IE University announces Wally Olins-Saffron Award for Best Project in Visual and Digital Media

Jacob Benbunan, the CEO of Saffron Brand Consultants, presented the first-ever Wally Olins-Saffron Award at the IE University graduation ceremony held at the Palacio Municipal de Madrid on July 25^th, 2014.  The award was given to Kim Palita Wienands for the best final project in the Master in Visual and Digital Media at IE University. Wienands will be offered a paid internship in the strategy team in one of Saffron’s offices during the 2014-2015 period. During the graduation ceremony, Wienands was also named IE University’s best student for the 2013-2014 academic year.

The award is named after Wally Olins, a world-renowned pioneer in the field of branding and corporate identity, who died this year at the age of 83. Olins was Chairman of Saffron Brand Consultants, which he co-founded with Jacob Benbunan in 2001. Ms. Wienands’ project develops a concept for a virtual gift-giving app named dibsy that has the potential to revolutionize the sharing of digital content. Its design is derived in part from research and insights on user incentives to engage in free exchanges within online platforms.

The project was unanimously selected by a panel of judges that included professors from IE School of Communication and high-level staff at Saffron Brand Consultants. The judges noted the originality of the concept, the thoroughness of the research, and the high quality of its visual design.

“Kim's work is refreshing and inspiring. Her approach to brand and innovation is creative, human and optimistic, three musts in today's environment,” said Benbunan.

“We want our students to gain experience in developing real creative projects from start to finish because the kind of entrepreneurial thinking they learn in the process is one of the keys to success in today’s creative economy,” declared Vincent Doyle, the academic director of the Master in Visual and Digital Media at IE University. “Kim’s project embodies everything we are trying to achieve with this program,” he added, “and to have her work recognized by Saffron, one of the most prestigious branding agencies in the world, is a great honor.”

About Saffron Brand Consultants

Saffron Brand Consultants is a branding consultancy with offices in Madrid, London, Istanbul, Vienna and Mumbai. Founded in 2001 by Jacob Benbunan and Wally Olins, it specialises in creating and managing brand identities for companies, countries and institutions.

Saffron is responsible for the creation and positioning of brands as relevant as Lloyd’s of London, Swiss Re, Apollo, Raiffeisen, C&A, A1 Telekom Austria, Turkcell, Baker & McKenzie, Yoigo, Vueling, Bankinter, Indra, Madrid Open and Volotea amongst others.

About IE School of Communication

IE School of Communication offers a vibrant and critical environment in which to develop optimum thought and action skills for an interactive world that revolves increasingly around communication. The School runs graduate and postgraduate programs in different areas of communication, including visual and digital media communication and corporate communication.

The Master in Visual and Digital Media offers an innovative combination of intensive training in the creative and managerial aspects of visual and digital content creation. The program helps students to develop the skills, creativity, and entrepreneurial mindset they will need to compete and thrive as a 21st century visual and digital media profesional.