A comprehensive run-down of the names honoured at D&AD 50th birthday bash

Date
19 September 2012

Last night D&AD held its glitzy 50th birthday celebration in London where some of the biggest names from design and advertising came together to celebrate their craft. It’s fair to say that the organisation can split opinion but with a collection of design sirs among the luminaries present – Frank Smith, Jonny Ive and Paul Smith – as well as Lord Puttnam there’s little doubt that it has a place in the UK’s creative heritage.

There was also a single Black Pencil given out to Lowe-SSP3’s Rivers of Light campaign which sent messages and Christmas gifts to Colombian revels using water-born capsules that lit up at night.

Terry Hunt, direct jury foreman, said: “Apart from the poignancy of the idea and the simple dignity of the execution, what impressed the judges about Rivers of Light was that these were soundly based on direct response technique.

“The best direct work is about cause and effect; the deliberate design of a communication to achieve a quantifiable response. Rivers of Light used personalisation, targeting, the most appropriate direct medium and a clear call to action to achieve its aims while creating an event of transcendant significance.  Rivers of Light is one of the purest examples of direct response creativity I have seen in 30 years in the business.”

To celebrate its half century, D&AD also recognised those who have won the most pencils over the years across eight different categories…

One of the new generation of 1960s agencies which won pencils for work with Heineken, Harvey’s Bristol Cream, Bird’s Eye, Hovis, Benson & Hedges and Hamlet cigars.

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CDP: Make Hovis (1971)

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CDP: Flying Ducks B&H (1978)

Recognised for its obsession with design as it has become the standrad by which all others are judged.

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Apple: The Mac computers

Founded in 1996 it is responsible for some of the most recognisable adverts of modern times including famous spots for Guinness, Levi’s and T-Mobile

Won his first pencil in 1967 and is the man behind iconic work for the likes of Remington, Bird’s Eye, Fiat, Dunn & Co, Albany and B&H. Formed a close partnership with Tony Brignull (below)

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Neil Godfrey: Other Cheek (Met Police) (1989)

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Neil Godfrey: Birdseye (1974)

Trained at JWT and worked at CDP and DDB, he formed an imperious partnership with Neil Godfrey and his words graced famous work for the likes of I00 Pipers, Birds-Eye, Parker pens, Olympus and Whitbread.

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Tony Brignull: Gold Wears Off for Parker (1977)

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Tony Brignull: Good Shape for Fiat (1978)

Two directors whose pencil count is inseparable and they have a host of great work to their names across both advertising and music video. See Tony’s work for Dunlop (1993) and Frank’s work for Nike below.

Art director of Nova magazine, Pentagram partner and the man behind The Guardian’s much-lauded redesign.

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David Hillman: Phaidon art books

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David Hillman: Suits Aren’t Smart Anymore for Nova (1972)

One of the men behind arguably the world’s most consistently innovative advertising agencies, praised by president Rosie Arnod as “one of the most inspirational advertising brains of our age. His spirit remains restless and free, and he continues to champion independent thinking and behaviour.”

A designer who has been producing excelelnt work across the past five decades for clients like Penguin, Lotus and even the Church of England.

Typographer Alan Kitching said of him: “He is a very inventive designer with an exceedingly fertile mind, so therefore he brings to the solution of a design problem his own particular take, which makes him unique. He’s probably the best book designer in the world.”

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Derek Birdsall: Advert for IBM

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Derek Birdsall: Covers for Penguin

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Derek Birdsall: Promo Material for Lotus

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Rob Alderson

Rob joined It’s Nice That as Online Editor in July 2011 before becoming Editor-in-Chief and working across all editorial projects including itsnicethat.com, Printed Pages, Here and Nicer Tuesdays. Rob left It’s Nice That in June 2015.

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