Zeitgeist businesses understand and move with the spirit of the times in order to truly understand what their customers want and how to deliver it innovatively. The velocity of changes in business and community is breathtakingly inspiring but equally overwhelming. Whether your business is directly related to design and the digital or not, no doubt, it is key that you understand and move with your peers and consumers. The exciting 2016 World DRIVENXDESIGN awards world tour culminates in London on 22nd November and covers innovation from categories spanning from ... to ..., the common theme being the zeitgeist. This is the perfect platform for you to showcase your ideas from this year, to get your name on the world stage and to keep your finger on the pulse.

2016 Design Awards

You can get international award nominee status for your app for £220 plus the price of your app development by registering at The Design 100. The page also gives tips for submission of your own idea with the deadline of August 18th. The World Tour, which includes awards ceremonies, summits and showcases visits Melbourne (MEL) July 27th, Melbourne (GOV) August 24th, Sydney September 7th, Hong Kong September 12th, Chicago September 16th, New York October 12th, San Francisco November 16th and finally London November 12th. The key dates in the UK for your business to put the UK on the map and promote your business internationally are: Standard Deadline 18th August, Late Deadline 8th September, Judging & Ratings 29th September, Rating closes on 12th October and winners are announced the next day, Awards are presented at the Design Summit and Showcased one month before Christmas, so on point for Christmas consuming, on 22nd November.

What does international award nominee status give me? It will get you noticed by other pioneers who are interested in accelerating transformation, celebrating courage, and growing demand for design. So, better than advertising, you are noticed and respected for your ideas by those you really respect. It’s not about winning, it’s about taking part: international award nominee status will get your idea listed in a business and design forum used by the international community’s most well respected critics waiting to review this year’s most innovative ideas. It is top-down-promotion, starting with the key innovators in the community and trickling down to online reviews by critics and independent bloggers read by the average consumer.  

The astounding range of categories means that your idea will be seen outside of your own field, which can be challenging with the increasing deluge of information available in your own field. Categories include: Space Design (Architecture and Interior Design), Space Plus, Object Design (Project Design and Maker Design), Experience Design (Communication Design and Advertising and Marketing) and, of course, Digital Design (Digital Innovation and Web and App Design).

Furthermore, the £220 grants you access to the DRIVENXDESIGN community, this year’s nominees across all categories, giving you access to this year’s most innovative design ideas across an array of fields. Browsing some of the leading design ideas from your peers will keep you abreast of international developments and gives you a handle of who your peers are in the international community. Furthermore, many of the ideas are truly inspiring and will give you food for further ideas for your own business for the coming year.

The categories within the digital field include: Expanded Service or Application, New Service or Application, Business Operations, Business Platforms, Community, Corporate, EdTech, Entertainment & Leisure, Family, FashionTech, FinTech, Food and Drink, Games, Government Services, Health, Home and Living, News and Information, Retail and Shopping, Travel and Tech. So, if you have developed an app you are really proud of this year, then this is THE WAY to promote your app. If your company or organisation has had an app developed this year, this is THE WAY to promote your app. See my next blog post in the App Design tab on www.app4grabs.uk to look at my favourite design awards nominees to date.