D&AD Festival 2023: Programme

Long live the Chief Design Officer: Putting the design jewel back into the agency crown

9 May | 10:00–10:45 | Adobe Stage

The current landscape of advertising still employs an old school model of creativity, which keeps content and conceptual briefs far away from designers. Meanwhile, everywhere else, design has enjoyed mainstream appreciation (think Apple). For the industry to progress, there needs to be an attitudinal and structural shift and that should be reflected at the appropriate level: bring on the CDO.

Featuring: Lorenzo Fruzza, Chief Design Officer, Havas London, and Vicki Maguire, Chief Creative Officer, Havas London.

Jury Insights: Designing digital spaces

9 May | 10:00–10:45 | Truman Stage

D&AD Jurors from Design and Creative Transformation discuss how digital spaces sparked new areas of discussion at the 2023 D&AD Awards.

Panelists: Shun Ishikawa, Founding Partner, KESIKI; Wayne Deakin, Global Principal Creative, Wolff Olins; Des Tapaki, Co-Founder & COO, EQUITBL; Dr. Kagonya Awori, Senior Applied Scientist, Microsoft; Reginé Gilbert, James Weldon Johnson Professor, NYU Tandon School of Engineering.

Exploring The Psychology of Typography

9 May | 10:00–11:30 | Masterclass Studio

For the font curious working alongside designers, those working with type, to the resident studio type geek.

This is a fast-paced, highly informative and fun exploration of typography with research-based take-aways. Discover the neuroscience of your brain on fonts. Learn about the semiotics of type in a game that reveals how social attitudes are changing. Find out whether you can spot fact from ‘font faux pas’ in a lively typographic accessibility quiz.

This interactive workshop will stimulate your font curiosity and train your typographic eye. You’ll understand how the brain responds to typography, and how to confidently communicate this relationship with clients and stakeholders.

Why creativity needs a seat at the adult’s table

9 May | 10:45–11:20 | Adobe Stage

Ever wonder how Squarespace produces creative work that rivals the top creative agencies? Find out the insights learned from building the foundation of a creatively driven in-house agency of the future. Join David Lee, Chief Creative Officer who will share the lessons learned steering Squarespace’s in-house agency for the past decade. Attendees will also get an intimate, behind the scenes look at how the brand pulled off some of its most recent work which includes their most recent Super Bowl Campaign with Adam Driver.

Send in the Clowns

9 May | 10:50–11:20 | Truman Stage

Why joy and humour are essential to creativity in a modern age. With Chaka Sobhani.

Jury Insights: Graphic and Type Design

9 May | 11:20–12:05 | Truman Stage

Get a window into the Graphic Design and Type jury discussions, from arguments, to trending topics.

Panellists: Neville Brody, Creative Director, Business Strategist and Typographer, Brody Associates/RCA; Chloé Templeman, ECD, Big Fish; Rebecca Clarke Tear, Design Director, Design Bridge & Partners; Ricardo Bezerra, Director of Design & Strategy, Tátil Design; Noopur Datye, Type Designer/ Co-founder, Ek Type.

It’s a Gamer’s World.

9 May | 11:20–12:10 | Adobe Stage

Creativity and brand authenticity in the new world of gaming.

With new video games released every day to audiences of over 3 billion gamers globally, gaming, streaming and esports are at the forefront of immersive and interactive entertainment. An industry truly buzzing with young, tech-savvy audiences now with the potential to welcome everyone irrespective of gender, race, disability, or skill.

Gaming is no longer a new and nascent category; it is full steam ahead for a world of creativity and opportunity. But if there is one thing that we know about gamers it’s that they can smell a rat. They see through brands that show up inauthentically and call out those that don’t add value to their experience. 

This talk will focus on the worlds that exist in and around video games and how creativity is the secret weapon needed for success. Highlighting the perspective from designers, creators and clients working within this space, and how gaming challenges and rewards you in more ways than you could ever imagine.

