The 2013 Design Week Awards winners

Best of show

Best of Show

Winner: Ugokidase Tokyo for Nike Japan, by AKQA

In what could have been a run-of-the-mill campaign, AKQA was briefed by Nike to promote its Nike+ Fuelband and other products to Japanese consumers before they came to market.

Fortunately though, the combination of a receptive client and a forward-thinking consultancy led to a project that pushes design – and the Nike brand – to the very limit.

Tapping into the Japanese national obsession for gaming, AKQA created a temporary ‘arcade’ opposite Tokyo’s Harajuku station, featuring a series of games powered by Nike+.

Thousands of players came to Ugokidase during its two-week run, playing for an average of 18 minutes on-site, while the global competition helped to bring a records 4.2 million users to the Nike+ community in just a fortnight.

The judges said: ‘A brave, forward-thinking project that pushes boundaries and touches on almost every area of design.’

Print communications

Print

Winner: Great British Fashion Stamp Set, for Royal Mail, by Johnson Banks

Johnson Banks was tasked by Royal Mail to create a series of ten special stamps to showcase British fashion from the end of the Second World War to the present. The consultancy wanted to use live models showing the clothes, but didn’t want the models to distract from the costumes. For its solution, Johnson Banks worked with photographer Sølve Sundsbø to shoot live models wearing the outfits, before digitally removing their faces and hands to let the outfits speak for themselves.

The judges said: ‘Right from the start of the day it was the standout piece in the room. No one could argue against it. Even when you lost the features of the figures appearing on the stamps there was such personality and pose to the artwork that this didn’t matter.’

See the shortlisted print communications projects here.

Brand campaigns

Brand

Winner: Legal Highs, for West Yorkshire Police, by B&W

West Yorkshire Police commissioned B&W to develop a campaign warning of the dangers of ‘legal highs’, chemicals such as plant food or bath crystals which can have a similar effect to illegal drugs such as cocaine or ecstasy. The consultancy used a series of bold gambling-inspired images, and an urgent yellow-and-black colour palette. The campaign ran on touchpoints including bus-side ads and beermats.

The judges said: ‘A truly “arresting” campaign. The judges found this campaign both brave and compelling.’

See the shortlisted brand campaigns projects here.

Editorial design

Editorial

Winner: Material Futures, for Textile Futures Research Centre, University of the Arts London, by FranklinTill

The Material Futures book showcases the work of the Textile Futures Research Centre at University of Arts London. The brief involved collating, editing and designing a publication to form a consolidation and communication of the work of the TFRC, which would be available in hard-copy and PDF formats.

The judges said: ‘Just a beautifully crafted piece of work. Pacey, involving – not an immediate attention-grabber but once you look closer you realise the piece is intelligently considered.’

See the shortlisted editorial design projects here.

Retail interiors

Retail

Winner: Nike Fuelstation, for Nike, by Nike, AKQA and Millington Associates

Nike’s Boxpark store is the brand’s first push into a fully interactive retail environment, and had to feature a seamless interactive experience while building brand loyalty and, of course, selling product. The design uses features such as motion-sensor-activated screens, giant LED installations and real-time messaging systems.

The judges said: ‘It’s an incredible talking point. The coming together of digital and physical formats for the gaming generation. An enhanced entertainment experience that engages its target audience head-on and is grand enough to incorporate technologies for an experiential future.’

Rapha

Highly commended: Rapha Cycle Club, for Rapha, by Brinkworth

The Rapha Cycle Club in London’s Soho, developed by Brinkworth for the cycling brand, is intended as a meeting place for the cycling community to eat, drink, watch racing and shop. Brinkworth developed a flexible retail system to display not just apparel, but also unique products from Rapha’s collection of cycling memorabilia. The space places equal emphasis on social and retail aspects, and features a custom-built bar area.

The judges said: ‘A very close second. A new “old school” specialist shop with a stripped-back ethos capturing the mood of a rapidly growing “cycle” generation.’

