Coveted Black Pencils were scare at the 44th annual British Design & Art Direction Global Awards (D&AD) held last week in London. Only two Black Pencils were bestowed–one upon Leo Burnett Canada’s “Big Ideas Come Out of Big Pencils” Web site, and the other for the design of the relaunch issue of The Guardian.
TV/cinema commercials didn’t garner Black this year, a bit of a comedown from the 2005 competition when Honda’s “Grrr” out of Wieden+Kennedy, London, picked up a pair of Blacks as well as six Yellow Pencils.
However Yellow Pencils made their mark in the ’06 TV/cinema leg of the D&AD Awards. For example, in the direction category, Jonathan Glazer of Academy, London, scored Yellow with Stella Artois’ “Ice Skating Priests” for Lowe, London. Also honored with Yellow for direction was Dougal Wilson of Blink, London (and Furlined, Santa Monica), for Orange’s “Dance” from Mother, London.
Copping two Yellows (one for TV commercials over 120 seconds; the other in the cinema spot category) was Sony Bravia television sets’ “Balls” directed by Nicolai Fuglsig of bicoastal/international MJZ for Fallon, London.
Also copping a pair of Yellows was 3Mobile’s offbeat “Tuperzik,” directed by Traktor via bicoastal/international Paritzan.
And garnering a special effects Yellow Pencil was Framestore CFC, London, for Guinness’ “noitulovE,” directed by Daniel Kleinman of Kleinman Productions, London, for Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, London.
For a full list of winners, visit dandad.co.uk.
Apple and Google Face UK Investigation Into Mobile Browser Dominance
Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers, a British watchdog said Friday in a report that recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year.
The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker's tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. Apple does this by restricting progressive web apps, which don't need to be downloaded from an app store and aren't subject to app store commissions, the report said.
"This technology is not able to fully take off on iOS devices," the watchdog said in a provisional report on its investigation into mobile browsers that it opened after an initial study concluded that Apple and Google effectively have a chokehold on "mobile ecosystems."
The CMA's report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers "the clearest or easiest option."
And it said that the a revenue-sharing deal between the two U.S. Big Tech companies "significantly reduces their financial incentives" to compete in mobile browsers on Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones.
Both companies said they will "engage constructively" with the CMA.
Apple said it disagreed with the findings and said it was concerned that the recommendations would undermine user privacy and security.
Google said the openness of its Android mobile operating system "has helped to expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps" and that it's "committed to open platforms that empower consumers."
It's the latest move by regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to crack down on the... Read More