Committed to supporting and encouraging designers of the future, Pentawards has released its first Pentawards Student Brief in collaboration with LEGO.

The Pentawards Student Brief is designed to inspire and galvanise the next generation of designers to explore different elements of design and potentially new ways of working. For the first edition, we have teamed up with toy giants LEGO to develop a brief that centres entirely around Diversity and Inclusion.

Diversity and inclusion in packaging have been developing for some time and though we are starting to see more sophisticated levels, there is still a way to go and far more opportunities for inclusion to explore. The LEGO brief, which is free to enter, tasks the designers to address and support one or more key D&I issues of potential LEGO consumers. From gender equality to different cultural backgrounds, disabilities or age, the designer must create a concept that truly understands and incorporates their target audience whilst appealing to the broader LEGO consumer.

A key factor of the brief is to push designers to find new ways of modifying already well-established brands. By adapting LEGO’s specific guidelines, visual identity and tone of voice, the students must create a concept that wholly integrates D&I messaging into the packaging design, not just as a gimmick or token.

Xbox Adaptive Controller, Microsoft

In previous years Pentawards have seen great strides in the inclusion sector. In 2019 Microsoft won the Diamond - Best of Show award for their Xbox Adaptive Controller, designed for gamers with limited mobility. Each element of the packaging and unboxing experience was developed using insights from beta testers and UX respondents. They learnt that loops were highly proven to assist in accessibility and an open cavity under the controller meant it became much easier to remove.

Love is Love’s olive oil, Superstudio

In 2021 Superstudio won the gold award for their Love is Love’s olive oil packaging that focuses on diversity by recognising all types of couples through a series of playful illustrations that use bold colours and a stylised design to stand out.

The LEGO Group are on a mission to expand their Diversity & Inclusion, believing that the toy industry can and should do more in this area to inspire, enable play, and touch the lives of children, teenagers and adults of all communities. With this in mind, the students are pushed to dig deep into their research and really understand their target audience and their consumer journey.

The brief is free to enter and open to students currently in education, recent graduates and interns, with a deadline of 1st April 2022. Download our free User Guide or visit our dedicated student page for more information about how to enter.