See the shortlisted retail interiors projects here.

Packaging

Packaging

Winner: Ten Green Bottles, for Gordon’s by Conran and Partners

Inspired by the children’s nursery rhyme, Conran and Partners created the Ten Green Bottles designs for Gordon’s gin, using ten patterns inspired by Sir Terence Conran’s 1960s textile designs. Each pattern also incorporates the numbers one-ten. The patterns were printed on to 7.5 miles of cotton fabric and used to label a limited-edition run of 1 million bottles. In addition, a premium edition of 200 bottles in hand-stitched fabric were sold exclusively in Selfridges.

The judges said: ‘A project that celebrates the best of British. Each bottle uses a Sir Terence Conran botanical textile design which cleverly incorporates the numbers, re-enforcing the liquid quality and creating collectability.’

See the shortlisted packaging projects here.

Poster design

Poster

Winner: Five big names in Type, for Typocircle, by NB Studio

NB Studio designed the poster for the Typographic Circle’s Five Big Names in Type event, featuring Bruno Maag, Henrik Kubel, Freda Sack, Phil Baines and Simon Dixon. Each designer’s name was set in a typeface designed by them.

The judges said: ‘Did the job of a poster wittily, effectively and cleverly. There was humour and warmth in the type which can be taken from using the first names of the designer in conjunction with their type and feeling as though you are on a first-name basis with them.’ 

Hillclimb

Highly commended: National Hill-climb Championship Poster, by Clock Creative

The National Hill Climb Championship sees cyclists negotiate the notorious Holcombe Rake hill in Lancashire – a 1 in 4 gradiant tarmac road stage. To convey the challenging nature of the event, Clock Creative produced a poster with a visual twist on the ‘Steep hill’ road sign.

The judges said: ‘Alongside many entries that were more decoration than communication, this won the judges over as a simple, charming idea. What it lacks in craft, it makes up for in clarity.’

See the shortlisted poster projects here.

Hospitality and workplace interiors

Hospitality

Winner: Movement Café, for Cathedral Group, by Morag Myerscough

The Movement Café is a local landmark, community café and poem in Greenwich, designed by Morag Myerscough for developer Cathedral Group. The café was designed and built in just 16 days to greet visitors to the London 2012 Olympic equestrian events in Greenwich, and was created in a site left derelict by demolition. The sunken plot was turned into a natural amphitheatre, while shipping containers provide the base structure and a tower of scaffolding holds words forming a Lemn Sissay poem.

The judges said: ‘We like this because it creates a real event out of literally nothing. It embraces hospitality in its true sense – a warm welcome, a meeting place, a sense of togetherness, a team effort. It’s dynamic and it works.’

See the shortlisted hospitality and workplace projects here.

Writing for design

Writing

Winner: Disappointments Diary 2013, by Asbury & Asbury and Hat-Trick Design

Developed by copywriter Asbury & Asbury and consultancy Hat-Trick Design, the Disappointments Diary is a 2013 week-to-view diary featuring a series of ‘disappointing’ twists. Each week has a pessimistic proverb, such as ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you wish it had’, while contacts are replaced by ‘people who never call’, and notable births are replaced by notable deaths. Pages gradually get darker throughout the year to reflect a sense of impending doom.

The judges said: ‘”Funny as fuck”. The humour lies in the fact that so much of the information in this diary is depressingly true. The disappointments grow as the year goes on which amounts to a really futile year. The “imaginary friends” contact details is the funniest bit.’

Shipping

Highly commended: RNLI Homewares, for RNLI and Nick Murno, by The Workshop and Roger Horberry

The Workshop was tasked with developing an appealing and appropriate voice for a range of RNLI-branded homeware items produced by Nick Munro. Working with writer Roger Horberry, it took language and phrases from the BBC Radio Shipping Forecast and twisted them to suit a range or domestic situations related to each item.

