Andy Sexton, Partner & Executive Creative Director
, 2LK

Warren Hutchinson, Founder & Chief Experience Officer, 
ELSE

Stephanie Verschoor, Global Director & Head of Design, UX and Brand Experience, Reckitt Benckiser

Vicky Bullen, CEO, Coley Porter Bell

Having launched on a shoestring in 2009 (the founders sold their house and tasked B&B to create a family-focused dried fruit brand that made healthy, no-compromise snacking more accessible and desirable) BEAR rapidly became the fastest growing brand in healthy snacking, delivering over 30million portions of fruit in the UK in 2012.  

The BEAR brand resonated with kids so much that the brand team had to create a role within the business dedicated to responding to all the letters that children  were (and still are)  sending  to ‘BEAR’. Says B&B Studio’s founder Kerry Bolt, “It was 3000 letters a week within 2 years of launch.” 

BEAR is a very design led brand and B&B had to  consider  the brand world  early on  as part of their work on the brand identity. The initial brand idea  for  ‘BEAR’  was  based on the product being nothing but naked nature. Positioning the brand as a healthy snack that would connect with people on an emotional level,  rather  than  dried  fruit, was  key to the design strategy.

As a character, BEAR is a larger-than-life brand ambassador. Living in a cave, deep in the woods, he has a story that transports kids to another world and quickly captures their imagination. “It’s interesting that all this depth emanates from what is, in actuality, a flat, two-dimensional logo,” says Bolt, “and that’s the secret of the BEAR brand – a simplicity of approach that gives consumers the freedom to engage and interact.” 

The bravery of the identity commands respect from both consumers and competitors alike, and kids are allowed to imagine the complete world of BEAR rather than the more usual ‘cute and cuddly’ bears they might be used to.  

“The brand identity  was the springboard for the world in which BEAR lives, from the BEAR cave to the ‘BEAR code’,” reflects Bolt. The BEAR code (an on-pack barcode) became a vehicle for collecting packs and sending them off for free activity materials. “We considered every  touch-point  and interaction from the perspective of the BEAR brand,” Bolt says, “and this  definitely helped  maximise  the  engagement  with consumers, both the parents and kids”. 

In the early years following the creation of the BEAR brand, B&B worked with the client on  all of  the brand  assets. “We worked very much in partnership with the  Founders,  really  as  an extension of their team” says Bolt, with the design studio creating all the packaging and collectable-cards, as well as assets and copy for the brand world.  

The visual and verbal world did develop in the years following B&B Studio’s creation of the brand,  but  the  core creative essence remained the same. It also played a big role in the look and feel of the investor deck which was fully styled and designed to bring the world of BEAR to life – even to the point of being covered in fur.  “We know” says Bolt, ‘that this  investor deck, and its design, played a key role in BEAR being bought by Lotus Bakeries 6 years  after launch  for £70m!” 

BEAR grew very quickly, and the processes  that come with managing a growing  international brand came into play. There became a need, in part due to  the brand’s design-led nature, for an in-house design team to keep up with the volume of materials that needed to be created.  

B&B Studio continued to work closely on key projects with the in-house team. “These may have been NPD packaging projects, or one-off initiatives,” reflects Bolt, with the agency providing strategic brand guidance on a consultative basis.  An example of one of these one-off initiatives was the design for the teams’ new office space post BEARS’s sale, creating features such as a tree-house, meeting rooms and market place – all in keeping with the BEAR brand look and feel and tone of voice. 

An instant hit with consumers, in the years since launch, BEAR has inspired thousands of kids and a host of competitors. “As  B&B’s first client and new brand creation project, BEAR will always  remain  close to our hearts,” says Bolt. 

DBA Design Effectiveness Awards: Open for entries

Although the medical breakthrough has given hope and life to millions of diabetics around the world in the hundred years since, a diabetes diagnosis still remains life changing and fraught with risk.

