2022 Winner

When tasked with creating an identity for the 2021 National Magazine Awards (NMA), which celebrates excellence in journalism and visual creation, Rethink drew inspiration from a magazine’s most distilled form: the spine. The design system was based on a range of perspectives given the number of submissions sent to the award show each year, represented through the stacking and bouncing of publications. White spines, featuring the name of the awards in black type, were displayed on a background of red, to reflect Canada, and gold and silver, to represent the different levels of recognition awarded by the NMA. For typography, Lausanne was selected for its contemporary take on the “Canada Modern” aesthetic, allowing the identity to align with the historical context of typography in Canada.

Credits

Client: National Magazine Awards Foundation
Agency: Rethink
Chief Creative Officer: Aaron Starkman
Executive Creative Director: Leia Rogers / Morgan Tierney
Creative Director: Hans Thiessen
Associate Creative Director: Alex Bakker
Art Director: Alex Bakker
Designer: Alex Bakker, Sharleen Ramos
Writer: Sean O'Connor
Strategy: Darren Yada
Producer: Yogi Omar
Motion Design: Leigh O’Neill, Ignacio Florez
Account Services: Kat McKeen, Isha Kanyal