Award for Retail Design

Award Sponsor: SLD

Winner: Isabella Iacoe

Winning Project: Malo Selo

Award Sponsor: SLD; School: University of Toronto; Educator Support: Atanas Bozdarov

Malo Selo, meaning “small village,” is a Toronto restaurant introducing Macedonian comfort food and home style Balkan cuisine to a contemporary North American audience. Drawing on folk traditions and imagery of village life, the brand evokes feelings of home, warmth and hospitality. Inspired by the intricate needlepoint of traditional Macedonian folk costume, the design employs the cross-stitch unit as a versatile building block across graphics, layouts and type.

Playful cross-stitch scenes of village life animate printed materials, while a custom Cyrillic-inspired font supports both English titles and Macedonian phrases. A house motif, featured in the logo and menu shape, reflects home style cooking and the restaurant’s welcoming atmosphere. The restrained colour palette highlights bold Macedonian red drawn from the national flag. Extending beyond the restaurant, products such as Ajvar and Rakija coolers put a contemporary spin on Balkan staples—allowing customers to continue the experience at home.

Honourable Mentions

Paragon Workwear by Alexis Chiang Student RGD and Scarlett Side Student RGD, Capilano University, North Vancouver BC
Higher Things Apparel Co. by Maddie Fish, Conestoga College, Kitchener ON
Bagverstising – Interactive Shopping Bag Design by Hyeri Kim Associate RGD, Niagara College, Welland ON

Judges

Rony Mikhael RGD, Principal, Creative Director at Studio Mined, Hamilton, ON
Iliana Sergeev RGD, Ofwner | Brand Strategist | Creative Director at IS Design Labs, Toronto, ON
Christopher Woo, Design Director at Shikatani Lacroix Design, Toronto, ON
Ben Wu RGD, Founder of Team X Studio, Ottawa, ON