Dunn-Edwards Portraits: Student Designers Share Details of Their Winning Design Competition Submissions

Dunn-Edwards is thrilled to announce the grand prize winners of our annual Emerging Professionals Design Competition: Calvin Ma (UCLA Extension/Cal Poly Pomona), Commercial Category and Aleksandra Tolovikova (UC Berkeley Extension), Residential Category.

Dunn-Edwards Emerging Professionals Program (EPP) was created to put a focus on design and architecture students because we believe they are the change-makers, innovation leaders, and creative experts of the next generation. The Emerging Professionals Design Competition, hosted by Dunn-Edwards, gives students an opportunity to follow specific project guidelines, create a modern design, and receive feedback from seasoned professionals in the design industry.

Commercial Category Winner

Design Student Finds Value in Incorporating Various Cultural Elements Into Projects

After starting college at UCLA with the idea of medical school to come next, Calvin Ma made some pivots along the way and ended up earning a degree in sociology. However, after his graduation, Calvin came to the realization that this was not his path; he hated the idea of reading and writing for a living.

What was next, then? Calvin began to think about his life and the things he had done in the past that made him smile. It was then that he made a key connection that helped him realize his biggest passion in life: creativity. This realization led him to his career path toward interior design. “In the end, design is something I fell in love with, and I’m so passionate about it.” Calvin is currently a design student pursuing a master’s degree at UCLA Extension/Cal Poly Pomona.

With his focus being tunneled into interior design, Calvin desires to explore the design world—literally. He often draws inspiration for design projects from various cultures around the world. After he completes his current program, he plans to travel around the world to learn about cultural and traditional techniques, fabrications, and even construction.

Along with interior design, Calvin has a strong interest in architecture and is inspired by professionals working in the architectural industry. “Overall, there’s such a great overlap between interior design and architecture,” he explains of his intertwining career interests. Calvin appreciates projects that push him toward a new creative expanse, which is what solidified his decision that pursuing architecture will be up next.

Just like his wide range of interests, Calvin has a broad palette of colors he enjoys incorporating into his designs. “My favorite color is more of a blue, but I feel better in a neutral color space,” he says when trying to identify his top choices. As for Dunn-Edwards colors, Calvin’s favorites are Nomad (DET697), Celestial Moon (DET650), and Deep Mystery (DE5923).

Calvin’s submission project for Dunn-Edwards Emerging Professionals Design Competition, which landed him in the grand prize-winning slot for the commercial category, showcases his worldly interests. He began his trade show booth project by pulling inspiration from various cultural sources—Japanese indigo patchwork, as well as Mexican and Brazilian culture and design.

He continued his project by creating a glass ceiling to symbolize the fragility of what’s occurring on Earth right now. “That’s where upcycling came in as well,” he notes. “I just wanted to use things that are commonly thrown away, like samples.” The requirements for a focus on sustainability and the use of Dunn-Edwards 2022 Color of the Year, Art and Craft (DET682) were easy for Calvin to work with. “I like to really consider psychology when it comes to choosing a color, and, of course, brown being the color of resilience, sort of reflecting us as humans being on this earth–resilient,” he passionately explains. “How we’re banding together to sort of fight for sustainability, I think, is incredible. And I thought that this color palette was perfect, absolutely perfect for this year’s mission statement.”

This project is an example of a time in which Calvin stopped asking for advice from friends and began to trust his gut, and he found that the design process went along much smoother and reflected his true design style. This is how he is able to create more specialized designs, and he encourages others to have the same strategy: “Be open to advice but trust your own instincts and be passionate.”

Dunn-Edwards student design competition pushed Calvin toward researching topics he wasn’t completely familiar with: sustainability and upcycling. It also gave him an opportunity to dive deeper into learning about design cultures around the world, which is something that will remain at the top of his priority list as he completes his education and begins his journey as a designer. Whether his next step is a career in the design industry or pursuing an education focused on architecture, Calvin will have the benefit of carrying his learnings from Dunn-Edwards Emerging Professional Design Competition with him along the way.

Residential Category Winner

Design Student Undergoes the ‘Fall’ Before She Experiences the ‘Rise’

Looking back on her design journey thus far, Aleksandra Tolovikova, a design student pursuing a professional certificate in interior design and interior architecture at UC Berkeley Extension, is satisfied with the strides she has made. She’s had many interests throughout her life—drawing, writing, sports—but ultimately, she chose the route of design as her career focus. Although challenging at times, she has maintained focus and perseverance as she strives to reach her goal of becoming a designer. “I believe in talent, but even more, I believe in hard work,” Aleksandra explains, referencing the efforts she has made to succeed in her educational path.

After moving to the United States from Russia in 2018 with an environmental design degree already under her belt, Aleksandra began classes at UC Berkeley Extension with a desire to elevate her professional skills and familiarize herself with local standards. To her surprise, the most challenging part has been learning the imperial system (ex: foot vs. centimeters), not to mention doing so in English. At the beginning of her arrival in the United States, she found herself watching YouTube bloggers, studying both their vocabulary and their design processes. She considered this to be her professional community until she started engaging more with classmates, mentors, and instructors, then her community expanded. She admires the inspirational learnings she is able to gain from this larger community.

Similar to many students, Aleksandra sometimes finds herself wondering if her skills match up to those of other emerging professionals, so she was apprehensive about making a submission to last year’s Dunn-Edwards Emerging Professionals Design Competition. “Sometimes I feel like I’m on my own,” she explains about her hesitation. However, she began to see her doubt as a value because she could use it as an opportunity to step out of her comfort zone. She notes that design competitions can help her gauge where she stands amongst others pursuing the same career goals. “For me, it’s a nice estimation of my skills.” At the conclusion of last year’s competition, she didn’t come out on top, but she was able to analyze her project, pinpoint its benefits and downsides, and apply her takeaways to this year’s competition, leading her to win the grand prize in the residential category.

She found her experience competing in the design competition this year to be easier, as she was able to apply the knowledge she gained from her past experience, as well as implement more advanced skills she had learned in more design courses. Although she went in with more confidence and at a higher skill level than the previous year, a roadblock occurred during her project when she realized it was all too neutral. She searched for a color to pair well with Dunn-Edwards 2022 Color of the Year, Art and Craft (DET682), and she found one that has since become her favorite Dunn-Edwards color: Midnight Blush (DE5913), which happens to be one of 48 colors in Dunn-Edwards 2023 Color + Design Trends. “They make a gentle color palette, and they are muted. They are mature, but at the same time, they are not boring,” Aleksandra notes of the color combination used in her winning submission.

Through her experiences with the competition, Aleksandra learned of both defeat and success. “After a fall, you’ll always have a rise,” she says in encouragement to other students. “So, you should try again, and then, try again. I believe that success doesn’t come quickly.” Aleksandra plans to remember her own advice as she finishes earning her certificate and searches for opportunities in the design industry.

The 2023 Emerging Professionals Design Competition will open again for submissions in March 2023 and close in August 2023. Check www.dunnedwards.com and follow @dunnedwards on social media to stay tuned for more details!

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