[MEL16]

2016 Melbourne Design Awards

spaces, objects, visual, graphic, digital & experience design, design champion, best studio & best start-up, plus over 40 specialist categories

accelerate transformation, celebrate courage, growing demand for design

Category Listing

Choose from one of the 10 Major Categories or
from the 99+ Specialist Categories

       
       
       


Design Commissioner - Chairman's Awards

The Design Commissioner Award celebrates the organization who consistently commissions excellent design work thereby providing instrumental support to the wider design community. The winner will be awarded according to the body of work submitted across all categories and the overall rating score. All eligible nominations will be automatically submitted into this category and no fee applies.  

 

Digital - Expanded Service or Application

Open to apps in all categories with updates and developments that truly enhance the user experience and take your app or service to another level.  

 

Digital - New Service or Application

This can be any new service or application from a start-up to an industry leader. It’s not just bells and whistles we're after but true innovation, exceeding expectations and filling a void that had previously been open.  

 

Digital - Food & Drink

Food & drink - essential to us all. We all engage with sites and apps with a food or drink focus be that restaurant guides, cooking sites, purchasing produce or nutritional advice.  

 

Architecture - Commercial - Constructed

This award celebrates the design process and product of planning, designing and constructing form, space and ambience that reflect functional, technical, social, and aesthetic considerations. Consideration given for material selection, technology, light and shadow.   

 

Maker Design - Materials

Some projects can only exist due to new materials, others thrive as the combination of new and traditional materials intersect. We're looking for projects that show a master has furnished brilliance from basic materials. Your project will fall into one of the following markets: Domestic- Domestic Maker projects represent the consumer connecting with a unique piece, be it a tool for home, an artefact or a practical item to assist with a regular home function. Community - Community Maker projects represent the community connecting with your project. It might be an item to create a mood, a learning device to help advance your community or a practical item to assist with a community function. Commercial - Commercial Maker projects find their way into corporate and government environments, sometimes as highly functional low production runs, other times as one off custom items designed specifically for task. Projects that show the maker's skill, courage and design insights will shine here.  

 

Architecture - Residential - Constructed

This award celebrates the design process and product of planning, designing and constructing form, space and ambience that reflect functional, technical, social, and aesthetic considerations. Consideration given for material selection, technology, light and shadow.  

 

Architecture - Proposed

This award celebrates the design process and product of planning, designing and constructing form, space and ambience that reflect functional, technical, social, and aesthetic considerations. Consideration given for material selection, technology, light and shadow. The project can be a concept, tender or personal project, i.e. proposed space.  

 

Pop-Ups, Display, Exhibit & Set Design

This award celebrates innovative and creative design for a temporary building or interior, exhibition, pop up site, installation, fixture or interactive element. Consideration given to materials, finishes, signage and experience.  

 

Interior Design - Corporate

This award celebrates innovative and creative building interiors, with consideration given to space creation and planning, furnishings, finishes, aesthetic presentation and functionality. Consideration also given to space allocation, traffic flow, building services, lighting, fixtures, flooring, colours, furnishings and surface finishes.  

 

Interior Design - Hospitality

This award celebrates innovative and creative building interiors, with consideration given to space creation and planning, furnishings, finishes, aesthetic presentation and functionality. Consideration also given to space allocation, traffic flow, building services, lighting, fixtures, flooring, colours, furnishings and surface finishes.  

 

Interior Design - Public or Institutional

This award celebrates innovative and creative building interiors with consideration given to space creation and planning, furnishings, finishes and aesthetic presentation. Consideration also given to space allocation, traffic flow, building services, lighting, fixtures, flooring, colours, furnishings and surface finishes.  

 

Interior Design - Residential

This award celebrates innovative and creative building interiors with consideration given to space creation and planning, furnishings, finishes and aesthetic presentation. Consideration also given to space allocation, traffic flow, building services, lighting, fixtures, flooring, colours, furnishings and surface finishes.  

