抽獎」，獎券的代價不是金錢，而是時間和點點腦汁。付出的越多，當然「中獎」的機會也越大。手無半獎的學子，顯然技未精，力未到。但設計 (verb) 設計比賽的設計水皮，蝦碌連連，就真的可鄰參加者的一片苦心和純真。以下一大段雞腸，是主辦阿頭的致歉書。唉 ... ... 下次唔好啦。

Dear Stories from the Field logo competition entrant,

I am well aware how disappointed and perhaps angry you must feel about the result of this competition. For that, everyone here at DESIGN 21 is deeply sorry. It was the most unexpected, difficult experience for us, too.

All we can do is to be honest. I'd like to tell you what happened, and how we came to this conclusion.

The Stories from the Field festival is presented by Media Communications Association International, New York Chapter (MCA-I NY) in partnership with the United Nations Department of Public Information (UNDPI) and The New School. They had agreed to our judging rules and procedure.

The day before the final selection was to take place, we were contacted by a representative of MCA-I NY who informed us that during the public vote they saw some designs that they felt strongly about and that these were not in the field of finalists who were selected by our panel of judges (whose names you can see at the bottom of the Brief). They requested that we add them.

This was not fair in our minds. All our entrants, judges, organizers had agreed to abide by the rules, and to change them in the middle of the game was not an option. This has been the most successful competition for us so far in terms of the number of entries (1604 from 78 countries), and we were more excited than anyone we know. But we also work very hard to execute a fair, honest and ethical competition.

Over the next 3 days, we conferred with UNESCO, our distinguished judges (who are also on our Advisory Board), and experts inside and outside the organization, trying to see if there was any other view or way to handle this situation. We of course agreed with MCA-I NY in that they should have a logo that they were really happy with. It was a matter of how we could accommodate that without bending our own rules. Unanimously, everyone agreed that their request jeopardized the whole concept of a juried selection.

In spite of our protest, MCA-I NY announced to us that their panel of judges including UNDPI, UN Graphic Design and New School selected a design from outside the field of finalists that we had sent to them. They are free to go with the design of their choice, but we feel that to declare that person a winner is an insult to the finalists. That is why we do not have an official winner of this competition.

We will take this experience to heart and make sure that we have a proper mechanism to avoid such a situation in the future. We are very sorry for any ill-feelings this may have caused, but please know that this does not make us any less appreciative of all your talent and effort.

The unawarded prize money will be added to the prize pool for our next competition. We might also consider other options -- If you have any feedback/suggestions, please send it on. We are listening. We hope that you will continue to be the creative force behind our community which is united by the single goal of promoting better design for the greater good.

Sincerely,
Haruko Smith
Director
DESIGN 21 Social Design Network

事後有少少火滾，但為咗名，為咗利，為咗想威，我惗，我會再接再厲。屢敗屢戰，讓我做一次幸運兒啦！

*部份 finalists 的確質素麻麻，難怪個客都揀唔落手。(嗱，咪話我吃不到的葡萄，我以事論事啫。)

姿色份子

小學到中學的成績表，師長們的訓詞，都清楚告訢年幼的我是不可能成為一名知識份子的。縱使少不更事，但凡是引發起興趣的知識，我從來沒有抗拒過。長大了，當不成知識份子，自自然然地唯有學門手藝。餓不死，變成最崇高的人生追求。設計，在康港，是一門頗受歡迎的手藝。

來英之前，大概上過幾年的設計手藝課程。吸收的知識，都直接令我餓不死。因為那手藝，讓我可以做出有幾分姿色而又有商業價值的作品。此外，在朋輩薰陶下，沒有半分姿色的我，學曉穿黑色，時款球鞋，帶粗框眼鏡 (可惜毛髪未夠濃密，留不到羊咩鬚)。單看外表，單憑耳聽 ，「姿色份子造型」入型入格。



雖然在港從事設計工作多年，留意政治爭拗如飯後甜品，但在來英之前，我不知到 George Orwell 係乜水。有聽過《動物農莊》，但只視之為兒童故事而已，內容映射甚麼，作者背景是甚麼，完全沒有興趣。因為我以為與我喜歡的藝術和設計沒有根本的關係。直至，論文的 tutorial，tutor 介紹《1984》和這位猛人予我，我才大大醒覺，設計，商業以外，原來的一片天是多麼的宏大廣闊。

Research 期間，知道有《Why I Write》這本小書，好奇起來。

Sheer egoism – ‘Desire to seem clever, to be talked about, to be remembered after death, to get your own back on grown-ups who snubbed you in childhood, etc. It is humbug to pretend that this is not a motive, and a strong one. Writers share this characteristics with scientists, artists, politicians, lawyers, solders, successful businessmen – in short, with the whole top crust of humanity.’

Aesthetic enthusiasm – ‘Perception of beauty in the external world, or, on the other hand, in words and their right arrangement. Pleasure in the impact of one sound on another, in the firmness of good prose or the rhythm of a good story. Desire to share an experience which one feels is valuable and ought not to be missed.’

Historical impulse – ‘Desire to see things as they are, to find out true facts and store them up for the use of posterity.’

Political purpose – ‘Using the word “political” in the widest possible sense. Desire to push the world in a certain direction, to alter other people’s idea of the kind of society that they should strive after. Once again, no book is genuinely free from political bias. The opinion that art should have nothing to do with politics is itself a political attitude.’

這與自己做設計的理由不謀而合。

... ... ... ... ... ...

人人有良心，但不是人人都選擇埋沒它。

當陳太將人人都有的東西當作賣點時，就好像大陸食品要嘢嘢標榜衞生，設計學校要標榜創意一樣。

當葉劉販賣坦率「真」性情時。Orwell 話：「Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.」

寫下去的理由

脫期個多月，仍然提不起勁撰寫半篇小文。

要好好想想寫下去的理由。

Why I write ... ...