THE SUCCESSFUL MEASURES
Since 1989 the Design Business Association (DBA) has been judging evidence-based case studies to consider the value that design has played. Scrutinised by an expert panel of client-side business leaders, thousands of entries are welcomed every across all industries from all over the world, meaning winning a design effectiveness award is a really big deal.
OUR FIRST FORAY
In 2008, when Glengoyne Distillery approached us to review the tour process to enhance the visitor flow through the site, we recognised that the distillery could do with a bit more love. So we challenged the brief and, with our client, expanded the brief to enhance the entire visitor experience; ease the impact of tours on production; and increase visitor spend per head.
The project spanned over ten years with Glengoyne Distillery, and it wasn’t until we crossed the finishing line that we felt our work was truly worthy of award-winning status. We aimed high and made our first foray into the very prestigious DBA awards in 2020 — who’d have thought our work for this small but impactful distillery would win a gold.
Apart from being pretty ecstatic, we felt very honoured about this accolade. It’s less about how the design looks but entirely about how it performs. This really meant something. We felt quite humble that we were getting it right for our clients and for their business; this was truly a pat on the back.
THE MORE THE MERRIER
Off the back of the excitement of a gold win in 2020, we went on to win a silver award in 2021 for our brand and packaging project for Lind & Lime Gin. Most recently, we were awarded a gold win for our long-standing portfolio project with Gordon & MacPhail Whiskies in 2023.
“STRIVE NOT TO BE A SUCCESS, BUT RATHER TO BE OF VALUE” — ALBERT EINSTEIN.
DATA, MATHS & STATS
Entering DBA awards is a good few months’ work. From sourcing data and scrutinising statistics to analysing and compiling the big picture from the small details — it’s certainly no easy feat. But it’s teamwork and throws up some impressive facts. And we’re able to share the rewards and glory of winning with our clients — they even get as excited as us.
From this, we saw the outstanding results our design was achieving in real terms for our clients’ businesses. This was the clincher. This is what we set out to achieve from a brief, but now it was visible, undeniable proof.