Two of the most memorable things about the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest in Kyiv were its slogan “Celebrate Diversity” and its logo, a series of circles, each featuring a different pattern, strung together like a traditional Ukrainian necklace.
The team that came up with that logo, creative agency Banda and Republique design studio, have now earned professional acclaim for their eye-catching design by winning a Bronze Lion award at the Cannes Lions International Creative Festival’s award in the design category.
This is the first Lions award won by Ukrainian designers in the design category. Seventy awards were given in the category – seven Gold, 25 Silver and 37 Bronze.
“We’ve been waiting for this for 10 years – the first promotional Lion in Ukraine,” Pavel Vrzhesch, the Creative director of Banda Agency, wrote on Facebook after the award winners were announced on June 19.
Banda Agency and Republique based their branding for Eurovision 2017 on a traditional Ukrainian necklace to symbolize the different Eurovision competitors who had been brought together by the contest. The agency chose traditional Ukrainian colors, red and black, for the TV show format and used different patterns on the beads to reflect not only diversity but a Ukrainian identity as well.
“While working on a project we never thought of winning this award. All we wanted was to make a recognizable and modern brand to reflect the essence of Eurovision and show Ukraine as modern, open and interesting country,” Pavel Vrzhesch told the Kyiv Post. Next year Banda Agency plans to take the Golden Lion.
Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity takes place annually in Cannes, France. It celebrates achievements in creative communication, advertising and related fields. Last year, a Ukrainian commemorative performance entitled “Witness,” created by Ukraine’s Crisis Media Center, also won a Bronze Lion.
Banda Agency also designed the “Ukraine Now” campaign, which aims to form a national brand for Ukraine, recognizable globally. The brand, the first one ever designed for Ukraine, is minimalistic and dynamic, with an emphasis on the capitalized word “now.” A large, new, modern font, Ermilov, was created especially for this brand to emphasize Ukrainian identity.
In addition to Ukraine Now, Banda Agency has created campaigns for such brands as Helen Marlen, Borjomy, Uber, Good Wine and Puma.
