Few recognitions in visual communication carry as much weight as the Graphis Awards, celebrated worldwide for honoring brilliance in graphic design, advertising, branding, editorial, photography, posters, and illustration. With origins dating back to 1944, Graphis represents a standard of creative excellence distinguished by rigorous juried competitions and publication in high-quality annuals.

Les Merson stands proudly among this elite creative community—having received multiple Graphis Gold and Silver Awards across his career, cementing his status as a visionary in design-led storytelling and strategic impact.

Let’s explore how these awards reflect far more than polished visuals—they speak to Les’s values, process, and enduring commitment to purpose-driven creativity.

Career Arc Leading Up to Recognition

Les’s professional path stretches across decades as a designer, educator, filmmaker, writer, and marketing strategist. This multi-disciplinary foundation has shaped a creative approach rooted in narrative clarity, social engagement, and visual integrity.

His collaborations have ranged from branding for community organizations to editorial design, public posters, and impact-driven marketing campaigns. Through each project, Les’s attention to human-centered storytelling—alongside design finesse—stood out.

By the late 2000s, his work had attracted international attention, culminating in submissions to prestigious juried platforms such as Graphis Annuals and Poster Competitions.

Graphis Awards: Honors and Significance

According to his own recognition summary, Les has earned two Gold and three Silver Graphis Awards over the years. One of the standout moments was a Gold Award in 2010, awarded for a powerful poster conceptualized around his documentary on homelessness, titled Something to eat, a place to sleep and someone who gives a damn.

Beyond that, he continued to receive multiple Silver awards in Graphis Design and Advertising competitions through the 2010s and into the 2020s, including Silver prizes in Graphis Advertising 2023, Poster Annual 2023, Print Campaign 2022, and more.

This trajectory reflects not only sustained creative output, but recognition across categories—from documentary-related design to public campaigns and print visuals.

 Les Merson’s Graphis-Award Winning Vision ✨

What made these Graphis-winning works particularly compelling was their fusion of artistry, empathy, and strategy.
In 2010, Les’s documentary poster about homelessness—a project titled Something to eat, a place to sleep and someone who gives a damn—earned him the coveted Graphis Gold Award. More than a design piece, it was a socially conscious narrative with deeply human resonance. The poster featured a real subject, Darcy, photographed by Ken Villeneuve, and presented with dignity and clarity. Les recalls telling Darcy about the award and witnessing his pride—a moment that underscores the personal stakes of design.
Over the next decade, Les's additional Silver awards recognized his continued excellence in print and poster campaigns across Graphis Advertising and Poster competitions. His work consistently demonstrated clarity of communication, typographic precision, and emotional engagement—establishing a creative profile as much about purpose as aesthetics.

This central recognition shines as a hallmark of Les’s belief: design is most effective when rooted in real-world stories and driven by empathy.

Creative Philosophy Reflected in Award-Winning Work

Les’s Graphis-recognized designs exemplify core principles that define his creative practice:

• Narrative-Driven Visuals: Rather than abstract branding or decorative graphics, his award-winning work communicates a clear story—about people, issues, values.

• Human Connection: His poster on homelessness was grounded in the real presence of Darcy—a person whose lived experience became the emotional core of the piece.

• Precision of Craft: Typography, layout, photographic composition, and color choices are always intentional and refined.

• Purposeful Design: Winning Graphis credentials didn’t begin with aesthetics—they began with issues, campaigns, and stories that matter.

These principles are consistent across campaigns—from public service posters to print campaigns with institutional or nonprofit clients—reflecting Les’s commitment to inclusive messaging and visual clarity.

Timeline and Landscape of Recognition

Here’s a more structured overview of Les’s Graphis-related honors:

• 2010: Graphis Gold Award (Poster category) for his homelessness documentary poster.

• 2010s–2020s: Multiple Graphis Silver Awards in categories including Advertising, Poster Annual, and Print Campaign—spanning into 2023.

