Press Release
Goodbikes Social Impact Campaign by Squared Is Granted the A' Design Award in Social Design
Squared acknowledged for social design by the international grand jury of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 18, 2025 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the A' Design Award in the Social Design category for Goodbikes Social Impact Campaign by Squared, designed for Desert & Ocean Coworking. The award was conferred within the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
What the A' Design Award Means
The Iron A' Design Award is awarded to good designs that meet the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the A' Design Awards. This recognition is reserved for works that demonstrate a solid understanding of design principles and show creativity within their execution. Recipients of the Iron A' Design Award are acknowledged for their practical innovations and contributions to their respective fields, providing solutions that improve quality of life and foster positive change. These designs are a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, showcasing their ability to address real-world challenges through thoughtful design.
About Goodbikes Social Impact Campaign
Goodbikes is a social impact campaign that turns tourism into community support in Swakopmund, Namibia. Visitors buy bicycles at special rates, use the bicycles during their stay, and donate them before leaving. Donated bicycles are repaired by local repair shops and given to residents who need transport for work, education and daily services. The campaign is run with local businesses and the municipality. The visual identity uses bold, minimal graphics applied to posters, flyers, stickers, metal bike plates, coasters and digital content.
About Squared
Yana has worked in the field of advertising for more than a decade. Her work has gathered international acclaim from multiple print and online publications and was honored with several international awards. Over the years Yana has gained extensive experience in design and visual communication for advertising and has pushed boundaries with an array of non-standard projects. She has been involved creatively with a large list of local and international brands, among which Audi, Coca-Cola, Henkel, Mattel, Procter & Gamble, Unilever. Her work is characterized by strong concepts, carefully crafted design solutions and cutting-edge visuals with incredible attention to detail.
Award Record
With this recognition, Squared is a winner of 5 A' Design Awards. The awards span the editions from 2021 - 2022 to 2024 - 2025 of the A' Design Award & Competition.
About the A' Social Design Award
The A' Social Design Award is an international design competition recognizing excellence in social design by social impact designers and think-tanks worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to social designers, social brands, social manufacturers and social design professionals from all countries. Entries typically include community projects, social campaigns, public installations, educational programs, sustainable initiatives and healthcare solutions. Awarded social designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/social
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/172596
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/172596
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!172596
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/325347
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Goodbikes Social Impact Campaign
- Function
- Social Impact Campaign
- Category
- Social Design
- Discipline
- Communication Design
- Industry
- Social Impact
- Colors
- Beige, Teal, Sandy Brown, Steel Blue and Burly Wood
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Desert & Ocean Coworking
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Squared
- Country
- Bulgaria
- Recognition
- A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2024 - 2025
- Design ID
- #172596
Credits
- Team
- Yana Okoliyska, Marina Varlyakova, Nikola Ivanov and Desi Todorova
- Image Credits
- Creative Director - Yana Okoliyska Marketing & Strategy Director - Marina Varlyakova Digital Growth Strategist - Nikola Ivanov Graphic Designer - Desi Todorova
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Goodbikes is a community-driven initiative transforming tourism in Namibia into social impact. Visitors in Swakopmund purchase bikes at special rates and donate them before leaving, providing essential transportation for locals. Partnering with businesses and the municipality, donated bikes are repaired and redistributed. This sustainable model promotes mobility, supports local repair shops, and reduces carbon footprints proving that a simple idea can create lasting change.
- Inspiration
- Inspired by the power of community and sustainable mobility, Goodbikes transforms travel into lasting impact. By donating bicycles, visitors help locals access work, education, and essential services while promoting eco-friendly transport. The initiative supports local repair shops, reduces carbon footprints, and fosters a culture of shared responsibility proving that small actions can drive big change.
- Research
- Goodbikes was developed through qualitative research to understand mobility challenges in Swakopmund. Objective: Improve local transportation access via sustainable solutions. Methodology: Interviews, surveys, and observational studies. Tools: Community feedback, municipal data. Participants: Tourists, locals, businesses. Results: High visitor interest, strong local need. Impact: A scalable model for eco-mobility and social good, merging tourism with lasting community benefits.
- Challenge
- The biggest challenge was overcoming the logistical complexities of creating a donation-based system that integrated seamlessly with tourism. Balancing visitor engagement with local needs while ensuring sustainable bike repair and distribution was difficult. We navigated the challenge of limited local resources and community engagement in a small town. Overcoming these hurdles required careful collaboration with businesses and the municipality, aligning diverse stakeholders to create a smooth, impactful process.
- Realization and Technology
- Goodbikes was developed through a strategic blend of branding, UX design, and community-driven engagement. The campaign’s identity features bold, minimal visuals for clarity and impact. Digital assets were crafted using vector-based design and motion graphics, while print materials utilized eco-friendly inks and recycled paper. The initiative leveraged behavioral design techniques to seamlessly integrate donation incentives, ensuring maximum participation and sustainability.
- Operation and Interaction
- Goodbikes is simple and impactful: visitors purchase a bike at a special rate, use it during their stay, and donate it before leaving. The donated bikes are then repaired and given to locals in need. The interaction is seamless: travelers enjoy eco-friendly transport, while the community gains long-term mobility. Stickers, coasters, and digital campaigns spread awareness, making participation easy and rewarding. It’s a cycle of giving that keeps moving forward.
- Project Duration and Location
- Started in June 2024 and ongoing.
- Specifications
- Goodbikes features a full-range print communication system, including posters, flyers, and eco-friendly stickers. Custom metal bike plates serve as durable identification tags for donated bikes. Branded coasters are placed in cafés around town to boost awareness. The digital campaign includes website assets, social media content, and motion graphics optimized for engagement across platforms.
- Keywords
- social campaign, donation-based initiative, creative design, community engagement, sustainable transportation, eco-friendly mobility, social good, bicycle donation, local empowerment, awareness campaign
