What makes a digital experience award-winning? Sometimes, it changes how we see an everyday routine. Sometimes, it helps someone feel less alone. And sometimes, it gives a remarkable company the story its website has been missing.

This year, we're proud to have received six awards at the 22nd Annual Davey Awards: four Gold and two Silver. Across three very different projects, one principle connects the work: digital experiences matter most when they make people feel something.

Here’s how we approached that idea, one project at a time.

Changing the Commute Without Changing the Message
NY Waterway — Two Gold Awards in Campaign: Banner, Display or Rich Media and in Video Campaign

Commuting is a habit that's hard to break. We follow the same route, board the same train, sit in the same traffic, and repeat it the next morning. Even when a better alternative exists, familiarity often wins.

For NY Waterway, our challenge was to make commuters reconsider that routine, not by giving them another list of reasons to change, but by helping them imagine a different journey. Fresh air, open water, a new view: what if getting to work could feel like part of the day to enjoy?

Through video advertising, animated banners, and paid digital placements, we brought that idea to life with concise writing, motion, rhythm, and sound. Rather than simply explaining the message, the animation became part of it, turning a familiar commute into an invitation to see things differently.

The goal was simple: make someone pause and wonder, Why do I always take the same route?

The two Gold awards recognize the campaign's success across banner and video categories, and the power of creative storytelling to make an everyday experience feel new.

When a Website Becomes a Mirror
Vera Therapeutics — Gold in General Pharmaceuticals and Silver for Best Use of Animation or Illustration

Living with a rare disease can be isolating, especially when few people understand what you're going through. For Vera Therapeutics, we partnered with Believe Limited to create a digital experience that did more than explain IgA Nephropathy (IgAN). We wanted people living with the condition to feel seen.

Our answer was IgANime, an interactive microsite inspired by manga and anime. At its heart is a personalized avatar generator that builds a manga-style character from users' responses, reflecting aspects of their individual journeys.

A professional manga artist and her team hand-illustrated every character element. We chose human-created artwork because representation deserved more than a generic visual solution; each character needed to feel thoughtful, expressive, and authentic.

The experience also had to meet strict pharmaceutical privacy and compliance requirements. Built as a stateless, single-page React application, it does not collect or store personal information. Delivered on an ambitious eight-week timeline, the project brought creativity, technology, and regulatory rigor together without losing sight of the people it was designed to reach.

The work earned Gold and Silver recognition, but its deeper achievement lies in the idea behind it: when conventional patient stories aren't an option, creativity can offer another path to connection.

Sometimes, the most meaningful message a digital experience can deliver is simple: Your story matters.

Giving a Brand Its Story Back
Bon Appétit Management Company — Gold for Website Redesign and Silver in General–Food & Beverage

Bon Appétit Management Company is known for doing things differently. With more than 1,000 cafés across 33 states, its work reflects a commitment to culinary excellence, sustainability, and thoughtful food service. Yet its website, originally built in 2006 and updated over the years, no longer captured the ambition or personality behind the business.

The information was there. The story wasn't.

Our challenge wasn't to reinvent the brand, but to help its digital presence reflect who the company had become.

We began by working with the Bon Appétit team to shape the narrative, mapping what visitors should understand, discover, and feel. The central insight was that the company wasn't simply selling cafeterias. It was offering a philosophy built around people, food, community, and responsible choices.

That story guided everything from the site's structure and visual identity to a subtle refinement of the logo. We also deliberately avoided stock photography. A dedicated photo and video shoot at a Philadelphia college campus, combined with authentic material from the company's archive, captured the real people and places behind the brand.

The result was a bold, modern website that better communicates the company's values, scale, and ambitions. It meets WCAG 2.2 Level A accessibility standards, and early feedback from internal teams and external stakeholders reinforced the value of getting the story right.

The Gold and Silver awards celebrate more than a redesign. They recognize what becomes possible when a digital experience finally reflects the organization's substance.

Six Awards, One Guiding Principle 

These three projects began with different challenges: encouraging commuters to rethink a daily habit, helping people with a rare disease feel represented, and giving an established company a more authentic digital voice.

What connects them isn't a particular design style or technology. It's a commitment to understanding people and creating experiences that help them see, feel, or understand something differently.

We're honored to have this work recognized by the Davey Awards, which celebrate creative excellence across independent creators, smaller agencies, and in-house teams. We're equally grateful to the clients and collaborators who trusted us to approach their challenges with curiosity and imagination.

For us, recognition isn't the finish line. It's a reason to keep asking better questions and creating digital experiences that connect, engage, and inspire.

Have a digital challenge that deserves a more thoughtful approach? Whether you're reimagining a website, bringing a campaign to life, or finding a more human way to tell your brand's story, get in touch with our team. Let's create something meaningful together.