Cut&Paste NYC
Friday 15 October, 2010 | By Edo
What do you get when you set up 4 macs in a room of full designers that are eager to win big? You get Cut&Paste! Now you may be asking, isn’t that just something I do on my PC? Well, yes, but its also the name of the only traveling live competition that gives designers a chance to shine! The first stop of the tour kicked off in NYC, here’s how it went down:
The night started off with a very relaxed vibe, which is very different to what Webster Hall is usually like on any given Saturday night. In the early hours of the event, most of the visitors had some drinks and built up the creative atmosphere with conversations about websites, animations, and designs.
As the crowd grew and waited for the competition to begin, Cut&Paste had a couple guests put together live tech demos for the spectators. Patrick Goski showed off his mad skills with Cinema 4D.
Brian Chui, Production Designer at Smart Design, got the audience involved in creating the new greatest product ever, The Microwave Shark Turn Table! Yes, you didn’t read that wrong. The crowd actually yelled out those ideas! I’m sure he didn’t expect such an innovative idea to come from crowd participation!
Brian wasnt the only one that had fun brainstorming with the new recruits. Some of the crowd was also being converted to future sneaker designers by the good people at Converse. Armed with sharpies and crayons, the spectators designed and colored blank templates of a Converse sneaker. This was all part of a contest to design a new colorway for the Star Player hightops. After your design was complete, you would post it up on the wall and share with your fellow designers. By the end of the night, the wall was full of new ideas. Converse definitely have their work cut out for them.
With a packed house, it was finally time to start the competition. The MC welcomed everyone to the show and explained exactly how the competition works. The competition is split into 3 categories: 2D, 3D, and motion graphics. In each category, the competitors are given an idea and must create their design on stage from scratch, within the allowed time limit. They are not allowed to use any elements from the internet, only what is immediately available to them at that time. This is when the fun starts!
During the design battles, the ultimate DJs DJ, Cosmo Baker provided the tunes. The music at this event was probably one of the best live DJ sets I’ve ever heard. The tunes ranged from Dubstep to Hip hop, Pop and and even some experimental tunes. I never thought someone could mix Crystal Casltes and Biggie in the same set. Thats one of the great things about Cut&Paste, there is something for everyone.
Each category has a set of industry professionals as judges. While the designers battled it out on stage, the judges watch and discuss their work. At first glace you would think its just an image that they are judging, but if you think about it, its the overall performance. The ability to overcome all the obstacles of working on a good design, in front of hundreds of people, all within the time limit. Talk about pressure!
After the time runs out, the judges huddle together and vote on who won that round. While they deliberate, each participant addresses the crowd and give a little insight as to what the thought process is behind their design. You can see the pressure lift off their shoulders as they complete their design. Some are filled with joy while others are disappointed. The disappointment usually comes from PC issues not allowing the competitors enough time to complete their design. Cut&Paste is good with this, they allow more time to anyone who had PC issues. In one case, the crowd shouted in awe as one competitors software crashed! He was not phased by this at all, as he would then go on to win the entire event!
Soon after, the event came to a close and Webster Hall was once again filled with the weekly ravers. Coincidentally, the nights club theme was ‘Paint’. A fitting followup to the Cut&Paste event. Cut&paste is now on the road to find the next set of top graphic design competitors around the world. It will all culminate at the global championship battle this February in NYC! Make sure you’re in the house for the final battle!
About the author
Co-Founder/Creative Director, Edwin has been applying his years of experience in the graphic/web design + development to SNTRL since day one. Highly interested in all forms of sub-culture, especially JDM cars, fighting games, street art, street wear, and the fascinating world of Dubstep. Follow @yo_edo to keep up with his quirky tweets about daily life in NYC.
