Spikes Asia launch design category in 2009

The newly launched Spikes Asia Festival will this year add a Design category, which aims to honour the creative and innovative use of design as a lever to influence consumers and its use as an aid to the communication of brand and product messages. The inaugural Design Jury will be chaired by design expert Rodney Fitch CBE (pictured), chairman and CEO of Fitch Worldwide.

With a distinguished career in design that has spanned nearly 40 years, Rodney has served as a member of the Design Council and as a past president of the Chartered Society of Designers, D&AD and Cannes Lions in 2008. In 2005 he was inducted into the Legion of Honour and Hall of Fame of the American Institute of Store Planners, the most prestigious award in retail design for an individual, and in 2006 was a finalist for the Prince Philip Designer’s Prize. He was awarded a CBE in 1990 for services to the British Design industry.

Rodney is also active in the development of design education and is currently a senior governor of the University of the Arts, London, the largest collegiate institution of its kind in Europe, and supervises an MA course in Retail design at the Hoegeschool Academy in Rotterdam, Holland. He is also Chairman of V & A Enterprises, the Victoria and Albert museum’s commercial business.

Rodney founded the Fitch agency in 1972 and now has 19 studios in 12 countries around the globe. His work embraces brand development, packaging design and corporate branding, and specialises in delivering “consumer experience” in the retail environment across all retail sectors. Clients worldwide include Amazon, Bentley Motors, BP, Dunlop, DHL, Hewlett-Packard, IKEA, L’Orèal, Lego, Marks & Spencer, Nokia, Microsoft, P&G, Starbucks, Toys ‘R’ Us and Unilever.

“Highly respected by his peers and a source of great knowledge, we are privileged to have Rodney chair the first Design Lions jury – a truly great start for this new category,” said Terry Savage, chairman of Cannes Lions who with Haymarket are joint organisers of the Festival.

Rodney Fitch commented, “Design is at the very heart of all creative work; from ads to film, from digital to shops, design is the glue that holds the creative industries together. Asian designers have a growing worldwide reputation for great work, so I'm naturally delighted that their efforts will be showcased at Spikes and honoured to be inaugural president.”

Categories of the new Design competition will broadly include Packaging Design, Brand Identity and Environmental Design and will be rewarded for Creativity, Originality, Execution and Consumer Engagement.

The winners of the first ever Design Spikes awards will be honoured in Singapore on Friday 18 September.