New deadline February 6th at 14:00!

TOKYO Ry, the association for Aalto University Arts students, has published an annual design calendar since 1975. In the upcoming year, the calendar will be completed together with AYY, and it will be distributed to all students of the Aalto University. The calendar designer will be chosen with a traditional contest from amongst the students.

The previous contest was won by visual communications design bachelor student Samu Salovaara. The calendar for the upcoming year will be dated from the 1st of August 2018 to the 30th of September 2019. The contest kicks off on the 15th of December, and the deadline for submissions is on the 6th of February at 14:00!

 

Contest rules:

1. Contest duration and right of participation

The contest runs between the 15th of December 2017 and the 6th of February 2018.

All students of the Aalto University have the right to participate in the contest. Submitting a calendar plan requires fluent skills in Finnish or English.

2. Submissions

Contest submissions must be handed in at AYY’s service point in Arabia or Otaniemi by Tuesday, the 6th of February 2018 by 14:00. To ensure anonymity, the submissions should be accompanied by a working title and the contestants should submit a closed, nicknamed envelope, which contains the name(s) of the designer(s) with contact information.

 

3. Framework for the calendar

The submission must contain at least the following:

• Calendar cover
• Draft of the week spread
• Student Union information pages
• Possible project calendar
• Suggestion on materials

 

Calendar size is approximately 87×132 mm, wider version doable (+0,10€). Calendar pages should be presented in their actual size.

Color: There are four-color advertisements and information sections at the beginning and end of the calendar. The calendar proper and part of the information are bicolor.

Edition run size: 10 000+

Language: Finnish, English and Swedish (festive dates and information pages). Main language can be English, but trilinguality is considered a plus.

Other possible features:

• Lamination or varnish (+0,05 – 0,10€)
• 1-2 ribbons (+0 – 0,04€)
• Embossing (+0,10€)
• The cost should remain reasonable and we allow additional cost of max. 0,30€.

 

4. Choosing the winner

The winner will be chosen by a panel of judges appointed by AYY and TOKYO. The panel consists of AYY and TOKYO representatives and visual communication design experts. The judges of the panel cannot participate in the competition. The panel will comment on the submissions and choose the winner.

5. Commissioning the winner

The winner(s) will receive an order for a final design for the 2018-2019 calendar. The final design work will take place in the first quarter of 2018. A remuneration of 1800€ will be paid for the design work.

6. Contents of the design work

The design work includes making print-ready files together with AYY’s communications. AYY will offer work spaces if needed at the Otaniemi campus. When designing the final plan, the winner must take into account the requirements of the order, pertaining to the intended purpose of the calendar and its print costs. Other terms will be decided on when the work contract is being drafted.

7. Other things to consider

You should consider marking the national festive holidays in your design. Things to consider in the design are ease of use, sustainability, clarity and accessibility (e.g. dyslexia), individuality and eco-friendliness. Good features (based on experience) are ample space for written notes, paper that is suitable for several pen types, and durable cover material. However, these are not regulations for the calendar, merely recommendations.
Please consider that the panel of judges will favor the following issues when evaluating submissions:

♡ Does the calendar depict both the Arts students of TOKYO and the whole AYY community of Aalto?

The calendar should look and feel both like TOKYO, the largest and most beautiful art student association, and the entire AYY Aalto community.

 

♡ How does your calendar continue the TOKYO design calendar family?

You can view some of the old TOKYO calendars at the TOKYO service point at the Arabia campus and the TOKYO Space in Otaniemi. There are old calendars from both AYY and TOKYO present.

 

♡ What does the calendar look like? How does it work?

The panel also values the technical quality of the submission presentation. Present your suggestion in a sensible rhythm, preferably with visual models. Present your materials, paper types, fonts and colors. Names alone tell the panel nothing: include samples in your presentation. Avoid graphic designer jargon.

 

♡ How is the calendar special?

Ensure that the new, cool features of your calendar open up to the panel. Write clarifications on how the calendar works. Give grounds to your solutions in a short and prompt manner.

 

♡ Is your suggestion completely thought out?

Lead the imagination of the panel by submitting a robust suggestion. The suggestion is not a finished calendar, but present it like it is one.

 

♡ Can you finish the project?

