On February 7, 2013, I received a newsletter from Prezi.com with an announcement for a contest. It said: Prezi + TED Contest. TED is a global set of conferences with the mission of spreading ideas, usually in the form of powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design. Visit their website at www.ted.com.
By winning the contest, you could win a lifetime Pro license, but I didn't mind paying for my license. My agenda was pretty full and my kids were on their spring holidays. So, I thought, "Hmmm… I don't know."
However, as an official Prezi expert, I felt I had to enter the competition. So, I went to the Ideas Matter page, read everything about it (yes, everything), and I decided I didn't have time for it.
However, the idea didn't let go of me. I chose a TED Talk, started working on a prezi, remained unsure whether to enter the competition till the last moment, and finally submitted my presentation just before the deadline.
Early in the morning of February 28, 2013, I got an e-mail from Prezi.com with the message, "On behalf of Prezi, congratulations! You have been chosen as a finalist in our Ideas Matter contest".
I was thrilled! I was just about to drive to Amsterdam to teach another prezi course, but I stepped out of the car, ran back into the house, and danced and yelled, "I'm a finalist!". My husband and kids thought I had gone crazy.
I had a big smile on my face and was very happy on the whole way to Amsterdam. This was it! I was a finalist in the Ideas Matter contest. This was what I was hoping for and I made it. This was enough for me.
However, it wasn't enough for the jury.
Later on that day, I heard that Chris Anderson, the curator of TED, and Peter Arvai, CEO of Prezi, chose me as the grand prize winner. I had won the contest!
I'll never forget that feeling. For me, it was the crowning glory of my work. Have a look at to the following screenshot:
In this project, I will explain how I created the winning prezi IDENTITY for the Prezi + TED Contest, Ideas Matter.
I will start from the beginning of the assignment, what the assignment was exactly, and how I dealt with it. Next, I will try to explain, as much as possible, what my process was. I think taking time on the process is very important. Knowing how to design and use prezi is important, but taking time to find the key message is of greater importance.
Of course, I will also explain how I created the prezi. I will clarify some special effects for which I got lots of questions on how I did it.
In this project, you will get a look through the eyes of the designer. How did the process go? What decisions were made? Was it well-structured or was there chaos? Was it all carefully planned or did you need some luck as well? How did you know a decision works?
I think it's interesting to share as much as I can so that you can learn from it.