The judges said: ‘A twist on the language of the shipping forecast that could easily have been pushed too far, but is nicely controlled. Good to see writing of this quality for a more mainstream audience.’

See shortlisted writing for design projects here.

Digital installations

Digitalinst

Winner: Ugokidase Tokyo, for Nike Japan, by AKQA

AKQA was briefed to provide an experience of Nike+ FuelBand, Nike+ Training and Nike+ Basketball to Japanese consumers before they came to market. Taking inspiration from the national obsession of gaming, the consultancy created a pop-up arcade opposite Harajuku Station, which was open for free throughout the London 2012 Olympics. Players could complete with friends in five unique games, each powered by Nike+. Results were fed live into global leaderboards.

The judges said: ‘We were impressed by the sheer ambition to build a workout arcade as a brand experience. Seamlessly integrating digital and physical, the perfect execution of every detail blew us away.’

See the shortlisted digital installations projects here.

Product design

Product

Winner: 27-inch iMac, by Apple

The new iMac has 40 per cent less volume than its predecessor, with a thin 5mm edge. Apple completely reengineered the display for brilliant colour and contrast and 75 per cent reduced reflection. The cover glass is fully laminated to the LCD and an anti-reflective coating is applied using precision plasma deposition.

The judges said: ‘Another Apple product wins, but they continue to set and exceed their standard with simple, visual cleanliness of design, lack of fixings and incredible attention to detail which belies the engineering efforts involved.’

See the shortlisted product design projects here.

Furniture

Furniture

Winner: Mono Desk, for Isomi, by Paul Crofts Studio

The Mono Collection Desks are adaptable, versatile and highly durable, and are available in a series of modular options, which can be made into one seamless piece on installation. The desk can be left- or right-handed and space for built-in storage can be specified.

The judges said: ‘An elegantly resolved modular system that accommodates a series of complex ergonomic and user requirements in one coherent solution.’

See the shortlisted furniture design projects here.

Rising star

Rising Star

Winner: Bethan Laura Wood

Bethan Laura Wood studied in the Royal College of Art’s design products department, under Jurgen Bey and Martino Gamper. Since graduation she has undertaken residencies at London’s Design Museum, the Fondazione Claudio Buziol in Venice and AAA Wanted New Artisans Vicenza. Wood showcases her lighting and furniture ranges exclusively with Nilufar Gallery, and her collections Totem and Moon Rock were shortlisted for Product of the Year and Furniture of the Year respectively at the Design Museum’s 2012 Design of the Year Awards.

The judges said: ‘A winner who has – in a very short space of time – developed their own distinctive style and look, as well as completing a huge range of accomplished projects.’

See the shortlisted Rising Star entrants here.

Exhibition design

Exhibition

Winner: Brunner Milan Furniture Fair Stand, for Brunner, by Ippolito Fleitz Group – Identity Architects

Ippolito Fleitz was commissioned to create a setting for furniture brand Brunner to showcase two new products at the 2012 Milan Furniture Fair. From a distance, the black-and-white backdrop takes the back-seat to the colourful products, but at closer inspection, the backdrop transforms into a contextual world, informing visitors about the furniture.

The judges said: ‘It uses the signage system in a visually arresting way to attract the audience and reflects the modularity and possibilities of the product.’

See the shortlisted exhibition design projects here.

Self-promotional projects

Self-promotional

Winner: Clifton Troll Bridge, by Taxi Studio

To mark the launch of its new identity and website, Bristol-based consultancy wanted to create a visual spectacle that had the potential to go viral. Working with digital consultancy Play Nicely, Taxi developed a 3D projection-mapping ‘troll’ installation as a ‘sort-of-illegal’ Halloween stunt. A small crowd was invited to witness the stunt, which was followed soon after by more than 25 000 YouTube hits and ‘Clifton Troll Bridge’ trending on both Twitter and YouTube.

