From surreal ad campaigns to gorgeous editorial spreads to visually arresting self-promotions, this year’s PRINT Awards winners were astounding and eye-opening. We’re happy to share more about our first, second, and third-place honorees and student winners in Advertising, Branding Campaigns, Collaboration and Identities, Editorial, In-House, Photography, and Self-Promotions.
Advertising
First Place
Georgetown Optician – Adventures in A-Eye
Pum Lefebure – Design Army
USA
“Adventures in A-EYE” is a highly creative social campaign developed with AI technology for Georgetown Optician, a Washington DC-based optician with a long-standing family legacy. The campaign adopts a sci-fi theme, featuring a fictional planet populated by extra-terrestrial eyeball creatures, including the all-seeing “Eyelien” character. Created entirely with AI — from talent to settings — the real eyewear was added in postproduction, enhancing the surreal atmosphere. Launched in Spring 2023, the campaign showcases witty and imaginative content, introducing new characters, fantastical landscapes, and the latest eyewear trends throughout the year.
Second Place
BMW Motorrad – Storied: 100 years of BMW Motorcycling
Justin Page – The Simple Machine
USA
Storied: 100 Years of BMW Motorcycling is a 100-page collectible book celebrating BMW’s century-long legacy in the motorcycle industry. Produced by BMW Motorrad USA in collaboration with The Simple Machine, creators of Iron & Air Magazine, this commemorative piece highlights the personal stories of individuals who have been integral to BMW’s journey and how BMW motorcycles have influenced their lives. The book features stunning photography, historical insights, and compelling narratives, making it more than a collector’s item. It celebrates the deep human connection to motorcycles and serves as an inspiration for motorcycle enthusiasts, marking BMW’s significant milestone.
Additional credits:
Printer, Flash Reproductions
Student Honorees — Advertising
First Place — Literary Mixtape by NaRe Hong, School of Visual Arts
Second Place —Stuf by Oreo by Elyza Nachimson, School of Visual Arts
Third Place — Verizon by Hongjin Li, School of Visual Arts
Branding Campaigns
First Place
SXSW 2024: Global Reframing
Liugi Maldonado – Guerilla Suit
USA
Since 1987, SXSW has been a renowned event celebrating the intersection of interactive, film, and music industries, offering diverse sessions, showcases, screenings, and networking opportunities. Guerilla Suit has partnered with SXSW since 2021 to develop themes and refresh design systems. For 2024, they chose “Global Reframing,” reflecting our interconnected world post-pandemic. The challenge was to capture the spirit of global citizens driving change. Guerilla Suit provided art direction, campaign, social media, content, guidelines, graphic design, merchandise, motion graphics, signage, and wayfinding.
Additional credits:
Designer, Reece Ousey; Account Director, Hannah Young; Managing Partner, Julie Warenoff
Second Place
East Side Pies
Michael Tabie – Guerilla Suit
USA
East Side Pies, an Austin institution renowned for its cracker-crust, culinary-inspired pizzas made with fresh, locally sourced ingredients, sought Guerilla Suit to refresh its iconic brand as ESP opened its first dine-in restaurant. This collaboration, celebrating nearly 20 years of community-focused, quality-driven pizza making, deepened the brand’s identity with a refreshed All Seeing Pie logo and mystical taglines, embracing their status as a beloved hometown original.
Additional credits:
Account Director, Hannah Young; Project Manager, Adri Bosque; Photography, Stephane White
Third Place
Central Market Passport Portugal
Dana Nixon – *TraceElement
USA
Central Market, a high-end Texas grocery chain, revived its Passport Festival in 2023, spotlighting Portugal’s unique cuisine. The creative team captured Portugal’s essence through various promotional materials, including outdoor banners, point-of-purchase posters, department signs, and a radio spot, all inspired by the country’s iconic Azulejos tiles and landmarks. Social media videos, a detailed map, tote bags, and commemorative wine glasses enhanced the experience, transforming the grocery trip into a cultural journey. This immersive campaign invited shoppers to explore Portugal’s culinary heritage, showcasing Central Market’s commitment to celebrating global cuisines.
