Transform Awards North America celebrates great branding and strategy

The 'Grand prix' and 'Best overall visual identity' were won by the same project for the first time this year, with non-profit Urban Justice Center and Superunion scooping the top accolades.

This year saw a 70% increase in entries and superlative work was submitted across all sectors, from FMCG branding and packaging to education and leisure. 

Every year the Transform Awards North America set the benchmark for the best in rebranding and brand development. This year, the standard of entries was exceptionally high. Each winner demonstrated the imagination and creative power to stand out from the crowd in rebranding and brand development.

Urban Justice Center and Superunion won both premium awards for a new identity inspired by protest posters, driven by the grassroots methodology of the Urban Justice Center and employing bold typography to reposition UJC as a guiding force for social justice. The partnership enabled Urban Justice Center and Superunion to take home seven prizes, including gold awards in ’Best use of a visual property,’ ‘Best use of typography,’ ‘Best creative strategy’ and ‘Best visual identity by a charity, NGO or not-for-profit.’

Brittany Golob, editor in chief of Transform magazine, said, “This year, the judges selected and highlighted the best brand development projects from a pool of especially noteworthy works. To all of the winners of the 2019 Transform Awards North America, congratulations on your well-deserved awards.”

The 2020 Transform Awards Middle East and Africa is still open for entries. Enter here.

Transform Awards North America 2019 winners:

CONTENT

Best use of a visual property

Gold - Urban Justice Center and Superunion

Silver - Harneys and Living Group

Bronze - Hain Celestial and CBX

Highly commended - 826 NYC and CBX

Highly commended - Historic Hudson Valley and C&G Partners

Best brand architecture solution

Gold - Baker Tilly and Brandpie

Silver - AST and Starfish

Best use of copy style or tone of voice

Gold - Planned Parenthood and Work & Co

Silver - Urban Justice Center and Superunion

Bronze - Pernod Ricard and Bladonmore

Highly commended - KLA and Salt Branding

Best brand experience

Gold - Ample Hills Creamery and C&G Partners

Silver - Baked by Melissa and CBX

Silver - CVS Health and Siegel+Gale

Bronze - Dell with FITCH and 3D Exhibits

Highly commended - Pernod Ricard and Bladonmore

Best use of packaging

Gold - Keurig Dr. Pepper and CBX

Gold - Seedlip and Pearlfisher

Silver - Æcorn Aperitifs and Pearlfisher

Bronze - Straus Family Creamery™ and Thompson Design Group

Best use of audio branding

Gold - Syniti (formerly BackOffice Associates) and Studio Everywhere

Silver - Oosa and Prophet

Best use of typography

Gold - Urban Justice Center and Superunion

Silver - Avanos and MerchantCantos

PROCESS

Best internal communications during a brand development project

Gold - KLA and Salt Branding

Silver - Baker Tilly and Brandpie

Best implementation of a brand development project

Gold - LCMC Health and Monigle

Silver - Russell Investments and Living Group

Bronze - KLA and Salt Branding

Best implementation of a brand development project across multiple markets

Gold - Russell Investments and Living Group

STRATEGY

Best creative strategy

Gold - Urban Justice Center and Superunion

Silver - Storyful and Thackway McCord

Bronze - Harneys and Living Group

Bronze - KLA and Salt Branding

Best brand evolution

Gold - Duquesne University Athletics and ChangeUp

Silver - Call It Spring, An Aldo Group brand and Coley Porter Bell

Silver - Syniti (formerly BackOffice Associates) and Studio Everywhere

Bronze - Toys“R”Us and Lippincott

Highly commended - The J.M. Smucker Company and LPK

Best strategic or creative development of a new brand

Gold - Macerich and FITCH

Silver - Oosa and Prophet

Bronze - Avanos and MerchantCantos

Bronze - Storylines, Inc. and Tenet Partners

Highly commended - Syniti (formerly BackOffice Associates) and Studio Everywhere

Best development of a new brand within an existing brand portfolio

Gold - Hain Celestial and CBX

Silver - RISE for Russell Investments and Living Group

Bronze - Sonepar USA and Tenet Partners

Highly commended - Freybe Gourmet Foods Ltd and CBA

Best naming strategy

Gold - RISE for Russell Investments and Living Group

Silver - Avanos and MerchantCantos

Silver - Prisma Health and Monigle

Bronze - Valaris and Monigle

Highly commended - Aetna and Catchword Branding

TYPE

Best corporate rebrand following a merger or acquisition

Gold - Valaris and Monigle

Silver - OneSpan and DeSantis Breindel

Silver - Poly and Prophet

Bronze - DuPont and Lippincott

Highly commended - Prisma Health and Monigle

Best brand development project to reflect changed mission, values or positioning

Gold - Harneys and Living Group

Silver - Baker Tilly and Brandpie

Bronze - Syniti (formerly BackOffice Associates) and Studio Everywhere

Highly commended - 3Sixty and Designhouse

Best rebrand of a digital property

Gold - Harneys and Living Group

Silver - US Borax, Rio Tinto and Refactored

Bronze - Corteva Agriscience and Publicis Sapient

Highly commended - Connecticut Fund for the Environment/Save the Sound and Tenet Partners

SECTOR

Best visual identity by a charity, NGO or not-for-profit

Gold - Urban Justice Center and Superunion

Silver - Equal Justice Initiative and Turner Duckworth

Bronze - ADL and Starfish

Bronze - Uncommon and Monigle

Highly commended - President of the United Nations General Assembly and Thackway McCord

Best visual identity from the education sector

Gold - Duquesne University Athletics and ChangeUp

Silver - Washington University and Siegel+Gale

Best visual identity from the engineering and manufacturing sector

Gold - Rockwell Automation and Joe Smith, the brand consultancy of Padilla & Aquent Studios

Silver - KLA and Salt Branding

Best visual identity from the financial services sector

Gold - iShares and Turner Duckworth

Silver - Russell Investments and Living Group

Bronze - Canvas Credit Union and Monigle

Highly commended - Greater Cincinnati Foundation and LPK

Best visual identity from the FMCG sector

Gold - McDonald’s and Turner Duckworth

Silver - The Mad Optimist and LPK

Bronze - VEO Probiotics and 121

Best visual identity from the food and beverage sector

Gold - Seedlip and Pearlfisher

Silver - Little Caesars and Turner Duckworth

Bronze - Tillamook and Turner Duckworth

Highly commended - Æcorn Aperitifs and Pearlfisher

Highly commended – TAO Hospitality Group and QNY Creative

Best visual identity from the healthcare and pharmaceuticals sector

Gold - CVS Health and Siegel+Gale

Silver - Avanos and MerchantCantos

Silver - Nuvance Health and Monigle

Bronze - Prisma Health and Monigle

Best visual identity from the industrial and basic materials sector

Gold - DuPont and Lippincott

Best visual identity from the mining and extractives sector

Gold - Valaris and Monigle

Best visual identity from the professional services sector

Gold - Harneys and Living Group

Silver - Ayming and Kimpton Creative

Silver - Escalent and Superunion

Bronze - Baker Tilly and Brandpie

Highly commended - Trustmark and Starfish

Best visual identity from the retail sector

Gold - Toys“R”Us and Lippincott

Silver - BrandBox and FITCH

Bronze - Call It Spring, An Aldo Group brand and Coley Porter Bell

Best visual identity from the technology, media and telecommunications sector

Gold - Storyful and Thackway McCord

Silver - Syniti (formerly BackOffice Associates) and Studio Everywhere

Bronze - Poly and Prophet

Best visual identity from the travel, leisure and tourism sector

Gold - Regal and Prophet

Bronze - Club Wyndham and Siegel+Gale

Bronze - Hilton and FITCH

Best overall visual identity

Urban Justice Center and Superunion

Grand prix

Urban Justice Center and Superunion