The Workshop picks up three Cream Awards for Roundabout’s annual report – including the Grand Prix!

13 November 2009 | News, Projects | 2 Comments

The Transport font used on the report's wraparound features on all British road signs

Last night, Colin, one of our directors and Andrew, our design communications manager, travelled to Leeds for the annual Cream Awards, which are about recognising and rewarding design excellence in Yorkshire.

We’d entered the annual report that we created for Sheffield charity, Roundabout, into two categories: ‘Publications and Annual Reports’ and ‘Craft’ – we came up trumps in both!

Best in show

The Workshop collected the top prize in each category and received some high praise from the judging panel. Then, just as they were settling down for the rest of the evening, Andrew was called to the stage a final time as the report collected a third gong, the crème de la crème of the evening’s awards, the Grand Prix!

It was a great night for The Workshop and we’re extra pleased that the awards came for our work with Roundabout, a charity we’ve supported for several years.

It’s been a tough year for the industry and even at last night’s awards, there was an element of stripping back and getting back to basics. The truth is, it’s creativity that really matters, not big budgets and indulgence, so it feels kind of fitting that an annual report created on a not-for-profit basis proved such a winner.

You can find out more about our good news over at The Drum’s website, where you’ll also find a full breakdown of the evening’s various winners and commendations.

The report's photography shows the more vulnerable side of the young people supported by Roundabout

About Roundabout

As well as running a hostel, Roundabout provides a life skills programme for young homeless people between the ages of 16 and 25, which teaches them cooking, budgeting, self-esteem building and healthy living.

Founded in 1977, Roundabout helps 120 people a day and more than 1,200 youngsters every year.

Images of young people from a distance contrast with more personal close-ups

About the winning project

The 2008-9 Roundabout annual report incorporates a unique photographic collection of some of the young people who use Roundabout’s hostel.

Each of the volunteers was photographed twice by Sheffield’s Nigel Barker at different city centre roundabouts – one image shot from a distance, with a second, close-up image showing a more vulnerable side of their personalities.

A smaller booklet containing the Sheffield charity’s report data and information is stitched to the outside of the pictorial anthology, incorporating the words ‘Round’ on the back cover and ‘About’ on the front.

The typeface used is Transport – the principal font used on British road signs. By adopting the same principles as road signage design, the key information is presented clearly and can be absorbed quickly.

The overall design has connotations with both the word ’roundabout’ and the work carried out by the charity, on many different levels.

The smaller wraparound element is partly intended to show how Roundabout supports and protects young people like those depicted in the larger brochure within. But the fact that the outer booklet is smaller shows that the problem of young homeless people in Sheffield is currently bigger than the resources available to the charity.