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Berkeley City College multimedia arts students Marilia Lobo and Kaylin Warren are first and second place winners, respectively of Inspire Oakland’s (and Inspire Berkeley’s), collaborative billboard design contest sponsored by Oakland Digital (ODALC). The contest is co-sponsored by the City of Oakland, CBS Outdoor, Améredia, Oaklandish, Cal State East Bay and the Peralta Colleges. Lobo, a student in Michel Bohbot’s Survey of Digital Imaging (MMART 130) class, will see her design appear on University Ave. in Berkeley.

“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,” first place winner Lobo said. “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.”

Warren ‘s billboard inspiration was the downtown Berkeley BART station. “I remember when I first started going to Berkeley City College, that first time I came up that escalator and stood in that circle, I did a full 360 turn just so I could soak everything in,” she recalled. “You know that any time you come to Berkeley there’s going to be an adventure because of the many possibilities and things that it has to offer.” The artist used cool tones and colors to represent Berkeley’s “chilled, laid back” atmosphere. She also thought that the BART station represented Berkeley residents’ affinity for using public transportation.

“I used layered textures to give it a mystical, magical feel because e Berkeley is like my own Diagon Alley (Harry Potter); it has so many hidden treasures and hideaways you never know what you’re going to find,” Warren explained. “It’s hard to put in words but Berkeley is something that you have to experience yourself because that’s just what it is, an experience. Just don’t forget to wear your walking shoes… ”

Each year, Oakland Digital invites local community members to participate in “Inspire Oakland,” and “Inspire Berkeley,” contests which encourages interest in graphic design and information technologies through creative expression. Project’s goal is to promote a positive image of Oakland that unites and inspires its diverse population, while encouraging young talent to jumpstart their digital media careers.
Learn more about Inspire Oakland at: (http://www.inspireoakland.com/tag/inspire-oakland-billboard-contest/)

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.