São Paulo, August 21, 2008 - Suzano Pulp and Paper (Bovespa: SUZB5), a forestry based company with the most extensive portfolio of FSC certified paper products and operations in the global market, announces the 7th edition of the Max Feffer Graphic Design Award.
The Max Feffer Award, with the largest cash prize in the market, was created to recognize the talent and appreciate the work developed by Brazilian professionals who transform paper into art. Already in its 7th year, the Max Feffer Graphic Design Award has become an important annual event. An icon of Brazilian graphic design, the award uses the innovative Suzano products as raw material for everything from the creation phase through  the application of resources to complete the end product. In the end, the best 15 projects entered in the contest will be awarded.

The top three in each of the five categories (Packaging, Promotional, Editorial, Miscellaneous and Student) will receive cash prizes, while the students vie for tools that will help them in their professional development: a Macintosh, a design tablet and a digital camera. Participation certificates will be presented to the print shops responsible for executing the projects.

This year, Suzano expanded the product mix to be used for the projects to include their entire paper portfolio. “We realized that excellent projects were being developed using the company’s different paper lines and that this was a means to recognize and reveal talent, creativity and the execution quality of the projects throughout the graphic design chain," explains Gustavo Couto, Marketing Manager for Suzano.

Among the new features for the seventh edition, is the debut of graphic designer Ronald Capaz as award curator, a position that was held by Gilberto Strunck between 2004 and 2006 and Helga Miethke in 2007. Majority partner, founder and head designer of Oz Design, Ronald Kapaz was one of the people responsible for creating the Association of Graphic Designers (ADG).

The motto for this edition, “Art to balance reason and emotion,” was suggested by Kapaz, and invites the designer to reflect on the delicate and wavering balance between reason and emotion. “Within the essence of design there is a challenge to integrate information with poetry, science with art, feeling with sensitivity, and content with form. For the 7th Max Feffer Award, we suggest that the designers pay close attention to these dynamics and strive to understand how and when the planned and designed message opts for this or that form to reach out to us, and how the balance between these two distinct universes can be an important part of what we call a beautiful design solution,” explains the curator.

New growth cycle

The Max Feffer Award is becoming more and more popular with each passing year which is reflected by the ever increasing number of entries. “The increased number of participants not only indicates the magnitude of the award, but also the increasing use of Suzano paper products for graphic design projects,” states Couto. Organized in accordance with the guidelines of the International Council of Graphic Design Associations (Icograda), the panel of judges for the Award is comprised of renowned graphic design professionals, which as of last year included a category for students.

The Award

The projects entered for the Max Feffer Award range from business cards, event invitations and menus to books, catalogues, annual publications and packages.

The 7th edition, as in prior years, is open to art and creative directors, designers, agency producers, other professionals and students who have created printed graphic design projects for the advertising, editorial and packaging sectors. One of the prerequisites for the students is that they completed an undergraduate, graduate or technical course between December 2006 and July 2007. They are also required to submit a letter from the educational institution stating that they were enrolled in the course and that the project submitted was developed as part of the course material.
 
Based on international standards, the Max Feffer Graphic Design Award was organized in accordance with the guidelines of the International Council of Graphic Design Associations (Icograda) and receives media support from the Grupo Propaganda & Marketing. Other supporters include Grupo Abril, Arc Design, ADG Brasil – Association of Graphic Designers, CCPR – Creation Center of Paraná, Paraná Design Center, ABEDesign – Brazilian Association of Design Companies; apDesign, Abigraf, Senai, Abrasca, ABRE – Brazilian Association of Packaging, Adegraf, APD – Professional Association of Designers from Pernambuco, AMPRO – Association of Promotional Marketing and ABEMD – Brazilian Association of Direct Marketing.

In the end, 15 projects from the following categories will win prizes:

• Editorial – Books, magazines and periodicals in general, such as volumes, inserts, bulletins, institutional and educational information reports. Book, magazine and other periodical covers may also be submitted.
• Promotional – promotional items such as handouts, daily planners, point-of-sale items, direct mailers, pamphlets, invitations and cards.
• Packaging – covers the entire packaging sector, including CD and DVD covers and albums.
• Miscellaneous – items that do not fall under any of the previous categories.
• Students – projects developed during their technical, undergraduate and/or graduate course.

Judges

Marian Bantjes has been appointed international judge for the 7th edition of the Max Feffer Award. Since 2003, her work has been focused on abolishing the barriers between design, illustration and typography. Her main clients include Pentagram, AIGA, Bruce Mau Design, Saks Fifth Avenue, The Guardian and The New York Times.

Chico Homem de Mello is a designer and director of Homem de Melo & Troia Design, that works in the areas of editorial, corporate and environmental design focusing on educational and cultural projects. He is a professor at the University of São Paulo School of Architecture and Urban Design and author of the book Desafios do Design (Design Challenges).

João de Souza Leite is a professor at ESDi (Industrial Design College) and PUC-Rio (Pontifical Catholic University – Rio de Janeiro). His projects include the visual identity of the Brazilian Jockey Club and the Central Bank of Brazil. He was a consultant for the Casa da Moeda (Mint), Iphan (National Historic and Artistic Heritage Institute) and the Presidential Office of Brazil. He was the curator for Design’20 and O Outro Sentido no Moderno: Aloísio Magalhães  e o Design Brasileiro.

New growth cycle

Kiko Farkas, founder of ADG, works full time at Máquina Estúdio, the agency that he created in 1987 and where he developed projects for institutional, editorial and cultural areas, producing sign boards, catalogues, folders, annual reports, illustrations and books. He was the curator and in charge of creating the Brazilian pavilion at Design Mai 2006, in Berlin.

Rafik Farah has worked in graphic design at his own studio since 1981 and is the author of numerous logos for large Brazilian companies and campaigns for brands such as Zoomp, C&A and Fit. He has participated in numerous international expositions and won 1st prize for the poster he entered in the Ekoplagat competition. He was the Brazilian representative at the  Graphistes autoutr du monde event in 2001 in Paris.

Rico Lins is the design and communications director of Integractive. He graduated from ESDI. He works as a designer and art director for clients such as Centre George Pompidou, CBS Records, MTV Networks, Time Warner, Newsweek, Business Week, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Le Monde. He is also the artistic consultant for IBBY/Unesco, the Brazilian representative for Alliance Graphique Internationale and teaches at the School of Visual Arts in New York.

Why Max Feffer?

More than a tribute, the Graphic Design Award, a Suzano Pulp and Paper initiative, is recognition for a man that actively participated in creating the history of Brazilian industry, combining like few others, economic growth with human development.

Born in December 1926 in São Paulo, Max Feffer was Chairman of the Board and CEO of Cia Suzano de Pulp and Paper. His work was always marked by a style that combined confidence and discretion, participation and presence in all decision making processes, adding a perfect blend of tradition and innovation to the company’s history that made it number one in all operational sectors.

In 1952, Max Feffer started a series of research projects, in association with the University of Florida (USA) to extract cellulose from eucalyptus and industrial scale production began in 1957. The development of this technology was a revolution that gave new momentum to Suzano and the national industry, enabling Brazil to become the largest exporter of eucalyptus pulp in the world.

In parallel, he was always active in the world of art. He was the State Secretary of Culture, Science and Technology in São Paulo from 1976 to 1979, Member of the Curator Board of the Father Anchieta Foundation from 1987 to 1995, Director of Masp from 1994 to 1995, Founding Partner of the Cia Suzano de Pulp and Paper, Member of the Board of Directors of the Artistic Cultural Society, Founding Partner of the São Paulo Museum of Modern Art, among others.