Iveria - The Independence Issue
Entrant: Supermarket
Country: Georgia
Section/Contest/Category: A. CREATIVE COMMUNICATIONS / A05. DESIGN & BRANDING / A05-05. PUBLICATIONS & EDITORIAL DESIGN
Award: Best of Contest
Advertiser/Brand: Bank of Georgia
Year: 2025
Creative Team:
Supermarket (agency) Creative Director - Eka Kipiani Art Director - Sandro Tsitskishvili Art Director - Biko Varshanidze Designer - Luka Mosiashvili Account Planner - Giorgi Tabatadze Case Film Direction - Khatia Arveladze (Freelance)
Creative idea:
Background: In 2025, Georgia marked Independence Day in a climate where free media was under pressure and trust in independent voices was fading. We turned to Iveria - the legendary 19th-century newspaper founded by Ilia Chavchavadze. More than a publication, it shaped public life, defended national identity, and resisted censorship. Almost every Georgian knows its name, but only from history lessons and legends, not through lived experience. Our objective was to revive Iveria as a living symbol of independence and free speech - letting people once again hold in their hands what had once defended freedom of thought. Idea: On Independence Day, we brought back Iveria for the first time in generations as The Independence Issue. The special edition collected historic articles on freedom and independence, written by Georgia’s most important writers and thinkers. Copies were distributed through every Bank of Georgia branch nationwide during Independence Day. Outcome: All printed copies were taken within a single day, leading to an immediate reprint. What began as a symbolic gesture turned into a demonstration of the relevance of free press and the nation’s continuing fight for freedom and independence.