DETROIT, Mich. – On Wednesday evening, the design created by College for Creative Studies junior Everett Robinson II was selected as the official poster for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear.
Fans can pre-order posters online now featuring the winning design with all net proceeds going to COVID-19 relief efforts. Robinson’s creation was chosen from the final five designs submitted by students in the Digital Illustration class at College for Creative Studies.
Due to the State of Michigan’s stay-at-home order, the final judging for the poster design competition was hosted online via Zoom meeting Wednesday with the students and the eight-person judging panel.
The design competition was certainly the most unique in the eight years that the Grand Prix and College for Creative Studies, the well-respected, Detroit-based art and design college, have partnered to create the official poster for the annual motorsports festival on Belle Isle.
While College for Creative Studies students have been focused on online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic, the poster designs were submitted just days before the decision was made to cancel the 2020 Grand Prix event due to public health restrictions and concerns surrounding the coronavirus, on April 6. Grand Prix organizers were determined to complete the judging process with the students, however, and select an official poster for 2020.
The judging panel included General Motors Industrial Design Manager Stuart Cooper, Lear Corporation Senior Marketing Specialist Claudette Kaado, WDIV-TV Local 4 sports reporter/anchor Jamie Edmonds, Detroit News Editorial Cartoonist and Auto Critic Henry Payne, Detroit Free Press Assistant Sports Editor Ryan Ford, College for Creative Studies Illustration Department Chair Don Kilpatrick, Grand Prix President Michael Montri and Grand Prix Chairman Bud Denker.
The judges reviewed the final designs and listened to each student finalist explain their creations Wednesday evening before selecting first-, second- and third-place in the competition. Online fan voting through the Grand Prix social media channels was also factored into the final decision.
Robinson’s winning design features colorful, dynamic graphics that captured the judge’s attention. The 20-year-old Detroit artist said he drew his inspiration from learning to drive with his father on Belle Isle. Featuring two cars zooming down the front straightaway on the Belle Isle street circuit with confetti falling from the sky and the ever-present GM Renaissance Center in the background, Robinson said he wanted to convey the speed and the celebration of the Grand Prix in his design.
“It is definitely a strange time right now so hopefully this provides a little bit of escapism,” said Everett. “(The design) takes me back to when I was driving with my father on Belle Isle so maybe it will help bring back some good memories of the race.”
College for Creative Studies junior Josh Rose came in second place while junior Ziyao Liu finished third in the competition that gives the students real-world design experience while keeping alive the Detroit tradition of commemorative posters dating back to the very first Grand Prix event in 1982. College for Creative Studies students Andrea Slomczenski and Ashley Neagle were also finalists in the competition.
After Robinson puts the finishing touches on his design in the coming days, the 2020 official poster will be printed by Allied Printing Company and posters are expected to ship in May through Grand Prix merchandise partner, Made in Detroit. Priced at $25, the limited-run posters can be purchased now through online pre-orders by clicking here.
All net proceeds from the 2020 poster sales will be dedicated to the United Way for Southeastern Michigan COVID-19 Community Response Fund, which helps provide relief to those affected by the pandemic. For more information on the fund, visit https://unitedwaysem.org/covid-19-donation-page. Both Allied Printing Company and Made in Detroit have agreed to donate their services to support the relief effort.