Design and Art Direction (D&AD), formerly known as British Design and Art Direction, is a British educational organisation that was created in 1962 to promote excellence in
design
A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design' ...
and
advertising
Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...
. Its main offices are in
Spitalfields
Spitalfields is a district in the East End of London and within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The area is formed around Commercial Street (on the A1202 London Inner Ring Road) and includes the locale around Brick Lane, Christ Church, ...
in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
. It is most famous for its annual awards, the D&AD Pencils. The highest award given by D&AD, the Black Pencil, is not necessarily awarded every year.
History
Origins (1962–1977)
D&AD was founded in 1962 by a group of London-based designers and art directors including
David Bailey
David Royston Bailey (born 2 January 1938) is an English photographer and director, most widely known for his fashion photography and portraiture, and role in shaping the image of the Swinging Sixties.
Early life
David Bailey was born at Wh ...
,
Terence Donovan,
Alan Fletcher, and
Colin Forbes (who designed the original D&AD logo). A panel of 25 judged the 2500 entries to the first awards in 1963. They awarded one Black Pencil (to Geoffrey Jones Films) and 16 Yellow Pencils. Early winners received an ebony pencil box designed by
Marcello Minale
Marcello Minale (December 15, 1938 – December 30, 2000) was a world-renowned Italian designer, writer and a former international oarsman.
Early life
Marcello Minale was born into an Italian naval family in Tripoli in 1938, the son of a colonial ...
, one of the founding partners of Minale Tattersfield, which contained a pencil with silver lettering. In 1966 it was replaced by a more durable award. Its education programmes in their infancy, D&AD launched graphic workshops in association with the
Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It ...
in the mid-1960s. They ran until the mid-1970s. Designer Michael Wolff became the first elected president of D&AD in 1970. Six years later, then-president
Alan Parker gave the first D&AD President’s Award for outstanding contribution to creativity to Colin Millward of
Collett Dickenson Pearce.
Introduction of Student Awards (1978–1990)
D&AD education programmes continued to grow in 1978 when
Dave Trott set up the D&AD Advertising Workshops. In 1979, initiated by Sir John Hegarty of
Bartle Bogle Hegarty, the Student Awards were launched. Bridging the gap between college and work, the awards present students with real world briefs to tackle. The awards had already started to recognise a wider range of categories through the 1960s and 1970s and photography, retail design (now environmental design), music videos, and product design became part of the awards in the 1980s. The awards also opened up to international entries for the first time in 1988. Controversy surrounded a decision to hold separate advertising and design awards in 1986 and 1987; the separation, made for practical reasons based on the chosen venue, was seen by members as a split between industries. Afterward, the ceremony did come back under one roof, where it has remained.
Move to Graphite Square, Vauxhall (1990–2012)
D&AD moved to Graphite Square, in Vauxhall in the 1990s. The first Student Expo (now New Blood) and the University Network, the D&AD membership programme for university and college courses, launched in 1993. The first session of "Xchange" took place in 1996. It was described as a ‘summer school’ for college lecturers and creative practitioners updated participants on the latest industry trends. D&AD launched its website in 1996 and introduced its first digital categories to the awards in 1997. D&AD celebrated its 40th birthday in 2002 with ''Rewind'', a retrospective exhibition and book of some of the most iconic work since the 1960s at the
Victoria & Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...
.
A new benchmark was set at the turn of the century when a double Black Pencil was awarded to the AMV.BBDO ‘Surfer’ for
Guinness
Guinness () is an Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in 1759. It is one of the most successful alcohol brands worldwide, brewed in almost 50 countries, and available in ov ...
for its visuals. This was matched five years later by ‘Grrr’,
Wieden + Kennedy
Wieden+Kennedy (W+K; earlier styled ''Wieden & Kennedy'') is an American independent global advertising agency best known for its work for Nike. Founded by Dan Wieden and David Kennedy, and headquartered in Portland, Oregon, it is one of the la ...
London's work for
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...
UK. In 2006 another milestone was set as
leoburnett.com won the first digital Black Pencil. Developments in the industry meant that two new categories were added in 2008, broadcast innovations and mobile marketing. That year,
Apple Inc. won a Black Pencil for the
iMac and the first-generation
iPhone.
Design Workshops were relaunched in 2006 and D&AD North, its first regional network, in Manchester the same year. The Student Awards have become an increasingly international event. Entries in 2007 came from colleges in more than 40 countries. Italian design group
Fabrica designed The annual outside the UK for the first time in 2007 and the showreel moved online that same year.
50th year and beyond (2012–present)
In 2012, D&AD moved to a location on
Hanbury Street. It celebrated its 50th anniversary by honouring the most successful award-winners in its history with a special edition
Taschen
Taschen is a luxury art book publisher founded in 1980 by Benedikt Taschen in Cologne, Germany. As of January 2017, Taschen is co-managed by Benedikt and his eldest daughter, Marlene Taschen.
History
The company began as Taschen Comics, ...
D&AD Annual featuring 50 different covers. An auction of the original artwork was help at
The Hospital Club. In the same year, the D&AD Foundation was established, with a remit to nurture creative talent.
In 2015, the organisation relocated briefly to a co-working space until construction of its current permanent premises on Cheshire Street was completed.
D&AD Awards
The following are the D&AD Pencil award levels:
;D&AD Wood Pencil
Represents the best in advertising and design from the year.
;D&AD Graphite Pencil
Awarded to stand-out work, well executed with an original idea at its core.
;D&AD Yellow Pencil
Awarded only to the most outstanding work that achieves true creative excellence.
;D&AD Black Pencil
The ultimate creative accolade, reserved for work that is ground-breaking in its field. Only a handful are awarded each year.
;D&AD White Pencil
Reserved for exceptional and game-changing projects that have resulted in significant impact.
D&AD presidents
Each year the D&AD elects a president from the creative community. They are always D&AD Award winners.
Further reading
*''Rewind: 40 years of Design and Advertising'' by Jeremy Myerson and Graham Vickers; Publisher:
Phaidon Press
Phaidon Press is a global publisher of books on art, architecture, design, fashion, photography, and popular culture, as well as cookbooks, children's books, and travel books. The company is based in London and New York City, with additional o ...
; .
The Copy Book 1995 / 2011, Publisher: Taschen,
*''D&AD 50'' by D&AD; Publisher:
Taschen
Taschen is a luxury art book publisher founded in 1980 by Benedikt Taschen in Cologne, Germany. As of January 2017, Taschen is co-managed by Benedikt and his eldest daughter, Marlene Taschen.
History
The company began as Taschen Comics, ...
; .
See also
*
History of advertising in Britain
References
External links
D&AD websiteD&AD Student Awards website
{{DEFAULTSORT:DandAD
Educational charities based in the United Kingdom
Design awards