900 Films
Kate is Chief Creative Officer at Saatchi & Saatchi London. Since joining in 2005, she and her Partners have enjoyed developing the Agency into one that has the depth & breadth of talent to create multi-platform ideas for both local and global clients. Stanners was D&AD President in 2019-20, a year where everything changed, including D&AD, where the Annual went digital during the first year of the pandemic.
Creativity thrives on Chaos and 2020 was pandemonium. While the work that was featured in the annual was not a true reflection of the havoc the pandemic caused that was to come in the following years, it was being reviewed at a time when the world was in lockdown. We were virtually judging. We were virtually doing everything, including events to celebrate New Blood and the Professional awards. And yes, it was the year we made the Annual virtual.
“Creativity thrives on Chaos and 2020 was pandemonium”
For me, D&AD has always been about education, be that through the inspiration of creative excellence as celebrated in the awarding of the iconic Pencils, access to inspirational speakers or practical help by way of courses, workshops and masterclasses. And so, I felt it essential to make sure the Annual was made accessible to all, and not exclusive to the bookshelves and desks of the few. I wanted it to truly serve its purpose to act as a benchmark of the industry of what creativity can achieve. To be used to inspire us all on a daily basis. To be able to adapt, to give insight so that we can all learn from each other and collectively raise the creative bar.
2020 might be the year we want to forget, but it was a year that changed everything. When you look at the work that year, and then the next, what you see is how adaptive creativity is. It stares at the challenge, and it has an answer, always. The D&AD Annual celebrates that, and acts as a cultural record of its time. And for the record, the work was wonderful.
“What all of this work, and many more pieces share, is purpose”
Two years on and it is clear to see that the work that rose to the top in 2020 set themes and trends that we see repeated this year: authenticity, as seen in the brave Moldy Whooper; honesty, demonstrated by the brilliant socially sourced campaign that took back what it means to “Go back to Africa”; Inclusion and accessibility, delivered in the form of the most customisable typeface, Universal Sans; Technology integrating seamlessly to create integrated experiences, such as the amazing Expensify This; collaboration, when UNESCO met Minecraft and put education into entertainment with History Blocks. There was powerful work on gun crime with the films Back to school Essentials and Lockdown Generation, and in design with the Gun History Book. Sadly, the need for this message continues. What all of this work, and many more pieces share, is purpose. Brands recognised that they needed to be transparent and honest about their values, and that they needed to walk the walk not just talk the talk if they are to get our trust, respect and bucks. But you don’t need me to tell you all of that, you can delve in and take a look for yourselves.
Enjoy this year’s annual, use it and be inspired to be better.