Computer Arts - UK (2019-11)

COMPUTERARTS.CREATIVEBLOQ.COM

From top: Jessica

Clark, Miles

Marshall and

Jessie Froggett

from Turner

Duckworth,

which won five

BIA awards;

the event was

held at London’s

Ham Yard Hotel

in the heart of

Soho; Texture’s

Louise Kyme

holding the

studio’s Highly

Commended

award, with

representatives

from the charity

Parkinson’s UK.

Nick Carson is the chair of

judges for the Brand Impact

Awards, ex-editor of Computer

Arts, and content strategist and

copywriter in the design sector.

What’s unique about the BIAs?

As they’re dedicated to branding, the

BIAs are narrow and deep in focus:

work is judged in the context of its

market sector, to exacting standards.

Did you notice any trends in the

winning work this year?

Aesthetically speaking, the trend for

bold, flat colour and pared-back graphic

simplicity shows little sign of abating,

and there are plenty of examples of

quirky, characterful illustration adding

warmth and personality to a brief, too.

What’s changed since 2013?

By keeping standards high, the BIAs

quickly developed a strong reputation

within the industry, attracting genuinely

world-class submissions every year. The

fact that the best entry in a category

doesn’t necessarily take home a trophy

• even in a shortlist of one – can be
  contentious, but it ensures a consistent
  benchmark of quality and gives the
  awards greater integrity. Because of this,
  in just six years the BIAs has become
  an essential fixture for any agency that
  works in branding.

Being a judge, did you have any

favourite entries?

It’s impossible not to mention

Superunion’s stunning BBC Two

rebrand, which set a BIA record with

four trophies – including Best of Show

and the Collaboration Award. But the

more surprising, quirky projects that

turn sector conventions on their head

stand out for me each year. NB Studio’s

work for ANNA, Texture’s work for

Trademark.com, or Onwards’s work for

Manual in the traditionally dry sectors

of Finance, Professional Services and

Pharmaceuticals all raised a smile in the

judging room, and demonstrate how the

market-sector-specific judging at the BIAs

helps the best work rise to the surface.

WHY THE

BRAND

IMPACT

AWARDS

MATTER

NOVEMBER 2019 EVENTS