Do Design Awards Matter?

Does it matter if your design firm has won any prestigious design awards?

The short answer: It depends.

The long answer: It depends and here’s why…

A legitimate design award is one of many proof signals that businesses can use to determine if a designer’s skills are up for the task. However, not all design awards are created equal. In today’s internet age, just about anyone can create and market their own brand of “design award.” As the winner of many prestigious design awards, here’s Project6’s take on what makes a legitimate design award: 

How competitive is the award?

Check to see how many designers were actually in the running for the award. Did 5 designers apply or 500 designers? Is the competition accepting public entries or were the nominees selected by a panel of experts? The Davey Awards, for example, is a prestigious award from the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts that received nearly 4,000 entries of the finest creative work from the best small agencies, firms, and companies worldwide.

Who are the judges and sponsors?

Also, make sure that the judges and sponsors of the awards are legitimate industry professionals (not just bloggers and “best of” lists). The Horizon Interactive Award’s judging process, for example, involves a combination of an in-house awards advisory panel, an end user panel, and an international panel of industry professionals. The Davey Awards, on the other hand, is judged and overseen by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts (AIVA), a 700+ member organization of leading professionals from various disciplines of the visual arts dedicated to embracing progress and the evolving nature of traditional and interactive media.

Founded in 2001, Project6 Design is an award-winning graphic design firm committed to using intuitive design to shape brands and solve complex usability problems.  By collaborating with clients, we help them portray their brand's story and communicate it in a clear and compelling way.  For high-quality brand, print or web design services, contact the top San Francisco design agency.