The role of creatives in sustainability in 2023

9 May | 12:00–13:30 | Masterclass Studio

We know the challenge: accelerate the transition to a regenerative, equitable future. But how we do this and whether we can do it fast enough remain huge questions. So, how can you as a creative use your skills to help us get there?

Creatives play a crucial role in making sustainability accessible, desirable, and relevant. As designers of the cultural zeitgeist, we need to better understand how communications can be a catalyst for positive change. So, in this session we will cover a range of topics including how to interrogate and level up your briefs, how to embed sustainability into your creative approach, how to avoid greenwashing and how to use your skills to help accelerate meaningful change.

Represent Me – What does it take to engage the audience of the future?

9 May | 12:10–12:40 | Adobe Stage

Women in Advertising and Communications Leadership turns 100 this year, and in light of this milestone they are launching an initiative called #RepresentMe, which highlights why positive representation matters to young girls and women, especially those who are marginalised, including those from ethnic minorities and those living with a disability. Giving voice to those from these varied experiences, the panel will discuss the positive impact advertising can have on audiences of the future.

Featuring: Rania Robinson, President, WACL, and Lori Meakin, Author of ‘No More Menemies’.

How to make seemingly impossible ideas a reality

9 May | 12:10–12:50 | Truman Stage

The future of experiential communication has unlimited potential. Be inspired by this future-thinking panel as they explore what the future of this marketing approach could look like.

Panellists: Chair: Brittaney Kiefer, European Creative Editor, Adweek; Rupert Reynolds-Maclean, MD, Biscuit Filmworks; Charlie Gatsky Sinclair, Chief Production Officer, Uncommon; Ana Balarin, ECD, Wieden & Kennedy, London; Jonathan Kneebone, Founder/Director, The Glue Society.

Culture, Community and Collaboration.

9 May | 13:40–14:20 | Adobe Stage

Join Peter Semple, Chief Marketing Officer at Depop, for an insight-driven session examining the links between cultural resonance, communities and the path to commercial growth. From Charli XCX to Tommy Hilfiger; from Netflix to The Sims; discover how Depop places its community front and centre to foster authentic and values-aligned collaborations that inspire action.

Telling authentic stories with cultural integrity

9 May | 14:00–14:30 | Truman Stage

Brad Cooke, Co-Founder of Indigenous-owned Creative Consultancy Campfire x, shared the methods the company uses to create culturally appropriate connections with communities, creatives and clients to ensure stories told are authentic, respectful and relevant. His goal: to make positive change throughout the creative industry.

Stop scrolling, start feeling. Using emotional storytelling to produce engaging video content

9 May | 14:00–15:30 | Masterclass Studio

Digital platforms are evolving as audience attention spans decrease. From emotional campaign hooks to tone, music and video editing, creators need to develop the moving image skills to produce engaging video content to stop audiences from “swiping over”.

By attending this workshop, you will discover how applying the cornerstones of video production can enhance the engagement of your audience.

Masterclass trainer: Carl Prechezer, Director/Founder, Unit Creative

From Generation anxious to Generation Zen

9 May | 14:25–14:55 | Adobe Stage

How Gen Z are embracing creativity to help their mental health. A panel discussion featuring ITV-backed Gen Z wellness media platform Woo and its collaborators, as they discuss how Gen Z are using a range of different creative mediums to help them feel good at a time when the world can feel very bad.

Speakers include Woo CEO Stephen Mai, directors Bedroom (who have worked with the likes of Pink Panthress, Arlo Parks and KSI) and new talent Isolde Penwarden, moderated by Soursop Co-Founder and Woo Creative Director at Large Ravi Amaratunga Hitchcock.

One size doesn’t fit all. How a tailored approach helps creative talent thrive.