 

Interior Design - Retail

This award celebrates innovative and creative building interiors, with consideration given to space creation and planning, furnishings, finishes and aesthetic presentation. Consideration given to space allocation, traffic flow, building services, lighting, fixtures, flooring, colours, furnishings and surface finishes.  

 

Landscape Design

This award celebrates creativity and innovation in the use of practical, aesthetic, horticultural, and environmentally sustainability components, taking into account climate, site and orientation, site drainage and irrigation, human and vehicular access, furnishings and lighting.  

 

Studio - Small

This award celebrates the best studio or other design professional that consistently achieves excellence in design. Winners will be awarded according to the body of work submitted across all categories and the overall rating score and will be presented in three categories based on business size Small - less than 5 employees, Medium - 5-20 employees and Large - greater than 20 employees. All eligible nominations will be automatically submitted into this category and no fee applies.  

 

Advertising - Outdoor, Retail, POS

This award celebrates creative and innovative design for visual communication including traditional and digital signage intended to persuade an audience to purchase or take some action upon products, ideas or services. Consideration given to the technical, conceptual and aesthetic elements, audience engagement and message delivery.  

 

Advertising - Print

This award celebrates creative and innovative design for visual communication intended to persuade an audience to purchase or take some action upon products, ideas or services. Consideration given to the technical, conceptual and aesthetic elements, audience engagement and message delivery.  

 

Branded Experience

This award celebrates creative and innovative design for branded experiences intended to persuade an audience to purchase or take some action upon products, ideas or services. Consideration given to the technical, conceptual and aesthetic elements, user experience, audience engagement and message delivery.  

 

Maker Design - Method

Nothing speaks more than a maker's method. For some it starts with an idea in a coffee shop, others it's the complex mix of tools, materials and craft. The projects that will shine here will be strong in new methods, strong in craft and most likely to generate lots of ''how did you do that'' discussion. Your project will fall into one of the following markets: Domestic - Domestic Maker projects represent the consumer connecting with a unique piece, be it a tool for home, an artefact or a practical item to assist with a regular home function. Community - Community Maker projects represent the community connecting with your project. It might be an item to create a mood, a learning device to help advance your community or a practical item to assist with a community function. Commercial - Commercial Maker projects find their way into corporate and government environments, sometimes as highly functional low production runs, other times as one off custom items designed specifically for task. Projects that show the maker's skill, courage and design insights will shine here.

  

 

Digital - Government Services

The provision of timely government services has been transformed as applications and sites are developed and implemented to either replace or complement previous methods. Be it the delivery of current and up to date critical information, compliance, community support and engagement, notification and registration or providing greater accessibility to government resources.  

 

Digital - Community

This category is all about helping our communities to connect and engage, from emergency services to Not for Profits to social groups, these apps and sites not may not only assist in delivery but also create efficiencies providing those at the coalface more time to do their important work whether it be fighting fires or managing the local team. It's not all serious though we're also looking for projects that work to help bring the community groups together with fun and enjoyable activities.  

 

Digital - EdTech

EdTech focuses on how education is changing through technology, changing the way we learn and process knowledge. What will stand out here is those that enhance the learning experience and make a lasting impression.  

 

Graphic Design - Identity and Branding

This award celebrates creative and innovative design in the traditional or digital visual representation of ideas and messages. Consideration given to clarity of communication and the matching information style to audience.   

 

Graphic Design - Three Dimensional

This award celebrates creative and innovative design in traditional or digital visual representation of ideas and messages used in packaging. Consideration given to: clarity of communication and the matching information style to audience; the approach, including marketing and branding concerns, the dynamics of the retail environment, environmental considerations, and legal requirements; the component parts of packaging graphics such as colour rationalisation, information layout, feel and tone of illustration and photography, and finishes, and how they are used in isolation and in relation to each other; and the relationship to the anatomy of the structural design.  

 

Graphic Design - Publication

This award celebrates creative and innovative design in the traditional or digital visual representation of ideas and messages. Consideration given to clarity of communication and the matching of information style to audience.   

