Transform Awards MENA to celebrate best in brand, enter now
In May 2018, the coveted ‘Grand prix’ award for excellence in rebranding and brand development went to property developer Meraas for its work with Wolff Olins. Not only was the branding visually exciting and unique in the sector, but its implementation made sense in context throughout the UAE. Similarly, an updated visual identity for Abu Dhabi Ship Building, by James Branding, took home the ‘Best overall visual identity’ prize for its ability to move not just the company, but the whole sector forward in terms of branding communications.
It is those projects that are able to challenge their sectors, to establish new norms, to change the way people interact with and perceive brands that are named winners at the Transform Awards Middle East and North Africa. The 2019 programme will set the benchmark for brand strategy and design work from the MENA region. Entries are now being accepted for the 2019 Transform Awards.
“It is always a pleasure to read about the successful brand stories that keep the industry moving forward and improve on the impact a successful brand can have on a business. I look forward to celebrating the best in branding in the Middle East and North Africa again in 2019,” says Brittany Golob, publishing editor of Transform magazine.
Entries are welcome in a number of categories including, ‘Best creative strategy,’ ‘Best localisation of an international brand,’ ‘Best place or nation brand’ and best visual identity in a variety of sectors. The entry process is straightforward. Every entry will be judged by an expert panel of in-house judges, along with the ‘Grand prix’ winning agency from 2018. Winners will be celebrated at the sixth annual Transform Awards MENA in May 2019.
Entries are accepted until 10 January 2019. Those received by 22 November 2018 will receive $100 off their entry fee and their fifth entry free. To find out more, click here or email Jessica Dunmall.
The list of categories is as follows:
CONTENT
BEST USE OF A VISUAL PROPERTY; PHOTOGRAPHY/ ILLUSTRATION/DIGITAL
This award is for the best use of imagery: graphic, still, video or digital, during a rebrand or brand development project.
BEST BRAND ARCHITECTURE SOLUTION
This category rewards the most efficient corporate organisational strategies developed for a brand.
BEST USE OF COPY STYLE/TONE OF VOICE
This award is for the brand that best uses a verbal style to reflect its overall identity and to differentiate the brand from its competitors.
BEST BRAND EXPERIENCE
This award recognises excellence in the experiential aspects of a brand or rebrand. Developments to a physical space, online portal or other location that enhance the user’s experience of a brand will be accepted.
BEST USE OF PACKAGING
This award recognises the company that most effectively communicates a brand’s positioning, values and visual identity via product packaging.
BEST WAYFINDING OR SIGNAGE
This award honours branded signage and wayfinding systems that have been strategically developed to be effective and reflective of the brand’s values and overall visual identity.
BEST USE OF AUDIO BRANDING
This award recognises companies that have employed an innovative use of sound in the development of their brand.
BEST USE OF TYPOGRAPHY
This award reflects the role that typography has played in a brand's journey. This could be where the typography is an actual component of a wordmark or where typography is used within the visual identity. Alternatively, this award could be given when visual identity and typography have been strategically aligned through an organisation’s brand guidelines.
BEST PLACE OR NATION BRAND
This award recognises the brand journey made by a nation or a place. Entries could be from national, regional, city or district level.
PROCESS
BEST EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDER RELATIONS DURING A BRAND DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
This award is for the best communication with external stakeholders throughout the process of a rebrand or during a brand development project. Companies should recognise that progress requires measured communication with all external stakeholders.
BEST INTERNAL COMMUNICATION DURING A BRAND DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
This award recognises the importance of effective communication with the internal audience during a brand transformation. Employees should be engaged and informed about changes in a company’s positioning or brand strategy, ensuring the changes takes place evenly throughout the organisation.
BEST IMPLEMENTATION OF BRAND DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
This award is for the best execution of developments to or rebrand of an organisation. The coordinated rollout of a change helps to ensure a new identity has maximum impact on audiences
BEST IMPLEMENTATION OF A BRAND DEVELOPMENT PROJECT ACROSS MULTIPLE MARKETS
This award is for brand development campaigns or rebrands that have been rolled out across multiple national markets to ensure that brand identity works across different languages and cultures.
BEST LOCALISATION OF AN INTERNATIONAL BRAND
This award benchmarks the effort of an organisation at bringing a global brand to the MENA region, making it relevant to the local markets.
STRATEGY
BEST CREATIVE STRATEGY
This award is for the best creative, thought-out, aligned strategy behind the repositioning of a brand.
BEST BRAND EVOLUTION
This award is for the brand that best moves its identity into the future while maintaining links with the past and evolving in a clear and creative way.
BEST STRATEGIC/CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW BRAND
This award is for the company that has adopted a strategic or creative approach when developing its new brand in order to differentiate the company, reposition the business or otherwise change the perception of the brand.
BEST DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW BRAND WITHIN AN EXISTING BRAND PORTFOLIO
This category rewards companies that develop a new brand within their portfolio of brands. As well as acknowledging the strategy and development of the new brand the judges will also look to see what the development adds to the existing corporate or master brand.
BEST NAMING STRATEGY
This award honours innovation in naming. It is for the most appropriate new name for a new brand, rebrand or brand extension or where an organisation can demonstrate a clear and well thought through naming strategy.
TYPE
BEST CORPORATE REBRAND FOLLOWING A MERGER OR ACQUISITION
This award is for the best rebrand of an organisation following a merger with another company or the incorporation of another company into the original brand.
BEST BRAND DEVELOPMENT PROJECT TO REFLECT CHANGED MISSION/VALUES/POSITIONING
This award is for the best repositioning of an organisation to reflect a new approach to its business.
BEST BRAND CONSOLIDATION
This award is for the most effective alignment of individually branded elements and sub-brands of an organisation.
BEST REBRAND OF A DIGITAL PROPERTY
This award is for the best rebrand across the digital and online assets of an organisation, including its websites and apps.
SECTOR
BEST VISUAL IDENTITY FROM:
This award is for the best identity developed and used by a brand, including all visual aspects of a rebrand from logo to typeface in the brand’s sector.
- a charity/NGO/not-for-profit
- education
- energy and utilities
- engineering and manufacturing
- farming and agriculture
- financial services
- FMCG (fast moving consumer goods)
- food and beverage
- healthcare and pharmaceuticals
- industrial and basic materials
- mining and extractives
- professional services
- property, construction and facilities management
- public sector
- retail
- technology, media and telecommunications
- transport and logistics
- travel, leisure and tourism
BEST OVERALL VISUAL IDENTITY
This award is for the best overall identity developed and used by a brand, including all visual aspects of a rebrand from logo to the typeface. You cannot enter this directly, all visual identity entries across different sectors will be automatically put forward for this award.
GRAND PRIX FOR EXCELLENCE IN REBRANDING
This award is for overall excellence in rebranding. You cannot enter this directly, all entries will be automatically put forward for this award.
