Cotton Capital
by The Guardian
Cotton Capital is The Guardian's journalism project exploring the findings of Scott Trust’s academic between transatlantic slavery and the Manchester Guardian's founders. The review focused on three areas: business investments; the wider personal networks of the funders and Manchester's 19th century cotton trade; and links with plantations in the United States and Jamaica.
The Guardian collaborated with a diverse group of writers, creatives and academics to produce multi-format stories, including articles, video, podcast, data visualisations and social media, alongside a special magazine.
The brand identity and magazine cover feature tactile cotton tapestries of the first Manchester Guardian from 1821. The Guardian sought to illustrate the magazine with colour and motion rather than historic images, to suggest the story is ongoing and refocusing it onto the enslaved people, their descendants and those looking to move forward.
It references typographic motifs such as the picture cap style found in the Manchester Guardian and raised caps from digital articles, with its logo drawing on 19th century slab typefaces. Continuous line drawings by Elisabeth Michiel's act as the thread linking Britain's culpability for slavery to the money it produced.
Other elements include illustrations by Tomekah George, juxtapositions of cotton and coin for the podcast identity by Mark Harris, and commissioned art from Trifle studio by artists with learning disabilities.
Since publication, King Charles III supported research into the monarchy's historical links with slavery and UN experts and politicians called for public and private bodies to take similar steps. The material will remain on display in The Guardian’s London, New York and Sydney offices.
The judges said: “An important social topic approached with clear content and a great aesthetic identity. Impressive production, animation and video. It all feels very cohesive.”
Social Design
HALL OF FAME WINNERS
winner
My Operation
by Get Better Books, for Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children
Paediatric anxiety can have serious effects on the short-term and long-term psychological wellbeing of children, as well as serious financial ramifications for hospitals. If a child fails to comply with their medical regimen – as 30% of transplant patients do according to Great Ormond Street Hospital – the consequences can be costly and potentially dangerous.
My Operation is an accessible printed book designed to be free from gender, culture, race and ability using friendly animals. It seeks to help seriously ill children facing an operation to understand their treatment journey and alleviate procedural anxiety.
Get Better Books collaborated with clinicians, patients, psychologists and LD specialists on the project, aiming to break down communication barriers between clinicians and young patients. It says it has received incredible feedback from patients and their families as well as the medical community.
shortlisted
SEE MONSTER
by Newsubstance, for Creativity in the UK
Newsubstance’s SEE MONSTER project was commissioned by UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK festival. It was designed to be accessible and inclusive while showcasing cross-sector collaboration across science, technology, engineering, art and maths (STEAM).
Taking a retired oil rig from the North Sea, the studio created a 35-metre-high, four floor public art installation, aiming to inspire global conversations about reuse, renewables and the great British weather. Key features include a 10-metre-high waterfall, a 6,000-piece kinetic installation, kinetic wind sculptures, a wild garden, a seated amphitheatre and a broadcast studio.
Its in-person and online learning programme was used by over 70,000 school children, young people and students, encouraging them to engage with STEAM subjects and understand the role that the arts can play in fighting climate change. Overall, it attracted a diverse, multi-generational audience of half a million to Weston-super-Mare from September to November 2022.
highly commended
England Football Learning
by Zone Digital, for the Football Association Education Department
Zone Digital was tasked with designing a new learning hub for the Football Association (FA) Education Department to replace the now decommissioned BootRoom. England Football Learning was created to be inclusive of all genders, background ethnicities, disabilities and learning styles, while matching the strategic goals of the FA Education department and the quality standards of the FA as a global brand.
Designed to be responsive to the users’ needs, it personalises the experience as the learner interacts with it, offering preference-related content, learning context and areas of improvement. The learner profile has a public-facing side – a bio which helps with building professional networks, particularly useful for aspiring coaches – and a private-facing side, where users can bookmark content and sessions.
England Football learning also allows leaners to track their progress, access supporting materials, talk to the FA community, and ask coach developers for support and guidance. The branding and its graphic elements – originally designed for the Learning Hub – have been adapted for wider use across marketing initiatives within FA Education.
