TheBuzz
TheBuzz
This year's Christmas card from Architects Hawaii Ltd. is a winner. Of course, that's been true of the company's cards for 46 years because each has won a design contest among employees. Inovejas’ innovative
and winning workThis year's card is also a first for the company in that it incorporates an enameled pin in the design.
The call for entries this year went out in July with judging to take place Sept. 14. World-changing events three days prior gave the judges a new filter through which to screen entries.
"The card took a little bit of a twist because of that," said Marketing Coordinator Patricia Ramirez, who also coordinates the contest.
Winning designer and drafter Brad Inovejas took up the challenge -- a week before deadline. He sheepishly acknowledged a bit of architectural procrastination.Card designs were to represent the company, Hawaii and the holiday, and be nondenominational for its intended for a global audience.
Inovejas incorporated into his winning card the icon-type graphics he was using in other projects for the company. The front leaf shows the top of a scrolled column representing architectural excellence, drafting tools representing innovative design, Aloha Tower, to represent cultural sensitivity and a figure holding up a drawing to reflect creative planning.
It shows that the card is from an architecture firm, while "the second leaf shows what the company is about -- that we're in Hawaii" and reflects some local aspects and terms such as "Aloha spirit," "lokahi," or teamwork, "mana" or energy and "ohana" for family, he said.
The card's third leaf features a Christmas tree, Santa Claus, a snowman-shaped "Frosty da Sandman" and silver bells as well as the enameled pin -- a white dove carrying an olive branch.
"This year's card was a bit more elaborate from a production standpoint," said principal Bettina Mehnert. "But that's not what's important. The message we are sending out is the most important."
The panel of judges from various professions called some of the entrants in to make presentations or otherwise explain their work. Inovejas was the first one summoned.
"I knew there were big problems or they really liked my card," he said.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin.
Call 529-4302, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached
at: eengle@starbulletin.com