D&AD Festival 2025: Programme

People are smart, consciously and subconsciously. Our brains constantly interpret signals from every color, shape, sound, texture, and smell, forming emotional nuances and assigning unconscious meaning. It's how we distinguish between something we like and something we love, something we ignore and something we act on. These subtle shifts come down to craft, the details that tip the scale and make us lean in. Craft is not a luxury; it's creative psychology.

Selling bold and innovative ideas can often be a daunting task, as stakeholders are humans and therefore naturally inclined towards what feels familiar and safe. But there is a concept that, when applied thoughtfully, can not only help you persuade people (clients, managers and/or colleagues) but also bridge the gap between the routine and the revolutionary and drive braver marketing.
​Come to this session with Gabriela Lungu, Chief Creative Officer LeSHOP and “selling ideas” D&AD masterclass teacher, to find out the principle, what it is, how it works, and to learn how you can apply it successfully in your day to day work.

Dive into the transformative world of AI in creative industries, where cutting-edge technology meets human imagination. This dynamic session will demystify AI's potential, challenging myths and revealing practical strategies for integrating intelligent tools into your creative workflow. Participants will explore how AI can be a collaborative partner, not a replacement, empowering creative professionals to push boundaries and unlock unprecedented levels of innovation.

In today’s evolving cultural landscape, live performance is becoming a transformative tool for brands—building emotional connections, driving cultural relevance, and creating unforgettable moments. This keynote explores how the intersection of performance, music, and branding elevates campaigns into cultural milestones.
Luke unpacks his journey as a Show Creative Director, the significance of the D&AD Shift programme in his approach, and how agencies can integrate brand-led show design into future campaigns.

Discover how Rémi Babinet, Founder and Chief Creative Officer of one of the world's most awarded creative agencies, manages to deliver creative excellence in advertising while simultaneously developing various other ventures in music, design, architecture, food and events—all driven by the genuine ambition to transform BETC into something beyond a mere advertising agency (in conversation with Eliza Williams, Executive Editor of Creative Review).

TheBrandReview by Hyperfocus is hitting the stage! The international branding studio, led by Paul Watmough (UK) and Jan Stein (Germany), is known not only for their creative work but also for their growing YouTube channel, where they share open, honest, and often witty insights into the branding industry.
Their channel is all about pulling back the curtain-offering brand reviews, interviews with influential figures, and sparking conversations that are as entertaining as they are insightful. Expect a no-holds-barred approach that’s fun, challenging, and sometimes controversial.
For this live session, they’ll dive into their signature format: the brand review. They’ll break down a brand from top to bottom-covering the studio behind it, logo, strategy, intent, and execution. As always, the audience will get the final say: was it a hit or a miss?
​Throughout the event, Paul and Jan will also be vlogging and conducting interview-so keep your game face on if they come your way!

For years, businesses have treated brand identity systems as languages—focused on how they speak. But what if that’s insufficient? What if identity systems aren’t languages at all?
In this keynote, COLLINS Co-founder and CEO Leland Maschmeyer challenges our understanding of identity systems. Identity systems signal, but they can and should do so much more–from establishing new capabilities to improving operational efficiency to unlocking previously out-of-reach business opportunities.
​Maschmeyer will show how the most advanced identity systems are instruments engineered to excel across three key dimensions—concept, aesthetic, and performance—driving business outcomes, increasing utility and creating tangible value.

Hear what impressed the judges when brands stepped into digital realms and played to win as our Gaming & Virtual Worlds judges discuss their top picks and trends in this exciting space.

Let’s be real: in advertising, success often comes with a cookie-cutter formula—but not for me. Because of D&AD, I was afforded the opportunity to skip the whole portfolio school thing to chart my own path to becoming an Art Director WKNY, Droga5, BBDO, & Saatchi & Saatchi & now Burrell. I've had the pleasure of working on brands like Chase Banking, Toyota, Equinox and Lululemon. In this session, I’ll share the real tea: the challenges, the wins, and the lessons from navigating the industry as a Black woman with a not-so-traditional background and even less traditional access to resources and channels people usually utilize to navigate the ad industry. Whether you’re just starting out or looking for a career reboot, this talk is here to remind you that breaking the mold isn’t just possible—it’s powerful.

Hosted by Charlotte Rawlings, Deputy Creativity & Culture Editor at Campaign

A 90-minute interactive copywriting workshop to improve how you connect with - and stay tuned to - your audience. Through a series of examples and high involvement, engaging exercises, you'll be taken through some simple tricks that demonstrate how, by 'hearing', you can relate more powerfully to the people you're addressing and stay longer in their attention.

Starting a creative company at the worst point in human history to start a creative company. A talent exodus, the onslaught of AI, a decline in creative standards, the skip ad button, fearful clients and a unanimous lack of respect for the word creativity in boardrooms across the world. Happy days. 20 minutes. 10 ideas for the type of creative company the world might actually want to exist right now.

