An eclectic mix of designs which ranged from a ‘fan-tastic’ wedding invitation to an attention grabbing  Post-it note installation, have taken out the country’s top graphic design prizes at this year’s Best Design Awards – the Oscars of the New Zealand design world.   

Held at a glittering black tie awards ceremony at Auckland’s SkyCity Convention Centre on Friday October 1, the Best Design Awards recognise the country’s best designs of the year across the categories of graphic, interactive, product and spatial design. 

With 329 graphic entries received in this year’s awards – the most ever received in the awards’ 22 year history – the competition to take out the country’s top graphic design prize was fierce. However, it was Auckland based Studio Alexander that came out trumps, scooping the coveted Purple Pin (supreme award) for an eye catching pop-up installation for client Fletcher Construction. 

The compelling and somewhat shocking environmental installation was developed in an attempt to educate construction workers about the importance of wearing the right type of safety gear on construction sites, in order to reduce the number of worksite accidents occurring.  

As part of the three-dimensional installation, Studio Alexander created a series of designs which were installed onto the sides of portable containers and dropped into construction sites before workers arrived for the day.  

Designs included evocative and larger than life portraits of injured workers that focused on the emotional trauma and impact that a serious workplace injury has on family members; light-boxes that showcased x-rays of real life worksite accident victims, and a functional “Check yourself, before you wreck yourself” reflective installation, that used a mirror and checklist to force workers to check their safety gear reflection as they entered the worksite.  

The graphic judges, led by convener Fraser Gardyne, praised Studio Alexander’s award-winning entry, saying the designs for what they described as an important yet ignored subject were, “special in their thinking and execution.” 

“With the graphics spilling onto the ground, big and in your face, the designs were involving but never preachy. They put you into somebody else’s shoes to remind you how important the safety messages and your responsibilities are.”  

Auckland based Alt Group, who have won over 31 international awards this year alone, were the other big winners at this year’s awards, walking away with an impressive 18 prizes, which included seven Gold Pins, six Silvers and five Bronzes. 

Scooping more awards than any other company at this year’s event, Alt Group scored metal for a range of projects, including for “Be – Thinking Outside The Chair” – a stunning 60 page book that chronicles the design thinking behind and process involved in the creation of Formway furnitures Be chair; and LATE, a stark neon light installation designed to publicise Auckland Museum’s popular evening event series, LATE at the Museum. 

Other high scoring graphic winners at this year’s Best Design Awards included Designworks, who picked up 15 awards including two Gold Pins for the Monteith’s brand book and masterbrand system; Christchurch based Strategy Design & Advertising, who were presented with 11 awards, which included a slew of Gold Pins for work for Cloudy Bay wines; Inhouse, who took home six awards and Insight, who won five awards. 

A total of 25 graphic design Gold Pins were presented on the night to companies including Apropo for their Post-It note “I Love Mum” mothers day installation; Liminal, for their fan shaped wedding invitation, and Inhouse, for the design of Pilot Magazine, Issue #4.   

All winners of this year’s awards can be viewed at www.bestawards.co.nz

Organised by the Designers Institute of New Zealand, the Best Design Awards were established in 1988 and have been held annually since 1996. 

A complete list of this year’s graphic design winners follows. 

 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 

Best Awards 2010 Graphic Design Image Descriptions 

Corporate Communication 

GOLD: Orca Merino Range Catalogue, Alt Group  

GOLD: Monteith’s Brand book, Designworks 

GOLD: Be Project – Thinking outside the chair, Alt Group 

Environmental Graphics 

GOLD: Post-it ‘I Love Mum’ installation, Apropos 

GOLD + PURPLE PIN: Site Safety installation – Pop-up displays, Studio Alexander 

Graphic Design Arts 

GOLD: Prime Minister’s Science Prizes, Scenario Communications 

GOLD: Wedding Invitation, Liminal 

GOLD: Auckland Museum – LATE neons, Alt Group 

Identity Development – Large Scale 

GOLD: Campus Living Villages Brand Identity, Strategy Design & Advertising 

GOLD: Monteith’s Masterbrand system, Designworks 

GOLD: Queensberry Identity, Alt Group 

Identity Development – Small Scale 

GOLD: Cloudy Bay 25 Year Anniversary Visibility Campaign, Strategy Design & Advertising 

GOLD: Design in Crisis, We Love Inc. 

GOLD: The Print Counsel, Alt Group 

GOLD: & Co, Inhouse 
 
 

Self Promotion 

GOLD: A Lean Year, Alt Group 

GOLD: Thinking Book, Strategy Design & Advertising 

Visual Communication 

GOLD: ‘For the Record’ TypeSHED 11 Programme, Studio Catherine Griffiths 

GOLD: AIRA Annual Conference 2009, Insight Creative 

Misc 

GOLD (Editorial & Books): Pilot Magazine, Inhouse 

Bronze (Small Scale Identity): .99 identity, .99 

Silver (Packaging): The Taste of Yellow Chocolate, Seven 

Silver (Packaging): Fresh’n Fruity, Dow Design

Bronze (Graphic Design Arts): 101 Things We’ve Learnt, Clemenger BBDO 

Bronze (Identity Development – Large Scale): Telecom masterbrand identity, Designworks 

Bronze (Small Scale Identity): Mr Vodka identity design, Special Group  

Silver (Large Scale Identity): Auckland Museum campaign identity, Alt Group 
 

 

Graphics

Interactive