D&AD has launched its 58th Annual for free, in an exclusively digital format. Designed by Studio Dumbar, the digital Annual continues to showcase the best creative work from across the design and advertising industry, while offering additional interactive features that provide a deeper exploration of creative excellence.
"It has always been a huge badge of honour to appear in the D&AD Annual, and this year is no different," commented Kate Stanners, 2019/20 D&AD President. "In its digital format, the 58th Annual will be the most accessible Annual ever, creating an exceptionally rich experience for the global creative community. This year's work can be enjoyed in more formats, brought to life by Studio Dumbar's interactive design which invites readers in to explore and discover the work in interesting and engaging ways. The digital platform also offers rare insight into the discussions that are had in the jury rooms, alongside a behind the scenes look of how the work was made. All of these new features combine to create the most useful Annual ever, designed to inspire us all to raise our own creative bar."
The Annual showcases over 1000 pieces of winning and shortlisted work, explorable by award level, category, discipline and location. To replicate the serendipity of flicking through a physical book, the main interface surfaces creative work randomly and democratically, facilitating the discovery of new work. The digital format also features video and more images of the winning projects, including the 2020 New Blood Awards winners, than was possible in the previous printed editions.
The Annual also features 46 videos of jury panel discussions, judge interviews and behind the work sessions with the creatives behind some of this year's most talked about work. D&AD worked with cultural insight agency Neighbourhood to create theme reports that explore running threads throughout this year's work, examining the context of the past year and drawing out key learnings from the creative approaches employed. These new features offer unique insights into what makes Pencil-winning creativity, designed to educate and inspire both established professionals and aspiring creatives.
Images: Courtesy of D&AD