9 May | 14:35–15:15 | Truman Stage

How do you not only attract great creative talent, but ensure they thrive? From adapting to the needs of individuals, to building an industry that isn’t centred around set ways of working and set locations like London, D&AD Shift Alum Marshall Lawrence and Seun Areoye, join former Shift London course leader Aliyah Hasinah in a panel curated by Russie Miessi, and moderated by Mary Mandefield to discuss what they have experienced on their journeys building creative careers, and what the creative industry can do to make creative careers more accessible to more talented individuals.

Beautifully simple craft in the campaign for real beauty

9 May | 15:00–15:45 | Adobe Stage

Whether sourcing selfies and turning a campaign around in in 6 days of lockdown (Courage is Beautiful); sensitively working with young girls to retouch their own selfies (Reverse Selfie); or embracing innovative deep fake technology (Toxic Influence), Dove has continued to adapt while keeping it’s ‘real beauty’ message at the forefront. Find out how.

Featuring: Daniel Fisher, ECD – Dove, Ogilvy, Alessandro Manfredi, Chief Marketing Officer, Dove, Unilever, and Sonoo Singh, Co-Founder/Editor, Creative Salon.

Jury Insights: Brand Experience

9 May | 15:15–16:05 | Truman Stage

Jurors from Experiential, PR, and Radio & Audio come together to discuss how brands are bringing new experiences to audiences.

Panellists: André (Dede) Laurentino, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy UK; Charlotte Mair, Founder and Managing Director, The Fitting Room; Richard Yu, Regional Chief Creative Officer, Greater China, ADK Taiwan; Judy John, Global Chief Creative Officer, Edelman; Jenny Glover, Chief Creative Officer, Juniper Park\TBWA.

A Cultural State of Mind: Part II

9 May | 15:50–16:30 | Adobe Stage

Recently, we have seen the negative impact of short term explosive growth at the expense of long term brand-building. In an uncertain and volatile world, this has driven one of biggest challenges CMO’s and CEO’s of big brands face today: sustainable growth. Leila Fataar explains how making cultural relevance a business driver can be the route to success.

Launch of the Location book by Graham Watson

9 May | 16:00–17:00 | Masterclass Studio

Graham Watson (Top 20 all time most awarded Art Director), launches the Location book covering the golden age of location shoots. Where in the world do you want to go? This book covers 35 commercials over a 35 year period that were shot in every corner of the globe. Get taken on a journey through the most iconic and award winning advertising of the time by a panel that were instrumental in their conception.

Do you feel the pressure to be purpose led?

9 May | 16:10–16:55 | Truman Stage

In this fun, provocative session Thomas Kolster takes the audience on a tour de force around the purpose landscape to an emerging post-purpose market looking for fresh answers. In this interactive presentation, Kolster will provoke the audience to decide whether an effort is too woke to be good for the brand and bottom line, and will leave the audience with tangible tools to build authentic brands that inspire action.

Change your emotional approach. Use design thinking to get world's most influential people on board.

9 May | 16:35–17:15 | Adobe Stage

Business leaders and politicians don’t always respond to emotive ads – but they do respond to design thinking. The Financial Times got some of the smartest people on the planet to tell them how to save the planet, then they used design thinking to turn that knowledge into a video game that taught some of the world’s most influential people how to make a difference.

Featuring: The Financial Times’ Head of Visual Data and Journalism, Alan Smith OBE and WongDoody’s Global Chief Creative and Design Officer, Grace Francis.

Ideas Unlocked

9 May | 17:00–18:00 | Truman Stage

Creative thinking for the real world. Forget the eureka moment and creative geniuses. Us normal folk live in the messy real, where good ideas are hard, and difficulties lie all around. But every one of us is born a problem solver. A natural. We just need a chance to learn, and practice every day, the steps that can get us to the ideas that can inspire people, change things, and solve any problem. In Ideas Unlocked you’ll learn, and use, five P’s that take you from problem to pitch, navigating some of the pitfalls along the way. Useful, real-world tools for work and for life, for individuals and for teams, for new starters and seasoned pros. After all, every problem is a chance to learn something new.