• Inclusion in Graphis Annual publications—an honor that places his work in an international creative archive.

This pattern of repeated honors shows not just a one-time success, but a sustained commitment to high-level creative output and social relevance.

Broader Contributions Beyond Awards

While Graphis recognition marks a highlight, Les’s wider career reveals a lifetime of creative engagement:

• As a filmmaker, he produced social issue documentaries, including the one tied to his award-winning poster.

• As an educator and writer, he taught design, communications, and media literacy.

• His marketing and visual strategy work for institutions, nonprofits, and civic organizations integrates storytelling, design, and engagement.

• His commitment to inclusivity was recognized through business awards for hiring practices—although these are separate from Graphis, they complement the spirit of his socially engaged design.

Lessons from Les’s Graphis Experience

Les Merson, Graphis award winner offers clear insights for creatives and communicators:

1. Story First, Visuals Second

The most memorable designs begin with meaning—using visuals to express real stories rather than just decoration.

2. Design With People in Mind

When design represents real individuals or communities (e.g. Darcy in his homelessness poster), it has emotional depth and authenticity.

3. Consistency Matters

From 2010 to the 2020s, Les repeatedly earned Graphis recognition—external validation of enduring excellence and adaptation to changing contexts.

4. Social Purpose Drives Visual Impact

His award-winning work often intersected with social impact—demonstrating how purpose and design can elevate each other.

5. Craftsmanship Underlies Creativity

Strong typography, polished layout, cohesive composition—all executed with precision to reinforce clarity of message.

Creative Legacy and Ongoing Influence

Les’s recognition via Graphis is part of a broader creative legacy—one that bridges generations, disciplines, and media. As someone deeply embedded in marketing, education, filmmaking, design, and public engagement, he models how diverse approaches can converge around central values: empathy, clarity, storytelling, and impact.

His online portfolio, referred to as his Curriculum Vitae, offers a living archive of these projects—presenting not just static visuals but narrative context, career reflections, and client impact.

Through teaching others, curating stories, and continuing to produce evaluated and influential work, Les remains both practitioner and mentor in the international creative community.

What This Means for Professionals and Organizations

If you're a designer, client, or creative leader, Les’s experience offers inspiration across several axes:

• Award recognition follows purpose: Impactful work often garners awards—but the motivation must come from engagement with ideas, people, and problems.

• Visual storytelling is timeless: Even in an era of digital noise, well-crafted posters and print campaigns still resonate deeply.

• Professional consistency matters: Les demonstrate that multiple awards across years reflect sustained quality, not one-off success.

• Multidisciplinary grounding adds depth: His combined expertise in filmmaking, education, writing, and strategy enriches every design outcome.

In Retrospect: The Power of a Graphis Award

Winning a Graphis Gold Award in 2010 remains a highlight of Les’s creative journey—particularly because it emerged from a socially impactful documentary poster. Yet it wasn't the culmination—it was a milestone that preceded many more Silver Awards and continued relevance through the 2010s and early 2020s.

Graphis recognition, in Les’s case, reflects more than design skill: it confirms that his work communicates message and meaning, substance and strategy. It exemplifies how creative professionals can use visual communication not just to attract attention, but to honor people, provoke reflection, and spark change.

Conclusion: Les Merson, Graphis Award Winner—An Ongoing Vision

Les Merson’s status as a Graphis Award Winner isn’t just an accolade—it’s an emblem of his commitment to meaningful design. Across two Gold Awards and multiple Silver distinctions, his work demonstrates what’s possible when craft meets conscience.

For fellow creatives, his journey shows how awards can emerge organically from work grounded in empathy and narrative integrity. For organizations and clients, it illustrates how design can become a powerful instrument for connection and social impact.

Les’s recognitions are not the end of his story—they’re part of an ever-evolving creative tapestry, one that continues to grow in relevance, clarity, and purpose.