Design: Platinum-Winning Work and New Entries from the USA

Each year, the Design Annual features some of the best work from around the world and from right here in the United States. 

The Graphis Design Annuals feature a range of inspiring designs that function for various different purposes. For example, in Design Annual 2018, “LIFEWTR” (ABOVE, LEFT) by PepsiCo Design & Innovation won Platinum for their branding for the pH balanced water of the same name. Their mission was explained to us: “The bottle serves as a canvas for art and design, and features rotating label motifs created by emerging artists. The brand will serve as a platform for emerging and developing artists to be seen and discovered on a broad scale, and their work will serve as a spark of creativity and dose of inspiration and creative uplift.” Their first series presented the work of MOMO, Craig & Karl, and Jason Woodside. The design itself served to uphold other artists, while remaining a practical and beautiful brand design for LIFEWTR.

Another Platinum-winner from Design Annual 2019, “#neveragain” (ABOVE, RIGHT) by Design Firm 21xdesign was a strong reminder of recent tragic acts of gun violence. Art Directors Patricia McElroy and Dermot MacCormack created this poster as a part of an anti-gun series that they have been working on for years. They told us, “Our hope is that these posters will continue to engage and move dialogue forward for this important issue in our society.” With such a strong visual and the use of an all too common hashtag, they certainly will keep the conversation going.

For our open competition, Design Annual 2020, new entries are already capturing our attention. Design Firm Column Five recently submitted “The Bountiful Year” (ABOVE) and its purpose is certainly unique. They related to us that they were “inspired by Shun, a Japanese philosophy that food should be eaten only in its proper season and when it is at the peak of its flavor.” The firm created a guide to seasonal fruits and vegetables for California, where most of the produce in the U.S. is grown. After consulting various sources, they created an open-book layout with colored paper and metallic foils.

We’re excited to see more new entries that show all the ways in which design can solve problems and support worthy causes!

Submit to the Design Annual 2020 competition by March 13, 2018. Winners will have the opportunity to see their work published on our website, blog, newsletter, and social media platforms!