The D&AD Festival, an annual design and advertising festival that was first hosted in 1962, is back in 2016 to further help inspire a community of creative thinkers. Based at The Old Truman Brewery in Shoreditch from the 20th April until the 22nd, the D&AD Festival 2016 will feature over 150 guest speakers across four stages.
The D&AD festival, originally called the British Design & Art Direction, was first founded as a means to raise standards within the design and advertising industry but has since grown to represent all those in the creative, design and advertising industry worldwide. The D&AD Professional Awards are recognised across the globe as coveted accolades for any professional, and is known as an excellent place where people can get immersed in the industry and meet like-minded creative designers and advertisers.
In this way, the D&AD Festival 2016 is set to be no different from previous years, with local agencies and studios also taking part, as well as fresh talent from D&AD’s ‘New Blood’ programme, which looks to reach and inspire some of the best young creatives from around the world.
What’s On Offer?
There will be speakers during the day from across the design and advertising industry, include Sir Martin Sorrell, the CEO of WPP, Sir Paul Smith, the renowned Paul Smith designer, Annie Atkins, a graphic designer and Wayne Hemingway, a partner at Hemingwaydesign. This list barely scratches the surface of the amazing talent and knowledge that will be speaking during the event, and the full list of speakers, as well as the schedule for the two days, can be seen at the official D&AD Festival 2016 website.
With each of the three days starting at 10am and finishing at around 7 or 8pm, there are a whole host of activities on offer including speaker talks, interactive sessions, training workshops, judges’ panels, fringe events, exhibitions and of course, evening parties and drinks.
Ticket Prices
There are five types of tickets on offer for the D&AD Festival 2016:
- Festival Pass – £185.00 – this individual pass will grant you access to all the events across the creative industry’s most essential week
- Member Pass – £92.50 – this pass is for those who are already D&AD Members and so will receive a 50% discount on the price of the full Festival pass
- Student Pass – £55.00 – this pass is for any students who are currently in full time education, and will need to bring their student ID with their ticket to guarantee access to the event
- Groups of 10 or More – £157.25 – this pass is useful for anyone who thinks a group of their colleagues would be interested in, and benefit from, attending the D&AD festival
- Membership Bundle – £222.50 – if you’re not yet a D&AD member, but would like to be, then you can buy your Full D&AD Membership and get the D&AD Festival Pass 2016 at half price for £92.50 (included in the membership bundle)
What Are The D&AD Awards?
The D&AD awards, which are now closed for entry, will be hosted during the festival and celebrate the best creative work from around the globe, with the award coming in the form of the much sought after D&AD Pencil, recognised worldwide as a symbol of creative achievement. Alongside the D&AD Professional Awards, there are also the New Blood Awards, for those under the age of 24, and the Next Awards, which is for any budding film directors or photographers. Any film directors or photographers that win a D&AD pencil will also have the opportunity to have their work promoted to the industry during the Next Awards.
The D&AD Professional Awards will be judged by a panel of more than 20 judges, including professionals from branding, digital marketing, art direction, book design, magazine design, mobile marketing, media and outdoor advertising.
Why You Shouldn’t Miss The D&AD Festival 2016
The festival, aimed for any interested creatives in the design or advertising industries, which can include anything from radio design to product design or PR to film advertising, is sure to draw in some of the best, most talented creative talent from all over the globe. Some of the many big name brand partners involved include Adobe, Gettyimages, Shutterstock, YouTube, Graze, Innocent, WPP and Digital Cinema Media, so there’s no doubt that it will be an event that delivers.
If you’re still not convinced, D&AD have put together a list of 10 reasons not to miss the D&AD Festival 2016, which includes the Ralph Steadman Studio Tour, an exhibition of all the 2016 D&AD Pencil winners, events and tours in local studios and agencies, professional training courses, as well as excellent parties from some of East London’s hottest venues. And of course, a visit from Ashleigh Axious, President Obama’s Creative Director, who is going to talk about what life is like in the White House and how she designs a digital strategy for the most powerful man on the planet.
The D&AD Festival just seems to get bigger and bigger each year, and with over 150 guest speakers and a whole host of events, this year is going to be just as successful as previous years. You can buy your tickets here, or contact D&AD themselves here.