Nick Eagleton is co-founder of Saboteur, a London-based brand studio where people from around the world learn from each other every day by tackling some of the big issues of our time.

Patagonia’s Next Fifty Years - Why we can’t just survive, we must thrive.

9 May | 17:15–18:00 | Adobe Stage

For fifty years, the outdoor clothing company has been committed to demonstrating that all its resources can be used as a force for good. And from the advent of ‘clean climbing’ in 1972 to giving away all its profit to fight for planet earth in 2022, creative storytelling has always been integral to this work. As the company looks ahead to its next 50 years, laying out a bold vision for the future is critical, and bold new stories will be needed more than ever. With Alex Weller.

Adobe x D&AD Festival Happy Hour

9 May | 18:00–19:00 | Adobe Activation

TikTok’s Easy. Stop overthinking it.

10 May | 09:40–10:20 | Truman Stage

Is your brand brave enough to let go and let your creators flow?

This panel will explore how brands are overcoming their often self-imposed struggles with authenticity and creativity on TikTok, to be better and braver and deliver more for the brand. You will take away top tips from creators, makers and experts on making your brand work harder on the fastest-growing and biggest playground platform in the world. Featuring: Stephanie Hulbert Thomas, Project Director, Tik Tok; Dann Liebermann, Executive Producer and Head of Creative Partnerships, The Elements Music.

Making Magic Through Media

10 May | 10:00–11:30 | Masterclass Studio

People are not engaging with advertising as much as they used to. There are many obstacles to overcome from meeting the needs of your target audience to bringing creative and media together during the creative process. Considering media when developing your idea is pivotal to crafting compelling experiences.

By attending the workshop, you will discover the importance of understanding your idea, how your idea can shape-shift based on your choice of media, and the process for bringing media and creative together.

Ukrainians don’t need your pity. They need your work.

10 May | 10:05–10:40 | Adobe Stage

Uber was the first company on the ground to help Ukraine when the full scale war broke out. Whether it was partnering with NGOs, moving people to safety, or transporting food, medicine and cultural artifacts at risk. But while Uber provided the technology, the heroes were the Ukrainian people who kept the country moving. Ukrainians are fearless. They are brave. They persist. In the midst of airstrikes and bombs, Ukrainian drivers wanted to keep driving. Ukrainian people wanted to keep working. And Banda, a Ukrainian agency, hailed themselves as “the creative army.” So in order to rally global support, Uber launched a truly local production, led by Ukrainians, filming through airstrikes and bombings, all before curfew. The campaign raised over $8.5M towards life-saving ambulances. The process to get there was a true testament to the bravery and work ethic of the Ukrainian teams that made it possible.

Featuring: Christoper Butler, Global Sr. Creative Producer, Uber and Eivav Jacubovich, Global Creative Director, Uber and Banda (Creative Agency)

Jury Insights: Digital Brand Experience

10 May | 10:20–11:10 | Truman Stage

Digital jurors join Gaming & Virtual Worlds and Commerce jurors to talk about how brands are innovating these new spaces and communities.

Panellists: Raymond Otene McKay, Executive Creative Director, RUN; Lauren Pleydell-Pearce, ECD, PwC UK; Bukola Akingbade, Founder, CEO, Kucheza Gaming; Malcolm Poynton, Global CCO, Cheil Worldwide; Tara Ford, Group Chief Creative Officer, The Monkeys.

Machines will make us more creative than ever before.

10 May | 10:45–11:30 | Adobe Stage

We all know we are at the beginning of something exciting. It will change everything, change what we do & how we do it, change our industry, our world and challenge us all to keep up with it. At the heart of all this massive change is, as we all know, artificial intelligence, which ever-increasingly has become less artificial feeling by the day. We at Huge have decided to embrace this technology instead of fighting it. We are partnering with AI and figuring out step by step how because we firmly believe that it can help make us better, faster, more creative and help set our creativity free!