Being able to manage diabetes and survive with it, can mean daily injections for many. Learning how to use an insulin treatment device, overcoming a fear of needles, managing the discomfort on a daily basis and ensuring the correct dosage are all hugely significant factors in the quality and outlook of life for diabetics.

That was the start point for an ambitious design brief instigated over a decade ago. A design that won the DBA Design Effectiveness Award Grand Prix in 2009 and which still continues to have a transformative impact around the world today.

The original brief was clear; to create a new, disposable pen injector for the delivery of insulin that would offer significant improvements over all other disposable insulin devices on the market in terms of comfort, safety and ease of use for patients.

Launched in 2007, the solution was SoloSTAR. Created by Sanofi Aventis and agency DCA Design International through an evidence-based engineering design process, the injector pen was capable of delivering a single insulin dose 30% higher than other competitor devices.

Significantly, SoloSTAR’s innovative design also enabled it to deliver the lowest injection force in its class (by a whopping 30%) providing a much smoother injection experience for patients. Being such a key factor in patient comfort, it’s not surprising that 7 out of 10 patients reported a preference for the injection force of the SoloSTAR device and in 2008 it accounted for 41% of all growth in the global injectable insulin market.

With its discrete and appealing form to negate stigma attached to public use, and a design that carefully considers risk and accessibility factors for diabetics, SoloSTAR has delivered important safety and usability advantages for patients – especially those with visual and physical impairments. Medical professionals also welcomed SoloSTAR and the reduction in time needed to teach patients how to use it. As one diabetes nurse noted “we can teach more patients and teach them more quickly. That is a huge advantage.”

As the prevalence of diabetes grows with 463 million adults living with diabetes in 2019 and set to rise to 700 million by 2045, the continued innovation of drug delivery systems is paramount to maintaining functional lives for millions across the globe.

When launched in 2007, Sanofi Aventis and DCA initially developed two variations of the SoloSTAR pen for two insulin types; Lantus (basal insulin, typically taken once a day) and Apidra (taken with meals, 3 or more times a day) and over a decade on, the SoloSTAR device continues to be sold in large volumes globally today.

Testament to the effectiveness of the collaboration and the design, is that there are now over ten variants in the SoloSTAR range, each using a similar mechanism to the original device, but optimised for purpose.

“When developing the Toujeo SoloSTAR and Toujeo Max SoloSTAR injectors which are used for concentrated insulin”, reflects DCA Design International’s Rob Veasey, “we adjusted the mechanism to provide an even lower injection force.”

Although other competitors have risen to the challenge with attempts to mimic the SoloSTAR mechanism, Sanofi’s SoloSTAR range continues to be an important product and Sanofi remains one of the world leaders of the market.

The continued effective collaboration between Sanofi and DCA has included the development of a highly competitive new pen injector for the Indian market, where there are rising cases of diabetes. The success of this device has subsequently led to the creation of a variant for other global markets, the AllStar Pro reusable pen injector which launched in 2017.

“Being able to demonstrate the effectiveness of our design work is the lifeblood of a consultancy like ours,” says Veasey, “what really matters is being able to give demonstrable examples of how our designs achieved commercial success for a client – that’s fundamentally important for our business.

Having winning case studies such as SoloSTAR helps us evidence the power of design and communicate its strategic value in a persuasive way. SoloSTAR remains a great example of successful design and the product continues to be a high selling drug delivery device across the world.”

DBA Design Effectiveness Awards: Open for entries

Black Country, New Road; For the first time (2021)

“What’s the ideal length for an album?

As artists continue to game Spotify by releasing super-deluxe extended versions, it’s reassuring to discover that the debut album by London based “Black Country, New Road” clocks in at a reassuring 40 minutes.

6 tracks, definitely no filler.

Widely described as avant-garde musically, the post-punk, angular guitar, jazz fusion is for anyone missing the happier times of Kid A period Radiohead or have similarly dreamed about a lounge jazz version of The Fall.

