D&AD Festival 2024: Programme

Impossible is on a mission to get meat-enthusiasts everywhere eating meat from plants. Big ask, right? So how do you make it happen? Simple. Flip the audience and start talking to meat-lovers. Reposition the brand as the ‘meatiest’ version of itself yet––one that’s at home in the meat aisle and showing up in the cultural moments that meat-lovers, well, love. No more compromises — just a bold celebration of what the brand is and always has been.

Take a deep dive into the creative work that’s driving positive change today. Join D&AD Impact judges as they discuss their favourite work from the Future Impact, Impact, and new Sustained Impact categories.

It increasingly seems that all brand identities can be summed up as little bento boxes of graphics, which fit neatly on an Instagram feed. This workshop aims to look beyond the algorithm and think more deeply about what it takes to build a brand, giving design teams the tools, tricks and training to make brand expressions which live, breathe and last.

How to put new energy into stale data sets for the good of the diversity. As the world continues to automate and algorithmic bias, exclusionary data sets, and unfair outcomes for underrepresented communities become more prominent, how can we negate stale, homogeneous, datasets and use them for our communities and not against them?

This session will unpack how technology can aid in measuring the hardest data of all, diversity data. Chief Innovation Officer Tara McKenty will reveal, for the first time, a study unpacking D&AD award entrant data which demonstrates how technology can contemporise our data sets and help us understand more about ourselves, our communities, and the greater contribution we can make to the creative industry and beyond.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly impacted numerous facets of our lives. Yet, public perception of AI is often shaped by popular culture – visions of benevolent helpers or dystopian overlords. This panel brings together leading voices from the creative industry to explore how these actively shape our evolving perceptions of AI through visual storytelling and imaginative world-building.
​They will discuss the responsibility of creators to portray AI in ways that are nuanced and thought-provoking, moving beyond simplistic tropes. The panel will emphasize the ongoing need for human creativity and ingenuity to fuel better imaginations of AI, and help foster understanding and critical dialogue around this transformative technology.

Working with material innovations to create the GANNI Fabrics of the Future programme and ultimately reach our Sustainability goals.

What are the major ways brands have evolved over the past year? Judges from Branding, Packaging Design and Creative Transformation gather to discuss the current landscape of the branding industry.

Picture this: You get a brief for a top food delivery brand. It's a cutthroat market with tight margins, soaring labor expenses, and dwindling customer loyalty. Your task? Connect authentically, be transparent about the industry hurdles to differentiate the brand —All while maximizing ad ROI on a shoestring budget.
​This talk will equip you with the knowledge and tools to navigate the complexities of modern design challenges by effectively combining the strengths of artificial and natural intelligence, ensuring that you can innovate with confidence and create work that truly makes a difference.

'How Design Should Include Everyone', is a deliberate evolvement from Sinéad Burke's acclaimed 2017 TED Talk. Reflecting on three years as CEO of her accessibility consultancy, Tilting the Lens, Sinéad delves into the efforts made to create systemic change through accessibility, by design. With unresolved questions from her TED talk, she will explore the 'how', using key case studies from partnerships with Gucci, Smirnoff, and British Vogue. Sinéad will provide a practical framework for inclusive design, ensuring that we all move from awareness to action.

Challenge your assumptions and demystify inclusive and accessible content creation in this interactive workshop brought to you by Sightsavers. You’ll gain valuable tools and lessons to prioritise diversity and inclusion in your design and creative projects.

Junior creatives are facing an opportunity crisis in the creative industry. The road to success is riddled with challenges and roadblocks, creating a daunting landscape to navigate.
​However, within these struggles lies the potential for transformation. This session is a rallying cry for change, drawing from real conversations with aspiring talents around the world. By addressing the struggles head-on and embracing innovative solutions, we can pave the way for a brighter future for junior creatives and rewrite the narrative and forge a path of opportunity and success.

When consumers cause action, it's most likely not because they want to solve a brand's problem. It's when they are moved by instinct or emotion. It's a human action. Yasu Sasaki, Global CCO at dentsu will share the thinking behind some successful cases and share how we can create 'emotional infrastructures' and touch people's hearts. The session will demonstrate how to bring a human touch to brands in this age of AI.

A pit-stop journey through the work that defines a creative practice.

Discover the work that moved and entertained at D&AD Awards 2024, as Judges from Entertainment, Gaming & Virtual Worlds, and Music Videos discuss their top picks and trends in the creative industry today.

Creativity is an art and science - working with AI to enhance our creative process can benefit from the same approach. In this workshop, you’ll gain an understanding of how your mind works with the neuroscience of creativity, in order to get hands-on with practical frameworks integrating AI in your day-to-day creative workflow.

