Pencil-winning creativity: Christmas edition

2020, what a year. While we all hope and prepare for a much better 2021, we’re feeling the festive spirit. So, from scathing diss tracks to serious tear-jerkers and crafty cards, we’ve pulled together a list of the very best creative Christmas campaigns ever to grace the D&AD Awards.

Award: 
Yellow Pencil / Film Advertising / TV Commercials 61-120 seconds / 2020 Yellow Pencil / Entertainment / Audio
Graphite Pencil / Animation / Character Animation
Graphite Pencil / Art Direction / Art Direction for Film Advertising
Graphite Pencil / Film Advertising / Writing for Film Advertising
Graphite Pencil / Entertainment / Writing for Entertainment
Wood Pencil / Direction / Film Advertising
Wood Pencil / Sound Design & Use of Music / Original Composition
Agency:
Mother London
Client:
IKEA

IKEA entered the Christmas ad arena with a wonderfully ridiculous take on the state of our homes over the holidays. The film shows a crew of everyday household objects come to life to perform a scathing diss track about a place that clearly isn't ready for festivities - before each one is silenced by the ultimate comeback: some smart IKEA solutions. The track was made by legendary Grime emcee, D Double E.

Award: 
Shortlist / Illustration / Packaging / 2020
Agency:
Jones Knowles Ritchie
Client:
AB InBev

Stella Artois might just be the world’s most festive beer. The golden elixir was brewed as a holiday gift for the people of Leuven, Belgium and named after the Christmas star. In 2019, the brand had its sights set on crafting a limited edition release. The brief was simple: design packaging that speaks to Stella Artois’s wintery origins and stays culturally relevant for the entire holiday season. Looking at the white backdrop of Stella Artois cans, Jones Knowles Ritchie saw a pristine blanket of snow. They used this as a canvas to create, together with Tom Haugomat, a classic European ski scene.

Award: 
Shortlist / Graphic Design / Self Promotion / 2020
Agency:
Music
Client:
Music

Five different designs of gift tape rolls were produced, each displaying a different song title and made from 100% recycled materials. While these rolls of tape could be used at Christmas they would also be suitable for any other gift-giving occasion throughout the year. Music wanted people to smile at the song choices, and then enjoy putting the tapes to good use.

Award: 
Shortlist / Production Design / Film Advertising / 2020
Shortlist / Direction / Film Advertising
Agency:
Stink Films
Client:
Argos

The Argos ‘Book Of Dreams’ is shorthand for Christmas in the UK and deeply rooted in British hearts. The brief was to create a truly special and memorable Christmas ad with the following ingredients: Argos + Book of Dreams + the most iconic pop song from the 80s + a couple of drum kits + a drumming daughter + a loving father – finished with a dash of Christmas.

Award:
Graphite Pencil / Visual Effects / CG Animation / 2019
Wood Pencil / Animation / Character Animation / 2019
Agency:
Jung von Matt / Donau
Client:
Erste Group

Christmas is the time of the year we celebrate love and togetherness; the time you want to be close to your family and friends. However, that's a little difficult for Henry Hedgehog, the little hero of the Erste Group Christmas ad. Because all the other animals in his class are afraid of his sharp quills. But thankfully his friend, a squirrel, comes up with an ingenious solution which she presents to him on Christmas Day.

Award: 
Graphite / Direction / Cinema Commercials / 2019

Graphite / Production Design / Cinema Commercials
Graphite / Sound Design & Use of Music / Existing Music
Wood / Editing / Cinema Commercials
Wood / Film Advertising / TV Commercials 61-120 seconds

Agency:

adam&eveDDB

Client:
John Lewis & Partners


On Thursday 15th November, we launched our 2019 Christmas campaign for John Lewis and Partners. Starring Elton John, The Boy and The Piano is a story about the life-changing power of the perfect gift. The film begins in present day and works backwards chronologically through Elton’s life right until the moment on Christmas morning when he receives a special gift that changes his life. Since it’s launch the film has received over 50m views and was awarded YouTube’s No.1 Christmas ad of 2018.

Award: 
Wood / Graphic Design / Self Promotion / 2019
Agency:
Music
Client:
Music

A range of three festive stockings displaying song titles to capture the sense of greed, hope and despair of the last Christmas before Brexit. Nothing more than a simple – and useful - seasonal gift of goodwill that would hopefully raise a smile. No grand gesture, just a token of our friendship.

Award: 
Graphite / Film Advertising Crafts / Animation for Film Advertising / 2018
Agency:
MPC
Client:
EDEKA

This festive ad looks into the future where AI is in control and humanity lives in the woods. When one bot discovers an old Christmas movie, it embarks on a mission to find out what makes Christmas so special. In the woods, he finds the answer.

Award: 
Wood / Creativity for Good / Design / Not for Profit / 2017
Agency:
McCann London
Client:
Doctors of The World

Every Christmas, we see romanticised images of the ‘Holy Land’. Everything looks calm and peaceful. Yet today, the Middle East is ravaged by war. Doctors of the World brought this inconvenient reality to the fore with #RealityXmas - a set of Christmas cards designed to spark debate, provoke outrage, get petition signatures and increase donations. Combining traditional nativity scenes with 2016 editorial war images, the cards spread across the world, gaining an unprecedented response.

Award: 
Wood / Graphic Design / Greeting Cards & Invitations / 2016
Agency:
Landor
Client:
Landor

How do you create a holiday card that would accommodate all cultures and calendars across the 21 countries in the Landor network? The challenge was complex, but the solution beautifully simple. A modular card for every occasion. A perforated grid, designed to look like a seasonal wool knit, was laser etched into the card. Small pieces could be gently popped out to create personalised festive pictograms, from treetop angels to merry reindeer. These pieces were then enclosed within the card for a snowflake shower when opened. One card. For all countries.

Can't get enough? Discover over 1,000 pieces of the world's best creativity in the first-ever digital D&AD Annual 2020.