Transform Awards North America 2021 winners announced

Transform magazine is proud to announce the winners of the Transform Awards North America 2021, which celebrate the best work in rebranding and brand development in the region.

Now in its seventh year, the Transform Awards North America recognise those companies and agencies that best exemplify the transformational power of rebranding and brand design. Each entry was examined by a panel of expert judges, who determined those that excelled in best practice in corporate, product and global brand design and strategy.

SoGood Saké and Pearlfisher were the stars of the night. They won Golds in 'Best strategic or creative development of a new brand,’ and ‘Best visual identity from the food and beverage sector,' and took home the most coveted award of the night, the ‘Grand prix’ award. Pearlfisher's design reframed the way saké is consumed in the US and created a new American tradition around this product. Judges were impressed by its approach to both design and strategy. 

The judges were also blown away by K-Y and Design Bridge New York, which won the ‘Best overall visual identity’ award. Design Bridge worked with women’s lubricant brand, K-Y, to develop a new visual identity, including refined typography, updated tone of voice and redesigned logo. The new brand confidently reflects the brand’s updated purpose of supporting women in the pursuit of physical pleasure and emotional comfort.

"The challenges of the past year have been immense, as companies of all sizes have worked to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. That’s why this year’s Transform Awards winners are incredibly deserving of their recognition. They have championed communications, design and strategic brand development in the most difficult of landscapes and they have achieved great things,” says Andrew Thomas, publisher of Transform magazine and founder of the Transform Awards.

Hausfeld and Living Group also swept up Golds in ‘Best use of visual property,' ‘Best internal communications during a brand development project,’ ‘Best rebrand of a digital property,’ and 'Best visual identity from the professional services sector.'

Winners were announced on 8 December at a gala dinner held in New York City. 

The full list of winners is as follows:

CONTENT

Best use of visual property

Gold - Hausfeld and Living Group

Silver - Truist and Interbrand

Bronze - Matter and Interbrand

Bronze - NielsenIQ and Interbrand

Highly commended - Quest Diagnostics and Monigle

 

Best brand architecture solution

Gold - Epicor and Together Design

Silver - AmeriCorps and Brandpie

Bronze - Matrix Medical Network and Brandpie

Bronze - Publicis Sapient

Highly commended - Colgate-Palmolive: Palmolive and Clarkmcdowall

Highly commended - Mars Wrigley Nutro and Clarkmcdowall

 

Best use of copy style or tone of voice

Gold - Control Techniques and GW+Co

 

Best brand experience

Gold - Topgolf Entertainment Group and Rovio Entertainment

Silver - PepsiCo Design & Innovation - MTN DEW Cookbook

Bronze - Mars Retail Group and Landor & Fitch

Highly commended - BlackRock VIS and Turner Duckworth

Highly commended - Casey's and Interbrand

Highly commended - Quest Diagnostics and Monigle

 

Best use of packaging

Gold - McDonald’s and Pearlfisher

Silver - Casey's and Interbrand

Silver - SoGood Saké and Pearlfisher

Bronze - Tecate ALTA and Pearlfisher

Highly commended - Appleton Estate Rum and Superunion

Highly commended - Heineken and Elmwood

Highly commended - Revea and ChangeUp

 

Best wayfinding or signage

Gold - California Polytechnic State University and DLR Group

Bronze - Freson Bros. Market and Shook Kelley

 

Best use of audio branding

Gold - History Channel / A&E Networks and Sonic Lens

Silver - Sparkling Ice with Hawkeye and Sixième Son

 

Best use of typography

Gold - Connectivity Standards Alliance and Interbrand

Gold - Standard Chartered and Lippincott

Silver - Microsoft and Monigle

Bronze - Casey's and Interbrand

Highly commended - Jimmy John’s and ChangeUp

Highly commended - Truist and Interbrand

 

PROCESS

 

Best internal communications during a brand development project

Gold - Hausfeld and Living Group

Silver - AmeriCorps and Brandpie

 

STRATEGY

 

Best creative strategy

Gold - Fifth Season and Spectacle Strategy

Gold - Purple and Landor & Fitch

Silver - McDonald’s and Pearlfisher

Bronze - AmeriCorps and Brandpie

Highly commended - Creo and Brandpie

Highly commended - Datacolor and BrandTuitive

Highly commended - Epicor and Together Design

 

Best brand evolution

Gold - AmeriCorps and Brandpie

Silver - Ayming and Kimpton Creative

Silver - Purple and Landor & Fitch

Bronze - Casey's and Interbrand

Bronze - Epicor and Together Design

Bronze - Standard Chartered and Lippincott

Highly commended - HST Pathways and McMillan

 

