May 17 will be inscribed in golden letters in the history of Greek design. Wednesday evening at Design Studio G became the first creative agency from Greece to receive the prestigious title Boutique Design Studio of the Year V ADC Annual Awards New York. It is not only the oldest design award in the world (with 102 years of continuous presence), but also one of the most important awards for the design and visual communications industry internationally. Actually G Design Studio photographed yesterday Oscar of Visual Communication and they are the first Greeks to do so.

In addition to the highest award, the Athens office also received the first prize (Gold Cube) in the Food and Beverage Packaging category, as well as Best in Packaging Design, for packaging Greek olive oil DIA ELIS. At the annual ADC award this year, two more projects by G Design Studio, TRATA packaging redesign and visual identity for the Epidaurus 2022 Athens Festival, were shortlisted for the award (in the Packaging Design nominations). and brand/communication design, respectively). These are very important awards as the great night of the annual ADC Awards celebrates the industry’s vanguard each year in a variety of categories, from graphic design, illustration and publishing to packaging design, advertising, photography and more.

“When a design firm from Greece receives such an important distinction in a world metropolis, it means that size does not matter,” says Michalis Georgiou.

Of course, the two heads of G Design Studio, Mr. Michalis Georgiou And Dimitris Stefanidis. Their voices cannot but convey excitement and emotion. The journey, which began in 2006 from “provincial” Greece, is reaching absolute recognition. “The feeling of victory outside of Greece is exhilarating, especially when it comes to a country as big as America,” Michalis Georgiou of New York tells us. “It shows us how much more optimistic we can be about the future, and that hard work on the quality of meaningful design is rewarding. It is important that the experience awarded can work on several levels. I have always believed that years of knowledge in the field of design is not only a means of rewarding and further development, but also a tool for educating young designers. When a design bureau from Greece receives such an important distinction in a metropolis of the world, it means that size does not play any role.”

For Dimitris Stefanidis, this important award has a double meaning. 20 years ago, he came to New York with not more than $100 in his pocket, but with a desire to serve in two global design education centers, the Pratt Institute and Pentagram Design. “I am grateful that one of my dreams, the American one, came true,” he says happily. ink”. I take the opportunity to ask him about the atmosphere of the evening: “It was an exciting evening, filled with design stars, but also emotional, as I returned to the city where I started my career, this time to receive the highest award for our office” .

The American triumph did not come to G Design Studio overnight. A special campaign on behalf of the State Orchestra of Athens in 2020 became their aesthetic “passport” for recognition and dozens of awards that followed in Greece and abroad. Since then, their evolution has been impressive. Purity of form, authenticity of design, as well as a strong emotional background are some of the main characteristics of their design identity. And the day before yesterday, she was recognized in front of the most eclectic audience imaginable.