Entries are open for the global ADC 98th Annual Awards, applauding excellence in craft, design and innovation, with a deadline of January 31, 2019.

Two new disciplines have been added this year, Fashion and Spatial Design. Creative talents, from fabric and apparel designers to fashion illustrators and jewellery designers, at both large and small companies will be able to compete with one another on a level playing field and have their work judged by a jury of industry peers, to be announced shortly. The same is true for Spatial Design, a discipline that covers building design, landscape architecture and design, interiors design, service design, certain areas of public art and more.

“ADC’s core principle of celebrating great craft and design is perfectly aligned with these two professions,” noted Kevin Swanepoel, chief executive officer, The One Club for Creativity. “Craft and design are arguably the most critical factors in both fields, and now creatives working in those areas will now have the chance to share the same global stage and spotlight with the leading practitioners in other creative professions.”

ADC’s tiered pricing structure continues this year to make it easier for smaller studios, agencies and freelancers to participate in the ADC Annual Awards. The fee structure varies depending on whether the submitting firm is a design studio or ad agency. Design studios with between 2-20 employees get a discount (amount varies by discipline), while ad agencies with between 2-50 employees qualify for the tiered pricing discount.  Freelance creatives and one-person shops in either design or advertising are eligible for an even greater reduction in their entry fee.

Making sure you pay attention to the rewards of submitting work is a six-part short-form online film campaign concept developed by independent brand experience design company, Collins, and created by six illustration and animation studios.

Collins’ tale depicts a hero venturing forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder where fabulous forces are encountered, eventually coming home from this adventure transformed and empowered. The hero is the ADC Cube, a symbol of relentless creativity and individual ambition. His creative journey goes from adversity to achievement. The Cube character perseveres through difficulty to learn its true powers and find its place in the universe and true virtue.

The first act of the campaign, created by Golgotha, Paris, sets the stage of the story line where the Cube first realises it doesn’t fit in.

Guillaume Hugon, co-founder and creative director at Golgotha explained, “As humans beings, we create and produce a lot of ideas. All of them are beautiful and will please the eyes when we stare at them like magnificent crystals or crafted diamonds.  But in the end, only the divergent, the unique or the bold one will make the difference.”

The other five acts in the campaign will launch every few weeks between now and late January. They have been created by

• Laurie Rowan, London, England,
• Dasha Chukhrov, Moscow, Russia
• Frances Haszard, Auckland, New Zealand
• Angela Stempel, Los Angeles, USA
• CATK, Berlin, Germany

“Awards come at the culmination of the creative process, but we believe it’s important to acknowledge the critical steps that lead up to making a great piece of work possible,” stated Michael O’Rourke, executive director, ADC. “This campaign is a great fit for ADC because it tells the familiar story of a creative’s life, and recognises the challenges and ultimate rewards of the process.”

Jules Tardy, design director at Collins, commented, “ADC has a rich history of honouring ground-breaking work of all stripes. Rather than paint the program with one brush, we want to celebrate a wide variety of perspectives and talents from around the world.  Each of the studios on this project has a compelling point of view and strong dedication to their craft. Their contributions reflect the broad range of work honoured and celebrated each year in the ADC Annual Awards.”

Everything you need to know to enter the ADC Awards is here.

Campaign Credits:

Agency: Collins

Chief Creative Officer & founder: Brian Collins

Design Director: Jules Tardy

Business Manager:  Antonia Lazar

Studio: Golgotha Paris

Co-Founders & Creative Directors: Guillaume Hugon, Antoine Aillot & Marvin De Deus Ganhitas