D&AD New Blood Winners get emotive for 2016

Published 08/07/2016 by

This week marked the big reveal of the D&AD New Blood winners of 2016. The winners brought their A-game, wowed the judges with their creative prowess and tonight received their very special prize: a New Blood Pencil. With entrants from 58 different countries, this year’s awards once again reflect the best in young global creative talent.

Emotive causes, higher purpose and Snapchat featured highly in projects this year. Whilst the latter may come as no surprise, the former proves that the wider industry trend towards connecting brands with consumers on an emotional level has stuck a chord with graduates. Also the power of ‘creativity for good’ continues to be a strong motivator with many campaigns focusing on world-changing creative ideas, resulting in four White Pencil wins across four different briefs.

Andy Sandoz, D&AD President and Creative Partner Havas Worldwide commented, “Our two Black Pencil winners are incredibly emotive pieces of narrative. ‘Bottles of Squash’ shows us a raw and honest time of life where the simplicity of execution belies the depth of craft that is going on. ‘Retro Serif’ wins its Pencil for the story of the censorship of language. Creating a typeface that makes a positive impact on the world is an incredibly difficult brief and they delivered a beautiful piece of work.”

Naresh Ramchandani, Partner, Pentagram Design added, “The New Blood Awards represent hope and idealism, showing older creatives how new creatives can do it better and showing us that there’s a new generation coming up who are more able to change the world.”

An impressive 24 young creatives were the recipients of a Yellow Pencil this year, with two receiving the ultimate accolade, a Black Pencil.

The full Pencil statistics are as follows:

2 Black
4 White
24 Yellow
58 Graphite
111 Wood

The New Blood Awards are a platform for students and other new creatives to test their limits on real briefs, set by real clients. No other programme offers such a comprehensive test, or a more accurate representation of the challenges that await on the other side. Brand representatives and industry experts decide what work wins a coveted New Blood Pencil, and the bar every year is extremely high.

Paul Drake, D&AD Foundation Director commented: “D&AD New blood is all about inspiring the next generation, which is where our ‘Win One, Teach One’ mantra really comes to life. Winning a New Blood pencil is a huge turning point in a young creative’s career, not only are they recognised for being the best at what they do, but they get access to a wealth of contacts and advice from professional award Pencil winners and industry experts alike.”

This year’s brands and briefs are listed below:

Adobe: Remix the Adobe Creative Cloud Identity For Future Creators
Amnesty/WPP: Break Barriers Between Young Adults and Amnesty International
Crimewatch/BBC: Design A Digital Solution To Enhance Crimewatch Beyond Broadcast
D&AD: Fortune Favours the Brave
Dazed: Declare Independence In 15 seconds
Design Bridge: Break New ground In Beauty Branding
Desperados: Unleash Urbanites’ Party Spirit With An Unforgettable Experience
Dr. Martens: Celebrate Dr. Martens’ Unique Brand Using Radio’s Unique Platform
Ford: Team Up With Ford To Mobilise City-Wide Change
John Lewis: Create A Window Into The Brand
Monotype: Use The Power Of Typography To Activate Your Cause
Nationwide: Focus Nationwide’s Service For The Next Generation
Newsworks: Champion The Written Word In Print And On Screen
Shutterstock: Capture Dramatic Narrative In Everyday Reality
The Telegraph: Inspire A Digital Audience To Think Again About The Telegraph
TOMS: Engage A New Audience With The ‘Purchase With Purpose ’Movement
WWF: Activate A Global Conservation Community

Entry to the awards is open to anyone in full or part-time education, recent graduates who finished their course within the past two years and anyone 23 or under.

All Pencil winners were eligible to apply for the WPP New Blood Academy, where 50 graduates from across the globe attend the ultimate two-week creative bootcamp. The Academy provides an opportunity to learn from the best in the business, with grads working across disciplines and alongside a WPP agency on a live brief in order to secure a foot-in-the-door with a series of paid placements up for grabs. Talks, hacks, workshops and live briefs all test the students to the limit and ensure that they hit the ground running when they enter the industry. This year students will be working alongside creative luminaries as well as working on a live brief in their final week that looks at improving the way we all move around London.