Your suggestion should show your knowledge of graphic design and the ability to turn the suggestion into a finished calendar. This does not mean that you have to be a graphic designer, but the work requires knowledge and experience of the technicalities of printing. Turn in your submission on time: being late is a surefire way to show the judges that the calendar itself might be late as well.

 

More information from the operational manager of TOKYO, Anna Merikari (anna.merikari(at)aalto.fi) and AYY’s information officer (tiedottaja@ayy.fi).

Good luck with the contest, may the Force be with you!

AYY received new additions to its staff at the turn of the year. IT Expert Petteri Nummela and AD Aino Korpinen started their work in December, and the new Information Officer Siiri Liitiä joined AYY’s ranks at the start of January.

Petteri Nummela started his job as an IT expert at the beginning of December. He studies Information Technology at the at Aalto University and is responsible for maintaining and developing AYY’s IT systems and managing AYY’s IT equipment.

Nummela heard of the vacancy through a rather unusual channel.

“I asked around in our guild’s chatroom where I could find room for a server rack for fixed servers for free. Someone suggested that I should apply for this position at AYY, because they could surely provide the space. I got the job, but I still haven’t found the space for the rack,” Nummela laughs.

AD Aino Korpinen also started her work at the beginning of December. She has graduated from the Visual Communications program at the Satakunta University of Applied Sciences and is currently studying at the University of Turku in the Master’s Degree Program in Digital Culture.

The AD is responsible for the production of graphics and illustrations and the visualization of text for AYY’s digital and printed publications. Korpinen will start working on AYY’s look based on the new brand look, which will be published in early 2018.

“I really look forward to working with large entities, such as the visualization of AYY’s annual report. The AD can influence AYY’s look in different channels right from the start,” says Korpinen.

AYY’s new Information Officer Siiri Liitiä started in her task at the beginning of January. She is a Bachelor of Media, holding a degree in Journalism at the Turku University of Applied Sciences’ Arts Academy. She has previously worked in the field of theater in communications and marketing.

The Information Officer is responsible for planning and implementing AYY’s daily communications as part of the communications team. Her tasks include, for example, compiling AYY’s weekly newsletter, coordinating AYY’s social media, and writing all kinds of texts from newsletters to Facebook updates.

“It’s really fun to see what’s happening in the Aalto community. The best thing about this job is its versatility. There are no dull moments: I can tell people about the Laskiaisrieha held on Shrove Tuesday and the presidential elections all during the same day,” says Liitiä.

All three new employees agree that AYY is an inspiring work community.

“It’s nice to work with people your own age,” Korpela says.

“The staff is so young and youthful that the atmosphere here is completely different than in so-called normal office work,” Nummela agrees.

Heikki Isotalo will start as the new Advocacy and Communications Manager on Wednesday, the 7th of February. Isotalo has worked as a student active in Turku and is now moving to AYY from the Helsinki University Student Union.

Isotalo graduated as a master of political science from the Helsinki University in 2016, majoring in political history. He feels that the task of student unions is still close to his heart.

“My studies are not that far in the past, so I can still understand the perspective of the students.”

Isotalo has a long history in student unions, both as an active and an employee.

“I did my bachelors’ degree at the University of Turku, where I was a board member and later board chairperson of the Turku University Student Union. I was also involved in different kinds of student organizations and positions of trust”, he lists.

During the last year, Isotalo has worked in the Helsinki University Student Union as an expert in educational policy.

“I worked in communications and journalism in between, but after graduating, I ended up back in the student union field”, he remarks with a laugh.

Advocacy and Communications Manager is a new job at AYY. The Manager’s task is to plan, lead and implement the advocacy work of the Student Union and act as the team lead for the advocacy and communications teams.

Isotalo applied to AYY mainly due to the reputation of the Aalto community.

“Aalto University and AYY are special in the Finnish university world. There are all kinds of things happening and there’s breaking of old structures to build new ones, which excites me as well”, Isotalo says.

Isotalo believes that students of different fields of expertise meeting and the forward-looking atmosphere of the Student Union will make him grow as a person, too.

“The most interesting thing about this job is how we can get AYY’s influence to grow and how to involve students in all fields of expertise. It combines the student union’s role as an influencer and upbringer: We need our members in order to succeed!”