Indigo Design Award 2023 winners: 7 outstanding designs to inspire your own projects

Are you seeking inspiration for your work? It's tempting to scroll through sites like Behance, where you'll find lots of eye candy. But ultimately, design isn't about pretty pictures; it's about serving the client's needs and solving problems. That's why we're big fans of the Indigo Design Award: a global competition that rewards designers for work that takes a brief, runs with it, and creates something that goes the extra mile.

In short, the Indigo Design Award is all about pushing you forward and encouraging you to become a better designer. In their words: "We are the prism through which your vision, innovation, and prodigy shine through. We are Indigo, and we exist to encourage and promote your creativity."

They've just announced their 2023 winners, and we share the winning work in the seven main categories below. Featuring uncommon artistry and a fresh new take on design-inspired composition and layout, they all stand as a guiding light to any designer looking to raise their game.

Want to have your work celebrated and talked about like this, on blogs and in magazines all over the world? Then become a part of The Indigo Design Award 2024 by submitting your own projects! The Early Bird Deadline, which offers a 15% discount on submission fees, is coming soon, on 30 September 2023. So don't miss this chance to showcase your talent and be recognised among the best in the industry.

Graphic Design of the Year 2023: By The Bronx, For The Bronx by Team

There are museums, and then there are museums. Organised in 1971 by community leaders and activists, The Bronx Museum in New York was founded on the belief that art is essential for the path to social justice and that it should be free for the community to experience and enjoy.

To mark 50 years of showcasing transformative arts, the museum needed a powerful statement to reimagine itself as a dynamic institution for the 21st century, rooted in its central ethos: free art for all. Brooklyn-based strategy and design studio Team brought this mission to the fore with a new brand identity. This new logo, visual identity, tonality, messaging, and website are all centred on the community the Bronx Museum serves, capturing the culture, spirit, and tenacity of the people who live there.

Digital Design of the Year 2023: Readymag

Designers who don't have coding skills are always looking for tools that can help, but sometimes those tools can be very restrictive. Readymag offers huge creative freedom while still being easy to use: a case of squaring the circle that won this year's Digital Design of the Year award.

This browser-based design tool offers everything you need to make visually complex projects on the web: the most up-to-date typography, impressive animations, and complete creative freedom with no layout restrictions. You get a customisable grid and a blank page, so your imagination is the only limit. This makes it the perfect solution for users torn between simple website builders and complex systems that require the help of professional developers.

Mobile Design of the Year 2023: The Virtual is Real by Elkanodata

Virtual violence and online abuse are more prevalent now than ever, and most victims are women and girls. Created by Spanish design agency Elkanodata, The Virtual is Real is an immersive and multimedia campaign that elevates their digital experiences into something as close to physically tangible as possible.

The team crafted a portfolio of the stories of 11 survivors or victims of various forms of online violence and abuse from around the world. It aims to raise awareness that gender-based violence is violence wherever it is perpetrated, and its consequences are as traumatic in the real world as they are offline.

By allowing those women to share their stories, the campaign aims to destigmatise the survivors of this form of gender-based violence. The campaign has led to 30,000 people signing a dedicated petition with Global Citizen.

Design for Social Change of the Year 2023: "Barrier Breakers: From Jackie to Pumpsie" and "Negro Leagues Béisbol" by Flyleaf Creative, Inc.

Baseball history isn't just about Babe Ruth. The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, is dedicated to preserving the African American and Afro-Latino contributions to the sport. It partnered with New York agency Flyleaf to work on two websites that bring to life facts and photos chronicling the key players in this story.

The first site, launched in April 2022, complements the physical exhibition "Barrier Breakers: From Jackie to Pumpsie", which premiered at the Los Angeles Dodger Stadium. The second site, "Negro Leagues Béisbol", launched in August 2022. Both sites aimed to present historical photos, videos and copy in a captivating virtual environment, enhance the in-person experience at the exhibition, and incorporate a multilingual option for users to view the Béisbol site in Spanish and English.

Custom templates were developed for both websites and had distinct visual themes to better represent the content for each exhibition. For those who are seeing the exhibits in person, QR codes are linked to exclusive content on the site. The website also harnesses forms of interactivity unique to a web experience, such as 'flippable' baseball cards.

Branding Design of the Year 2023: Campus, Reading International by Socrates Communications

Campus, Reading International is a business park with a difference. This amenity-rich, next-generation community compromises 375,000 sq ft of dynamic, wellness-focused workspace, a message they needed to communicate effectively. So they turned to the London marketing agency Socrates Communications to develop a community-focused brand and visual language for the site.

Offering a strong sense of well-being and major commitments to both the planet and its people, illustration was central to the brand's design solution. Placing people front and centre, each scene was designed to reflect a key aspect of the new workspace, used across digital media and a range of physical collateral to depict a vibrant new destination for a post-Covid world.

Freelancer of the Year 2023: We Love Graphic Design by Jesper Bolther

Jesper Bolther is a director, designer, and passionate animator based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Working in graphic design, branding and animation, he's always pushing the boundaries to make every project as cool as possible.

We Love Graphic Design is an annual design event in Copenhagen, and Jesper led the direction, animation and design of the incredible titles for its 2022 edition. This sequence is a deep dive into the vast possibilities of the contemporary graphic designer, from old-school Photoshop effects to beta-released Illustrator features, from AI images to computer-generated patterns to browser-based 3D. The project was a collaboration with Hey Jack Studio (visual identity and design), Nothing Studio (3D animation), Sanctus (audio services) and The Chicken Sound (music and sound design).

Discovery of the Year 2023: Arcana by Hyeji Lee

Created by design student Hyeji Lee, this project aimed to develop a hospitality brand with a flexible system, to apply in versatile contexts for the brand: print, web, mobile, collateral, motion and space. Arcana imagines an immersive nature retreat in a hidden forest a few hours away from the city. It offers an exclusive stay and memorable experience connecting with the power of nature. The cabins are clad in reflective stainless steel and are virtually invisible in the surrounding nature.

The identity system is rooted in the unique value of Arcana, bridging urban and wild, blending into nature. The logo with geometric patterns interprets Arcana's nature-connected experience, disappearing and blending into its surroundings.

Enter The Indigo Award 2024 today

Inspired by our winners and want to enter the Indigo Design Award yourself? Well, why not? The competition is open to everyone worldwide, and it's very easy to enter. Plus, there are so many specialised design categories that you're sure to find one that fits right in your wheelhouse.

And there are so many reasons to enter. Participating in the Indigo Design Award lets you showcase your creativity and innovation and provides valuable exposure and networking opportunities. You'll gain recognition, credibility, and the chance to elevate your career to new heights. In short, it's a chance to propel your work to the forefront and open doors to new possibilities in the design world.

So what are you waiting for? The Indigo Design Award 2024 is now open for submissions, offering designers from around the world an opportunity to showcase their exceptional talents and compete for recognition on a global scale. Plus, if you meet the Early Bird Deadline of 30 September 2023, you'll get a 15% discount on the entrance fee! Now, on with the winners.

For more information and to submit your work, visit the Indigo Design Award website and let your creativity shine on the global stage.