Award for Motion Design
Award Sponsor: Context Creative
Winner: Daniel Vrbos
Winning Project: We Wear the Mask
Award Sponsor: Context Creative; School: OCAD University, Toronto; Educator Support: Isabel Meirelles
We Wear the Mask is for anyone who connects with the emotional core of Dunbar’s poem—those who have experienced compromise, identity loss, discrimination or subjugation. It speaks to people who feel the weight of societal and systemic barriers, who struggle with not being accepted for who they are and who, in turn, find it difficult to accept themselves. The piece is meant for anyone who has worn a metaphorical mask to survive in a world that judges them—personally, racially, socially or institutionally.
The objective of this project was to convey the poem’s meaning through a short animation and a printed accordion book featuring an interview with the narrator. Dunbar’s ambiguity inspired abstract imagery and a minimalist aesthetic, giving viewers space to interpret. A black-and-white palette underscores oppositions—light versus dark, truth versus deception, purity versus corruption—while red punctuations symbolize rage, anguish and pain, echoing the poem’s restrained yet powerful resonance.
Honourable Mentions
- This Is How I Die by Kelly Chen, OCAD University, Toronto, ON
- Balloonerism by Scott Clemmer, Conestoga College, Kitchener, ON
- Mango by Sreya Lizbeth, OCAD University, Toronto, ON
- Ever Wondered Why People Taste Food Differently? by Louis Yau Student RGD, Capilano University, North Vancouver, BC
Judges
- Dave Hurds RGD, Design Manager at Context Creative, Toronto, ON
- Dee Olher RGD, Art Director, Toronto, ON
- John Naboye Associate RGD, Senior Graphic Designer at Funday Edmonton, AB
- Carolyn Shaw, President and Chief Creative Officer at Humanity, Toronto, ON
Sponsored
