CPRS Toronto
2020 ACE Awards
(3 minute read)
I was contacted for an exciting opportunity with the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) - Toronto Chapter in the summer of 2020.
The task? I needed to find a way to make engaging graphics for the winners in each category of their annual Achieving Communications Excellence (ACE) Awards, one of their most important events of the year that recognized some of the best works in public relations, as judged by some of the most accomplished professionals in the industry.
In previous years, the winners were announced in a live ceremony with a static Powerpoint slideshow. Due to the pandemic, the ceremony would be virtual, and the team at CPRS Toronto wanted to give motion to the winners to keep the audience engaged.
The Result
A total of 9 videos were created from scratch in to cover the vast range of winners across several categories, all of which follow the format you will see below (for consistency purposes). The team behind the ACE Awards was thrilled with the result and the event ran smoothly as well!
A total of 9 videos were created from scratch in to cover the vast range of winners across several categories, all of which follow the format you will see below (for consistency purposes).
When designing the layout, I wanted to honour the "Gold, Silver, Bronze" ranking system that was already in place for the awards, while also using warm colours for transitions and mixed in with the background since it took place in the summer. The "bubbly" particle effect was added as an overlay to honour the signature drink they had planned for the event.
Learning Outcomes
This was a fast paced challenge that really put my organization, design, and time management skills to the test. That said, the team at CPRS Toronto was incredibly supportive throughout the entire process and made the experience that much more enjoyable. From a motion graphics/design perspective, this is easily one of the biggest projects I've taken on, and I would love to have the opportunity to design for another award show or media event in the future!
You can see more of my motion graphics projects, like Madhappy and Stardust (After Effects) in my portfolio as well!