Cannes Lions Ad Fest Creates a New Awards Category: Product Design

Agencies, start setting aside more money for your Cannes entries: The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has announced a new category to honor product design. That brings the number of categories at Cannes to a whopping 17 -- which also means more entries, and more money, for the Festival. Cannes last year saw a record 35,765 entries, a 4% jump from the year prior that may partly be attributed to the addition of a new category, "Innovation Lions," honoring tech that enables commercial creative excellence. The new Product Design Lions will "recognize the applied use of physical products in aiding the communication of a brand ethos," as well as the product's ability to improve people's lives, festival organizers said in a statement. The category itself will be split into four sections: consumer goods; well-being and environmental impact, where entries will be judged on "making people's lives better," not marketing results; "solution," which will focus on ergonomics and "day to day solutions provided through design"; and interface, which will focus on the product's ease of navigation and ability to convey information. "Brand communication has become such a part of product design that it's important as a global festival celebrating creative communications that we now recognize this," said Terry Savage, chairman of the Lions Festivals, in the statement. Adding the category also "helps to set a global benchmark and precedent for creativity within it," Mr. Savage said. Other changes for Cannes this year include a refurbishing of the Cyber Lions category with added sub-categories including social, branded technology and branded games, and the addition of Lions Health, a separate event within the Festival aimed at the healthcare industry.

Cannes Lions Ad Fest Creates a New Awards Category: Product Design

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