In a panel hosted by photography consultant Ashleigh Kane, photographers Campbell Addy, Delali Ayivi, and Bryan Huynh are joined by PhotoVogue founder Alessia Glaviano to discuss their craft, careers and the forces affecting photography in 2024.

The LGBTQIA+ community is a vibrant and receptive audience for advertisers, in fact, LGBTQIA+ audiences have a higher level of expectation of advertising and are often the bellwethers of consumer trends. This session will showcase key findings from the Outvertising Consumer Report and a snapshot of a range of commercial sectors where there are opportunities to connect with the LGBTQIA+ community and their friends, families, and allies. The panel will feature a best-in-class case study in LGBTQIA+ inclusive marketing and creative excellence from the National Lottery, with helpful advice on how to win with impact. The session will cover the cultural, commercial, and category dynamics that are foundational to developing messages, experiences, and products that will resonate.

Take a look behind the scenes of the craft of creating a person, animal, or creature by hand from inanimate objects and materials. Join the award-winning puppet-maker behind work such as Save Ralph, Wes Andersons' Asteroid City, and Tim Burton's Frankenweenie, for a presentation on the process of design fabrication and the use of puppets to communicate ideas, emotions, and actions.

This talk investigates how brands are embracing authenticity through strategic partnerships with recording artists, highlighting case studies and best practices that demonstrate the power of genuine collaborations to cut through the noise, drive brand relevance, and leave a lasting impact on audiences.

Explore ways to unlock the power of the FYP for brands and agencies and find out how two industry giants — TikTok and D&AD — are teaming up to reshape the advertising landscape and flip the traditional ad campaign framework on its head.

Join this uplifting workshop to boost confidence in living a healthier and happier life without masks. Reeha will share her journey to finding her true authentic self through all the highs and lows of her life from being excluded due to her ethnicity to managing a chronic health condition caused by stress and anxiety. You will leave with practical tools to help guide you through your own journey of self-discovery with health and balance at the heart.

Learning to master the weird mix of Anxiety & Excitement that innovation, the AI revolution in particular, is generating on us. You need both to innovate, yet it’s a fine line between progress or stagnation. Not to spoil it all, but Creativity will lead the way!

In an age where artificial intelligence and emerging technologies are enhancing human capabilities, we find ourselves at the forefront of a new cultural and global transformation. Unlike the past, where significant shifts occurred over years, we now navigate through changes that unfold weekly. This rapid evolution often brings apprehension, yet AI and technology stand as the vanguard of this change. The question then arises: How can we harness these advancements to work in harmony with us, rather than in opposition? Human creativity, with its powerful emotional connection and boundary-pushing potential, plays an important role in this discussion. Join us as we explore the symbiosis of creativity and technology in the digital era, exploring how we can leverage this powerful partnership to shape our future.

In this talk, Malika looks at her illustration career through the prism of the people she met along the way. From family to lifelong friends and random encounters, she takes us on a creative journey deeply nurtured by human connections.

Some ads get more attention than others. Why? Could it be that part of that outcome is driven by the fact that these ads express a greater desire to be loved? Walter Campbell looks at ads, he feels exhibit this heightened longing to connect. Ads that present themselves a little like that puppy in the litter that catches your eye because its tail wiggles more than the others. It jumps over the other pups to get to you and says, 'Hello, have you noticed how much I love you?' That little rascal is the one that gets to go home with you.

President of this years film jury, Chaka Sobhani, talks to acclaimed director Noam Murro about the importance of film that makes you feel. With so many new places and spaces for film to exist, how do we keep creating films that are truly emotional and that connect with audiences, wherever they appear.

Over the last two decades, Noam Murro has directed award-winning spots for brands across the globe, picking up awards from D&AD, Cannes Lions, AICP, and The One Show along the way. He has been nominated for DGA Director of the Year seven times and took home the honour twice, he has also been voted #1 director of the year in Campaign Magazine.

The creative industries have one of the most important tools for accelerating the response to the climate emergency; imagination. This workshop will unpack how the role of the design is pivotal in creating planet-conscious solutions to what is ultimately the greatest brief of our time.

Human creativity is irreplaceable, but the Generative AI explosion provides enormous opportunity for creative professionals to be more versatile and effective. But in a sea of noise, lookalike platforms, tools and outrageous claims, how do we zero in on the real value? In this talk Rehab Agency will share insights gained from over five years of working with Generative AI and implementing creative tools, AI-driven concepts and Proof of Concepts (PoCs) for some of the world's biggest brands like Google, Meta, Nike and Spotify.

Get a window into the Graphic Design and Type jury discussions, from what the jurors loved in 2024, to what’s trending.

