Trinidad and Tobago design studio wins Caribbean advertising award

Trinidad and Tobago design studio Praktis, which in 2023 won the Caribbean Advertising Awards’ Overall Best in Show for its work on the Machel Montano book King of Soca, has again struck gold.

This year, its team won three gold and four silver awards for campaign, branding and advertising projects for TRIBE Carnival, the Massy Group, and for social enterprise Nudge.

At the district level, which takes into account all local American Advertising Federations within the Caribbean and Florida, Praktis won an additional two silver awards for its work on TRIBE Carnival costume packaging and the Nudge Growing Good campaign.

For both Nudge and the Massy Group, Praktis collaborated with creative consultant Anya Ayoung-Chee and noted filmmaker Miquel Galofré of T&T Rocks on social impact campaigns.

Led by co-founders Blayne Clark and Marlon Darbeau, Praktis’ approach to design is strategic – helping brands get to the source of who they are, and amplifying it for the world to see.

“In short,” said Clark, “we help brands find their heat.”

One such brand is arguably the Caribbean’s most revolutionary, TRIBE Carnival.

Working closely with bandleader Dean Ackin, Praktis developed a new visual identity system for the brand’s 20th anniversary, encompassing logo design, an integrated brand identity campaign, and signature patterns used on everything from packaging to trucks.

“We couldn’t be happier with our experience working with Praktis,” said Ackin. “Their team was attentive and creative, and provided us with valuable tools we didn’t even know we needed. They took the time to truly understand our brand, making adjustments to ensure the final result was exactly what we wanted. The fresh new look they’ve given us will carry us confidently into the future.

"Their responsiveness and ability to adapt to our needs were commendable, and we’re excited to continue our partnership with them.”

With wins for two of Trinidad and Tobago’s most notable brands, TRIBE Carnival and Machel Montano, Praktis has cemented its role in the industry as culture-makers – "harnessing heat," as Clark enthused, for organisations already developing Caribbean culture – and helping corporate entities amplify their voices.

“The Trinidadian expression ‘making hot’? That’s exactly what we do,” Darbeau added with a grin.

And the international design world is paying attention. UnderConsideration, an influential design firm, praised TRIBE’s redesign in its blog BrandNew.

TRIBE’s new logo, it said, “makes you do a double take in the best of ways.”

Additionally, it called the entire project “exquisitely different, bold, and colorful. Just like the event itself.”

See more of Praktis’ work at praktis.design.