Five Black Pencils were given out at the D&AD Awards this evening (4/27) in London. Two of those high honors were bestowed upon U.K. Channel 4/Paralympics’ “We’re the Superhumans”–one going to 4 Creative for Film Advertising; the other to Blink for Film Advertising Craft.
The three other Black Pencils were awarded to:
- “Meet Graham” by Clemenger BBDO Melbourne for Transport Accident Commission Victoria (PR) – Australia
- “The Swedish Number” by INGO Stockholm for The Swedish Tourist Association (Direct) – Sweden
- “DOT. The first Braille Smartwatch” by Serviceplan/Serviceplan Korea for Dot Incorporation (Digital Design) – Germany
In total, 732 Pencils were awarded at this year’s D&AD.
The number of Pencils awarded by level are as follows:
- Black Pencil – 5 Pencils
- Yellow Pencil – 62 Pencils
- Graphite Pencil – 180 Pencils
- Wood Pencil – 485 Pencils
D&AD CEO Tim Lindsay commented: “What an outstanding year for creativity. Five Black Pencils, all hugely deserving of the Award. What unites them is a clear desire to create a better world, whether it’s promoting diversity, safety or inclusivity but what is really fantastic is that they win this coveted award for their craft. Proof that creativity as a force for good lives outside of a single category but has become an all-encompassing theme.
“For the first time ever, the United States is the country taking home the most number of Pencils. In fact, the top of the country rankings is comprised of countries from across Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa, reminding us that D&AD is a truly global organization, encouraging and awarding talent from around the world.”
Most awarded
Clemenger BBDO Melbourne was crowned the Most Awarded Advertising Agency of 2017, winning 16 Pencils overall, including 10 Pencils for its Meet Graham campaign – one of which was Black. Finishing second among agencies was adam&eveDDB followed by Dentsu.
Studio Sutherl& was the Most Awarded Design Agency this year, winning eight Pencils overall, including two Yellow – one for their work creating limited edition Agatha Christie stamps for Royal Mail and another for their work with Somos Brasil. Second place went to The New York Times Magazine, with Landor Paris finishing third.
Blink won the production company deby, followed by MJZ and Somesuch x Anonymous.
Topping the client tally was Nike. Channel 4 came in second and Apple third.
Results by country
For the first time ever, the United States has topped the country rankings – with the United Kingdom coming in second.
- 1st: United States – 182 Pencils
- 2nd: United Kingdom – 164 Pencils
- 3rd: Australia – 54 Pencils
President’s Award
This year the President’s Award winner was Michael Johnson, creative director at Johnson Banks, ex-president of D&AD and Black Pencil winner.
D&AD president Bruce Duckworth commented: “Michael’s reputation for creative excellence is massive, he represents so much of what I respect about great design and great designers. He manages to distill complicated issues and simplifies them into solutions that you can’t argue with. They’re just right. He does the kind work that you can’t help but notice, the kind of work that I look at and wish I’d done myself. For this reason and for so many others, I am giving this Award to him.”
For a rundown and info on all the winners, click here.
Google Opens Its Defense In Antitrust Case Alleging Monopoly Over Online Ad Technology
Google opened its defense against allegations that it holds an illegal monopoly on online advertising technology Friday with witness testimony saying the industry is vastly more complex and competitive than portrayed by the federal government.
"The industry has been exceptionally fluid over the last 18 years," said Scott Sheffer, a vice president for global partnerships at Google, the company's first witness at its antitrust trial in federal court in Alexandria.
The Justice Department and a coalition of states contend that Google built and maintained an illegal monopoly over the technology that facilitates the buying and selling of online ads seen by consumers.
Google counters that the government's case improperly focuses on a narrow type of online ads — essentially the rectangular ones that appear on the top and on the right-hand side of a webpage. In its opening statement, Google's lawyers said the Supreme Court has warned judges against taking action when dealing with rapidly emerging technology like what Sheffer described because of the risk of error or unintended consequences.
Google says defining the market so narrowly ignores the competition it faces from social media companies, Amazon, streaming TV providers and others who offer advertisers the means to reach online consumers.
Justice Department lawyers called witnesses to testify for two weeks before resting their case Friday afternoon, detailing the ways that automated ad exchanges conduct auctions in a matter of milliseconds to determine which ads are placed in front of which consumers and how much they cost.
The department contends the auctions are finessed in subtle ways that benefit Google to the exclusion of would-be competitors and in ways that prevent... Read More