Unfamiliar faces, unfamiliar spaces. Spotting talent where no one is looking.

10 May | 11:15–11:35 | Truman Stage

How should we evaluate portfolios of aspiring creatives? And what does it mean for people trying to break into our industry? At Stink Studios, Viv Greywoode has built an award-winning team of diverse individuals. In this talk, he will discuss how taste plays an important role in evaluating the portfolios of young talent and how it can be a catalyst for development.

Burn Baby Burn! Push back against burnout.

10 May | 11:35–12:10 | Adobe Stage

Creative agencies are supposed to be a hotbed of new ideas, inspiring clients to take a stand for ideas and support cultural change. But the reality is the pressure is on to do bigger, better and faster. We are insatiable, demanding new content, and we’re unlearning how to give time to ideas, projects and ourselves. Can we reset the machine we have become caught up in? What happens if, rather than quitting, we stay and fight for better? Creative Director Anouk Jans shares unfiltered insights into what agencies would need to rise from the ashes.

Are you ok with a homogenous industry?

10 May | 11:40–12:10 | Truman Stage

Do we want the future of Advertising decided by one homogenous group? In this koorero (conversation) Raymond Otene McKay, Co-Founder and CCO, RUN, asks, “Where is the future of advertising and design heading?” Not only from a DEI perspective but the inclusion of new voices, ideas and perspectives in a world where brash, bolshy and what is considered crass, is now making way for the quieter voice in the room, with micro-nuance and mana (uplifting) enhancing conversations.

Cut the Crap: How to Combat Fluffy Feedback

10 May | 12:00–13:30 | Masterclass Studio

Many of us have a familiar feeling of fear and anxiety when we are to receive feedback. As a creative, we pour our heart & soul into our designs so It's okay to feel this way. Fluffy client feedback is a delicate art. We need to ensure the client is being heard, but also ensure we are answering the challenge using our expertise.

Join this workshop to learn how to prepare for client feedback, cut through the fluff and know when to fight back. Through a series of creative exercises, we will learn how to receive feedback powerfully. So that you can increase creative competency, efficiency & build strong client relationships.

You've got superpowers. Do something good with them.

10 May | 12:15–13:00 | Adobe Stage

Advertising currently defines a ‘Good Life’ as status, wealth, and more, more, more. But in a time of climate emergency we need to make, buy and consume less. Given its role in shaping society and creating culture, the creative industry should be putting its weight behind making a climate friendly and thriving future for all THE most desirable thing.

Featuring: Lisa Merrick-Lawless, Co-founder Purpose Disruptors, and Grant Hunter, ECD Iris.

Jury Insights: Branding & Packaging Design

10 May | 12:15–13:00 | Truman Stage

What happend in the Branding and Packaging Design jury rooms? Find out what work inspired them, what caused arguments, and what this says about the current landscape of the branding industry.

Panellists: Eva Yarza, Creative Director, co-founder, The Yarza Twins; Astrid Stavro, VP CD, Collins; Chris Cyran, Design Director, Chris Cyran; Sarah Moffat, Chief Creative Officer, Turner Duckworth; Hiren Dedhia, Design Head, Diageo.

Why the Industry needs to think more neurodiversely

10 May | 14:00–14:30 | Truman Stage

In an industry that is forever looking for ways to continually optimise, there is a pressure to do things in increasingly specific ways that leave anyone who thinks differently left out in the cold. For neurodiverse people the shame that comes with this negatively impacts health and wellbeing and can stall creativity and productivity. Kim Lawrie, Head of Creative Technology at House 337, shares some neurodiverse ways of doing things that help us produce the kind of braver, better work that benefits us all.

Always The Real Everything – A design manifesto for The Coca-Cola Company

10 May | 14:00–14:40 | Adobe Stage

Rapha Abreu, Global Vice President, Design, The Coca-Cola Company takes us inside the work that goes into building and maintaining a globally recognisable brand that stands the test of time. Rooted in Coca-Cola’s history, and grounded in reality, this session is for anybody and everybody who designs, makes, builds, programs, writes, produces, conceives or invents anything and everything to do with global products and brands.

