AdverPR

Welcome to the D&AD Annual 2022, in this, D&AD’s 60th year. And what a year – with continuing pandemic, war in Europe and extreme climate events on every continent. It has also been a year of returning to some kind of ‘post pandemic’ normal, reviving in-person communing. It has been a  welcome resurgence across much of the creative industries, as evidenced in the increase in award entries and wealth of work celebrated here. 

The D&AD Annual is more than a showcase of great work: it also captures something of who we are in this moment in time, articulated through insights from our industry judges and expert commentators, providing wider cultural, critical and industry contexts. And context matters. Current social, geo-political and ecological contexts point to why, yet again, much of the most highly awarded work this year speaks to what it is to be human. The Black Pencil winners – included The Lost Class by Leo Burnett Chicago for Change the Ref – a graduation ceremony for the 3,044 students who would have graduated this year in the US if they hadn’t been killed by a gun; Real Tone by Google for Google, a collection of technical improvements to the Pixel 6 camera and Google Photos that more accurately and beautifully highlight the nuances of all skin tones; and Hopeline19 by adam&eveDDB for Frontline, which is an emotive and emotional campaign for a free UK phone service for messages for NHS and frontline Covid workers, two in five of whom are suffering with PTSD. It demonstrated that when great advertising and design is combined with creative craft, it can touch us, while affecting change beyond the economy. Having spent much of the last few years largely at the mercy of events beyond our control, this Black pencil-winning work is a rebuttal to powerlessness, that sparks individual action and stokes our collective agency.

This is our third digital annual, which has significantly widened access to this celebration of the very best of creative advertising, design and creative commercial practice, particularly among young and emerging creatives and those from far around the world. Extending our audience – our younger audience – is not only important to D&AD, but is imperative across our industry as we help grow the next generation, at a time when creative education faces many challenges, and when we need creativity more than ever. As the first president from the world of education, I see how influential the annual is as a tool for learning; for opening eyes and minds and firing ambition. So, as we look back and celebrate the very best work from the last year, let’s also celebrate this ongoing legacy of inspiration that will nourish the industry for years to come.