Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design

Red Dot: Grand Prix 2018 – OKKO

Living redesign – Red Dot: Grand Prix for OKKO’s brand design

Colourful, distinctive, modern – that’s how the brand design of OKKO, Ukraine’s biggest petrol station operator, is presented. The company and the agency that created the design, Banda Agency, were awarded the Red Dot: Grand Prix in 2018. This top distinction for communication design in the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design competition is awarded to just one entry in each category. The entry has to impress the jury with extraordinary creativity and design quality.

Catapulted to the pinnacle of communication design with an “O!”

The visual redesign of the OKKO brand is based on the claim “OKKO. Always a good idea”. Inspired by this slogan, Ukrainian agency Banda Agency derived the exclamation “O!”, which people use when they have an idea. The “O!” becomes the central design element and can be found among other things on own-brand cups, food packaging and car cleaning products.

Keep on moving

The bustling atmosphere at a petrol station, with most customers just passing through, is reflected in particular in the design of the company logo. The circles around the company name are reminiscent of waves created, for example, when a stone is thrown into water. At the same time, they depict the energy that customers can get from buying a coffee or a fortifying snack at the petrol station. Through the large, clear letters, powerful colours and special structure of the logo, Banda Agency achieves a very recognisable appearance for the OKKO brand.

Ideal combination of colour, form and intention

The Red Dot Jury was won over and decided to bestow the highest distinction for communication design on the agency and the company for their achievement. The jurors justified their decision to award the Red Dot: Grand Prix as follows: “The new visuals for the brand OKKO exude a very powerful and energetic presence. The bold and strong logo uses black as a main carrier of the message symbolising petrol and oil, paired with highly vibrant colours distinguishing the individual products. The entire appearance truly complements the brand values and has emerged as a playful and versatile corporate visual platform that appeals to different audiences – a splendid example of design work.”

Banda Agency is Red Dot: Agency of the Year 2018

Not only did the agency from the Ukrainian capital of Kiev win the Red Dot: Grand Prix at the Red Dot Gala on 26 October 2018; it also received the sought-after title of honour of agency of the year. The entire team surrounding founders Pavel Vrzhesch, Creative Director, Egor Petrov, Head of Art, and Yaroslav Serdyuk, Strategy Director, were ecstatic and rushed up on stage. The 2017 laureate, thjnk, handed over the Stylus trophy to the Red Dot: Agency of the Year 2018 as a symbol of its success. Six Red Dots and one Red Dot: Grand Prix bear testimony to the design quality and creative know-how of the full-service agency.

Official celebration of the laureates of the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design 2019 in Berlin on 1 November

The names of the designers and companies that were successful this year with their innovative ideas will be announced on 1 November 2019. That is the date when the Red Dot Gala takes place in the Konzerthaus in Berlin. Traditionally, it is not until this event that the winners of the Red Dot: Grand Prix are announced. You can find more information on the award ceremony here.

The Red Dot Gala 2018 in review: