Two Black Pencils were awarded last night (5/25) during the first of two digital D&AD Award ceremonies. Celebrating achievements in Craft, Advertising and Collaborative, D&AD bestowed Black Pencils upon: DDB New Zealand for its “Samsung iTest” underscoring the battle between Apple and Samsung for smartphone users; and Leo Burnett Chicago for Change the Ref’s “The Lost Class” addressing the gun violence crisis in the U.S.
The second and final installment of this year’s D&AD digital award ceremonies is tonight (5/26) will span Design, Side Hustle, Impact, Culture, Collaborative Design, Black Pencil Design, Companies of the Year and additional Craft categories.
Last night’s Black Pencils came in Mobile and Film:
–”Samsung iTest,” DDB New Zealand, Media, Mobile
Samsung has built a website that allows any iPhone user to try a Samsung from the comfort of their own iPhone, using iPhone devices as media placement.
–”The Lost Class,” Leo Burnett Chicago, Direct, Film
To fight for common sense gun laws, Leo Burnett Chicago held a graduation ceremony for the 3,044 students who would have graduated this year if they hadn’t been killed by a gun.
The Black Pencils were announced among winners from across the Craft categories, including Visual Effects, Editing, Sound Design & Use of Music, Direction, Casting, Cinematography, Art Direction, Animation, Production Design, and Writing for Advertising; Advertising categories including Experiential, Direct, Media, Digital, Radio & Audio, PR, E-commerce, Film, Press & Outdoor, and Integrated; and the Collaborative Awards which celebrate long-lasting relationships between clients and their design, advertising and/or production companies that have led to the creation of noteworthy work in recent years.
For the Collaborative Awards, AMV BBDO was awarded for their continued work with Essity as a recognition of the outstanding craft and excellence work produced in recent years with “Blood Normal,” “Viva la Vulva” and “Wombstories.”
During the first night of D&AD ceremonies, there were not only the pair of Black Pencils awarded but also 48 Yellow, 116 Graphite, 257 Wood Pencils awarded across these categories
Since 1962, D&AD’s mission has been to stimulate and celebrate creative excellence with the belief that creativity is a key driver in commercial, economic, social and cultural success. Now in its 60th year, the D&AD competition has grown to incorporate more than 40 categories judged by a cohort of nearly 400 of the world’s leading creative minds. The Awards recognize work that has made a significant impact and will inspire seasoned talent as well as the next generation.
The total number of Pencils in each category are:
Craft: 155 Pencil Winners
- Animation: 21
- Art Direction: 15
- Casting: 26
- Cinematography: 5
- Direction: 19
- Editing: 10
- Production Design: 7
- Sound Design & Use of Music: 18
- Visual Effects: 15
- Writing for Advertising: 19
Advertising: 268 Pencil Winners
- Digital: 52
- Direct: 23
- Experiential: 29
- E-commerce: 9
- Film: 54
- Integrated: 11
- Media: 28
- PR: 28
- Press & Outdoor: 26
- Radio & Audio: 8
Collaborative: 1 Pencil Winner
All 424 Pencil winning and shortlisted entries are showcased here.
Donal Keenan, awards director at D&AD, commented: “Based on the first round of judging, it is clear this year has been another outstanding one for global creativity. With a record-breaking number of applicants in 2022, it was a particularly challenging one to judge, so we are delighted to have been able to award two Black Pencils to DDB New Zealand and Leo Burnett Chicago, who have astounded us with their unique creative approaches. We are grateful to have been able to celebrate, learn from, and be inspired by the immense talent that our industry has to offer alongside the rest of the global creative community at part one of the D&AD Ceremony and look forward to the second with anticipation.”
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More