Serviceplan won the design Grand Prix Lion for the second year in a row, this time for for its innovative Selfscan sustainability report for Italian supermarket Auchan, which comes printed on customers' store receipts.
Last year, the Munich shop nabbed the top prize in the category for its solar annual report for Austria Solar, a book whose contents are revealed only when its pages are exposed to the sun.
What it is: In order to demonstrate Auchan's commitment to sustainable practices, Serviceplan created a compact report that fit into a receipt. Users can scan the receipt with a smartphone to get the lowdown on the company's environmental practices. Like the solar annual report, the work practices what it preaches.
The jury: Mary Lewis, creative director and founding partner at Lewis Moberly, led the jury. She was the first female president of the British D&AD and has overseen award-winning work for clients such as Diageo's Johnnie Walker, Selfridges, Waitrose and LVMH.
Why it won: Ms. Lewis said the Auchan work ticked off several things the jury was looking for -- it was highly innovative, active at point of purchase, accessible, democratic, engaging and clear. It was also economical, sustainable and "above all, simple." Juror Conor Brady, global creative director at Huge, said: "It worked on so many angles. We all come from different places, disciplines, and we all gravitated to it. It had something for all of us." He added that "it's really hard to connect to the consumer and they did it in a format that was so simple. They took a basic piece of printing and turned it into one of the most innovative annual reports."
Controversy or clear winner? Ms. Lewis said there were three contenders for the top award, but Auchan had a very strong vote and "was quite a joyous win." The jury also considered the Absolut Unique campaign from Family Business and Great Works, which included 4 million "bespoke" versions of the vodka's iconic bottle. The company installed splash guns and color-generation machines at its production plant in Sweden, which guaranteed that the design on each bottle was unique. Each was individually numbered and distributed in 80 markets around the world. The jury also looked at Droga5 Sydney's custom book set for Qantas. The books, targeted at elite travelers, were chosen because their lengths were tailored to the duration of the airline's specific flights.
The jury also praised a pair of entries that couldn't be considered for the Grand Prix since they were for charities. The first was BR Malls' "The Empty Shop," a store like any other in the mall -- save for the fact that it was empty when it opened. As the day progressed, it filled up with wares provided by consumers' donations. Another was an India Times public-service campaign to support the families of farmers who committed suicide, created by Taproot. It featured beautiful hay portraits of farmers that were auctioned off to help the farmers' households.
Interesting trends: The "doing good" theme that has emerged among the festival's top winners in 2013 was also apparent in the design category. "Concern for the world really did result in some incredible work," said Ms. Lewis. "That shows the role design has in shaping our future."
Like the Grand Prix winner, many of the honorees also reflected a pattern of the tried and true becoming new again. "A lot of the things we're used to got completely turned on their head," said Mr. Brady.
The jurors noted how the definition of design has evolved from the space of identities and packaging. Design now involves a bigger proposition that engages consumers on many different levels. Another juror added: "It's not just about graphic design -- it's design of purpose, design of function, design of experience and behavior."
Lions awarded: The design category drew 2,373 entries from 70 countries, up 9% from last year. The jury awarded 23 Golds, 50 Silvers and 64 Bronzes.
Next year: Although this year's entries reflected the changing scene of design, the judges would still like to see more traditional work. "There was not enough packaging," said Juror Eugene Bay, Chairman at VBAT, the Netherlands. "I would like to have a bigger field to choose from. We could have done with a lot more stuff to judge."