Everyone’s talking about Artificial Intelligence. No one’s talking about Authentic Intelligence - yours. This workshop is about what happens next. When AI agents write your briefs. When clients care more about speed than soul. When a LinkedIn post pretending to be a personal brand won’t cut it. Your personal brand isn’t vanity, it’s your edge. It’s your career insurance. Your creative moat. The reason they’ll still give a damn in five years. This isn’t self-help. It’s self-defence. Come if you’re ready to stop hiding, start standing out, and build a voice that doesn’t get replaced by a tool update. Because if you don’t brand yourself, trust me, someone else (or some bot) will.

Hosted by Charlotte Rawlings, Deputy Creativity & Culture Editor at Campaign

Trailblazing blind filmmaker Adam Morse explains the difference between sight and vision as he describes his unique process creating for the screen. This twenty minute talk will take you on a journey of how Adam directed his first feature film 'LUCID (starring Billy Zane), his 'POWER OF INSTINCT' PUMA commercial for the 2022 Paralympics, and his viral 2024 Google Pixel Superbowl commercial 'JAVIER IN FRAME'. Strap in and get ready for a wild ride inside the mind of an extraordinary artist!

The idea of building communities around brands and content creators has become a buzzword that is often misconstrued. What does it mean? Does it sell? How do we know we should invest in one, and if so, how to build successful partnerships?
​To delve deep into these ideas, we will hear from various speakers with experiences both managing and building communities, for themselves, creators and brands, retail and community builders so we can take the confusion out of community.

In a world of endless noise, is still enough to merely be heard? In this talk from Ed Trotter (Head of Business Development, Europe) and Rick Sellars (Head of Creative Direction EMEA), MassiveMusic will discuss the evolution of design in the world of sonic branding, presenting the case for a new creative standard for bravery and boldness. Drawing inspiration from MassiveMusic's wealth of sonic expertise, this session promises to provide a roadmap towards genuinely inspired sonic design as a way to make the world sound better and help brands stand out.

Discover the power of story to make everything - films, campaigns, editorial, case studies, briefs, presentations, you name it - stickier, more emotional and more memorable. In this session you'll quickly learn practical tips and tricks that you can immediately apply to anything you’re doing. We’ll look at the power of conflict and consequences, and how to create emotion. All illustrated with a host of great examples from the D&AD archive and a few games, quizzes and tasks along the way.

Hosted by Claire Blyth, Founder of Red Setter and My Life in Design Podcast

Renault Plug-Inn won the Yellow Pencil in Creative Transformation in 2024. But this is only part of the story that we're going to tell. In this talk, we'll take you behind the scenes of all the awarded campaigns that brought Renault to this position, and how Renault has been leading the electric mobility transition in France, using Creativity to remove barriers to EV adoption, making Renault the #1 brand in Electric Vehicle market share in France, and the second best selling brand in Europe.

The cola x Mentos experiment first shot to fame on the Letterman show in 1999 and has been showing up in backyards, science classes and YouTube ever since. 20 years on, with the help of BBH London and Metavision, Mentos refreshed the trend with the Mentos Fizzooka - a custom soda-spraying rocket launcher which dropped in Fortnite Creative and with influencers around the world, with explosive results. In this session the experts at BBH London talk about how they created the first branded tactical item in Fortnite Creative, how they tapped into an existing cultural phenomenon and the power of silliness in brand activations - and why the entire campaign from design to the engineering feat that is the real life Fizzooka, was underpinned by craft.

At over 90 years old, the LEGO Group continues to permeate popular culture worldwide, demonstrating growth and leadership in the worlds of creativity and entertainment – underpinned by its mission to inspire & develop the builders of tomorrow. At the heart of the beloved brand’s output is Our LEGO Agency (OLA), its internal creative & strategic agency, whose global teams continue to push the LEGO Group forward through incredible content, unforgettable experiences, retail activations, and much more, all with fans and PLAY at their heart.

Olivia Ema is a creative technologist and digital artist known for her interactive and audio-reactive visuals that transform events and spaces. In this talk, Olivia will explore the intersection of identity and technology, the role of digital art in immersive spaces and the emerging language of reactive technologies. She’ll take us behind the scenes of her most celebrated works whilst revealing how art, technology and identity come together to create interesting multisensory experiences.

In this session Ben Cooper will unpack brand-new D&AD research with 300 industry leaders who gave their perspectives on the real impact of AI on creative work. Sponsored by Shutterstock, this global study and strategic roadmap was created to help the creative industry navigate the AI era with clarity and confidence. From changing client-agency dynamics to the economics of originality, Ben explores what AI is really doing to creativity today — and what leaders must do to stay ahead. This is not a hype talk. It is a wake-up call and a two-way conversation for anyone who wants to shape the shift, not be shaped by it.