Best strategic or creative development of a new brand

Gold - SoGood Saké and Pearlfisher

Silver - Calyx and Monigle

Silver - Havas Mango and Conran Design Group

Bronze - Creo and Brandpie

Bronze - Matter and Interbrand

Highly commended - HUM and Thackway McCord

 

Best development of a new brand within an existing brand portfolio

Gold - Microsoft and Monigle

Silver - Connectivity Standards Alliance and Interbrand

Bronze - Nationwide with Coley Porter Bell and Ogilvy

Highly commended - Consider Pastures and Pearlfisher

 

Best naming strategy

Gold - Clario and Conran Design Group

Silver - Creo and Brandpie

Silver - HUM and Thackway McCord

Silver - Matter and Interbrand

Bronze - Havas Mango and Conran Design Group

Highly commended - Sylvamo and Thackway McCord

 

TYPE

 

Best corporate rebrand following a merger or acquisition

Gold - HALO and DeSantis Breindel

Silver - Truist and Interbrand

Bronze - Bristol Myers Squibb and Siegel+Gale

Bronze - LSEG and Interbrand

Bronze - Luminis Health and Monigle

Highly commended - ASC Engineered Solutions and Tenet Partners

Highly commended - Viatris and Conran Design Group

 

Best brand development project to reflect changed mission, values or positioning

Gold - J.M. Smucker Company and CBX

Silver - Control Techniques and GW+Co

Silver - Epicor and Together Design

Bronze - Connectivity Standards Alliance and Interbrand

Bronze - Partners and Living Group

Highly commended - LPL Financial and DeSantis Breindel

Highly commended - Quest Diagnostics and Monigle

 

Best brand consolidation

Gold - Casey's and Interbrand

Silver - Epicor and Together Design

 

Best rebrand of a digital property

Silver - Hausfeld and Living Group

Bronze - Epicor and Together Design

 

SECTOR

 

Best visual identity by a charity, NGO or NFP

Gold - Ocean Generation and Pearlfisher

Silver - Quest Diagnostics and Monigle

Bronze - AmeriCorps and Brandpie

Bronze - Partners and Living Group

Highly commended - Crossroads Health and Onyx Creative

Highly commended - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Marquis Design

 

Best visual identity from the education sector

Silver - KinderCare and Design Bridge New York

 

Best visual identity from the engineering and manufacturing sector

Gold - Optimas and Paragraphs LLC

Silver - Control Techniques and GW+Co

Bronze - Stratus Unlimited and Monigle

Highly commended - Sylvamo and Thackway McCord

 

Best visual identity from the farming and agriculture sector

Gold - Fifth Season and Spectacle Strategy

 

Best visual identity from the financial services sector

Gold - HUM and Thackway McCord

Silver - Budgyt and The Kamelion Group

Bronze - Jackson Financial and Prophet

 

Best visual identity from the food and beverage sector

Gold - Captain Pabst and Design Bridge New York

Gold - SoGood Saké and Pearlfisher

Silver - PepsiCo Design & Innovation – Driftwell

Bronze - New Holland Brewing Co. and Design Bridge New York

Highly commended - Appleton Estate Rum and Superunion

Highly commended - PepsiCo Design & Innovation – Doritos CyberPunk 2077 Activation

Highly commended - PepsiCo Design & Innovation – Flavor Drop Shop Blazin Buffalo Ranch

 

Best visual identity from the healthcare and pharmaceuticals sector

Gold - K-Y and Design Bridge New York

Silver - Bristol Myers Squibb and Siegel+Gale

Silver - Calyx and Monigle

Bronze - Luminis Health and Monigle

Highly commended - Matrix Medical Network and Brandpie

 

Best visual identity from the industrial and basic materials sector

Gold - Creo and Brandpie

Silver - ASC Engineered Solutions and Tenet Partners

Bronze - Datacolor and BrandTuitive

 

Best visual identity from the lifestyle and wellness sector

Gold - Hum by Colgate and Pearlfisher

Silver - Elaluz and Pearlfisher

Highly commended - Madison James and BrandTuitive

 

Best visual identity from the professional services sector

Gold - Hausfeld and Living Group

Silver - Amwins and Monigle

 

Best visual identity from the sports, travel, leisure and tourism sector

Silver – Hilton and Landor & Fitch

 

Best visual identity from the technology, media and telecommunications sector

Gold - Centrilogic and Monigle

Silver - Epicor and Together Design

 

Best overall visual identity

Winner - K-Y and Design Bridge New York

 

Grand prix

Winner - SoGood Saké and Pearlfisher