Graduates making a name at Designers Institute of New Zealand’s Best Awards 

Media Design School’s Bachelor of Media Design and Graduate Diploma of Creative Technologies students and alumni picked up two Golds, three Silvers, one Bronze and five finalist awards at the Designers Institute of New Zealand, Best Awards, Friday 6 October.

The Designers Institute of New Zealand, Best Design Awards, with entries from industry and academia, is an international and domestic showcase of excellence in graphic, spatial, product, digital and motion design along with three special awards - Value of Design, Public Good and Toitanga, the unique lineage and origin of Māori storytelling and artistic expression.

Media Design School alumni wins best in category at the 2023 Best Awards

Bachelor of Media Design alumni, Jeremy MacDonnell, won two Gold pins, coveted under each category as best in category, for Student Digital and Student and Academic Product for ‘Wao Box.’

“It was such an exciting moment - It felt great! Being acknowledged by exceptional designers in our industry was incredibly gratifying,” said Jeremy.

‘Wao Box’ are ambient sound machines that reflect the unique soundscapes of three separate forests (ngahere): Pureora, Rakiura, and Waipoua. The boxes allow users to interact with the soundscapes via 24 individual tracks controlled by toggle switches and knobs that affect volume, pitch, reverb and delay. Along with the physical products, a stripped-back digital experience is also featured on an accompanying website.

“Domestic urban environments are noise polluted and often not conducive to creative output. I wanted to explore how people could use Ambient UI and soundscapes to enhance the quality of a domestic urban environment. My idea was to create an ambient machine that reflects unique soundscapes to help people work, study, sleep, or even just relax,” said Jeremy.

“Wow. There was so much to love about this project. We were blown away by the concept, design and craft levels in this piece. We would buy this product. So exciting to see talent like this coming through.” – Judge’s comments, Student Digital.

“A fun and novel employment of Ambient UI and soundscapes for everyday life. The judges loved the elegant, mid-century inspired minimalist design of Woa Box, ushering the sounds of the forest to the home and workplace with surprise and delight.” – Judge’s comments, Student and Academic Product.

Best Awards are judged by an array of domestic and international industry professionals

“This year, student projects cover a broad spectrum of topics, from the effects of technology and climate change on a Pacific Island to capturing the soundscapes of Aotearoa’s forests. It’s also really pleasing to see current students pick up a Silver Toitanga Award for our recent live brief for Matariki (Māori New Year) in collaboration with telecommunications company Spark New Zealand,” said Jim Murray, Programme Director, Bachelor of Media Design and Graduate Diploma of Creative Technologies at Media Design School.

“Being a finalist speaks volumes to the standing Media Design School graduates hold within industry, being awarded a Gold, Silver or Bronze is phenomenal recognition of our graduates and academics,” said Jim Murray.

“We are really proud of our student’s achievements and the hard work and support they received from their lecturers.”

“Awards are truly wonderful, and winning medals serves as a significant validation of the success of our graduate outcomes. They provide our faculty and academics with valuable insights into our students' potential and enhance the credibility of our programs,” said Tammie Leong, Senior Lecturer, Bachelor of Media Design.

2023 Best Awards silver and bronze awards

Current Bachelor of Media Design students Sam Oxford, Salem McKay, Gio Bumanlag, Solbi Ju and Jinwoo Park won a Silver Student and Academic Toitanga Award for Matariki Hunga Nui, an augmented reality experience created for Spark, that offers users an immersive experience guiding their learning to use Te Waka o Rangi – the celestial navigation tool – to locate Ngā Whetū o Matariki.

Ethan James Hiku, Bachelor of Media Design alumni, took out a Silver in the Student Moving Image category for ‘Future Pasifika’, motion pieces each born from a curiosity about the future of Niue regarding the effects of climate change, rising sea levels, and the state of society. Three scenarios, ‘Continued Capitalism’,‘Apocalyptic’ and ‘In Harmony with Nature’ offer different outcomes for the future depending on our actions in the present.

‘Signs of Protest’ by Graduate Diploma of Creative Technologies alumni Madeline O'Donoghue, aspires to offer a toolkit to guide individuals through a transformative process, enabling them to find their own voices through protest. It won Silver in the Student & Academic Graphic category.

Bachelor of Media Design alumni, Lucca Sharplin, won the Student Public Good Bronze for Cando: Harnessing Lifetimes of Wisdom, a concept platform designed to help foster meaningful connections between seniors and youth to unlock the mutual benefits of intergenerational relationships. By bridging the generation gap, Cando leverages technology to create stronger, connected communities where wisdom is shared, skills are honed, and enduring friendships are formed, while fostering empathy, understanding, and mutual respect, as well as promoting inclusivity and cohesiveness in society.

Other Best Award finalists

‘One’ by Sejin Lee for Student Graphic

‘Freckl’ by Calais Soper for Student Public Good

‘IwishIcould project’ by Chas Clark for Public Good

‘The fusion of science and spirit’ by Morgan Seal for Student Moving Image 

‘Māuipōtiki (Māui the last born)’ by Kahu Hurae for Student & Academic Toitanga 

The achievements we celebrate are the result of a collaborative effort

“Each of these students has put in tremendous effort, eagerly absorbing feedback and making critical decisions to refine their craft,” said Tammie Leong.

“Our dedicated faculty members who have been part of these projects are emotionally and mentally invested, demonstrating courage and tact in providing constructive feedback while considering the vulnerability of the students.”