 

Graphic Design - Environmental

This award celebrates creativity and innovation in the intersection of communication design and the built environment, and is concerned with the visual aspects of wayfinding, communication identity and brands, information design and shaping the idea of place. Consideration given to clarity of communication and the matching of information style to audience.  

 

Graphic Design - Illustration and Type

This award celebrates creativity and innovation in the traditional or digital visual representation of ideas and messages. Consideration given to clarity of communication and the matching information style to audience.   

 

Studio - Medium

This award celebrates the best studio or other design professional that consistently achieves excellence in design. Winners will be awarded according to the body of work submitted across all categories and the overall rating score and will be presented in three categories based on business size Small - less than 5 employees, Medium - 5-20 employees and Large - greater than 20 employees. All eligible nominations will be automatically submitted into this category and no fee applies.  

 

Product Design - Home & Garden

This award celebrates creative and innovative design for either a component or overall product. Consideration given to aspects that relate to human usage, aesthetics, selection of components and materials, and the resolution of assembly, manufacturing and the overall function.  

 

Product Design - Personal Use

This award celebrates creative and innovative design for either a component or overall product. Consideration given to aspects that relate to human usage, aesthetics, selection of components and materials, and the resolution of assembly, manufacturing and the overall function.  

 

Product Design - Education

This award celebrates creative and innovative design for either a component or overall product. Consideration given to aspects that relate to human usage, aesthetics, selection of components and materials, and the resolution of assembly, manufacturing and the overall function.   

 

Product Design - Concept

This award celebrates creativity and innovation for either a product design at conceptual stage - an early sample or model of a product that has not reached the manufacture stage nor available to the market.  

 

Studio - Large

This award celebrates the best studio or other design professional that consistently achieves excellence in design. Winners will be awarded according to the body of work submitted across all categories and the overall rating score and will be presented in three categories based on business size Small - less than 5 employees, Medium - 5-20 employees and Large - greater than 20 employees. All eligible nominations will be automatically submitted into this category and no fee applies  

 

Digital - FinTech

Fintech is radically changing how we live as society and how we do business professionally. We're looking for great apps and sites that are disrupting sectors such as mobile payments, money transfers, loans, fundraising, financial management.  

 

Event Experience

This award celebrates creative and innovative design for a business event. Consideration given to originality, creativity; theming;  audience connection and engagement and how the event created a seamless experience for the visitor and helped to reinforce the program's core message  

 

Interactive Signage

This award celebrates innovation and creativity in design of a unique user experience in the combination of text, audio, still images, animation, video, and interactive content for signage. Consideration given to clarity of communication and the matching information style to audience.   

 

Digital - Corporate

This award celebrates innovation and creativity in design of a unique user experience in the combination of text, audio, still images, animation, video, and interactivity content for websites. Consideration given to clarity of communication and the matching information style to audience.

 
  

 

Wayfinding

This award celebrates creative and innovative design in the ways people orient themselves in physical space, and navigate from place to place. Consideration given to signage and other graphic communication, clues in the building's spatial grammar, logical space planning, audible communication, tactile elements and provision for special-needs users.  

 

Digital - Retail & Shopping

Digital design that makes our online retail experiences seamless and enjoyable or have that Wow factor is what will stand out here.  

 

Digital - Entertainment & Leisure

Digital services have overtaken entertainment and leisure. They influence what and how we watch or listen to, where and how we eat, dine and play, how we book and how we interact before during and after entertainment events. We're looking for nominations that make entertainment even more entertaining.  

 

Digital - TravelTech

TravelTech helps us to get from A to B easier, quicker, cheaper, takes us to places far away while still sitting in our armchair, makes getting lost hard to do and informs, guides and assists. Take us on a journey with your TravelTech.  

 

Digital - Health

From ground-breaking apps accelerating medical research to apps helping consumers make healthier choices, we're looking for apps that are making health information and medical services more accessible to all.