2010

2010 INSPIRE OAKLAND:

In 2010, Oakland Digital (ODALC) received 167 inspiring “Inspire Oakland” submissions. The concept was simple – community members were asked to created designs reflecting “What about Oakland Inspires YOU?” Nearly 320 Oaklanders voted; here were the Top 12 “2010 Inspire Oakland” design finalists:

 

“I make things. As an artist, it’s what I’m wired to do. In my case, I aim to make ideas visible and make people happy. I make ideas visible because change starts with an idea; and I make people happy because happy people can change the world. So I consider my art my contribution to the world. I think it is what I was put on Earth to do. I hope that before I have no more life to live, I can look back at my life as one big piece of art and say that it changed the world somehow, and it made a lot of people happy.” – Yancie Davis

 

“I am influenced through ordinary, simple, and everyday objects: sights, experiences, sounds, feelings, ideas, thought… everything. People influence me in many ways including my family, friends, acquaintances, and people I will never meet. This is especially true in the wonderfully diverse Bay Area. Growing up here allowed Oakland to inspire me. Now it is my turn to give back: to Inspire Oakland.” – Eric Welden

 

“The man is bringing passion to the piece. His expression is bringing the need to be inspired. The wording shows that this inspiration is not just isolated, it is spread all over and goes from Telegraph to MacArthur, Broadway and International.” – Dan Levine

 

“I’ve never actually used this kind of software before. This project gives me an opportunity to become more familiar with this ways of making art, and that has been really helpful. For my entry I was inspired by the music culture of Oakland, especially hip-hop and rap. It allows young people to feel connected to my artwork.” – Jan De La Cruz

 

“I am influenced through ordinary, simple, and everyday objects: sights, experiences, sounds, feelings, ideas, thought… everything. People influence me in many ways including my family, friends, acquaintances, and people I will never meet. This is especially true in the wonderfully diverse Bay Area. Growing up here allowed Oakland to inspire me. Now it is my turn to give back: to Inspire Oakland.” – Eric Welden

“For my poster, I took the Oakland city logo, the Oak tree, and put it next to the picture of the brain because they kind of look similar. It represents how Oakland is a smart city and also a place where ideas are created. Also, I was thinking about how to make the poster bold; the design is simple and has a lot of contrast which I think is easy for the viewer to read.” – Kelvin Cheung

 

“With my entry I used a combination of traditional arts with the digital arts. The main character of the piece was originally a hand-drawn cartoon, which I scanned, and then altered in Photoshop. I’ve been inspired by a lot of cartoonists, particularly Glen Keane from Disney and Chris Sanders.” – Joshua Hernandez

 

“I am a digital artist, web designer, and musician by heart. Ever since I was in middle school I appreciated art. The ability to create, manipulate, and display work to others fascinated me so as a result digital media and music caught my attention to attempt to pursue these fields. Now in college I am attempting to fortify all of these fields of interest. This opportunity would greatly benefit my understanding of the artistic world.” – Jeffrey Gonzalez

 

“I’m the kind of person who doesn’t really like to do physical art – not that I can’t, I just prefer working on a computer. My designs are simple and clean looking. I always start by sketching a couple of designs, doing them on the computer, and coming up with more ideas as I go. Making sure that my designs can be interpreted by different groups of people has always been a priority to me.” – Ryan Harijanto

 

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes but in having new eyes.” – Marcel Proust

“As a prior long-term resident, (the quote above) is how I view Oakland. Each visit yields a mosaic of new discovery. The shapes may remain constant, but the layers of light, color, activities and people continue to stimulate the senses.” – Hetta Malone

 

“Our beautiful Lake Merritt with its stunning necklace of lights is an oasis for the people of Oakland. All year round, the lake is home to moderate Canada Goose, Black-crowned Night Heron, Great Egret, Cormorant, American Coot, and Western Gull populations. There are also small Mallard Duck and Pelican populations. Lake Merritt, the jewel of Oakland, is a relaxing place to take a walk, meditate, watch the reflections on the water, go to the library, and enjoy a dance at the restored gazebo or an afternoon at Fairyland with a young person. Lake Merritt is a constant source of inspiration.” – Stephanie Slade

 

“I am a person who likes sports and doing things by hand. I found out that I am able to design things lately. Usually, I design things by looking at how the topic can resemble things. This Inspire Oakland billboard design represent the City of Oakland where people can live together no matter what color they are.” – Stanley Santoso

 

… and the grand prize winner was … 

“It was almost an out-of body experience to see something as monumental as a billboard that I designed, when I saw it for the first time. This win, of course will benefit my portfolio greatly. But I almost don’t care about that, because I will hold this memory forever as a great achievement and a first step in my design career.”

– Eric Welden, community college student, 2010 Inspire Oakland billboard program winner

 

Oakland Digital (ODALC) presented the first annual “Inspire Oakland” graphic art program in 2010, co-sponsored by Whole Foods Market Oakland, City of Oakland, ZTY MEDIA, Visual Verbs, and Diablo Valley College.

“Oakland Digital invites the local community to participate in a collaborative billboard contest. “Inspire Oakland” encourages interest in graphic design and information technologies through creative expression. The ultimate goal of this project is to promote a positive image of Oakland that unites and inspires its diverse population, while encouraging young talent to jumpstart their digital media careers.”