Impactful Communication Designs That Won Prizes At A’ Design Award

By Mikelle Leow, 15 Oct 2024

The A’ Design Award & Competition is one of the world’s most prominent and inclusive design contests, celebrating excellence across a vast array of creative disciplines. Recognized for its commitment to pushing the boundaries of innovation, the competition provides a platform for both established and emerging designers to showcase their work on a global stage. With hundreds of categories ranging from architecture to product design, the event shines a spotlight on the creative ingenuity shaping the future of design.

Among the numerous disciplines recognized is Good Communication Design, which honors designers who have made significant contributions in visual storytelling, branding, and visual communication. Those interested should submit their designs before the regular deadline of February 28, 2025. With entries being evaluated by a panel of international experts, winners will be revealed on May 1, offering creatives worldwide an invaluable opportunity for exposure and recognition.

For a breath of fresh air, check out some prizewinning works from past years.

Camping Today Tent Calendar

The Camping Today Tent Calendar, dreamed up by designers Lisi Cao, Yang Yixin, and Dai Xianmin, brings the great outdoors—and organization—to your desk. This hands-on creation lets you construct a miniature tent using iron rods and fabric. Not only that, the little shelter comes complete with hidey-holes for your office gear and a special spot to tuck away work notes. Whether you’re an outdoor enthusiast or just sick of staring at a boring wall calendar, this calendar might just be your cup of campfire coffee.

Camping Today Tent Calendar by Lisi Cao, Yang Yixin and Dai Xianmin

Itsso Slimtissue Tissue Package

The Itsso Slimtissue Package, brainchild of designer Hyung-Woo Park, takes its cues from nature’s own slender architect—the bamboo. This tissue container is aptly made from 100% bamboo pulp and slips neatly into car cup holders. Importantly, once empty, the packaging can be repurposed 50 different ways.

Itsso Slimtissue Tissue Package by Hyung-Woo Park

Life is Flower Porcelain Artwork

Yasumichi Morita’s Life is Flower porcelain artwork for Spanish brand Lladró packs a visual punch with a bouquet of contradictions. This limited-edition piece blooms with over 500 handcrafted porcelain flowers, each painted in shades of blue and surrounding a central skull—a stark reminder of our own mortality. The work doesn't just catch the eye; it nudges viewers to ponder life’s fleeting nature.

Life is Flower Porcelain Artwork by Yasumichi Morita

Slash Lamp Lighting Object

Dragos Motica’s Slash Lamp puts a cracking spin on home lighting. This ceiling fixture—which pairs birch plywood with a concrete shade, and hides an LED bulb inside—comes with a rock, inviting you to smash the shade and expose the wire mesh beneath. Whether you choose to break it or not, this lamp sheds light on our relationship with objects. Do you prefer your decor pristine, or with a personal touch? Motica’s creation shows that sometimes, to make something truly yours, you’ve got to break it first.

Slash Lamp Lighting Object by Dragos Motica

Legend - Heracles Chair

The Legend - Heracles Chair by Hung-Hui Liu and Chiang-Jui Chan weaves Greek mythology into automotive design. The muscle car chair sports bug-eye headlights and a Porsche 911-inspired rear, wrapped in Nappa leather with a lattice texture, with solid wood and steel forming its core. The style draws from “the strong body, but gentle and passionate mind” of the Greek divine hero Heracles, explain its creators.

Legend - Heracles Chair by Hung-Hui Liu and Chiang-Jui Chan

WHALE SKELETON Staircase

Who knew getting from one level to another could be such a whale of a tale? This striking structure by Roberto Rossi mimics a blue whale's bones, with stylized ribs and vertebrae replacing traditional steps. At 4,000 x 3,400 x 5,000 mm, it’s a sizeable piece crafted from steel, wood, and polyurethane foam. It’s certainly a step up from the usual fixture and set to make waves.

WHALE SKELETON Staircase by Roberto Rossi

Six Pandas Cultural and Creative Design

The Six Pandas giftware design by Zhaocheng He pulls a neat trick, turning three panda figures into six through clever overlapping. From scarves to water bottles, desk lamps to bracelets, Six Pandas has stamped these black-and-white icons on just about everything.

Six Pandas Cultural and Creative Design by Zhaocheng He

SP Saffron Grotesk Type Specimen

SP Saffron Grotesk, created by Paul Robb and Moira Bartoloni, updates the Swiss modernist sans-serif style for today's design needs. This typeface balances geometric contrasts with open spacing, offering a fresh take on classic forms. Inspired by typography from the 1960s onward, it maintains versatility for branding and communication projects. The font comes in a retro-style binder with ring-bound posters, adding a visual punch to its practical applications.

SP Saffron Grotesk Type Specimen by Paul Robb and Moira Bartoloni

Bread Art Magazine Article

Theodosis Georgiadis rises to the occasion with his Bread Art Magazine Article, kneading together photography and baking with colored paper and minimal props. Soft side lighting brings out the tactile qualities of each creation, allowing viewers to almost feel the warmth of a fresh bake through the images. By focusing on the textures and shapes of different bread types, Georgiadis offers a visually rich slice of artistry that celebrates the craft of breadmaking.

Bread Art Magazine Article by Theodosis Georgiadis

Hui House Limited Edition Artbook

The Hui House Limited Edition Artbook opens a fascinating window into an ancient style of Chinese architecture. Yumeng Li’s creation cleverly constructs a 3D experience through layered illustrations that, when combined, form a panoramic view of the Hui design tradition. The book’s pages unfold to reveal not just architectural specifics, but also the misty cultural landscape that surrounds these historic structures. By blending detailed visuals with spatial references, the art book invites readers to step into the Hui region's atmospheric setting, providing a tangible connection to this enduring architectural technique.

Hui House Limited Edition Artbook by Yumeng Li

Sean Coffee Gift Box Design

Xue-Wei Chen has brewed up a delightful design for Sean Coffee’s gift box, serving a visual treat that's as rich as the Taiwanese brand’s single-origin beans. The packaging percolates with warmth, thanks to a “fluorescent orange” palette that nods to coffee cherries. Chen’s design doesn’t just look good; it feels good too, with seven-color PANTONE special inks, foil stamping, and embossing techniques that bring the coffee’s flavors to life before you even open the box. Practicality meets creativity in the form of interchangeable illustrated cards, allowing Sean Coffee to keep their presentation fresh while trimming printing costs and reducing their carbon footprint.

Sean Coffee Gift Box Design by Xue-Wei Chen

Monet VR Color-blind Diagnosis System

The Monet VR Color-blind Diagnosis System, a virtual reality-based tool developed by Shuai Cheng Dong and Xiyu Chen, aims to paint clarity into the lives of those with color vision deficiency, offering a palette of features that go beyond traditional assessments. Monet pairs a VR headset with a digital app, allowing users to regularly check their eye condition, experience a wider range of colors, and connect with others facing similar challenges. With an eye on affordability and efficiency, Monet targets the estimated 300 million colorblind individuals worldwide, providing a precise tool for managing color vision deficiency.

Monet VR Color-blind Diagnosis System by Shuai Cheng Dong and Xiyu Chen