part of the Zambia Tourism Awards slideshow

We were approached to get involved with the first ever Zambia Tourism Awards in April 2009. The competition was designed to promote and reward excellence in Zambian tourism.

Case studies are an opportunity for us to express our passion for what we do. They give a deeper insight into our design rational, the process followed and the results of each project.

The aim was to establish the Zambia Tourism Awards as an annual event that will be recognised as the tourism industry’s most prestigious function, attracting wide media coverage and enthusiastic industry-wide support. The awards were initiated by the SEED project under the Ministry of Tourism Enviroment and Natural Resources (MTENR) with support from Capacity Building for Private Sector Development (CBPSD) and the Tourism Council of Zambia (TCZ). Yup. They love their acronyms over there.

The Zambia Tourism Awards logo

The Design Brief

The brief was incredibly broad and our team was involved in research, copy writing, design, marketing and event management. This case study focuses on the design element and will showcase the logo, program and event visual backdrops. The challenge was to create an inspiring and dramatic brand image that had an obvious link to Zambia as a country (we used the bright and recognisable Zambian flag colours). It needed to communicate quality, generate excitement, be flexible and have the ability to stand the test of time.

The Process

The project was always going to be a challenge because it was, in the main, a sponsored event run by a committee. There were many decision makers and stakeholders to consider. Through a collaborative strategy we established that the developing brand needed to:

1. Grab attention to inform the public about the awards and encourage their participation.
2. Win over private sector members of the Zambia tourism industry and encourage their participation.
3. Be professional and visually powerful in order to set the tourism awards in a strong foundation from which future yearly award events can be built on. The brand needed to demonstrate the high standards being set.

To achieve this, the design process involved a lot of research and international team work and communication — between our UK (sb) and Zambia offices (the Best of Zambia) and between our team and the busy stakeholders. Numerous on and off line meetings were necessary and many heated (or passionate) discussions took place!

The End Result

All this happened in a haze of project management hell, tight deadlines and one too many revisions. That is not a negative comment — what’s important is the successful outcome, the accolades we received from the stakeholders and the powerful lessons we learnt as a team that only experience can teach you. Below you’ll find part of the slideshow (featuring the hotel nominees and winner), program cover spread and some photos of the event. Let us know what you think!

Zambia Tourism Awards slideshow (Click to view an interactive version)

Program cover spread

The arrival of the Minister of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources, Honourable Catherine Namugala

Zambia Tourism Awards night

Zambia Tourism Awards event in action

Zambia Tourism Awards plaques

Zambia Tourism Awards evening entertainment

Zambia Tourism Awards 2009 winners

the bike ride across Vietnam event (BRAVE) logo

Have you ever considered the impact your business has on the wider world? Have you stopped to think how this could be used in a positive way?

The official term — corporate social responsibility. But I prefer to strip away the jargon and cold tone and call it, “giving just because you can contribute and make a difference”. Since it’s the right thing to do, you get this wonderfully positive warm and gooey feeling inside! That may sound corny to some but there’s no other way to say it. Of course we can’t (and don’t intend to) get away from the fact that we’ll get some publicity from this, but it’s about mutual benefit.

I bumped into Gary Johannes in the butchers and he asked for some design support for a charity event he had in mind. It took less than five minutes of his story and I was in. Here’s why:

1. It’s based on an extraordinary story of strength and a powerful personal story.
2. It’s a respectful and gracious way that Gary and his family could say thank you for the support they got from the children’s ward at Stoke Mandeville’s Spinal Unit.
3. I’m not a big believer in free flowing, no questions asked money based charity (otherwise known as aid) but I do believe in action based giving.

The charity idea went on to become BRAVE – Bike Ride Across Vietnam Event. Christopher, Gary’s son, broke his back and was told it was unlikely that he would ever walk again. Fighting the odds, Christopher and Gary will bravely bike ride across Vietnam in 2010. The time we spent crafting the BRAVE logo and creating the banner stand was our humble and simple attempt to contribute to something tangible.

You can read the full remarkable story here and here. Funds raised will be donated to Stoke Mandeville’s Spinal Unit who helped Christopher on his journey to walk again. Why don’t you take part?