Have you created some best-in-class branding in the past year? The fourth annual Brand Impact Awards are now open for entries.
Now in their fourth year, Computer Arts' Brand Impact Awards are designed to celebrate the very best branding from around the world – and they're open to entries now.
Firstly, entries are judged in the context of the market sector for which they were created, rather than by the form a piece of branding takes. This means branding for an FMCG client, say, won't be judged against a project for a not-for-profit client or financial services work. This year sees categories ranging from culture to sport, luxury to public sector, and more – see right for the full list.
Secondly, all forms of branding are considered. Each sector will be divided into two distinct streams – Branding Programmes and Branded Campaigns – with prizes and a Best of Show to be awarded in both streams.
This recognises that while few established brands experience a total overhaul, brand owners increasingly run campaigns to boost brand awareness among customers or to fulfil corporate social responsibility obligations.
And thirdly, consistency (and coherence) are rewarded. Judges will be looking for an equally high quality of idea, design and execution across the various media through which a brand is seen. This could include print and digital promotions, say, a retail outlet or point-of-sale material, or an exhibition, a T-shirt and packaging.
Johnson Banks was awarded Best In Show at the 2016 awards
The Brand Impact Awards will also acknowledge design's power to make a difference to society as well as commercially through the Social Impact Award, the winner of which will be selected from the entries by the judges.
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And because teamwork lies at the heart of many of the most effective branding solutions, we'll also be honouring the best examples of creative collaboration in another special prize.
The BIAs are judged by a stellar panel from both agency-side and client-side, which this year includes creative directors from Wolff Olins, Turner Duckworth, Interbrand and Studio Sutherl&, as well as branding experts who have helped develop top brands in various different sectors, including Virgin, Carlsberg, and the British Heart Foundation.
The list of winners from previous years reads like a who's who of global branding – BIA trophies sit in the awards cabinets at top London agencies such as Johnson Banks, The Partners, Purpose, North, NB and Moving Brands, as well as internationally with the likes of Sagmeister & Walsh (USA), Hulse & Durrell (Canada), Snask (Sweden) and Bienal Comunicación (Mexico).
The 2016 BIA audience enjoys the warm-up act
Most categories celebrate the best commercial branding for clients big and small, but there's also a special category dedicated to self-branding, so if you're an ambitious freelancer or a smaller studio with a truly innovative self-promotional campaign under your belt, this could be your chance to add a much coveted BIA trophy to your mantelpiece too.
Nick has worked with world-class agencies including Wolff Olins, Taxi Studio and Vault49 on brand storytelling, tone of voice and verbal strategy for global brands such as Virgin, TikTok, and Bite Back 2030. Nick launched the Brand Impact Awards in 2013 while editor of Computer Arts, and remains chair of judges. He's written for Creative Bloq on design and branding matters since the site's launch.
