Photo by Danny Howe on Unsplash
The year-round awards cycle, a designer’s bane and joy.
We totally get it - it can be a tempting way to showcase your work and establish yourself as a leader in the industry. But like any tool, there are positives and negatives to consider.
On the positive side, winning a design award can give you a ton of exposure. It gets your work in front of a wider audience, which can lead to new business opportunities and partnerships. Plus, it's a stamp of approval from industry experts that can increase your credibility as a designer. And let's not forget, it can be a great motivator to push yourself to create your best work.
On the flip side, applying for design awards can be expensive, especially for freelancers or small agencies. You've got entry fees, shipping costs, and other expenses to consider. Plus, it's a time-consuming process that can take away from other projects. And perhaps most frustratingly, design awards are often subjective, so what one jury loves, another might not.
So with the positives and negatives laid out, let’s look at how awards can impact companies right now.
One positive example can be seen with the design agency Pentagram. They have won numerous design awards over the years, including a recent win for one of its partners, Gorgia Lupi, who received Cooper Hewitt’s National design award in the US. This exposure has most likely bolstered their attraction to high-profile clients and cemented their position as industry leaders. Additionally, their team members have been invited to judge design awards, and co-host on The Webby Awards podcast, further increasing their visibility and influence in the design industry.
On the other hand, costs can range from, a single entry to the Webby awards for €60, to over €2900 if you were to win the Red dot awards grand prize, these costs can add up quickly for those on a tight budget. This puts designers and smaller agencies at a disadvantage compared to larger, more established agencies with more resources to invest in submissions. In an industry that is based on the subjectivity of its medium, the apparently objective nature of design awards can be too greater risk for many, acting more as signifiers of deep pockets, than recognition of smaller creatives.
But let’s say you are a small to medium agency in the design sphere looking to take a preliminary dive into the awards space, who should you be looking at to best judge your work?
Well, below is a list of International and UK awards that have global appeal, with links:
• The Drum
The Drum Awards is a global awards program which recognizes best practice, the best companies, and the best people from across the marketing and communications industry.
iF Design is a global symbol of excellent design, hosting the annual iF DESIGN AWARD, one of the most prestigious design awards worldwide, based on a set of objective screening standards.
• WBDS
The World Brand Design Society Awards was established for the discovery and the encouragement of commercial creative brand excellence around the world.
The “Red Dot Design Award”, is aimed at all those who would like to distinguish their business activities through design, based on the principle of selection and presentation.
To celebrate European design, with all its regional distinctive elements as well as its common grounds, and to facilitate European designers, to meet, benchmark, be inspired and build networks.
• D&AD
D&AD exists to stimulate, enable and award creative excellence in design and advertising, its members represent the creative, design and advertising communities, not just in Britain, but worldwide.
• Awwwards
The awards that recognize the talent and effort of the best web designers, developers and agencies in the world.
The Web Excellence Awards competition is committed to promoting excellence on the web and setting standards by honouring distinguished websites created by creatives worldwide.
The Webby Awards is the leading international award honouring excellence on the Internet. The Webbys is presented by the (IADAS) — a 2000+ member judging body
So, what's the bottom line?
Of course, weighing the costs, time commitment, and potential benefits before deciding to apply for an award is essential. If you do decide to go for it, be sure to choose awards that align with your goals and target audience, this will significantly increase your submission chances.
If that’s too dull an end point, then think of it this way:
Applying for design awards is like jumping into a swimming pool - it can be refreshing and invigorating, but you don't want to belly flop and end up with a sore stomach. So, take a deep breath, assess the situation, and dive in with confidence.
May your strokes be strong, and your designs be award-winning!
Photo by tommao wang on Unsplash