When OpenAI set out to refresh its brand, the challenge wasn’t just aesthetic — it was existential after 2 years of rapid growth. How do you design a visual identity for a company at the forefront of artificial intelligence? One that felt both cutting edge and grounded, tech-first, but humane, visionary yet accessible?
​In this session, OpenAI’s Shannon Jager, and Studio Dumbar’s Head of Creative, Liza Enebeis take you inside the creative partnership that brought the new brand to life. They will discuss how the collaboration unfolded, why certain choices were made, and how motion, typography, and systems thinking helped shape a brand that reflects the intelligence and brand it represents — always learning, always evolving.

How are brands showing up IRL in 2025? Join judges from Spatial Design and Experiential to find out how physical spaces and live interactions have earned recognition for bold, human-first design and advertising.

Hosted by Charlotte Rawlings, Deputy Creativity & Culture Editor at Campaign

Former UK breakdancer and reformed evolutionary biologist Dr Lee Bofkin is the founder of Global Street Art, Europe's leading hand-painted advertising and mural painting company. Global Street Art is also known for the Gallery in their Old Street HQ, housing over 100,000 objects that cover 150 years of creativity. In this 90-minute workshop, Lee will teach you powerful techniques for ideation, healthy group-working dynamics and further creative nudges. Expect to leave inspired and exhilarated.

How do you please Beyoncé one of the most exacting and creative artists of our time? How about delivering for Ralph Lauren himself when he wants to redefine luxury? Or Lewis Hamilton as he explores fashion?
This talk tells a behind the scenes look as to what is expected when creating for the biggest names in culture, who want wonderful things and world firsts as standard.

What does creative excellence look like in the creator economy? Step inside the jury room with judges from the inaugural Creator Content jury to find out how creators are reshaping the rules of engagement.

Join us for a special live recording of Virtually Parkinson, the podcast celebrating the wit, wisdom, and enduring influence of Sir Michael Parkinson. D&AD's President, Kwame Taylor-Hayford, will be interviewed live by 'AI Parky', and the podcast’s producers will explain how (and why) the show extends Sir Michael’s legacy into a new generation of guest talent and the evolution of the interview format in the age of AI.

Hosted by Charlotte Rawlings, Deputy Creativity & Culture Editor at Campaign

To mark 100 years of Paul Renner’s iconic Futura®, TypeTogether has partnered with Bauertypes to create Futura® 100 — a more accurate, globally inclusive update fully leveraging modern technologies. Designed by a worldwide team, Futura® 100 spans 23 writing systems, supporting over 90% of the world’s population. While Futura® once reached the moon, it hadn’t yet served regions like India, Thailand, or Georgia — until now. As one of the earliest geometric sans-serifs, Futura’s® clean, uncluttered forms enhance readability and stand for equality. Its forward-thinking design amplifies voices without overpowering the message, reaffirming typography’s role as a powerful tool for global communication.

It's time to come clean. Because, despite what agency websites and shiny socials might suggest, every – yes, every – successful design career is littered with creative missteps, professional cock-ups, bad decisions, terrible clients and ugly work. The Creative Laundry is a showcase of stories, cherry picked from over 100 tales shared by creative professionals from around the world. True stories of their mistakes, mishaps, and downright disasters. Baxter & Bailey founders Matt Baxter and Dom Bailey have diligently collected these stories for years. Why? Because they believe that our creative disasters and professional missteps tell us something valuable about ourselves, and that sharing makes us stronger. And they've got the evidence to prove it. To hear the messy truth, join us in The Creative Laundry.

Four speakers, all creatives, will meet and discuss how their unique experiences has shaped the kind of work they created, both personally and creatively. Sometimes, up and coming artists and future career professionals don't understand the richness of their worlds, and how to draw inspiration from their environments, instead of lamenting about resources they may lack.
​​Each speaker will share anecdotes of their unique history and backgrounds and share how it lead to groundbreaking and creative excellence in their field. There will be visual images and examples on display to demonstrate a direct link from their experiences and upbringing and the impact it had on the award-winning work they created.

Discover the very best in film advertising in 2025 with judges from the Film jury, as they take you behind closed doors to learn how the best film work found fresh ways to sell, story-first.

