The Making of CSSDA’s New Certificates

Hi, it’s Den from Red Collar . We’ve just released a collaboration with CSSDA , and I want to share the details with you. Below, I’ll go over some of the key aspects we considered when developing the design for one of the world’s largest design competitions.

Form

When developing the concept for the certificates, we embraced the idea of looking at simple things from a different angle. Even the most straightforward typography becomes a design object when viewed from a new and unusual perspective. That’s exactly what we did by creating a typographic composition for the certificates. The standard award text is now wrapped in an isometric form, transforming it into an exceptional design solution.

For the technical execution, we were inspired by the CSSDA logo – we took the 45-degree tilt from it, which allowed us to create typographic compositions based on this angle.

Our goal was to achieve an effect where the certificate becomes an art print on the wall, seamlessly fitting into interior design alongside posters.

Colors

The certificates are divided into two types: standard awards and special ones. For the standard certificates, we chose a minimalist color scheme – a colored typography set against a dark gray background. This combination uses contrast to emphasize the color identification of the certificates. For the special nominations, we selected a brighter color palette – the colored background highlights the uniqueness of the special award.

Animation

Supporting the main idea of the certificate concept, we applied the same principles of typography construction in the animation – distortion and transformation of space through typography. Our primary goal in creating the animation was to immerse the viewer in an alternative world where viewing objects from different angles creates spatial distortion and variability in perceiving the same elements. This reflects the core principles of design in general – to see something new, you need to look at it from a different angle.

General Video

In creating the general video, we assembled several short animations, each reflecting the behavior of typography in the alternative universe we created, where the angle of view affects perception. The short videos inherited the main elements of the certificates they correspond to.

Animated Certificates

We then had the idea to provide each winner, in addition to the physical certificate, with an animated version. This way, they can share not just a photo of the certificate on their social networks but a full-fledged animation that will attract more attention to their posts.

So, how do you think the choice of color palettes impacts the way certificates and awards are perceived?

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