It’s the Oscars of the New Zealand design world, where discerning Kiwi designers don their flashest ensembles and rock nervously back and forth as they wait to hear their name called out as one of the winning entries in the Designers Institute of New Zealand’s Best Design Awards. And here’s a run down on the work—and the agencies—deemed to be the best in New Zealand’s design business.
Tasty nuggets of news—now with 10 percent more guarana, taurine and pseudoephedrine.
Alt Group may need to call in structural engineers to reinforce the mantelpiece in their Ponsonby office: the design superstars, who have taken home more than 50 international design awards in the last few years, can now add a Cannes Gold Lion to the list.
Further shortlists have been announced for the Design Lions and Cyber Lions categories, with spokesperson and Professor of Listology at Cannes University, Dr Jean Luc Baguette saying the announcement of the contenders has significantly reduced the danger of passers-by being crushed by debris falling from the shortlist mountain. Helping minimise the peril to the general public are Alt Group and Colenso BBDO, both shortlisted for Design Lions. Colenso was shortlisted twice in the Cyber Category, with TBWA\Tequila\Digital\Shift and Tribal DDB receiving single nods.
The One Club’s Creative Week, a big ol’ celebration of creativity in advertising, design, digital media and the arts, kicked off in New York on Monday with the announcement of the One Show Design Awards. And Auckland design outfit Alt Group popped a few more corks after it was ranked in the world’s top 10 design agencies for netting two Pencils and two merits, exactly the same haul it received last year.
AIM Proximity/Colenso BBDO’s Yellow Treehouse is the only New Zealand Webby winner, after it took out the telecommunications trophy. And the Alt Group design boffins must be getting tired of walking up to awards podiums by now.
Another day, another dollar, another story, another story after that, and then a few more stories to finish. Who said story-telling is dead.
A Lean Year
The crafty, multidisciplinary creative boffins from Alt Group have nabbed a double whammee in Australia’s CREATIVE magazine Hotshop Awards, with the company crowned design agency of the year and in-house agency of the year. And Wellywood’s digi-gurus Resn also took home a gong for the second year running for best digital and interactive agency.
In news that will bring joy to the hearts of Kiwi font purists, Auckland design company Alt Group has picked up three Certificates of Typographic Excellence in the Type Directors Club TDC56 competition in New York.
Auckland multi-disciplinary design company Alt Group walked away from one of the design industry’s largest and most prestigious international competitions last week with four red dots and a red dot grand prix in their luggage. And it’s the first time a New Zealand design company has received this coveted prize.