2024 was another year of stellar entries in the national design awards in both Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. GSM takes a look at two award-winning print-based entries.
The Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA) Design Awards and the BEST Awards (hosted by the Designers Institute of New Zealand (DINZ)) are the two premier annual award events recognising excellence in design in our part of the world. And, thanks to some forward-thinking people within these organisations, entries are open to studios on either side of the Tasman.
Both events include a wide range of entry categories across the visual design spectrum. These include Brand Identity, Motion, Digital, and Student Work. But for our purposes, we are most interested in celebrating what’s hot within the print space. We could literally fill this whole issue of GSM with award winning design work—but we are limited with space… So, for this issue we’ve chosen two winners. The Purple Pin winner from Best Awards (which also won the Books and Editorial category at BEST). And a Pinnacle winner in the Packaging category from the AGDA Awards.
BEST PURPLE WINNER
PROJECT: Rewi: Āta haere, kia tere
STUDIO: Extended Whānau (Auckland)
CLIENT: Massey University Press
TEAM: Tyrone Ohia (Pou Auaha / Creative Director) Eva Charlton, Max Quinn-Tapara, Katrina Duncan, Jade Kake (Contributor), Jeremy Hansen (Contributor)
Overview:
Rewi Thompson (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Raukawa)
Rewi: Āta haere, kia tere is a tribute to the late architect Rewi Thompson (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Raukawa). A visionary thinker who believed that great architecture is crafted through careful consideration of people and place. This book brings together a breathtaking range of his projects, from conceptual dreamscapes to one-of-a kind homes.
Rewi is one of our foremost contemporary Māori architects, but he is often overlooked. This book puts his work and thinking into the spotlight, offering a timely addition to the conversation of architecture in Aotearoa.
Extended Whanau
Extended Whānau were tasked with designing the book. In true Māori fashion, Rewi transcended the boundaries of Western architecture. He was a radical thinker, philosopher, poet, caring educator, and a loving father and husband among many other things. This is seen through the incredible wealth of interviews, drawings, photos, letters, emails and sketchbooks that were gathered for the book. Additionally his work almost always wrestled with Aotearoa identity. Because of this, our approach was to ignore the typical architecture tome. And instead, create an intimate and iconic portrait of Rewi, unleashing his imagination for all of Aotearoa to appreciate.
Graphics & Colour
A key graphic aspect to the book is Rewi’s own handwriting and sketching. His written name adorns the cover, screenprinted in fluoro pink, referencing his signature use of pink highlighter markers. Rewi’s hand flows fluidly through the 450 page book, offering up direct glimpses into his mind, and creating an organic juxtaposition to the structural typesetting throughout. The bright blue cover references the joyful use of colour in his architectural drawings. The natural fabric wrap sets the tone for the intimate and personal mood of the book. And the warm cream text pages carry this warmth through.
Pink and blue continue to surprise and mix with the colourful world of Rewi’s sketches and layouts shift between focussed reading and a more lateral exploration of the page depending on the section. All of these queues work to give the overall impression of a truly creative man with a deep passion for people and place.
AGDA – PINNACLE WINNER—PACKAGING
PROJECT: When
STUDIO: Universal Favourite (Sydney)
CLIENT: When Fertility
TEAM: Dari Israelstam (Executive Creative Director), Ali Ozden (Creative Director), Joy Li (Designer), Amy Scott (Writer), Benito Martin (Photographer), Mike Kirkpatrick (Design Director), Laura Brown (Account Director), Chloe Wilson (Stylist), VMLY&R (Research)
Overview:
‘When’
‘When’ is Australia’s first ‘at home’ egg count test that empowers women to make informed choices regarding family planning. Fertility is, understandably, incredibly personal and not well supported from a proactive sense—conversations tend to occur only if and when problems arise. In addition, this sector is dominated by medical-focused, clinical-looking brands—i.e., impersonal.
The opportunity was to create a brand with feminine appeal that was professional, trustworthy, medically credible, warm and personal— without reverting to stereotypes.
Graphics & Colour, Stocks & Print
As an integral touch-point within the overall customer experience for this premium brand, the packaging solution for the home testing kit combines clean applied graphics, innovative use of stocks, sophisticated colours and high-quality print finishes such as embossing.
This sense of warmth and simplicity carries over into the illustrated instructional user guide.
The outcome surpassed expectations, establishing the brand as a segment leader and exemplifying how thoughtful design can transform healthcare experiences, driving positive social, economic, and environmental impacts.
Additional Design Awards
‘When’ was also awarded Gold for Small Brand Identity, Silver for Packaging, and Bronze for Digital Products at BEST 2024
To see more award winning work and for more information on entry into either awards, keep an eye on the respective websites:
- The Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA) Awards—go to: //agda.com.au
- The Designers Institute of New Zealand (DINZ) Best Awards—go to: //bestawards.co.nz
