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Three Black Pencils were awarded at D&AD this year: in graphic design for the Paris Olympics; in digital design for Spotify; and in music videos for Taylor Swift and A$AP Rocky. All outstanding work, but none for the UK to celebrate.<\/p>\n
D&AD was once seen \u2013 by UK advertising, at least \u2013 as the pinnacle of creative awards, at a time when Cannes was considered all a bit too \u201cglobal\u201d and diluted to represent the real cutting edge of creativity.<\/p>\n
The world isn\u2019t like that anymore, and advertising is less and less of a beacon of creativity. But now it\u2019s D&AD that\u2019s diluted, as it attempts to establish itself around the world and find new revenue streams from things like the D&AD Festival. It\u2019s also doing a lot of good work with nurturing the next generation of creative talent, but it\u2019s lost its place as a marker of true excellence in the process.<\/p>\n
Maybe it just seems that way because the UK is not winning like it used to, and the \u201cdesign\u201d bit of \u201cdesign and art direction\u201d is coming to the fore in the age of online. There were three UK Yellow Pencil winners in the advertising category this year, and three last year, with more in design and craft.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s UK advertising Yellow Pencil winners were VCCP in press and outdoor for Cadbury\u2019s \u201cMade to share\u201d; Adam & Eve DDB London in digital marketing for Twix\u2019s Super Bowl \u201csecond screen stare down\u201d; and AMV BBDO\u2019s \u201cGravy race\u201d for Sheba.<\/p>\n
Other UK Yellow Pencil winners include 4Creative in art direction for its Paris Paralympics \u201cConsidering what?\u201d; AMV BBDO in sound design for Essity\u2019s \u201cNever just a period<\/a>\u201d and McCann\u2019s \u201cThe everyday tactician<\/a>\u201d for Xbox. FCB New York won advertising agency of the year and FCB was network of the year, mostly thanks to the \u201cSpreadbeats\u201d campaign for Spotify.<\/p>\n