What does creative excellence look like applied to luxury brands? The inaugural D&AD Luxury jury will share their thoughts, as they unpack what they saw in judging, and their thoughts on the sector at large.

Come and chat to Impact Council Members, Kwame Taylor-Hayford, Co-Founder of Kin, and Mr Goodvertising, Thomas Kolster, about all things creativity, careers & impact. There will be a sign up sheet to reserve a 15-minute session with them at the information desk. We look forward to seeing you there!

As creative spirits, we love change. We seek it. We drive it. But, generally speaking, people have a love / hate relationship with change. Not always in equal parts. So how do we get people excited about a new, future state? "Seeing is believing,” as they say. This is the purpose of brand world-building. This talk is a “how to” of world-building that blends lessons from World Builders in literature, politics, religion, and more to teach each of us how to make the futures we see so irresistible, that they become inevitable.

Big brands are big because they efficiently scale their efforts consistently across thousands of team members worldwide. But how do consistency, scale and efficiency deal with creativity and thinking differently? In this workshop, you’ll be introduced to the secret creative evaluation tool used by the world’s biggest brands, before putting into practise during a live scoring session where you’ll be the judge!

A conversation exploring the transformative potential of blockchain, web3, and related technologies as a catalyst for creativity, collaboration and societal change. Referencing the world of art, fashion and entertainment, we’ll consider the inflection point storytelling across emergent technology brings us to – and why it matters for audiences, brands – and culture as a whole.

Join us on a captivating live episode of the "How I Became" podcast, as we explore the inspiring journey of Jack Renwick, the current president of D&AD and the Founder and Creative Director of Jack Renwick Studio. This live episode, we'll delve into Jack's formative years in Glasgow, tracing her path from a resilient childhood through to her influential career in graphic design.

Exploring the wider and democratic creative canvas in big business and how your creativity can have an outsized impact across the entire organisation and beyond. A big journey through brand & experience design, graphic/advertising communications, the art of the idea and the AI of it all.

Explore the synergy between brands and fan communities in our panel at D&AD Festival. Speakers from the Kansas City Chiefs and JKR will delve into the world of sports fandoms and provide actionable insights into how brands can leverage them to build long-term brand success.

Join jurors from our Craft juries to find out what creative excellence looked like in Animation, Direction and Sound Design & Music in 2024.

Join us as Gaming & Virtual Worlds jury President, Malcolm Poynton invites EASports’ Ben Prout & Kevin Sprunk to spill the tea on how the virtually impossible idea of Ted Lasso x FIFA23 became a reality. Find out why putting the world’s most awarded comedy TV show into the world’s biggest, most serious sports game was no joke. What it takes to impress gamers who don’t like their favourite games being messed with. And why paying attention to the details pays off, big time.

Join our workshop with Thomas Kolster, the mastermind behind Goodvertising and The Hero Trap, to unlock the power of co-creation for sustainable brand impact. Learn from real case studies, participate in a hands-on hackathon, and discover HP’s practical tools for execution. Don't miss this opportunity to revolutionise your brand’s future.

Be the first to see the shortlisted work from the 2024 D&AD Awards, screening live in the Queen Elizabeth Foyer.

Slo brings the most immersive VR wellness applications and simulations on the market directly into the workplace. Providing moments of calm to the lives of time-poor, wellness-driven, urban-based, creative professionals. Take a seat!

Take some time to plug in and explore the shortlisted work at your own pace at dedicated stations in the foyer.

Throughout the festival, Dentsu Creative will allow attendees to look forward into their creative futures in an innovative ai-enabled photobooth. This quirky and fun fortune-teller experience has been specially crafted for the creative industries, inviting D&AD attendees to get ready to watch their future-self materialize before their eyes. By using their name, a snapshot taken in the booth, and current job title as essential ingredients, the booth will entertain those eager to unravel the secrets of their future.

Join the Adobe community for a vibrant exhibition showcasing a collection of creative works from the world of Adobe. Meet Adobe Evangelists who will be available to answer your questions, and get hands on the latest AI innovations with Adobe Firefly.

Experience Algorave, a unique blend of live coding and electronic music, creating beats and visuals on the fly. It's a night of innovation and fun, perfect for anyone curious about the future of music and digital art. With Ex-Shifter Razik Darji and Jasmine Rose Federer, Freelance Artist, Curator and Critic.

magCulture is an online resource, a magazine shop, events producer and editorial consultancy. Come visit the pop-up stand in the foyer.

Creative Technologists Razik Darji and Jessie Liang's installation harnesses the power of EEG brainwave technology and motion tracking to allow visitors to create personalised real-time generative artwork and music.