Do NOT imagine that the D&AD digital Annual is in any way a pale version of the book that has been published for the last 57 years. Do NOT imagine that it’s second best. It’s in-depth, immersive, interactive – all those “I” buzzwords. But mostly it’s impressive. Hugely impressive. Its byline should be, simply, “wow”.
It goes deeper than a book can, explores more than the books of the past have – and it’s free.
The 2020 Annual, designed by Studio Dumbar, presents more than 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, 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.
To delve deeper into the work and give an understanding of how it was made and why judges considered it representative of creative excellence, the Annual includes 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 also 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.
The digital Annual still includes all the industry’s most-loved features, such as letters from D&AD Chairman Tim Lindsay and the 2019/20 D&AD President Kate Stanners, as well as an enhanced showcase of the D&AD community of trustees, past Presidents and members. Creatives will also be able to read an interview with the 2020 President’s Award recipient, Yuya Furukawa, CCO at Dentsu, and explore the Hall of Fame of past President’s Award and Black Pencil winners.
The annual is available via the D&AD website.
Click on any of 1,000 squares to get inside the work:
Kate Stanners, 2019/20 D&AD president, commented, “It has always been a huge badge of honour to appear in the D&AD Annual, and this year is no different. 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.”
What made the greats great:
Studio Dumbar added, “Turning the Annual into a digital platform opens a lot of possibilities compared to a print publication. You can provide so many more ways to navigate and explore all the great work. Our aim was for the platform to be a source of inspiration, showcasing great design, but also enticing visitors to explore and discover new work. All in the spirit of Imagine Everything.”
What made the work great: