LONDON—The 42nd annual British Design and Art Direction (D&AD) Awards were held last week (May 26) as part of the first-ever D&AD Congress. The new event is billed as a three-week celebration of creativity. It features screenings, exhibitions, lectures and workshops, and is scheduled to take place May 13-26, and June 28-July 1.
Only two golds—a.k.a. Black Pencils—were awarded at the D&AD, both for design. One was awarded for graphic design on a series of "Fruit & Veg" stamps from Royal Mail, and the other was earned by Tourismus Germany for environmental design and architecture. Gold is particularly scarce at the D&AD; the honor is only bestowed in extreme circumstances, like when work sets a new standard or breaks the mold in a particular category.
A total of 18 silver honors—dubbed Yellow Pencils—were awarded for TV advertising and music videos. On the commercial front, several ads from the U.K. were honored, a number of which involved directors from Gorgeous Enterprises, London.
Honda Accord’s "Cog," helmed by Antoine Bardou-Jacquet of Partizan Midi Minuit, Paris and London, for Wieden+Kennedy (W+K), London, scored a Yellow Pencil for television/cinema advertising, directing and sound design. Johnnie Burn and Warren Hamilton of Wave Recording Studios, London, served as audio mixers/sound designers on "Cog."
Sony PlayStation 2’s "Mountain," out of TBWA, London, also won multiple Yellow Pencils. The spot, directed by Frank Budgen of Gorgeous—he is repped stateside via bicoastal Anonymous Content—scored for directing, cinematography, use of music and special effects. Marcelo Durst served as DP on "Mountain." The spot’s score was "Get on Board," as performed by Shirley Temple; audio engineers on "Mountain" were Burn and Hamilton of Wave Recording Studios. Effects on the spot were created at The Mill, London, by a team including 3-D artists Jordi Bares and Ben Smith; Flame artists Jeff Robins, Richard Betts, Daniel Morris and the mono-monikered Barnsley; producer Liz Browne; and colorist Adam Scott.
A trio of spots—"Little Bird," "Screams" and "Blender—for amusement park Parque de la Costa out of Del Campo Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi, Buenos Aires, scored a Yellow Pencil in the non-English language television and cinema advertising category. Nicolas Kasakoff of Nunchaku, Buenos Aires, directed "Bird" and "Screams." Ivan Otero of TKTK directed "Blender."
In the television and cinema graphics/promotions category, four spots for MTV—"Gay/ Straight," "3 Second Rule," "Musical Instrument" and "Shower"—were awarded a campaign Yellow Pencil. Matt Vescovo directed the spots, which were produced via bicoastal Hornet.
Honda’s "Everyday," part of the same campaign as "Cog," also scored a Yellow Pencil in the television and cinema category. The spot, directed by Ivan Zacharias of Stink, London—he’s repped stateside via bicoastal Smuggler—also scored a Yellow Pencil for editing. Christopher Allender of TKTK cut the spot. Another spot in the campaign, "Sense," directed by Peter Thwaites of Gorgeous, was honored with a Yellow Pencil for cinematography. Alwin Kuchler served as the spot’s DP.
Adidas’ "Kicking It," out of 180, Amsterdam, and directed by Chris Palmer of Gorgeous, picked up a Yellow Pencil for editing. Paul Watts of The Quarry, London, cut the spot.
A clip for Blur’s "Good Song," directed and animated by the Shynola collective of Oil Factory Films, Hollywood and London, won Yellow Pencils in music video direction and animation. Director Lynn Fox of Colonel Blimp, London and Venice, Calif., scored two music video directing Yellow Pencils for the Bj?rk clips "Unraveled" and "Desired Constellation." The helming duo Alex & Martin of bicoastal/international Partizan scored a directing Yellow Pencil for the White Stripes’ "7 Nation Army."
