YOUNG GUNS 16 VISUAL IDENTITY, CAMPAIGN & AWARD

Young Guns recognizes the vanguard of creative professionals aged 30 and under. Founded in 1996, the portfolio-based competition has grown into one of the most respected and coveted awards for emerging creatives worldwide. The One Club for Creativity commissioned us to develop the visual identity and campaign for the 16th season of Young Guns.

Building on the program’s legacy of championing ambition and experimentation, the campaign was centered around the word Elevate. The concept encouraged entrants to push their work beyond perceived limits, framing growth as both a creative and personal imperative. Visually, this idea took shape through a fluid, cloud-like system of saturated color forms interacting with bold, confident typography revealing itself. The compositions feel active rather than static, allowing gesture, overlap, and motion to carry meaning across print, digital, environmental, and social applications.

That sense of lift extends into the award itself. The Young Guns cube is magnetically levitated, suspended above its base and hovering in real space. The object was conceived by questioning the role an award typically plays. Too often, trophies become static markers of past achievement, objects that quietly collect dust.

Instead, the Young Guns award functions as a continuous reminder. Its permanent state of suspension reinforces the idea that what was achieved is not an endpoint, but a threshold. The levitation serves as a daily prompt to keep pushing beyond what feels conceivable, pairing the rigor required to win with the responsibility to continue evolving. More than an award, it is a reminder of what is possible when ambition, discipline, and belief remain in motion.