The fewer, but longer tracks, enables the music to build in depth and texture and the slight ramblings quickly develop into compelling narratives of anger and defiance.

Part of the British “sprechgesang” genre (lazy spoken word delivery), Pitchfork likens Isaac Woods’ lyrics to “chronicles of youthful arrogance and sexual dysfunction, like Nick Cave if he read Twitter instead of the Bible”.

So, what is the ideal length for an album?

Other debuts
Jam; In The City (11tk, 32:02)
Beatles; Please, Please Me (14tk, 32:16)
Rolling Stones; Rolling Stones (10tk, 33:24)
New Order; Movement (8tk, 35:20)
Sex Pistols; Never Mind the Bollocks (11tk, 38:44)”

Nigel Davies, PIN Creative

The Longest Johns ‎; Cures What Ails Ya (2020)

“The world is unpredictable at the best of times and the internet even more so. In a week when the 15-year-old digital platform BooHoo buys 200-year-old high-street retail brand Debenhams, nothing confirms this more than the success of the humble sea-shanty.

With much coverage in the Sunday supplements, Wellerman has been brought to popularity via the social time-sucking app TikTok and Bristol group The Longest Johns.

Its success doesn’t really surprise me.

Last year I was hooked on a different Wellerman. Paul Weller’s folk infused Ploughman; “I am a ploughman and I plough my earth.”

Before that I was bewitched by a Jake Thackray track featured on a Jarvis Cocker album; “Molly Metcalfe”; a simple tale about a shepherdess. “Old Molly Metcalfe counting sheep. Yan tan tether mether pip.”

It you were being cynical, then The Longest Johns are pitched somewhere between the country bumpkin comedy of The Wurzles whilst striving for the cultural kudos of The Pogues.

But it’s the honesty of the voices and the simplicity of the stories combining to create comforting authenticity. Even in a digital world we crave human touch and analogue sound.”

Nigel Davies, PIN Creative

Chilly Gonzales; A Very Chilly Christmas (2020) 

“Last week Spotify released 2020 Wrapped a review of users most streamed songs, artists and genres of the year.

Most listened to songs? Every track on MJ Cole presents Madrugada. Released at the start of lock-down, vinyl at the end of the summer. I probably listened to it every day in between.

1,496 artists, 403 which were new to me. (New Order predictably topped my list).

380 genres, 113 which were new. The top 5 was as expected; Soul, Adult Standards, New Wave and Rock, but the second most listened to genre that puzzled me.

Chamber psych.

I’d never heard of it, never consciously bought a chamber psych album or been asked for it when DJing.

So, what is it?

It turns out it’s an accurate description for what is my favourite type of music. Slightly melancholic, down beat, alternative rock.

Chilly Gonzales’ ‘A Very Chilly Christmas’ is definitely chamber psych. Piano based versions of favourite Christmas songs delivered in sparse arrangements.

Jarvis Cocker’s rendition of “In the Bleak Mid-Winter” will probably be at the top of my Spotify list next year, for now it’s the perfect song to wrap up 2020.”

Nigel Davies, PIN Creative

Gomez: Bring It On (1998) 

“I loved this album when it came out (and still do). The Britpop party was well and truly over.

Blur had gone grunge.
Oasis continued ‘unexploring’ with derivative muddy guitars.
Gomez brought the authenticity of Muddy Water to the masses.

1998 was a year for proper albums by proper musicians.

Massive Attack; Mezzanine
The Verve; Urban Hymns
Pulp; This is Hardcore

All nominated for that year’s Mercury Music prize. Gomez took the prize and the headlines with gravelly vocals and songs about going to Beck gigs in Manchester.

Last week Tom Grey (Gomez) was back in the news, along with Guy Garvey (Elbow), Ed O’Brien (Radiohead) appearing in front of the DCMS select committee inquiry into the economics of music streaming.

