Winning the Professional Branding & Identity category is We & I from Dentsu, led by Taichi Tamaki, Ryota Sugahara, and Miki Taguchi. When rock band RADWIMPS, represented by Universal Music, decided to write a graduation song- a choral performance that is a part of high school graduation in Japan - they were hired to create its visual identity. RADWIMPS is particularly popular among young people, and by using a high school chorus as a metaphor, they created a series of overlapping line silhouettes, while adding a hidden image that could only be discovered with a common study tool.

The winning Student entry in Branding & Identity went to Desert X from Yingying Zhu at ArtCenter College of Design. Desert X is renowned for its large-scale land art exhibitions set within desert landscapes. The rebrand emphasizes the intersection of cultures, humanity, and nature, exploring space and time while leveraging digital technology to create an immersive and cohesive visitor experience.

The jury team for the 2025 Branding & Identity category was led by Jury Captain YanYan Zhang an Associate Partner and Executive Creative Director at VSA Partners. Zhang put together a jury which includes: Kelly Bjork a Partner at IDEO, Michael Braley the Creative Director at Braley Design, and Liz Oh a Senior UX Design Manager at HubSpot.

The 2025 Core77 Design Awards Branding & Identity category honors a visual design system, or elements of a system which communicate brand philosophy and values, visually and experientially--conveying a desired image of a product, company, or organization. Projects include logos, custom typefaces, color palettes, and complete brand identity systems.

Branding & Identity Award Honorees

• 
  Pro Winner

  We & I

  By DENTSU INC.

• 
  Pro Notable

  North Central Iowa Coalition Against Human Trafficking

  By Iowa State University

• 
  Student Winner

  Desert X

  By Desert X

• 
  Student Runner Up

  Tokyo 2036

  By Tokyo 2036

• 
  Student Runner Up

  Xerox

  By Xerox

• 
  Student Notable

  Archiv des Wirrwarrs (Chaos Archive)

  By Archiv des Wirrwarrs (Chaos Archive)

• 
  Student Notable

  Gray Area

  By Gray Area

• 
  Student Notable

  ZKM

  By ZKM

See All The Honorees of the 2025 Core77 Design Awards Here:

Apps & Platforms | Built Environment | Branding | Commercial & Industrial Equipment | Consumer Technology | Design for Social Impact | Emerging Technologies | Furniture & Lighting | Home & Living | Interaction | Lifestyle Accessories | Medical & Healthcare | Packaging | Speculative Design | Sports & Outdoor | Sustainability | Tools | Toys & Play | Transportation | Visual Communication