Rigg Design Prize 2022—Advertising and Communication Design Exhibition

The first major exhibition of advertising and communication design in the NGV’s history, The Rigg Design Prize 2022 highlights the creativity underpinning the work of eight leading Australian-based agencies.

For the exhibition, each agency will develop a suite of campaign assets – including billboards, street posters and moving image – to celebrate how creativity can shape who we are and the world we live in.

Now in its ninth edition, the triennial Prize is Australia’s highest national accolade for contemporary design bestowed by an Australian public gallery and seeks to profile a different field of design practice every three years. In 2022, the Prize exhibition showcases the capacity of advertising and communication design to influence how we consume, act and behave as a society, while drawing attention to the creative minds behind the campaigns working across graphic design, typography, digital media, film, psychology and creative writing.

Including the Australian offices of multinational and independent creative agencies, the finalists invited by the NGV to compete for the $30,000 Prize are: Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, DDB Group Melbourne, Frost* collective, Gilimbaa, Leo Burnett Australia, TBWA\Melbourne, The Royals and Thinkerbell.

The NGV’s design curators undertook national research to establish a shortlist that would represent and showcase the breadth of excellence in Australia’s advertising and creative communications sector. Participating agencies include long-established leaders and disruptors, and agencies that have carved out their own unique space through their focus and specific approach. When exhibited together the eight agencies will provide a unique insight into the creative process and the motivations and aspirations of some of Australia’s most dynamic professionals working in the field.

For the exhibition, the NGV challenged each agency to create a campaign that articulated the potential of creativity to accelerate positive social, cultural, economic or environmental change. The eight exhibited campaigns represent a call to action for Australia to realise its ‘creative potential’.

Tony Ellwood AM, Director of the NGV, said: ‘Australian advertising and communications agencies attract some of the most creative minds in the country. The 2022 Rigg Design Prize is an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the extraordinary talent of this multifaceted design discipline, which is rarely examined within the walls of an art gallery. The NGV is committed to elevating all areas of Australian contemporary design, as well as challenging ideas about what design looks like in the twenty-first century.’

Ewan McEoin, Senior Curator, Contemporary Art, Design and Architecture, NGV, said: ‘We have challenged some of the most creative minds in our country to convince Australians that creativity is something to be valued and embraced as a powerful force capable of influencing and shaping a better future. We want them to highlight, clarify and amplify the extent to which creativity has the potential to shape who we are and the country we live in. We must elevate the value we place on creativity; it is a critical ingredient for a better, fairer and healthier tomorrow.’

The Rigg Design Prize is a generous legacy of the late Colin Rigg (1895–1982), a former secretary of the NGV’s Felton Bequests’ Committee. Previously known as the Cicely and Colin Rigg Contemporary Design Award, the invitational prize was established in 1994 to recognise contemporary design practice in Victoria. In 2015, for the first time in the award’s twenty-year history, the Rigg included shortlisted designers from across the country. In previous years, the Prize has celebrated achievements in jewellery, furniture and interior design.

The Rigg Design Prize 2022 will be on display from 7 October 2022 to 29 January 2023 at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia at Fed Square, Melbourne, Australia. The winning campaign will be announced on 13 October. Free entry. Further information is available via the NGV website: NGV.MELBOURNE

ABOUT THE SHORTLISTED AGENCIES

Clemenger BBDO Melbourne

Clemenger BBDO Melbourne was formed in 1972 following BBDO’s share purchase of John Clemenger Advertising ­– established 1946 by John Clemenger. With partner agencies in Sydney (AUS), Brisbane (AUS) and Wellington (NZ), Clemenger BBDO Melbourne was awarded Global Agency of the Year at Cannes in 2017 and named Agency of the Decade by both Campaign Brief and Mumbrella in 2020.

DDB Group Melbourne

Established by Doyle Dane Bernbach in 1949 in New York (USA), DDB launched in Australia in 1963. Part of the DDB Group, which is also made up of TRACK, Tribal, DDB Remedy and Mango, DDB has offices in Melbourne (AUS), Sydney (AUS) and Auckland (NZ).  In 2016 DDB Sydney was the most awarded Australian agency at Cannes, in 2019 DDB was recognized as Agency of the Year by Campaign Brief and from 2020-2021 the agency received accolades from AWARD, D&AD and Spikes.

Frost* collective

Frost* collective is a B Corp certified agency of strategists, built-environment specialists, digital innovators and designers based is Sydney (AUS). Founded in London (UK) in 1994 by CEO and ECD, Vince Frost, Frost* collective has received creative awards from D&AD, Art Directors Club (New York and Tokyo), The Society of Publication Designers New York and AGDA Australia.

Gilimbaa

Gilimbaa, which means ‘today’ in the language of the Wakka Wakka people of Central Queensland, is a 100% Indigenous-owned communications and creative agency based in Brisbane (AUS). Founded in 2008 by Wakka Wakka man and Executive Director, David Williams, Gilimbaa develops culturally relevant and engaging design and content for, and with, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Gilimbaa was awarded Supply Connect Supplier of the Year in 2015, was a finalist in the 2019 Queensland Reconciliation Awards and was announced as a BADC Award Winner in 2019.

Leo Burnett Australia

Leo Burnett is a multi-national communications and creative agency founded, 1935 in Chicago Illinois (USA), by American advertising executive Leo Burnett. Leo Burnett Worldwide has 9,000+ employees in over 96 offices across 82 countries. Leo Burnett Australia, established in Melbourne in 1958, opened its original Sydney office in 1980. In 2017 The Gunn Report named Leo Burnett Australia the ninth ‘Most Awarded Agency in the World’, while the agency ranked #1 Australian agency 2019-20 in The Work Awards presented by Campaign Brief.

TBWA\Melbourne

TWBA was founded by William G. Tragos, Claude Bonnange, Uli Wiesendanger, and Paolo Ajroldi in 1970 in Paris (FR). The first letter of each founder’s name provided the initials for the organisation. Now headquartered in New York, TWBA established its first Australian agency in Melbourne (AUS) in 1994, subsequently opening offices in Sydney and Adelaide. In 2016, the Melbourne based agency rebranded to TBWA\Melbourne. TBWA\Melbourne ranked #4 Australian agency 2019-20 in The Work Awards presented by Campaign Brief, were named ‘Australian Agency of the Year’ at Spikes Asia in 2020 and ‘Best in Show’ at the London Design Awards in 2019.

The Royals

The Royals, founded in Melbourne (AUS) in 2011, is an independent creative agency working at the intersection of data, strategy, design and creativity. In 2014 the agency opened a second office in Sydney (AUS). The Royals was awarded Independent Agency of the Year by Adnews and Mumbrella in 2018, received the People and Culture Award from B&T, 2017, 2018, 2021 and has received industry accolades from D&AD, The One Show, Spikes, NY Fest and Webbys.

Thinkerbell

Established in by Jim Ingram, Adam Ferrier, Margie Reid and Ben Couzens in 2017, Thinkerbell is an independent creative and consulting agency with offices in Sydney and Melbourne (AUS). In 2021 Thinkerbell was named Creative Agency of Year, Full-Service Agency of The Year, and PR Agency of the Year by Mumbrella – marking the first time one team has won all three agency accolades.

The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia | 7 October 2022 – 29 January 2023 | Free entry