Additional credits:
Co-CEO & Chief Creative Officer, Jeff Barfoot; Associate Creative Director, Cristina Moore; Account Director, Anna Mertz; Account Manager, Kasey Cooley; Creative Director, Dana Nixon; Designer, Dana Nixon & Stephanie Williams; Illustrator, Stephanie Williams; Production, Dave Basden; Copywriting, Plot Twist Creativity; Animation, Cody Rubino
Branding Collaborations
First Place
2023 Nuit Blanche Taipei – Time to Rise Up
Department of Cultural Affairs, Taipei City Government; Left Brain
Taiwan
Nuit Blanche, originating in Paris, has thrived in Taipei for 7 years, integrating cultural elements like art and design into public spaces. With over 400,000 attendees annually, it’s one of Taipei’s largest cultural festivals. This year, held in Taipei’s Xinyi District, known as Taiwan’s iconic area akin to Times Square, Nuit Blanche focuses on themes of “Democracy” and “Liberty,” reflecting Taiwan’s global stature. It encourages participation from all backgrounds, using art to address contemporary issues and inspire change, under the theme “Time to Rise Up!” in Chinese, which also signifies liberty and inclusiveness of Taipei.
Additional credits:
Visual, Tsan-Yu Yin; Bureau Français de Taipei; Installation Art, Pon Ding; Performing Art, House Peace, Hsingho Co., Ltd. & HoooH; Street Art, Wild Open Arts; Film Curator, Fan Wu; Comedy, Live Comedy Club TAIPEI; Live Music, Arthur Chen; Néle Azevedo, Minimum Monument; Inside Out Project; Raptor Research Group of Taiwan
Second Place
2023 Romantic Route 3 – Falabidbog
Hakka Affairs Council; Hakka Public Communication Foundation; Left Brain
Taiwan
The Romantic Route 3 art festivals began in 2019 to revive Hakka culture, focusing on Taiwan’s second-largest ethnic group, the Hakka people. Working with Hakka Affairs Council, Hakka Public Communication Foundation and Left Brain curated an event outside traditional museum settings, collaborating with locals to showcase art, design, and culinary culture along Provincial Highway 3. They aimed to immerse audiences in Hakka life through sensory experiences, exploring alternate narratives and village spaces. The project introduced people-centric design to the region, addressing cultural issues and presenting a new perspective on Hakka village life. Through culinary experiences, they reinterpreted traditional Hakka cuisine, incorporating new narratives and products to communicate Hakka culture.
Additional credits:
Art project, mt.project; Design project, Harvest Ideation; Culinary Project, Grand Vision Co. Ltd.; Visual, BITO; Volunteer Program, Migratory Creation; Tour Planning, JWI Marketing Co., Ltd.; Digital marketing, MEShPlus
Third Place
Confronting Design
One Design Company
USA
In collaboration with the Graphic Design Club of Chicago, One Design crafted a brand identity for Confronting Design, a series of workshops, panel discussions, forums, and debates focused on pressing issues facing the field of design. The first sold-out event took place in April of 2023 and focused on Artificial Intelligence and its impact on design. The design system is a typographic manifestation of dialogue and the point-counterpoint dynamic of debate. An ever-evolving, dynamic design language, the system is built on a constantly shifting visual power dynamic between the words in the series’ title to communicate the energy – and potential volatility – of the topics at hand.