The judges said: ‘Fun, ambitious, and fearless with a shocking amount of cheek. We had to admire the scale of this stunt. The scale of the results made this a worthy winner.’ 

See the shortlisted self-promotional projects here.

Wayfinding and environmental graphics

Wayfinding

Winner: The Link, for Trust Thamesmead, by Alphabetical

Alphabetical was tasked with developing an identity for The Link, a newly opened community centre in south London’s Thamesmead. The Link is located under a dual flyover, and Alphabetical was tasked with developing an identity that would bring this vast concrete space to life. Through a series of workshops, the consultancy created and illustrated a series of positive messages which were applied throughout the centre.

The judges said: ‘It plays with extraordinary scale to bring to life a very grey space. It gives hope to people looking at their future and integrates with its surroundings in a positive humorous way.’

See the shortlisted wayfinding and environmental graphics projects here.

Identity design

Identity

Winner: The Battle of Bannockburn Identity, by The Beautiful Meme

The Beautiful Meme worked with Dalton Maag to create the identity for The Battle of Bannockburn, a £9 million visitor centre operated by the National Trust for Scotland, which opens next year. The consultancy says it has aimed to develop a ‘brutal and playful’ identity, with each letter representing a key element of the battle’s story. The first ‘B’ for example illustrates the tight packs in which the Scots would group together, known as Schiltrons.

The judges said: ‘We were impressed with the craft and storytelling within the logotype of the identity. It combines both strength and charm.’

See the shortlisted identity design projects here.

Interactive design

Interactive

Winner: The Gallery of Lost Art, for Tate and Channel 4, by ISO Design and Tate

The Gallery of Lost Art is an immersive, online Tate exhibition that tells the stories of artworks that have disappeared. Visitors enter a large virtual warehouse where photographs, newspaper cuttings, letters images and films are laid out for examination, revealing lost works by the likes of Marcel Duchamp, Joan Miró and Willem de Kooning.

The judges said: ‘A beautifully crafted, immersive experience that evokes the feelings of a real gallery experience.’

Brandon

Highly commended: The Random Adventures of Brandon Generator, for Microsoft, by 3 Monkeys Communications and LBi

Microsoft Internet Explorer needed a compelling piece of interactivity to help promote its open standards approach to web technology. The company worked with director Edgar Wright and illustrator Lee Edwards to create an original animated story called ‘The Random Adventures of Brandon Generator’. The story unfolds over four episodes, with each one asking for crowd-sourced input for the next.

The judges said: ‘Cleverly leveraged the fan power of Edgar Wright to move beyond brand communications.’

See the shortlisted interactive design projects here.

App design

App

Winner: MTV Under the Thumb, for Viacom International Media Networks, by AKQA

The MTV Under the Thumb app allows the best MTV shows – from the past and present – to be streamed on to mobile devices on demand for the first time. When at home the app becomes a remote control, taking over any PC, laptop or connected TV for an immersive dual-screen experience. Co-viewing allows users to watch shows together in real time, anytime, anywhere.

The judges said: ‘Acknowledges the younger generation’s way of consuming television and puts that at its core. Clever features such as social integration and remote control.’

See the shortlisted app design projects here.

Broadcast design

Broadcast

Winner: Skyfall Title Sequence, for Rattling Stick and Eon Films, by Framestore

The Skyfall film marks 50 years of James Bond on the big screen, and Framestore worked with Daniel Kleinman to develop the four-minute title sequence. The sequence opens underwater as Bond sinks lifelessly into the gloom, before sending the viewer on a spiralling journey into Bond’s subconscious. A 3D visualisation was developed prior to a live-action shoot at Pinewood Studios, and the final title sequence was backed with Adele’s Skyfall theme song.

The judges said: ‘This piece drew upon the past, rich legacy of Bond and connected with the future through its impressive visuals.’

See the shortlisted broadcast design projects here.

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