Real Simple winners announced

The winners of our Real Simple 10th Year Celebration Challenge have finally been announced! It certainly took us a bit of time to announce the winners, but these excellent party invitations were worth the wait. Our community had so much fun dreaming up ways for Real Simple to announce their upcoming tenth anniversary.

We were deeply honored to have Real Simple’s design department, headed by Janet Froelich, their esteemed Creative Director, serve as the guest judge for this challenge. Janet is pretty much as big as it gets in the design world. (Before Real Simple, she was the longtime Creative Director of the The New York Times Magazine.) Janet and her team chose Uplifting Achievement by Lauren-Dawn McBurney for their Judge’s Prize.

What  Real Simple loved about it: We chose the Uplifting Achievement Party entry because it communicates a clever, unexpected concept in a clean and clear way. The invitation could be used for business-related milestones, for sure, but it could also be used for more personal milestones—for example, a 10th anniversary party for that couple who is not all about hearts and flowers.

One of Real Simple’s runner-ups was also an Editor’s Pick:

What  Real Simple loved about it: It’s clean and simple, yet still visually interesting. The numbers themselves are the art.

First prize (as voted by our wonderful community):

What  Minted loved about it: Typography has certainly never looked so tasty! In fact, it looks so delicious it made our design associate Kim want to eat it. (Not surprisingly, it was her favorite design. )  It could easily be used as baby shower invitations or girls birthday party invitations… actually, come to think of it, we know a lot of grown women who adore cupcakes more than any child ever could!

Second prize:

What  Minted loved about it: Numbers on their own are just so beautiful and here their perfect placement creates a work of art. Renee of R Studio’s work never looks overworked or forced.

Tied for third:

What  Minted loved about it: It’s so cool how the text combines to form a cake illustration. And we love the lines on the bias through the candle.

Tied for third:

What Minted loved about it: This is just classic design perfectly executed and could be used for anything and everything!

A favorite in the Top Ten:

What Minted Loved About It: Natasha thinks this is so sweet and romantic. She thinks the text is laid out masterfully and likes how it references the stars.  It’s not easy to combine that many types of font in such a small area.

A favorite Editor’s Pick:

What Minted loved about it: Annie Clark, whose love for hand lettering is no secret, was instantly smitten by this entry. She’s personally begging these ladies to create a whole alphabet. Katherine Cheng loved how unexpectedly delicate and modern this design feels. The aluminum background is very elegant, while the touches of bright tangerine give the design a hip, energizing touch.

A favorite Editor’s Pick:

What Minted loved about it: Such a fresh, fun and modern design! Annie loves that each speech bubble can be customizable -  just imagine how much fun our creative customers will having thinking of ways to fill them.

A favorite Editor’s Pick:

What Minted loved about it: Jody can’t stop staring at the “10″ . The illustration would look great used as a recurring motif for all sorts of party decorations, and maybe even a screen-printed over-sized poster!