2013 INSPIRE Oakland & INSPIRE Berkeley!
[VIDEO] Inspire Oakland 2013 x Mayor Jean Quan
INSPIRE is Oakland Digital’s workforce development program that provides professional development for community college and state-level students pursuing a career in the competitive graphic design job market.
Each year, Oakland Digital asks graphic design students to create a billboard design that conveys the question, “What about your city inspires you?” Three talented students will see their design featured on commercial billboards throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, receive paid internship opportunities, and learn the career-related tools needed to find appropriate employment.

FIRST (1st) PLACE: Ambrosia Shapiro – INSPIRE Oakland 2013
”For me, Oakland has been on a long winning streak in the contest for the best place to live in the Bay. The diversity and history of Oakland, not to mention the amazing architecture and huge artist population, inspire me everyday. Oakland is rich with culture: Over 100 dialects and languages are spoken in the city, and it’s the birthplace of the Black Panther movement.
I wanted to create a design that nods to that very important past while at the same time shows the fresh, new, and exciting place Oakland is today. Children’s Fairyland, Art Murmur, gondola rides on Lake Merritt, swimming in Lake Temescal, and farmer’s markets almost everyday of the week are just a few reasons why Oakland is the place to be.”

FIRST (1st) PLACE: Marilia Lobo – INSPIRE Berkeley 2013
”For my billboard art I tried to embrace all the elements that represent Berkeley to me; the bear is the California symbol, and also it’s the UC Berkeley mascot, he is with a megaphone because UC Berkeley was the stage where very important movements such as women rights and free speech took place in the 60’s.
The background’s boldness is to represent the present and retro kind of look for the past. It is colorful, because I have never seen a place that holds so much diversity in a positive way as Berkeley has. Berkeley is a colorful, creative and engaged melting pot; people who live there tend to make the difference in the society.
I’m studying animation (at Berkeley City College), but I graduated in Industrial Design, Visual Programming in Brazil, and I would be sooooo happy to get an internship with ODALC!”

View the Top 10 INSPIRE Oakland 2013 Student Designs
View the Top 5 INSPIRE Berkeley 2013 Student Designs
Learn more about Oakland Digital’s INSPIRE Program






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