To cut a long story short; the economics work well for the major labels and the bigger artists but are woeful for everyone else.

“Home taping is killing music”. I believed that. But I made compilation tapes, recorded the charts, burned CDs to share. I subscribe to Spotify. But I buy new and old music every week.

If I listen to it more than 3 times, I generally buy it.
£20 doesn’t seem too much for a lifetime of pleasure.”

Nigel Davies, PIN Creative

The The; Infected (1986)

“Vaccines on the horizon. Power shifting in the US. A new Kylie disco album. All great reasons for having a more positive outlook.

I was introduced to ‘The The’ whilst at art college (previously I’d bought chart based, Radio1 playlist fodder, even The Smiths had been on Top Of The Pops). Released at the height of the Regan/Thatcher era, the album’s themes of division in society is ever prescient.

Religion, Politics, Death, Poverty. Sickness. Sadness. Confusion.

Best-known track Heartland took Matt Johnson 18 months to write; “I wanted to write a classic song which is basically representative of its time, a record that in 1999 people will put on and it will remind them exactly of this period of time.”

—–
Here comes another winter of long shadows and high hopes
Here comes another winter waitin’ for utopia
Waitin’ for hell to freeze over
—–

As relevant in 1986 and the end of the last century, as it is today.

Lyrically; bleak honesty.
Musically; uplifting positivity.

It’s one of my most listened to albums and fills me with confidence and hope every time I listen.
(If in doubt give it a try, if still in doubt try Kylie).”

Nigel Davies, PIN Creative

New Order; Power Corruption and Lies (1983) 

“When this album was released, it’s really unlikely that I knew anything about it. I was more obsessed with The Jam (Snap) and Frankie Goes To Hollywood (Relax) that year. I have since listened to PCL a lot!

Age of Consent sets the blueprint for every great New Order track in the first 30 seconds.
Hooky’s dominating basslines.
Stephen’s robotic drumming.
Gillian’s softly padded synths.
Bernard’s scratchy guitars and strained vocals.

The album is a sketchbook of ideas for future and past singles, rather than a traditional album of lead singles and album fillers. How very Factory.

Its release was preceded by Blue Monday, the genre-defining record that became the biggest selling 12-inch single of all time with an apocryphal story that they lost money on every copy sold because of the design (only on early pressings).

When the design is as iconic as the cover, the product is as timeless as the music, the influence can be infinite. The popularisation of the 12-inch single (White Lines came out 8 months later) and the impact on EDM shows that taking risks and being creative can make a lasting impact.

Power and influence defies.”

Nigel Davies, PIN Creative

Working Men’s Club; 2020

“This week I should have seen New Order at the O2 Arena, I’ve seen them many times, and I don’t really like the O2 (it’s just my closest live venue) so I was fine when it was postponed.

Listening to this self-titled debut album does make me miss live music.

Dull throbbing bass.
Squelchy looped synths.
Tinny hi-hats.
Cheesy house piano.
Echoey spoken vocals.

Released last week, I imagine the band would have had a successful summer at festivals, followed by sold-out gigs from fresher’s week onwards, to promote the album.

My fresher’s week followed the ‘second summer of love’. Daisy Age De-La-Soul, grubby Acid House clubs and a damp Reading Festival.

I started college wearing a brown cardigan, a New Order “Festival” tee-shirt and a floppy fringe.
“Do you like The Smiths?”, I was asked.
“Yes, I love them.”
“Then you’re going to f**king love The Stone Roses” came the reply.

Working Men’s Club aren’t The Stone Roses (although the final track is 12 minutes long with a pause before drums and guitar kick back in). They’re just a young band with some great tunes and would be brilliant to see live in a packed, tiny sweaty venue.

Definitely not the O2.”

Nigel Davies, PIN Creative

Sault; Untitled (Black is), 2020

“An album that I’ve not listened to, by a band I’d never heard of and that no one knows who they are (no photos, videos or live performances). Should you pay attention?

