Dezeen promotion: designers are being invited to enter their projects in the 2018 DBA Design Effectiveness Awards, which recognise the UK's most effective design projects.
Held annually by the Design Business Association (DBA), the Design Effectiveness Awards go to projects that have had a "tangible and measurable impact upon business success".
The awards are entered jointly by clients and designers, who have until Friday 30 June 2017 to lodge their submissions. Dezeen is media partner for the awards.
Entries will be judged by a panel of business leaders, which at the 2017 awards included representatives from Google, Aston Martin, PepsiCo, Warner Bros and Transport for London.
They awarded the 2017 Grand Prix to a brand redesign by The Engine Room for the sealant company Polyseam, which lifted sales revenue by 744 per cent.
Among the other projects recognised was a work from the public sector called MindMate. Created by Thompson Brand Partners for the National Health Service (NHS), MindMate is an online hub for mental health services, particularly targeting youth.
The NHS Clinical Commissioning Group said the initiative had smashed targets and become a template for future projects. The designers attributed MindMate's success to its exceptional level of user involvement throughout the project.
"I've not seen anything like this early, entirely integrated user involvement in other client projects," said Thompson Brand Partners' Rachel Cook.
"Young people truly affected everything, from choosing their agency, leading and approving content, feeding into wireframes, voting on naming and terminology use, selecting the direction of the illustration style. It's incredibly comprehensive."
Another 2017 winner was Story Shop, a branding exercise by The Yard Creative for World Vision UK. The charity wanted to get past the aggressive reputation associated with fundraisers – sometimes known as "chuggers" (charity muggers) – which had seen them refused entry to high-end shopping centres.
What The Yard Creative designed for them instead was a cross between an installation and a pop-up store. The Story Shop looked like a gift boutique, but allowed customers to experience the messaging of World Vision by opening drawers and exploring the space.
"The target audience can see through the average marketing spin of everyday," said The Yard Creative co-founder Steve James-Royle. "What they want is meaningful connections."
The concept helped to deliver child sponsorship acquisitions 65 per cent above target for the charity.
To follow in the footsteps of MindMate and Story Shop, designers and clients need to submit entries to the 2018 DBA Design Effectiveness Awards by Friday 30 June 2017 at 5pm GMT. You can find more information at www.effectivedesign.org.uk and entry fees start from £520.
Winners will be announced at a ceremony at London venue The Brewery on 22 February 2018.