A Fake Circus, but a Real Opportunity

A showcase for designers, new and old, to help them have more presence in the creative world

Recently I came across a site called Fakecircus. While the name deceived me at first, I had the pleasure of speaking to one of the people who is behind the project and once I really understood what it is about, I found that the project was an excellent idea.

This project is aimed at graphic design students or any designer who needs exposure or simply want to play the game. Fakecircus will announce a theme every second month and let creatives go wilde. All you have to do is to submit your artwork–you will get a web page where your work will be shown.

The project also aims at printing a magazine with the work submitted as an additional channel to showcase artists’ work. Please note that this is not a spec contest. It isn’t a contest in the first place, the designers own all the rights and their work is only showcased and not used by companies. It’s an opportunity for creatives, and especially for students, to build their portfolio.

The project is based in Italy, however it has international scope–even people from Brazil have submitted their work, so even if you are not Italian–shame on you–you can participate and benefit from the project.

Fakecircus is getting a lot of support by various organizations and designer groups, including those from the film industry. An exposition sponsored by another group of artists is also being planned.

Fakecircus is the proof of what people with passion who bind together can do. These are the projects students should be interested in when trying to get exposure or build a portfolio in absence of clients, instead of resorting to spec contests.