Brett Davidson: Poster Design for The 77th Annual Show

Brett Davidson Poster Design for The 77th Annual Show
"I'm like the little engine that could," says graphic designer Brett Davidson, who kept trying until he reached the top of his personal peak: the Academy Awards. His poster design for the 77th annual show bested dozens of other entries from highfalutin artists and agencies, bringing his work worldwide attention - and finally putting to rest his concern that he couldn't compete against the many submissions from famous designers.

Davidson is an employee at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), which runs the Oscars. "I've been working here for ten years and hoping they would notice my designs," explains Davidson. This year, his perseverance paid off. His winning design for the Oscar poster is appearing in multiple forms, on venues ranging from websites to taxicabs, as part of a broad campaign to promote the show. It's sweet success indeed, considering his lifelong passion for all things Oscar.

"Since I was a kid I've been obsessed with the Oscars," says Davidson. "Recently I was visiting my parents and in their garage I found all these videos I made. I'd been taping the Oscars for years and designing my own handmade covers for the cassettes. There was a whole box of them! I didn't even remember that I'd done that." Today, the home-crafted collection seem