D&AD Judging Week has changed. This year, judges will share judging insights, 3 day masterclasses will share wisdom, and the winning work will be on public display.
D&AD Judging Week has, in the past, been a closed event held in the regal Olympia Exhibition Centre with just a handful of journalists and students allowed to view the work and visit the judging rooms.
Not this year.
D&AD Judging Week, 19 -23 April 2015, is a festival open to the public for the first time.
It has moved to The Old Truman Brewery in east London’s arts and media quarter. And it features a full programme of events, talks and exhibitions, including the full day judging Insights and the three day Wisdom masterclasses and worskhops.
The climax will be a free-to-attend public exhibition of winning work held on Thursday 23 April that will be spread across three vast floors. Visitors will be able to wander through the very best creative work from packaging, products, graphic design, posters, typography, books, digital innovations and films from the past year.
The secrets of D&AD Judging will be reveal in Judging Week Insights’ panel discussions, also on Thursday 23 April. D&AD’s judges will talk about what they loved, what they loathed, and the work (and fellow judges) that caused the most heated debates. Judging Week Insights gives unprecedented access into every jury, with tickets available for free in advance from the D&AD website.
The three day masterclass called Judging Week Wisdom is the focal point of the week for creative professionals. There are just 60 tickets available, and this is an in-depth learning experience delivered by top tier speakers in a workshop format.
Tim Lindsay, chief executive, D&AD commented, “We’ve always taken great pride in our judging events. Each year, it’s Judging Week that is the true highlight of the D&AD calendar – both for ourselves and the creatives who join us from all over the world to judge the work.
“But most importantly, we’re making this celebration of creativity available to all. Anyone can come down and explore the work; anyone can come down and listen to an array of extremely talented people and hear what really goes on behind those jury doors. At its heart, D&AD is about sharing, collaboration and inspiration – and that’s exactly what we’re looking to do by creating this Judging Week event.”
There are also behind-the-scenes Tours (available exclusively and free to Members) and public exhibitions of all the shortlisted work from the new D&AD Next Director and Next Photographer Awards.
And D&AD’s long-running President’s Lecture series will return, with three new talks from three remarkable creatives:
- Monday 20 April: Dougal Wilson
Dougal Wilson is a director known equally for his commercials and his music videos. He’s the director behind the emotional power of The Long Wait in 2011 for John Lewis, and Monty the Penguin in 2014, plus videos for artists like Coldplay, Goldfrapp, Dizzee Rascal and Jarvis Cocker.
- Tuesday 21 April: Oliviero Toscani
Oliviero Toscani and Benetton go hand in hand. So does Oliviero Toscani and controversy. Benetton’s creative director for more than 20 years, oversaw work that championed AIDS awareness, racism, war, religion, anorexia and capital punishment. United Colours of Benetton campaigns have tackled the world’s biggest social and political issues.
- Wednesday 22 April: Neil Harbisson
Neil Harbisson is Catalan-raised, British-born contemporary artist and the UK’s first officially recognised cyborg. Neil was born completely colour-blind, but thanks to an antenna implanted in his skull, a world of grey-scale is turned into a symphony of colour, allowing him to listen – yes, listen – to faces, scenes and paintings.
Tickets are free to D&AD Members, £10 for students and £20 for non-members.
The branding and identity for D&AD Judging Week 2015 is being developed by Manchester creative studio, The Oldham Goddard Experience, and will feature illustration from Marion Deuchars.
Eric Kallman, Harriet Devoy, Kate Stanners and Rei Inamoto are among the leading creatives judging this year’s Awards. Get to know the D&AD judges here.
The 2015 Professional Awards Ceremony will return to Battersea Evolution, London on Thursday 21 May. Tickets are available to purchase from the D&AD website.
