Roses Design Awards

By The Drum, Administrator

October 29, 2003 | 11 min read

It was like a rally car winning a Formula One race. Karol Marketing, the Newcastle-based PR specialist, won this year’s Roses Design Grand Prix with its consummately crafted book for Nigel Cabourn Ltd. Which just goes to show that, if you’ve got the best drivers behind the wheel, it simply doesn’t matter how you position your business vehicle. In this case the client just let them put their foot down and the agency enjoyed the ride.

On the evening, nobody seemed more surprised with the victory than Karol’s team manager, Stefan Lepowski, who, along with chief account mechanic Martin Smith, literally danced in jubilation up to the stage, where they embraced each other with the same passion they so obviously employed for their client. It was a memorable end to an event that had yielded more entries than any previous year, showcasing the very best in design and architecture outside fortress London.

If “The Ascent of Cabourn” was deemed to be the pinnacle of the year’s achievements, the panel of judges wasn’t slow to point out that there were plenty of other lofty peaks waiting to be marvelled at. True North’s work for Alf Maurer stood out at position K2 to Karol Marketing’s Everest. The team’s engaging, witty and beautifully conceived piece demonstrated the simplicity and power of “the idea” perhaps more so than any other entrant to the awards – and hence justifiably collected the coveted Design Chairman’s gong. Adding that to the firm’s haul in the promotional literature category, with an award and a commendation, not to mention its commendation in the CD ROM ranks for the Imperial War Museum work, and True North’s compass pointed to a hugely successful night. It seemed to lead them successfully to the bar at any rate.

There was plenty more room on the big award juggernaut with Messrs Karol and True North, and Love, Brahm Design and Elmwood seemed to be amongst those that found it easiest to hitch a lift. Love always seems to score at creative events and this year made the judges go typically weak at the knees with good-looking work for a range of smitten clients. Of the awards they won, their Youth Trust Justice annual report and Aprons of Distraction more than satisfied the judges, whilst work for clients such as NESTA and Channel 4 was acclaimed with commendations. Graham Norton’s Pearl Necklace unsurprisingly stood out in the direct mail category, with several judges wishing they’d managed to get one round their necks.

Creativity usually bursts into bloom with great success in Elmwood’s fertile furrows and 2003 proved to be a typically munificent year for head gardener Jonathan Sands. Sands’ green-fingered bunch tended numerous projects with great care and as a result harvested three awards and one commendation. Envirotech’s Serious** was perhaps the pick of the bunch, combining a clarity of strategy, vision and irresistible fun to the murky, unseen and entirely resistible world of waste management. The judges agreed that a potentially shitty brief definitely deserved to come out smelling of Roses.

Fellow Leeds lads and lasses Brahm Design were awarded twice for demonstrating creativity that showcased two very different, but equally appealing, types of beauty. The team’s work for Republic ensured that consumers who spotted it would reveal their natural charms to the public, whilst the Yorkshire Dales project aimed to help impose brand guidelines on other unique areas of natural charm appreciated by the masses. Both raised awareness of their subject matter admirably. Brahm Design was also commended for its St George’s Crypt piece in the Best Use of Photography category.

Smiling Wolf, Burn and Graven Images were the other main subjects that the design gods smiled down upon, as their individual offerings each collected one of the main category awards. Burn was quick on the draw to hit bull’s eye in the Best Use of Illustration stakes, whilst Liverpool’s ever-impressive Smiling Wolf successfully stalked top prize in the world of websites. Graven Images made a typically iconic impression on the Exhibition category, taking the award for its innovatively mobile Re:motion work for The Lighthouse.

With fashionistas strutting their stuff in the spotlight and the world of architecture taking a well deserved bow too (for an in-depth analysis of the results, consult building bible Prospect NW), the event marked a truly comprehensive round-up of the best work produced outside London, by some of the best artisans of form and function based anywhere. After the raised eyebrows of this year, expect raised standards in 2004, as the design teams look to accelerate back past 2003’s jubilant PR specialist and re-take top place on the podium. It promises to be quite a race, so buckle up and get your foot down to next year’s event.

Design Grand Prix

Company: Karol Marketing Ltd.

Client: Nigel Cabourn Ltd.

Title: The Ascent of Cabourn

AWARD

Design Chairman’s Award

Company: TRUE NORTH

Client: Alf Maurer

AWARD

Architecture Grand Prix

Sponsored by LMDI

Company: CJ O\'Neill

AWARD

Best Business Development Initiative

Sponsored by LMDI

Company: JAB Design

AWARD

Corporate Identity

Sponsored by LMDI

Company: Elmwood

Client: Envirotech

Title: Serious **

AWARD

Company: The Chase

Client: 3CV

Title: Leaf Street

COMMENDATION

Company: The Chase

Client: Art Lounge

COMMENDATION

Company: Elmwood

Client: G.N.E.R.

Title: Go Eat

COMMENDATION

Corporate Literature

Sponsored by LMDI

Company: Karol Marketing Ltd.

Client: Nigel Cabourn Ltd.

Title: The Ascent of Cabourn

AWARD

Company: Brahm Design

Client: The Yorkshire Dales

Title: A Guide to the Brand

AWARD

Company: LOVE

Client: Youth Justice Trust

Title: Leaving Guide

COMMENDATION

Promotional Literature

Company: TRUE NORTH

Client: Alf Maurer

AWARD

Company: Elmwood

Client: Curtis Fine Papers

Title: Curtis Eco Book

AWARD

Company: TRUE NORTH

Client: Amanda Cahill

Title: A&E

COMMENDATION

Stationery

Company: Elmwood

Client: Hot Tin Roof PR

AWARD

Company: Northbank

Client: Northbank

COMMENDATION

Annual Report

Sponsored by LMDI

Company: Burnt Toast

Title: Split It

COMMENDATION

Company: Electricwig

Client: Sotheby’s

Title: Embroidered Tables

COMMENDATION

Company: Studio 24

Client: Lowe Interiors

Title: Frame

COMMENDATION

Office Interior

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Roses Design Awards

By The Drum, Administrator

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