Additional credits: Kyle Meyer, David Sieren
Branding Identiy & Identity Systems
First Place
The National Museum in Krakow
Emilka Bojańczyk & Zuzanna Charkiewicz – Podpunkt Studio
Poland
The National Museum in Kraków (MNK), Poland’s largest museum, features 21 departments, 12 galleries, 2 libraries, and 12 conservation workshops, holding around 780,000 art objects. Its new identity weaves inspirations and artworks into a cohesive visual language, linking all branches under the MNK brand. The rebranding involved simplifying branch names and creating diverse symbols to reflect the Museum’s variety. The MNK logo, a geometric grid forming the Museum’s abbreviation, anchors the layout system. Dynamic serifs in the logo form decorative patterns, illustrating the rich tapestry of MNK’s collection.
Additional credits:
Concept and design, Podpunkt studio; Creative Director, Emilka Bojańczyk / Podpunkt; Concept, Emilka Bojańczyk, Zuza Charkiewicz / Podpunkt; Design, Emilka Bojańczyk, Zuza Charkiewicz / Podpunkt; llustrations, Zuza Charkiewicz / Podpunkt; Animations, Ewa Najnigier-Galińska, Zuza Charkiewicz / Podpunkt; Typeface, SungBleu Sanrise by Swiss Typefaces
Second Place
Portuguese Government New Visual Identity
Eduardo Aires – Studio Eduardo Aires
Portugal
The Portuguese Government’s visual identity had not been updated for over 12 years. Studio Eduardo Aires worked to introduce a new dynamic identity tailored for the digital age. This redesign integrates all necessary graphic elements for scalability across various media, with a focus on preserving national symbols while ensuring digital adaptability. The new logo, inspired by elements of the national flag, maintains the integrity and dignity of these symbols. Additionally, the project includes comprehensive guidelines for colors, layouts, and a custom font, “Portuguesa,” designed by Dino dos Santos to ensure consistency and security across all government communications.
Additional credits:
Tiago Campeã; Miguel Almeida; Raquel Piteira; Joana Teixeira; Anastasiia Potapenko; Photography, Diana Quintela, Óscar Almeida
Third Place
Guild
COLLINS
USA
Eighty percent of low-income working adults want to attend school but can’t afford it, prompting CEO Rachel Carlson to found Guild, a B Corp helping employers finance employees’ tuition. Guild saw a 220% increase in career mobility, a 210% improvement in employer retention, and 88% of participants were first-generation college students. Despite this, low-income employee participation was initially low due to the time and cost barriers to finding suitable educators. To address this, Guild expanded its services to recruit educators, build education programs, market them to employees, and support participants. Retiring its “tuition finance company” framing and “tuition-free education” story, COLLINS reconceptualized Guild as an “education market maker” with a clear purpose: to increase the socio-economic mobility of America’s low-wage workforce. The team signaled this change with a new mission, brand identity, voice, and creative expression.
Additional credits:
Photography, Eric Van Nyatten
Student Honorees — Branding Identities & Identity Systems
First Place — Museum of the Moving Image by Mina Son, School of Visual Arts
Second Place — POT.ION by Mina Son, School of Visual Arts
Third Place — Found Sound Music Festival by Don Park, School of Visual Arts
Editorial
First Place
The North Face – 50 Years of Parkas Zine
Justin Colt – The Collected Works
USA
The Collected Works collaborated with The North Face on their 50 Years of Parkas campaign, creating a design system highlighted by a limited-edition zine. The goal was to honor the parka not only as a technical marvel for extreme conditions but also as a cultural icon. Through interviews with notable figures like Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, Quannah Chasinghorse, and Danie Sierra, the team captured compelling narratives spanning mountaineering adventures, advocacy efforts, and urban culture. Pairing these stories with captivating photography, from mountain peaks to city streets, the zine utilized Futura Passata, Druk, and Windsor typefaces to create a visually engaging experience.
