The Australian Good Design Awards are well-known as the highest honour nationally for design and innovation.

This year we had our best ever result, taking home four awards, including Best in Category.

Hamilton Airport

Our collaborative work refreshing the brand identity for Hamilton Airport received not only the prestigious Gold Winner Accolade, but also went on to be named Best in Class for the Communication – Branding and Identity category.

The Good Design Awards Jury commented: “The design of this branding project for Hamilton Airport is empowered by incredible collaborative skills and a deep sense of place. It shows a clear sense of authenticity with its deep respect for the area’s history, understanding that to plan for the future, one must appreciate and uplift the past.”

“We commend the thorough co-design process and the engagement of many Māori cultural and knowledge leaders throughout the project. We believe all place branding initiatives can learn from this incredible project.”

This project came about amidst planning for a major terminal upgrade and expansion. Hamilton’s airport needed a new brand, story and values to reposition for the future and celebrate its rich history.

In the words of our Creative Director in Auckland, Jodine Bell, “This award shows how culturally-connected brand design can resonate well outside its home environment. Waikato has a long and famous Māori history, which from the beginning we knew had to be represented in the work. This is recognition for everyone who came together to develop and deliver an identity that truly reflects the native species, people and history of this area – while highlighting the future-facing opportunities of the airport upgrade. It’s a once-in-a-career project the team at Principals are thrilled to have been a part of.”

Biodiversity Council

The awards kept rolling with a Good Design Accolade for our work developing the brand for the newly established Biodiversity Council.

We worked with Biodiversity Council to create a brand that represents Australia’s primary voice on biodiversity and unites experts in the field. This includes Indigenous knowledge-holders, philanthropists and 11 Australian universities.

The Good Design Awards Jury commented: “The Biodiversity Council achieves a meaningful visual identity that connects scientific credibility to the natural world. Congratulations on making navigating complex solutions an effortless experience for users.”

NAB

And continuing the streak of awards for NAB, our recent work on their brand evolution has also been awarded a Good Design Accolade.

NAB’s brand evolution leverages our best assets and introduces new elements that hero NAB’s unique, ownable star – allowing for more freedom and impact.

The Good Design Awards Jury commented: “This is a refreshing approach to branding such a well-known organisation. Through intentional and collaborative design, this project ensures NAB is positioned as ‘experts in money’.”

This is the second year in a row the NAB and Principals relationship has been honoured at the Australian Good Design Awards, with the reimagining of the NAB credit card terms and conditions receiving a Gold Accolade in 2022.

Our CEO Tom Brigstocke sums it up best: “Congratulations to the talented and determined teams who contributed to these successful projects, from both Principals and our clients. An outstanding result.”

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Check out our full list of awards