DBA Awards Trophy
Rethinking the prestigious DBA Award
A redesign of the DBA Awards trophy to reflect the modern day relationship between design and business, we leant on lean, local manufacturing methods to reduce the trophy cost by over 80% and leveraged plant based materials to reduce carbon emissions.
“Great designers need great clients. The two halves of this new trophy cannot stand up alone; they are a picture of the relationship that must exist between those commissioning the work and those delivering the outcomes. Morrama has created a design that perfectly tells our story, and captures the essence of not only the awards but our industry today.”
- DEBORAH DAWTON, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, DBA
The DBA came to Morrama not just for a new trophy, but for a new story. The trophy needed to say something about what the awards stand for - the relationship between design and business.
The new trophy is made from two distinct halves that cannot stand alone. It is a physical embodiment of the Design Effectiveness Awards, a story of the relationship between those commissioning work and those delivering impactful design.
Neither client nor agency succeeds without the other. This trophy doesn't just celebrate great design. It explains why great design happens.
The material and production story
Wanting to reduce impact and celebrate UK manufacturing, the trophies are produced and assembled within a 2.7km radius of our studio. Made in collaboration with Batch.Works using additive manufacturing techniques, each trophy is 3D printed in a plant-based material derived from coffee waste. The result is glass-like in appearance, the two halves twisting upwards to present the name of the recipient and the level of the award.
Lightweight by design, the production method reduces carbon emissions and is naturally zero-waste. The nature of the material also leaves the door open for the trophies to take on a new look each year, creating an opportunity for ongoing exploration into sustainable materials and storytelling.