It’s all about validation.

I read a review in The Guardian, not of this album, but their quickly released follow up called Untitled (Rise), not out on vinyl yet. Five stars and a claim that both records were album of the year. Before describing “house disco post punk funk, smooth 80’s boogie with Nile Rodgers-ish guitar and Brazilian batucada percussion”.

My good friend Dom Bailey recommended them too. Describing Sault as “Ace”.

Finally, it was record of the week in my local store with the sticker “Buy it whilst you still can”.

Would you buy an album without listening to it first?
Have you read a book without paying for it (apart from being leant it)?
Would you watch a movie and only pay on the way out?
Should a client request work from an agency without paying?

Validate via evidence, testimonials and recommendations and you won’t go wrong.

Win without pitching.
Buy before listening.

If The Guardian, Dom and Casbah Records are wrong then I can always listen to the new Idles LP.”

Nigel Davies, PIN Creative

Dance Craze

“I was 10 years old when I went to my first Nite Klub and the experience might be a solution to save both cinema and live music.

In 1980 I went to see the film Dance Craze at the Sheffield Gaumont. It captures Madness, Specials, Selecter, Bodysnatchers, Beat and Bad Manners on a nationwide UK tour.

It’s not a road trip movie, no backstage banter and endless tour van journeys. Dance Craze is simply the best bands of the time performing their best songs to a live audience. It was 8 years before I went to my first gig.

Was it the urgency, energy and power of the uplifting beats, riffs and horns or the popcorn, fizzy drinks and sweets that sent us crazy? More likely it was the sight of Buster Bloodvessel leaping around, tongue out; a bootstrapped Mr Blobby.

We can’t go to big live gigs and many major movies have been delayed so maybe cinemas should show more live performances.

Dance Craze opens with The Specials track Nite Klub;
Is this the in place to be?
What am I doing here?

Just like watching Tenet recently, as a 10-year old I didn’t really understand Dance Craze completely.
But I loved it all and would be just as excited to watch gigs on the big screen too.”

Nigel Davies, PIN Creative

The Clash; London Calling

“In international calls, I introduce myself with the phrase “Hello, London Calling.” Not as a tribute to the hapless agents in ‘Allo ‘Allo, but out of respect to The Clash.

From the iconic cover copied from Elvis’ debut to a version of Vince Taylor’s Brand New Cadillac, The Clash were more than confident about the musical legacy they were creating.

A punk’rock’n’roll reggae ska dub journey; this music has had a lasting impression on me. Whilst their evolution of punk was a little too sophisticated for me at the time.

When I DJ, I still do a night themed as Skank (inspired by one of the regular college discos). An infusion of Ska and Punk.

Cartoon punk of The Sex Pistols
Haunting urban reality of The Specials
Tool cool for school of The Jam
Comedy show entertainment of Madness
Pop sheen of Blondie

Why do I carry all those singles, when this ultimate party album is all I need? Keep adding in the best Ska, Reggae and Punk tunes (The Maytals, The Beat, Max Romeo, Elvis Costello, The Damned, The Selecter, Desmond Dekker) and you have it all.

But it’s not cultural appropriation, it’s musical multiculturism at its finest.

“This is London Calling.””

Nigel Davies, PIN Creative

Kraftwerk; Autobahn, 1974.

“I can remember the exact day of the week, the exact place and the exact car I was in when I first heard Kraftwerk’s Autobahn. It was a Wednesday in Whiston Village and I was sat in a brown Hillman Imp. I was 5 years old.

I know this because Mum always had her hair set on that day at the same place. I waited in the car listening to the radio and one week they played the full 22 minute version of the track.

I was mesmerized by the sounds. Bleeps. Wooshes. Clicks. Beats.
‘Wir fahr’n fahr’n fahr’n auf der Autobahn’

I was a million miles away from the speed and futuristic glamour. The Hillman never went on a motorway.

Music has evolved rapidly; 20’s show music and crooners, 30’s blues and folk, 40’s jazz and big band, 50’s rock’n’roll, 60’s pop’n’soul, 70’s disco and electronica. Then what?

Punk; rock without learning to play guitar
Grunge; rock without tuning the guitar
Hip-hop; cut and paste the past with attitude
EDM; Kraftwerk with newer laptops
Busker stadium rock; even Coldplay had to sample Kraftwerk to gain kudos

Listening to the radio, drinking a bottle of pop, waiting for Mum in 1974 was the day music stopped evolving and I started exploring”.

Nigel Davies, PIN Creative

Whiplash; Soundtrack, 2014.

“Just like Noel Fielding in The Mighty Boosh I used to ‘Fear Jazz, fear the lack of rules, lack of boundaries’ and preferred the ‘Gloomy racket and electro-nonsense’ of The Human League.

Eventually, I discovered Jazz. Not Starbucks Jazz, but the sort of Jazz that has made it the ‘Most important art form in the 20th Century’.

In Whiplash, an ambitious drummer (Miles Teller) under the guidance of ruthless instructor (JK Simmons) is drilled to become a world-class player. “Full Metal Racket”.

The accompanying score by Justin Hurwitz captures the best tunes from the film; drum solos, swing jazz, big band jazz, jazzy jazz. (The extended version captures all the bad tunes which are just as good).

“No two words are more harmful in the English language than ‘Good Job’”, informs JK as the film depicts the hard work it takes to be “The Greatest”. It’s impressive that the lead actor plays the drums throughout. When told, “Wipe that blood off my drum kit”. It was his own blood.

But you don’t have to shed blood to be the greatest.

Just play your greatest hits; hard, fast and loud enough so people can hear you.

Enjoy your ‘Jazz trance’.”

Nigel Davies, PIN Creative

White Stripes; De Stijl, 2000.

“Recently I was asked if I’d ever bought a record for the cover. The answer was a confident “No”. But if I was going to, then maybe The White Stripes’ second album De Stijl would be the one.

Jack White is a musician with a strong vision and an obsession with the number 3.

3 instruments; Meg’s pounding drums, Jack’s angular guitar, raw vocals.
3 colours; always black, white and red.
Third Man Records; his record label has a clear purpose “Your Turntable’s Not Dead.”

If mega-hit Seven Nation Army is a football terrace anthem then De Stijl is the passion and rawness of a Sunday league match. Crunching guitar tackles. Pulverising drum kicks.

The music still sounds great; lo-fi garage rock with a stripped back simplicity that echoes Jack’s vision. There’s also fragility and softness amongst the harder edges. Jack definitely has the blues and it’s the blues that keeps me coming back.

I recently discovered Muddy Water’s 1968 album Electric Mud aimed at attracting a rock audience. Critics hated it. The re-issue was pressed by Third Man Records and it’s brilliant. Jack clearly heard it a long time before I did.

Listen to them both. Maybe at the same time. Loud.”

Nigel Davies, PIN Creative

Paul Weller, On Sunset, 2020.

“The Jam makes me wish I had an elder brother. I was 7 when In the City came out but I remember seeing Funeral Pyre on Top Of The Pops. I was transfixed. They split up the next year. Gutted.

Paul Weller’s new album has a seemingly reflective narrative with music that might confuse casual fans.

Jazz funk-fusion wig-outs?
Music-hall period Bowie?
Nursery space folk?
It doesn’t matter. He’s Paul Weller.

There’s a bonus track on the Deluxe version; Ploughman. It sounds like The Wurzles covering Iggy Pop’s Passenger, speeded up. And I love it.

The lyrics confirm everything we need to know about his life.

Ploughman; Paul Weller (2020)
I am a ploughman and I plough my earth
I get my pay from the earth I serve
A little corn and a glass of wine
I want no more ’cause this life is fine

Is it really that different from the youthful rage of Going Underground??

