CANNES, France—Norwegian agency Anti Design won the coveted Design Grand Prix here tonight for a fascinating branding identity campaign for a music and arts festival, the centerpiece being a logo that was both visual and, in a way, musical.
"Looking to bridge musical and visual language, we started with what they both had in common: being constructed from a single fundamental element—a note and a pixel," the agency explains in its case study for the Bergen International Festival campaign.
The shop created a simple, iconic F logo from three lines. "Like a chord constructed of various notes, we were able to establish a mathematical system—a system that allows the logo to grow, subdivide and rhythmically repeat like musical units, creating a beat or tempo. By visualizing music through these modular systems, we were able to create an identity that is strong and flexible with endless possibilities, yet never loses brand recognition. A logo that is both a traditional logo, and a living identity."
See more in the case study here:
Interbrand in New York and TBWA\Media Arts Lab in Los Angeles led the way among U.S. agencies, both winning gold Lions.
Interbrand won for its entry into the Mandela95 Poster Project, which invited artists from all over the world to honor Nelson Mandela's 95th birthday, and his life, through the design of a commemorative poster. The size of the poster, A2, was the project's only creative parameter—but Interbrand's poster unfold into an 8-by-7-foot rectangle when placed on the ground, which was almost the exact size of Mandela's cell at Robben Island, where he spent 27 years in prison. The poster read, "He illuminated the world from an 8-foot cell," in black sans serif font on a yellow background. The contrast of black to yellow was designed to transport viewers into Mandela's darkness during those 27 years, illuminated only by his enduring optimism and spirit.
TBWA\MAL won for its intricately designed "Intention" film for Apple, which paired simple phrases with elegant visuals to describe the thoughts and emotions that go into the creation of Apple products.
See the full list of U.S. Design winners here:
• Interbrand New York - Mandela Poster Project's Paper Prison - Gold Lion
• TBWA\Media Arts Lab Los Angeles - Apple's Intention - Gold Lion
• Ogilvy & Mather New York - IBM's Datagrams - Silver Lion
• Ogilvy & Mather Chicago - Steppenwolf Theatre's The Qualms, The Wheel, Tribes and Way Way West - Bronze Lion Campaign
• The Martin Agency Richmond, Va. - Oreo's Anthem - Bronze Lion
• Grupo Gallegos Huntington Beach, Calif. - Alzheimer's Association's Husband - Bronze Lion
• Projector New York - Uniqlo Hairdo - Bronze Lion
• Mullen Boston - National Geographic Channel's Killing Kennedy - Bronze Lion
• DDB New York - WaterIsLife's Drinkable Book - Bronze Lion