The Brief

Codi Cymru presented an exciting opportunity to explore how an existing brand could evolve into a distinctive, engaging and year-round platform for events and recognition across Wales.

The brief centred around building on the foundations already in place — an established name, logo and typeface — and developing a wider creative system that could bring the identity to life. The ambition was to create a brand experience capable of celebrating achievement, recognising brilliant work and connecting people across industries, all while retaining a strong sense of Welsh identity.

For Ddraig Studio, the challenge was to develop a creative direction that felt contemporary, confident and distinctly Welsh, with the flexibility to work across everything from a high-profile awards ceremony to everyday digital communications.

The Approach

At the heart of our approach was the meaning behind the name itself. Codi — to rise, lift and build — provided a strong creative foundation, inspiring a visual direction centred around movement, momentum and progression.

Rather than replacing the existing identity, our proposal focused on building a cohesive brand system around it. This included exploring a tiered colour palette, developing the existing petal-inspired mark into a repeatable graphic pattern, and establishing a consistent photographic and typographic style.

A key part of the creative direction was movement. We explored a recognisable visual gesture in which typography, categories, speakers and winners rise naturally into frame, creating anticipation and reinforcing the idea of celebrating success.

The visual territory balanced warmth and Welsh character with the polish expected of a professional industry event. Charcoal and warm paper tones provided a considered foundation, while red and orange accents introduced energy and impact.

Bringing It to Life

The proposal explored how this creative system could translate across the wider Codi Cymru experience, extending far beyond the awards ceremony itself.

From social media templates for category and finalist announcements to motion graphics for sponsor reveals, the concepts demonstrated how a consistent identity could create recognition across multiple platforms and touchpoints.

We also explored how the existing mark could become a wider visual asset through repeatable patterns, while a considered approach to typography and imagery would ensure consistency across presentations, event materials, digital communications and future campaigns.

With events planned across 2027, scalability was central to the thinking. Every element was considered as part of a wider system, designed to maintain a recognisable identity whether appearing on a stage, a social media post or a sponsor's communication.

The Result

Our entry of interest gave us the opportunity to develop a considered creative vision for Codi Cymru, exploring how an existing identity could grow into a more cohesive, flexible and engaging brand experience.

Although the work was developed as a proposal rather than a commissioned rollout, it remains a project we are incredibly proud of. It reflects the way Ddraig Studio approaches creative challenges: looking beyond individual assets to understand the bigger picture, identify opportunities and build ideas with purpose.

For us, this project was about more than an awards identity. It was about exploring how design, movement and storytelling could help celebrate Welsh achievement and give brilliant work the recognition it deserves.

A creative vision built around one simple idea: helping great work rise.