179 Pencils given out at this 12 months’s D&AD New Blood Awards

Following scorching on the heels of the New Blood Competition at Protein Studios in Shoreditch, the D&AD New Blood Awards wrapped up this night by handing out 179 of its highly-coveted Pencil awards. Amongst this quantity have been seven White Pencils – which recognise creativity getting used as a drive for good – and two of the best accolades obtainable: the well-known Black Pencil.

Identified for being one of many largest pupil competitions in its subject, the New Blood Awards historically recognise the artistic expertise that can go on to work with the largest names within the business. And if the winners of this 12 months’s Pencils are something to go by, the way forward for design is in secure palms.

With briefs set by Google, eBay and Sky, the bar was excessive for entrants. Overlaying the fields of animation, promoting and typography, the 17 briefs inspired creatives to deal with points akin to neurodivergence, banking and healthcare.

Out of the 179 award Pencils, there have been 33 Yellow, 39 Graphite, 98 Wooden, and 7 White Pencils. The remaining two have been Black Pencils, an elective accolade solely distributed to work of the best calibre.

One of many standout entries this 12 months scooped a Black, White and Yellow Pencil. The gifted challenge was ‘Put a Helmet on Like ô’ by Linh Nguyễn Khắc Hải & Quỳnh Nguyễn Ngọc Nhã of Vietnam. The work, set by a short from Google Fonts & HMCT, addresses the truth that 2,000 Vietnamese youngsters die yearly on account of highway accidents.

Utilizing the Vietnamese alphabet, this challenge adopts the letter’ ô’ as its start line. Enjoying on the similarity between the circumflex and a helmet, this work faucets right into a lesson each Vietnamese particular person remembers: ‘o’ would not placed on a helmet. ‘ô’ all the time places on a helmet.

Elsewhere, the opposite Black Pencil went to Sophie Ross of Norwich College of the Arts for her challenge responding to a Sky temporary. The broadcaster challenged creatives with transporting leisure to new digital experiences, so Sophie’s challenge – Sky React – lets viewers categorical their feelings and opinions in real-time.

In contrast to social media alternate options, Sky React units itself aside by permitting folks to put up fast reactions and feedback tied to the present’s timeline. It is hoped that by bringing the dwell TV expertise to any pre-recorded content material anytime you need, Sky will be capable of foster a way of group.

In the meantime, work awarded a White Pencil consists of Adinkra Braids by Yash Bhut & Alyona Golikova, from Germany, which addresses the stigma dealing with girls in Ghana surrounding their reproductive well being.

The Pink O by Laura Orkild, Clara Sofie Ahlefeldt-Laurvig & Sandra Bertelsen from Denmark additionally scooped a White Pencil due to their work tackling the six-week abortion ban in Georgia with a typographically led marketing campaign utilizing an unique model of Google’s Lato font. In it, the pink letter o is in keeping with the dimensions of a foetus at six weeks, measuring 6mm.

“The New Blood Awards all the time ship an enormous wave of artistic optimism for our business,” mentioned Paul Drake, Foundations Director at D&AD.

“This 12 months was no totally different; in opposition to a backdrop of job uncertainty, unappreciated artistic training and a value of residing disaster, the standard of the work nonetheless shone, with the winners offering considerate and superbly crafted responses to our briefs. We look ahead to seeing what they go on to do subsequent and the impression they’ve on our business and past.”