Plain Language Awards
In 2006, Helen Clark was our prime minister, social media was yet to take off, and plain language wasn’t a term you’d often hear. This was all about to change. The first ever New Zealand Plain English Awards (now known as the Plain Language Awards) were about to take place. Fast forward to 2024, and the term ‘plain language’ is much more widely understood. It’s even part of New Zealand’s legislation, under the Plain Language Act 2022.
Plain language, simply put, is writing in a way that is concise and easily understandable.
Plain language benefits all of society. It helps business be more productive, customers be well informed, and people
know their rights. If you’ve ever wrestled with a complicated legal document, or wasted time with a confusing instruction manual, you’ve experienced what the plain language movement is working to fix.
However, communicating clearly isn’t an easy task, and that’s where the Plain Language Awards come in. “The Plain Language Awards are a public pat on the back for plain language champions, and help raise the bar for clear communication.”The Awards are all about communicating. To reflect this, we (unsurprisingly) opted for a language-based approach. The branding is built around the phrase “Who’s the clearest of them all?”. Playing on a well-known fairy-tale expression helps give the Awards an instant familiarity, and a playful, fun tone.
The brand communications use a simple, punchy colour palette and well-organised contemporary layouts. The logo depicts a stylised sentence, designed to be easily understood and not overly complicated — much like plain language. Visit: plainlanguageawards.org.nz.
Visit: plainlanguageawards.org.nz.
Caption: The physical awards were designed in collaboration with sculptorCampbell Maud
Photo by: Jess O'Brien
Great design starts with excellent writing and content, so sponsoring the Plain Language Awards is the perfect match for us.