Additional credits:
David Clemente; Jose Fresneda; Christian Townsend; Mina Son; Vincent Drayne; Yasmin Mukino; Emily Connelly; Jesse Eschenroeder; Justin Raymond Park; Photography, Cole Pates, Joe Gall, Leonard Greco, Swanson Studio; Printer, Newspaper Club
Second Place
Hey Barista Magazine
Natalie Chloe and Shields Scheffe – Oatly
USA
Hey Barista, a print magazine supported by Oatly, delves into the vibrant world of the coffee community, exploring the passions and musings of its diverse members. The design of the second issue, inspired by workbooks, features intimate photography, hand-written title treatments, and playful notations in the margins, capturing the vibrancy of the community. Each story reflects the unique perspectives of its subjects, with a diverse range of photographic styles and commissioned global stories captured by local photographers. From exploring gentrification in Mexico City with black-and-white film photography to profiling a barista in a heavy metal band with punchy, gritty visuals, the magazine celebrates the contributors’ diverse lenses. Distributed in over 500 independent cafés globally, Hey Barista aims to connect coffee drinkers with the multifaceted coffee community while strengthening bonds among baristas and roasters worldwide over shared stories and interests.
Additional credits:
Editor-in-Chief, Haley Weiss; Photo Editor, Tess Mayer; Printer, Earth Enterprise
Third Place
HUE, the magazine of FIT, The Fashion Institute of Technology: Fall 2023 Issue
Alexander Isley – Alexander Isley, Inc.
USA
Design of HUE, the alumni publication of FIT, the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC. This special issue focused on packaging. For the cover, they designed an actual perforated and scored box that could be removed and assembled, incorporating the artwork of textile designer and FIT alum Masha Parfenov. For each issue, the team works with FIT alums to create the photography and illustrations.
Additional credits:
Photography, Joe Carrotta / Morgan Hagney, Walter Chin / What Inspires You?; Printer, GHP Media
Student Honorees — Editorial
First Place — Damaged Goods by Doyeon Kim, School of Visual Arts
Second Place — Experiments in Type Zine by Yerin Lee, School of Visual Arts
Third Place — Gestalt Tattoo by Jung Youn Kim
In-House
First Place
BYMAKBAS Seasonal Stationery
MAKBAS Design Team – MAKBAS Print Studio
Kuwait
MAKBAS Print Studio values print as more than packaging—it’s a process meant to be appreciated. Their “Ramadan Series” celebrates the spiritual season with a collection of greeting cards and envelopes crafted using high-quality papers and techniques. Designs include “Ramadan Sparkle,” featuring hot foil stamping, “Rays of Ramadhan” with blind embossing, and “Ramadhan Scene” showcasing modern architecture and neon screen printing. “Written in the Stars” envelopes depict a night scene with matte gold and silver foil, while “The Hijri Set” highlights the Islamic calendar’s beginning with embossed patterns and gold foil. “COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS” offers a gratitude journal, while “No Pressure” notebooks provide freedom during the calm season. “Over the moon” envelopes represent Eid celebrations with night sky and cityscape motifs. These designs aim to evoke the warmth and joy of the Ramadan season.
Second Place
Lunatix NFT Collection
Ben Morris – Sketch | Unilever
United Kingdom
Unilever’s design team took on the challenge of creating an NFT activation to educate marketers on engaging brand audiences with NFTs. They partnered with a tech company to develop a user-friendly experience for minting NFTs, resulting in unique digital assets. Using generative artwork, they ensured each NFT was one-of-a-kind, fostering a sense of ownership and community. The team introduced Lunatix, a collection of personalized components that, when combined, formed unique avatars. Components were ranked by rarity, encouraging participation and discussion. Embracing a space theme, they humanized avatars as astronauts with playful elements. Though not consumer-facing, Lunatix served as a valuable internal case study, showcasing the potential of blockchain and NFTs in marketing campaigns and upskilling marketing teams.
