Erin M. Harris

BOSTON, MA: Erin Harris is a bronze award winner in the 2007 Summit Creative Awards® competition for her print ad campaign for Sub-Zero refrigerators.

“The focus of this campaign was to highlight the unique dual compressor system in Sub-Zero refrigerators,” Harris said. “The system keeps food odors from drifting between compartments of the refrigerator. Using the large, colorful images of unappetizing combinations of food that reside in the freezer and refrigerator respectively immediately captures the attention of the viewer. The discord of the food combinations draws them in, getting the main point across easily, and cultivates a curiosity about the product.”

The campaign was created for a class at Boston University, under the direction of Professor Tom Fauls. Harris will graduate from Boston University in May, with a graduate degree in advertising.

The Summit Creative Awards recognizes and celebrates the creative accomplishments of small and medium sized advertising agencies and other creative groups with annual billings of $25 million or less. Over the last decade, the competition has established itself as the premier arbiter of creative excellence for firms of this size.

This year’s panel of international judges included:

• Louai Alasfahani, Managing Director/Creative Director, Paragon Marketing Communications – Kuwait
• Thomas Bonde, Art Director, SP3 – Denmark
• Simon Coffin, Art Director, Turner Studios – United States
• Rodney Durso, Creative Director, Stormhouse Partners – United States
• Frank Hoeffer, Art Director, TBWA – Germany
• Prentice Howe, Creative Director, Door Number 3 – United States
• Jeff Fisher, Engineer of Creative Identity, Jeff Fisher LogoMotives – United States
• Ilan Geva, Principal + Creative Director, Ilan Geva & Friends – United States
• Mario Hoffmann, Senior Art Director, Ogilvy & Mather – Germany
• Christopher Mackay, Technology Director, Tantramar Interactive Inc. – Canada
• Christopher Jones, Principal + Creative Director, Stellar Debris Creative Studios – Japan
• Norman Miron, Creative Director – Interactive, Marketel – Canada
• Lasha Orzechowski, Owner + Creative Director, Velocity Design Works – Canada
• Palle Victor Rasmussen, Creative Director, SP3 – Denmark
• Tom Roy, Executive Director, Corporate Communications, Promoseven Network Inc. – Dubai
• David Ross, Group Copy Supervisor, Quantum Advertising – United States

Entries in 13 creative categories are judged against a stringent set of standards. During the blind judging events (entering company names withheld) judges search for innovative and creative concepts, strong executions and the ability to communicate and persuade.

“Winning a Summit Creative Awards is a significant accomplishment. The combination of our excellent judges and the tough judging criteria ensures that only deserving entries receive Summit recognized,” said Jocelyn Luciano, Executive Director for the Summit Awards. “It was an exciting year to watch and listen to the judges’ debate the details of individual entries. Making the hard decisions of which ones receive the top spots is hard.”

This year’s creative competition included companies from the following twenty-six countries: Australia, Austria, Belarus, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Denmark, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Papua New, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States.

Winners were selected in categories that include print, broadcast, emerging media, online advertising, marketing materials, direct mail, political, corporate video, public service, best idea never produced, industry self-promotion and student competition.

Additional information about the International Summit Awards organization, its competitions and winning firms can be found on the Summit Awards web site at http://www.summitawards.com.

Erin Harris is a founding member and contributing writer to NO!SPEC, a site devoted to educating designers and clients alike to the dangers of speculative work. She is also a member of the AIGA’s Boston chapter, a visiting author for Business of Design Online, and a member of Creative Latitude, a worldwide, web-based community that unites various creative disciplines for collective promotion, education, and ethical business practice. Erin holds a bachelor’s degree from Smith College in Northampton, MA, and is currently completing coursework for her master’s degree in advertising at Boston University.