European Design Awards

25/09/2026

Can typography capture the improvisation of jazz?
For the poster of the 44e amr Jazz Festival, Atelier blvdr painted the letters directly with fingers before scanning them. The spontaneous gesture becomes part of the typography, while the contrast in scale gives the one-colour composition its presence in the urban environment.
In the jury’s words, the poster “makes music with type and lettering”.

44e amr Jazz Festival by Atelier blvdr, Switzerland�
Gold — Poster: Single�
European Design Awards 2026
Creative Director / Art Director / Designer / Illustrator: Francia�
Copywriting: Silvia Francia, Atelier blvdr

23/09/2026

What if the w**e could create its own label?
For Piquentum Brut Nature, Studio Sonda used the w**e’s own sediment as the medium. The label continues to evolve after leaving the w**ery, developing mould naturally and differently on every bottle.
For Anders Thulin, President of the Branding & Packaging Jury, it is “a surprisingly radical solution that would normally sit closer to contemporary art than to a w**e shelf. And that is precisely its strength.”

Piquentum Brut Nature by Studio Sonda, Croatia�
Gold — W**e Packaging�
European Design Awards 2026

Creative Directors / Designers: Sean Poropat, Jelena Fiskus�
Concept: Jakov Poropat�
Client: Piquentum (Vinski Podrum Buzet), Dimitri Brecevic

**ePackaging

20/09/2026

The European Design Agencies League looks at the studios that have built a record of achievement at the European Design Awards.

But every ranking begins with the work.

In 2026, 143 projects were recognised — across countries, disciplines and studios of different scales. Different perspectives, different contexts. One year in European communication design.

16/09/2026

Some rankings confirm what we already know. Others show what is changing.
The 2026 European Design Agencies League does both.
STUDIO DUMBAR/DEPT remains at number one, with CLEVER°FRANKE and Beetroot Studio completing the top three.
At the same time, 13 studios appear in the top 100 for the first time. Dizain enters directly at number nine, joined by new names including Lava, Kind, Skogen, Not Perfect Tallinn and Post-Spectacular Office.
There is movement throughout the League: Sons & Daughters ID rises 23 places, TypeTogether climbs 19, while And-studio moves from number 98 to number 44.
Updated annually, the European Design Agencies League brings together results from the five most recent editions of the European Design Awards. The 2026 ranking reflects distinctions received between 2022 and 2026, the competitiveness of each category and consistent performance over time.

Discover the complete top 100 and explore the rankings by discipline, country or edition:
https://awards.europeandesign.org/rankings/agency-league

05/08/2026

What happens when a design studio leaves the office and moves into a w**ery?
Lithuanian studio And-studio, European Design Awards winner, is launching W**e Design Exchange: an initiative that sends the team to live and work at a w**ery for a full week before developing its brand strategy, identity and packaging.
Instead of starting with a creative brief, they begin by getting to know the people, the place and the production process from the inside.
The residency is followed by several months of branding work, with the aim of helping independent w**eries strengthen their identity and compete in an increasingly challenging market.Sometimes, the best way to build a brand is to experience it first.
Read the full story on the European Design Awards Blog ↓

30/07/2026

Most design work gets replaced in a few years. A banknote doesn't get that luxury — it has to work, unchanged, for decades, in the hands of hundreds of millions of people.
Berlin-based Neue Gestaltung, a long-time European Design Awards winner, just made the ECB's shortlist for the new euro with a proposal built entirely around that constraint: no hierarchy between elements, a typeface drawn just for this series, and a map of Europe overlaid with the constellations that once guided travellers across it.
Read how they got there ↓

On 23 July 2026, ECB President Christine Lagarde presented the ten design proposals shortlisted for the next series of euro banknotes — the first full redesign of the currency since its introduction in 2002. Among the finalists is the Berlin-based Neue Gestaltung, multiple-time award winner at the...

14/07/2026

“In the skirts of Vitosha” is how poets have long described Sofia, the city cradled by the mountain. Inspired by this expression, NEXT-DC recreated Vitosha's relief through folded, layered and scanned textiles, transforming the mountain's texture and form into a living visual identity for the European Design Awards 2026.

19/06/2026

Design is shaped by dialogue, but also by recognition.
The European Design Festival 2026 brought both to Sofia: four days of conversations, exhibitions, workshops and, ultimately, the celebration of this year’s European Design Awards winners.
Thank you to Slanted Publishers for capturing the atmosphere of this year's festival and awards ceremony in their recap.

Read more:

The European Design Festival 2026 brought the European design community to Sofia this year. The Bulgarian capital proved to be the perfect host for a long weekend full of inspiration, encounters, and new perspectives.

08/06/2026

Still thinking about it?
The European Design Festival begins in three days.
Talks.�Exhibitions.�Workshops.�Studio visits.�The European Design Awards Ceremony.
11–14 June�Sofia
Explore the programme.�Get your pass. https://epaygo.bg/1154463465

05/06/2026

The second day of the European Design Festival Talks features six speakers working across branding, typography, digital experiences, publishing, motion and visual storytelling.

𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟮 — 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟭𝟯.𝟬𝟲.𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲
📍 Toplocentrala, Sofia

• Vangelis Liakos Beetroot Studio
• Rozalina Burkova Studio
• Plamen Motev Fontfabric Type Foundry
• Yannis Konstantinidis Nomint
• Maria Todorova NEXT-DC
• Krasimir Stavrev & Svetla Todorova Punkt

Book your ticket today: https://epaygo.bg/1154463465