A glittering list of design effectiveness – these are the agencies and clients who will be taking home bronze, silver or gold awards at The Design Effect in London in March 2026: view the shortlist.
Founded in 1989 by the Design Business Association in the UK, the Design Effectiveness Awards recognise impactful, wide-ranging examples of design that have had a tangible and measurable impact upon business and societal success.
Judged by a broad range of business leaders and entered jointly by client and designer, the Awards draw focus onto the role design plays in enhancing people’s lives and delivering competitive advantage for business.
As the world around us changes, one thing remains constant; the ability of designers to create solutions and reinterpret challenges into new ways of thinking and shape the way forward.
The DBA Design Effectiveness Awards are the most rigorous standard for measuring the effectiveness of design. Says Sean Carney, Chair of the DBA Design Effectiveness Awards Judging Panel:
“The DBA Design Effectiveness Awards provide clear evidence of how design drives better business results, and how it has the ability to improve lives and shape a better world. This year, we saw an incredibly rich and diverse set of entries, ranging from projects for large multi-nationals to startups, from food and beverage to medical devices, from digital, to product, to packaging and service design.
Against a background of uncertainties, the case studies we reviewed offered some amazing insights into how design can deliver better outcomes, building brands, generating value, and truly helping business and society grow inclusively and responsibly.
What sets these awards apart is the presentation of actual evidence. This is not a discussion around the aesthetic merits of a product or service. The entrants go to great lengths to gather facts, figures and results that demonstrate how design has delivered a tangible competitive advantage.
This year’s panels of judges consisted of an incredible cross section of business, marketing and design leadership, ensuring that we had a diverse set of perspectives when evaluating the entries. As Chair of these judging panels, it was truly an honour to witness the quality and depth of the discussions triggered by each entry. The shortlisted winners can be extremely proud of the recognition they have received.”
