Now in its 55 year, the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival is one of the world's truly global meeting places for those interested in creativity in communications. New for 2008, Cannes Lions is launching the Design Lions. Design Lions will honour the creative and innovative use of design for brand and product communication and development.
Adding Design will enhance and complement the celebration of creativity. Categories will broadly include Packaging Design, Brand Identity and Environmental Design. The competition does not include entries for product design, web design or architectural design, except within the confines of the category descriptions.
Rodney Fitch CBE, Chairman & CEO of Fitch Worldwide, will chair the inaugural Design Lions Jury. Rodney founded the Fitch agency in 1972 and now has 19 studios in 12 countries around the globe. Fitch's clients include Amazon, Bentley Motors, BP, Dunlop, DHL, Hewlett-Packard, IKEA, L'Oreal, Lego, Marks & Spencer, Nokia, Microsoft, P&G, Starbucks, Toys 'R' Us and Unilever. Rodney has a distinguished career in design that has spanned nearly 40 years. He has served as a member of the Design Council and as a past President of the Chartered Society of Designers. He has been a trustee of the Victoria and Albert Museum and is now Chairman of V&A Enterprises, the museum's commercial business.
Commenting on his role, Rodney said, "I had often wondered why Cannes never honoured design; for isn't design the very platform on which so much creative endeavour is based? Now that the world has come to its senses, I'm greatly honoured, and not a little humbled to be the Design Jury s inaugural President and am confident the work we shall see will be inspirational help make these lions roar even louder."
In 2005, he was inducted into the Legion of Honor and Hall of Fame of the American Institute of Store Planners and was awarded a CBE in 1990 for his influence on the British design industry.
Philip Thomas, Festival CEO, says, "We are truly honoured to have Rodney Fitch chair the first Design Lions Jury. With such a long and illustrious background in design, working with a broad portfolio of clients from all over the world, the inaugural Design Lions competition could not be in better hands."
The winners of the first ever Design Lions and Grand Prix will be honoured in Cannes on Wednesday 18 June 2008 alongside the Press and Cyber Lions winners. Online entries open 31 January 2008.
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