Strategy and Creativity sitting in a tree...

10 May | 14:00–15:30 | Masterclass Studio

This workshop offers a chance to experiment with different ways in which strategy and creativity can interact, moving away from the simplistic view of "strategy first, creativity second". Through a series of creative exercises and a dash of theory, we'll explore how the creative articulation of strategies can inspire better work and how strategic frameworks can invigorate your creative exploration. Additionally, we'll experiment with the hidden strategies within great ideas.

By attending this workshop, you'll gain a deeper understanding of the dynamic relationship between strategy and creativity, and perhaps even discover a fresh perspective on your creative process. Don't miss out on this opportunity to expand your knowledge and explore new possibilities.

Hack your happiness levels In 20 minutes

10 May | 14:30–14:50 | Truman Stage

What if you held the power to change someone’s behaviour with a simple image? Through this exercise that combines deep scientific analysis with practical visualisation. Lee Baker Co-Founder of Graphic Rewilding – a provocative initiative that places vast, nature-inspired artworks at the centre of often-overlooked urban spaces – will guide an explorations through the surprising and often-overlooked science behind the brain’s response to art and design: from the colours that trigger emotional responses, to the visuals that inspire large-scale behavioural change.

Jury Insights: Film & Entertainment

10 May | 14:45–15:35 | Adobe Stage

Discover the work that moved and entertained at D&AD Awards 2023, as Judges from Film and Entertainment discuss their picks, trends and the creative industry today.

Panellists: Jimmy Smith, Chairman, CEO & CCO, Amusement Park Entertainment; Liz Taylor, Global CCO, Ogilvy; Nimo Awil, Creative Director, MediaMonks; Sergio Gordilho, CEO, Africa DDB PUBLICIDADE; Jax Jung, Global Creative Director, Cheil Worldwide.

Opposite ends of the publishing world

10 May | 14:55–15:35 | Truman Stage

Two very different perspectives meet to explore the contemporary role of the print magazine today. Nicholas Blechman, Creative Director, The New Yorker, meets Ariane Spanier, Graphic Designer, Ariane Spanier Design, for a conversation moderated by MagCulture’s Jeremy Leslie.

Fix the system to #SHIFTCreativity

10 May | 15:40–16:10 | Truman Stage

For globally underrepresented communities, political, systemic and cultural issues stop self-taught talent from entering and progressing in the industry. This is even more prevalent for First Nations people in Sydney and people from the Global South, like São Paulo. Understanding challenges is a key step to SHIFT barriers, mindsets, skills and ultimately, Creativity.

Leila Fataar, founder of Platform13 and partner of D&AD Shift, unpacks these topics in a wide-ranging conversation with Brad Cooke (Co-Founder, Campfire X) and Joana Mendes (President, Clube de Criação) and discusses how the industry can support this much needed SHIFT.

Hate the brief? Change the brief!

10 May | 15:40–16:30 | Adobe Stage

Tired of meaningless, tactical or opportunistic briefs? Sophie Ozoux and Kwame Taylor-Hayford, co-founders of Kin, will reveal five questions to challenge conventional thinking and build briefs that lead to bold creative work and brand growth while driving lasting social change.

Unlearn everything

10 May | 16:10–16:40 | Truman Stage

“You guys are having way too much fun” is something that is often said about the people from the Oatly Department of Mind Control. But what really goes on inside one of the most unexplainable brands around today? In an exclusive interview with Oatly Strategic & Creative Director Michael Lee, hear how throwing out the marketing playbook, being consistently inconsistent and just plain trying to be human is helping to make something as dorky as oat milk, well, kinda interesting.

Festival Afterparty hosted by Mother London

10 May | 17:00–19:00 | Mother London