Going Underground; The Jam (1979)
Some people might say my life is in a rut
But I’m quite happy with what I got
People might say that I should strive for more
But I’m so happy I can’t see the point

He’s never stuck in a rut. He’s happy with what he’s got. He’s not being reflective. He’s Paul Weller.”

Nigel Davies, PIN Creative

Grimes; Miss Anthropocene, 2020.

“I loved Grimes’s early album Visions (2011) which was full of DIY bedroom electronica.

Two albums later, Grimes is in a relationship with Elon Musk and recently they had their first child, called by the slightly baffling name;

X Æ A-12

Whilst this should be irrelevant, it is difficult to separate her newfound celebrity status and child naming convention from the music.

Pitchfork described the album in three words; “negative, aggressive, and isolating.” Before expanding on the album’s themes; “convoluted narrative about personifying climate change through a fictional cosmology of demons and villainesses giddily celebrating global warming as a force of good.”

But I like it.

There may be a dystopian future where we all salute a ruler of the Universe (one of Musk and Grimes’ offspring) but I’d quite like this as the soundtrack.

There’s the driving electronica that got me first hooked on Ladytron.
A splash of the mysterious warbling from mid-period Bjork.
And a hint of the Hollywood glamour and storytelling more recently found in Lana Del Rey albums.

The translucent fluro pink vinyl is pretty cool too.”

Nigel Davies, PIN Creative

Join fellow agency leaders and the DBA team, fortnightly on Wednesdays at 9.30am

DBA member catch-ups are a friendly forum, exclusively for owners and MDs. Whilst providing one another with practical tips and advice that help shape how we move forward in our discussions with colleagues and clients, these discussions play a vital role in informing how the DBA feeds back to government around the needs of the industry. 

Our sessions are held on Zoom and email invites are sent directly to agency leaders ahead of each catch up. Get in touch at enquiries@dba.org.uk with any questions.

Entered jointly by client and designer, winning projects are rigorously assessed in three rounds of judging by business leaders. Crucially, the DBA Design Effectiveness Awards are evidence-based, the impact of design measured and verified.

Enter the DBA Design Effectiveness Awards and have your work recognised and rewarded by our renowned judging panel.

Judges confirmed to date include: Paul Fraser, Managing Director, 3V Natural Foods; Jeremy Lindley, Global Design Director, Diageo; Sigrid Brewka-Steeves, Head of Retail Design, PUMA; David Knibbs, Director, The Tofoo Company; Julie Dixon, Head of Information, Design & Partnerships, Transport for London (TfL); Phil Gowland, Marketing Director, Whitworths.

The judging panel will again be Chaired by Clive Grinyer. For more than three decades Clive has led innovation teams developing human-centred solutions for the modern world, including at Barclays Bank, Cisco, Orange and Samsung. Clive is Head of Service Design at the Royal College of Art. 

The awards are open to all, across sectors and disciplines worldwide. You can read a note on Covid-19 as an influencing factor on your entry here. 

Key dates for your diary

July – November 2020: Book your consultation calls with a member of the DBA team. Find out more. 

23 October 2020: Earlybird discount deadline: You can save £100 on your total entry fee if you pay by 5pm GMT, 23 October 2020. Your entry does not have to be completed by this date.

27 November 2020: Entry deadline: Submit your entry online at: effectivedesign.awardsplatform.com by 5pm GMT, 27 November 2020. This deadline will not be extended.

March 2021: Shortlist announced.

June 2021: DBA Design Effectiveness Awards ceremony.

The DBA Design Effectiveness Awards celebrate and prove how powerful partnerships between clients and designers can be and we jointly award both parties. We welcome entries from any country; you do not need to be a DBA member to enter, but members benefit from a discounted entry fee. Additional member benefits and details about how to join the DBA can be viewed here.