Rockit Apple scoops Gold at Best Design Awards

The innovative miniature apple company took out a gold, a silver and three bronzes for its 2021 rebrand at the Best Design Awards on Friday evening – an annual event hosted by The Designers Institute of New Zealand showcasing excellence in graphic, spatial, product, digital and motion design.

It’s a huge win for the team at Rockit, as well as for design partners Designworks and Special Group, who worked tirelessly to bring the reimagined Rockit brand elements, colour palette, typography and Rocki kids’ character to life.

General manager global marketing for Rockit, Julian Smith, says the team hasn’t stopped smiling since they were notified of their awards success last week, and are justifiably proud of the accomplishment: “To win a gold, silver and three bronze at the Best Awards is a significant achievement for a value-added brand looking to disrupt the commodity apple market. It’s a real testament to what can happen when you combine creativity and world class thinking.”

The Rockit brand book scooped gold in the Design Communication category, thanks to Designworks’ executive creative director Jef Wong and his team, and the execution of the Rocki character won him silver for Design Craft/Illustration. The three bronzes went to both Special Group and Designworks for brand identity, graphics and business communication.

Says Wong: “It’s a real privilege to be part of Team Rockit, with some amazing results at the Best Awards this year. A gold and a silver is great recognition for the hard work by Julian and the Rockit family on their brand identity over the last 18 months, and Designworks is proud to be part of that journey. Also, a big congratulations to the team at Special for their Rockit awards.”

Rockit’s Best Awards accolades come off the back of an incredible year for Rockit Global Limited, opening its state of the art Te Ipu facility in Hawke’s Bay in June and sending over 120 million apples out the door to its key international markets. The company enjoyed a record 45% growth year on year, and Smith says the Rockit rebrand, which was unveiled worldwide in July, was key to its improved recognition, reputation and profit: “The new brand is bursting with personality, attitude and energy, much like the snack-sized apples we grow.

“Working with our design partners was a really rewarding experience. They understood our direction, our point of difference, and worked hard to capture our innovation and set us apart in a busy market. We have found great allies in Designworks and Special Group who, along with our own dedicated team, have worked extremely hard to differentiate us. This is a terrific reward for that effort.”