Miniature apple company Rockit has taken out a clutch of awards for its 2021 rebrand at the Best Design Awards in New Zealand.
The annual event, which took place on Friday (18 February), is hosted by The Designers Institute of New Zealand to showcase excellence in graphic, spatial, product and digital motion design.
In a media release, Rockit said the awards represented “a huge win for the team” as well their design partners Designworks and Special Group, who 'brought to life' the reimagined Rockit brand elements, colour palate and typography and Rocki kids’ character.
“To win a gold, silver and three bronze at the Best Awards is a significant achievement for a value-added brand looking to disrupt the commodity apple market,” said Rockit’s general manager of global marketing, Julian Smith. “It’s a real statement of what can happen when you combine creativity and world-class thinking.”
The Rockit brand book scooped gold in the Design Communication category, led by Designworks’ executive creative director Jeff Wong and his team, while the execution of the Rocki character won him silver for Design Craft/Illustration.
The three bronzes went to both Special Group and Designworks for Brand Identity, Graphics and Business Communication.
“A gold and silver is great recognition of the hard work by Julian and the Rockit family on their brand identity over the last 18 months, and Designworks is proud to be part of that journey,” said Wong. “Also, a big congratulations to the team at Special for their Rockit awards.”
Rockit’s triumph at the Best Design Awards comes off the back of a landmark year for the company. It opened its state-of-the-art Te Ipu facility in Hawke’s Bay last June, and shipped 120m pieces of fruit to key global markets. Rockit recorded a 45 per cent growth year-on-year, according to the media release, and Smith said the rebrand, which was unveiled worldwide in July, was key to improved recognition, reputation and profit.
“The new brand is bursting with personality, attitude and energy, much like the snack-sized apples we grow.”
