LONDON, UK — The D&AD Festival and Ceremony is slated to commence from May 21 to 22 for its 2024 edition at the Southbank Centre, London. While delegates are starting to come in from all over the world, jury members have been well into their judging duties a week before the awarding, carefully going through the thousands of entries for this year’s show.
Adobo Magazine caught up with the organizers and jury members of D&AD at the judging sessions and got their thoughts on this year’s entries and what stood out in the jury room.
Jo Jackson, the first female CEO of the globally renowned organization D&AD and Chief Creative Officer of MADE.COM and Diesel, welcomed judges from 60 countries, bringing together a total of 350 creative leaders to discuss the significance of recognizing creative excellence in the creative industry through the D&AD Awards: “In D&AD, we are not just about the awards, we are here to enable the creative excellence around the world. It is about awarding, celebrating, but also making sure that we have the learning behind. We want to make sure that when you win one, that you can teach one.”
She also emphasized the importance of learning and continuous improvement and the need for leadership programs to help emerging talent move into leadership roles: “It is the reason why as an educational charity, we make sure that we are teaching and enabling the next generation of creators. We have a lot of emerging talent and young developing students coming up to begin their careers and [seeking] continuous learning.”
Jack Renwick, D&AD President and Founder of Jack Renwick Studio, highlighted the importance of judging creative excellence in advertising, maintaining integrity, and evaluating work based on its execution and fit for purpose while addressing potential biases and the use of AI in advertising: “We can’t deny that AI is everywhere and that the use of it will undoubtedly redefine creative excellence, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. All entrants will now be asked if AI was used so our judges know if, or how, it’s been used in your process,” she started.
“Integrity is everything,” she emphasized. “Make no mistake, that’s as tough. And it can be exhausting. It can completely be back-breaking sometimes, it’s completely horrible. But it’s a real privilege to get to select the best winners in the best of the year. You know, with great power comes great responsibility.”
“Keep your integrity and your heart, and keep the fire. Each year of excellence seems to get harder and harder to find, but it’s near, and it takes a bit of time to find it. Talk about it, look for it,” Jack remarked, calling creatives to stay passionate in pursuing creative excellence, especially in the age of AI and the ever-changing landscape of advertising and design.
adobo Magazine is an official media partner of D&AD 2024.
