Swiss designer Micha Weidmann has used word pairs and bright colours to create a new identity for Dezeen Awards 2023. Here, he explains the campaign.

Dezeen Awards 2023 launched last week in partnership with Bentley Motors and with a colourful graphic campaign by Weidmann.

Weidmann, founder and creative director of the eponymous London-based design agency Micha Weidmann Studio, has worked with Dezeen for over a decade, designing the Dezeen logo in 2007 and redesigning the site in 2016.

He told Dezeen that the new identity builds on the bold typographic design that has become synonymous with the brand and asks "questions about design today."

"The large and space-efficient typography was unique at the time for a blog, it allowed for better accessibility and headlines with more impact," he said. "Ideal for a more provoking journalistic approach."

The new Dezeen Awards identity is a colourful and playful interpretation of the typographic identity that represents the magazine.

Campaign asks designers to consider "what good design is today"

"The campaign features a series of questions that designers could ask themselves, to get readers to think about what good design is today," said Weidmann.

"The similar lettering combined with the varied meaning of each word evokes a question, making the campaign more meaningful by engaging designers to answer what makes great design."

The campaign features word pairs that differ by only one or two letters, such as fast and last, haste and waste and new and few. New word combinations will be introduced throughout the campaign to keep things fresh.

"The campaign also had to be engaging and not only feature a meaningless decorative background," he said.

Another challenge faced by Weidmann was to ensure that the new identity could be used across various channels during different phases of the year.

"The colour palette is upbeat, yet not based on primary colours," Weidmann said. "Size and repetition were used to ensure the new identity was flexible enough to be used across various mediums and applications."

Start your entries today!

Dezeen Awards 2023 is open for entries. Find out about all of this year's categories and log in or create an account to start your entries. Enter before 29 March to benefit from our discounted early entry prices.

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Dezeen Awards 2023

Dezeen Awards celebrates the world's best architecture, interiors and design. Now in its sixth year, it has become the ultimate accolade for architects and designers across the globe. The annual awards are in partnership with Bentley Motors, as part of a wider collaboration that will see the brand work with Dezeen to support and inspire the next generation of design talent.