Additional credits:
Alice Shaw-Beckett
Third Place
Cannes 2023
Luisa Baeta – Axios
USA
Axios, a media/news company, hosts live journalism events, and their in-house branding team designs custom branding for these occasions. For their Cannes events, they aimed to evoke the atmosphere of the French Riviera city while also incorporating elements suitable for beach settings. The design features a custom wordmark inspired by the lettering styles found in Cannes, with playful numerals for 2023. They updated the modular system of geometric shapes from the previous year, incorporating Mediterranean tile designs and abstracted illustrations of Cannes details like beach umbrellas and waves. The color palette was refreshed to reflect a Cote D’Azur vibe, with additional Axios brand colors. The branding uses the Axios brand typeface for consistency, and a template was created for event advertising, allowing for quick updates in case of last-minute changes to topics. Instead of custom illustrations, they utilized duotone photo treatments to enable swift adjustments while maintaining visual appeal.
Additional credits:
Senior Brand Designer, Trina Craven; Brand Designer, Peter Fowler; Associate Brand Designer, Andrew Caress
Photography
First Place
HP OMEN – Choose Fun
Ethan Scott- Designory
USA
Designory was tasked with capturing lifestyle photography for the release of five new OMEN laptops and five new monitors, catering to the intense passion for gaming, especially among Gen Zs. They transformed everyday scenarios into gaming-inspired scenes, featuring surreal elements like meeting a mermaid on a train or riding cabbages as cowgirls. Practical set designs were custom-built to bring these ideas to life, with minimal CGI used for retouching. The result was 32 hero shots captured over a two-day shoot, showcasing the immersive power of the OMEN brand and attracting significant attention to the products on the OMEN homepage.
Additional credits:
Photography, Art Streiber
Student Honoree — Photography
First Place — The Dream by Emily Brown, University of Texas at Arlington
Self-Promotions
First Place
Origins
Jonny Black – The Office of Ordinary Things
D&K Printing
USA
As a family-owned and -operated print shop, D&K Printing wanted to create a piece that showcases the scope, quality, and ambition of our craft, while also educating their customers about sustainable printing basics. D&K gave the design team at The Office of Ordinary Things free rein to design a print promo that exemplifies this in both form and content.
Second Place
2024 ONE LOVE Calendar
John Kudos – KUDOS Design Collaboratory
USA
2024 has started with a visually arresting calendar design, showcasing a complete annual calendar on the reverse side. Printed in four vibrant fluorescent shades, the design not only captures attention but also exudes a delicate vibrancy, resonating with the complex energy of the times. The front side delivers a poignant message amidst ongoing world conflicts, spelling out ‘ONE LOVE’ in bold letterforms intricately crafted with intertwining lines. Purposefully creating moire effects at a distance, the design invites observers to explore the intriguing dance between chaos and delicacy upon closer inspection.
Additional credits:
Photography, Imam Fadillah; Printer, SeaGroup Graphics
Third Place
2023 Sappi Holiday Kit
VSA Partners for Sappi North America
USA
Sappi North America’s 2023 Holiday Kit, designed to express gratitude to customers, highlighted their commitment to sustainability and exceptional design in packaging. Inspired by the phrase “Good things come in ___ packages,” the VSA Partners design team created reusable and recyclable components, including a shipper box, to emphasize sustainability. The kit featured unique finishes, vibrant colors, and relatable language to showcase Sappi’s premium packaging and paper capabilities. The unboxing experience was crafted for memorable delight, featuring a shipper box, a holiday kit box, and three interior boxes, each containing surprises like pillow boxes, note cards, envelopes, and stickers, all secured with bellybands for an interactive experience.
Additional credits:
Associate Partner, Executive Creative Director, YanYan Zhang; Associate Creative Director, Elaine Palutsis; Senior Designer, Elisa Penello; Associate Creative Director, Cody Fenske; Writer, Sosan Bisola; Strategy, Jessica Sochol, Associate Partner; Print Production, Cynthia Felsburg; Director, Print Production, Jennifer Niccum; Director, Production Design, Samantha Stalling; Senior Proofreader, Maria Erdmann; Printer, Jeff Hernandez, Classic Color