Pentagram’s identity and graphics for NYC BigApps 2013 provided a colorful backdrop for the competition’s fourth annual awards ceremony, held on June 20 at the IAC Building in New York. Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced seven winning teams in the competition, including Grand Prize winner HealthyOut, an app that helps users locate healthy meals at nearby restaurants, based on criteria like calories, cuisine and ingredients. (Healthy eating is, of course, one of Mayor Bloomberg’s signature issues.) The winning teams will share $150,000 in cash prizes and receive support in launching startups based around their apps.

The competition name plays on “Big Apple,” and the identity designed by Michael Bierut and Jesse Reed suggests the form and colors of an apple, as well as a pie chart. Data sets used in the competition inspired a limited-edition silkscreen poster we created for the event. We also designed the ceremony program and certificates for the prize-winning teams.

"In five short years, BigApps has become an icon on the New York tech scene," says Bierut. "To consolidate its status, and to underline the essential nature of digital thinkers to the city's economy, Pentagram created a symbol that marries the world of data analysis with the familiar iconography of New York City: Big Data meets the Big Apple."

Congratulations to all the BigApps winners!