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For example, an estate
in Sri Lanka has used its increased income to fund a new ambulance.
In India , Clipper fair trade premiums have helped co-fund
housing, schooling and healthcare.
Raymond Turner, chair
of the judges, comments, “In the rush for improved business
performance it is easy to forget just how far reaching the
management of our design investments can be. Clipper Teas
reminds us of our responsibilities, as well as underlines
the fact that design is a commercial imperative that business
cannot afford to ignore.”
Clipper Teas approached
designer Williams Murray Hamm four years ago, recognising
that it needed to overhaul its packaging. The agency decided
to position Clipper as ‘the thinking person's cuppa', creating
a discreet, sober design style inspired by journals such as
The National Geographic. Each of the various ranges was given
a theme, such as Adam's Peak Tea, which displayed nuggets
of fascinating information about the region where the tea
was grown.
Consumers and the trade
were captivated by the new design. It now sells nearly four
times the volume of tea it did before the re-design. Within
the trade, it is regarded as the benchmark against which other
brands are judged. Previously, it exported to Australia ,
now it has 23 export territories.
Clipper has even stopped
its press advertising because it believes design is a more
cost-effective route to build its brand. The judges were also
able to conclude that design had been the sole driver of business
performance, as the only other marketing activity – trade
and consumer PR – had remained at similar levels pre- and
post relaunch.
Mike Brehme, founder
of Clipper Teas, considers the new design to be ‘the single
most important activity we have undertaken in our 20 year
history.”
The DBA Design Effectiveness
Awards are unique. Projects are assessed on commercial performance,
rather than the aesthetics of the design itself. They are
judged by senior figures from all areas of industry. This
year, Raymond Turner, former Group Design Director, BAA chaired
the judging. Senior executives from Microsoft, Woolworth's,
Channel 4, Warner Bros, the Department of Work & Pensions
and other major companies were among the 17 judges.
The awards reflect
every major design discipline, such as packaging, retail,
website and product design.
For the first time,
UK Trade and Investment supported the awards. It presented
the International Export Award for the most effective piece
of work undertaken by a British business for an overseas client.
The award went to Wolff Olins for creating the Vivo mobile
phone identity, which has made it the largest brand in South
America with more than 22 million customers.
The full list of
winners is below. Click on the catagory title to view the
casestudy:
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