President's Award

The D&AD President's Award honours those individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the world of creativity. It is awarded each year as part of the main D&AD Awards Ceremony.

2009 President's Award recipient: Michael Peters




“Michael’s contribution to design is so great one could be forgiven for thinking he would have received this award years ago. He has helped shape and revolutionise the industry into the business it is today. These days we use jargon like ‘360 branding’ and ‘joined up thinking’, but Michael was doing it 20 years ago.’

‘With his work for the likes of British Airways, Johnnie Walker, Universal Studios, and the Conservative Party in Britain, Michael raised the profile of design & designers – he dragged creativity off the kitchen table and onto the boardroom table. He was fearless in front of some of the world’s biggest clients, and he gave other designers the self-confidence to stand up for themselves and command proper fees.’

‘On a personal level, Michael has always been there for me. At school I used exquisite Winsor & Newton inks, which I collected for the Michael Peters & Partners-designed packaging. Years later he gave me my first job as a junior designer. He was always a larger than life character, loud, brash, a showman always ready with a bad joke; an enthusiast like no other.”

Garrick Hamm
D&AD President 2009


Past President’s Award Recipients