In an industry where the writer–art director duo has long been the go-to formula, it's time to spotlight the often-overlooked powerhouse: the graphic designer. James Taylor, Global Head of Design at TBWA\M​edia Arts Lab—Apple's dedicated creative agency—makes a compelling case for why the graphic designer's approach is relevant and essential in today's marketing landscape.​

Drawing from Apple's legacy of simplicity and distinctiveness, James delves into how a design-first methodology transforms complex challenges into iconic campaigns, illustrating how design isn't just an aesthetic choice but a strategic tool that cuts through the noise. This session is a call to arms for designers: to recognize and harness their unique ability to shape communications.​

A hands-on workshop designed to demystify, decode, and debunk the dark arts of branding in today’s fast-moving creative landscape.
With insights drawn from world-renowned brands, branding missteps and content creators we’ll outline the strategies, tools and dirty little secrets behind crafting brand expressions that live, breathe, and refuse to be forgotten.
​Participants will learn the fundamentals of brand building and explore how to create versatile, multi-sensorial brand experiences. Whether you’re a designer, marketer, or entrepreneur, this session will equip you with at least one useful thing for your next meeting.

Are you stuck on a tricky brief? Battling with a puzzle that feels unsolvable? Feeling in need of an inspirational reframe? Then join us for a mind opening experience on the South Bank that will give you a renewed sense of creative drive. We’ll power you up to create focus on your particular puzzle. Then, using the power of alignment, you’ll use the inspiration of the street to hone in on your solution. There’s a short intro, some individual exercises and then you’ll be unleashed on your own personal creative adventure for an hour. Paying attention to the details we so often miss will fuel your discovery. Seeing the world through different eyes will change your perspective. You’ll come back and share the story of your walk with a small group. That’s where the magic happens.

This session explores how creators and in-house teams are building brands by focusing on the ‘why’ behind engagement—not just the ‘how’. At Skyscanner, creators have become a driving force in our brand transformation, helping turn a powerful travel planning platform into a vibrant, global community rooted in empathy and understanding. By collaborating with local creators, we’re able to share authentic, culturally resonant content that genuinely helps travellers across the globe.

I see the world as dance. A blink with a neighbor’s child. Birdsong in sync. Sensing the world, just once — it became my work.

Find out what made branded entertainment rise above the noise—and into the shortlist. Join judges from Entertainment to discover the work that moved and entertained at D&AD Awards 2025.

Hosted by Maisie McCabe, UK Editor at Campaign

This year, JKR’s Chief Creative Officer Tosh Hall and Global Executive Creative Director Lisa Smith are showing up at D&AD… for a battle. The topic? Should we change everything or change nothing when it comes to a rebrand. Is it all about going back into the archives and building on what came before? Or do we say f*ck it, let’s rip everything up and start fresh? And does it even count if you don’t change the logo anyway? Buckle up and get ready for things to get interesting

The characteristics to succeed as a Creative Leader go far beyond awards, creative ability and ambition. And yet, for anyone in these roles, there is no handbook, and little or no training or support to fill in the gaps in their game. It's everyone for themselves. Most learning through by trial and error. This is time consuming, anxiety inducing, and creates avoidable issues with relationships, accounts and profitability. Not to mention the work.
​With insights drawn from a career encompassing multiple CD and CCO roles, plus conversations with 20 of the world's top industry leaders, this talk will detail the 10 characteristics successful creative leaders share, and how you can develop them. And why, if there are a couple in particular you don't have, you should take a different career path.

Gail Bichler, Creative Director at The New York Times Magazine, takes us behind the scenes of some of the publication’s most influential covers and explores the dynamic challenges and innovative strategies involved in conceptualising and creating compelling visuals, both digital and print, for one of the most prestigious publications in journalism.

With 98% of employees disengaging when they receive little or no feedback, learning how to give and receive feedback is critical to motivating and retaining creative talent. In this masterclass, we'll explore Kim Scott's Radical Candour model for feedback, how you can apply it and practical steps to being confident at sharing this incredible gift - feedback!

Hosted by Claire Blyth, Founder of Red Setter and My Life in Design Podcast

From the morbid beauty of 80s pop to the tactile allure of a perfectly designed physical product, Teemu Suviala, Global CCO of Landor, explores the power of brands as multisensory experience ecosystems that resonate on a deeper, more emotional level. Hear how curiosity towards the different and divine fuels creativity, and how to translate architectural inspiration into sonic identities, pasta into typefaces, and everyday interactions into magical storytelling moments.

What makes a brand identity breakthrough? Find out what judges from New Brand Identity and Brand Identity Refresh thought about this year’s most striking new looks and rebrands.

The country was spiralling. Where the world saw chaos. We saw opportunity. This is your chance to join us. Step inside the minds behind Believe in Chicken - the campaign that made some people want to rip their eyeballs out. From rethinking iconic semiotics, to understanding the intricacies of how a chicken moves, this is the unfiltered story of how bold creative work gets made - and why the best ideas demand belief and command attention.

Hosted by Maisie McCabe, UK Editor at Campaign

Peek into the deliberations behind the year’s most finely crafted commercial storytelling with judges from our Craft juries to find out what creative excellence looked like in Animation, Cinematography, and Direction in 2025.

Human truths vs robot thinking, and the lies we tell ourselves.
​The most dangerous threat that we are facing as an industry is not being replaced by an AI, or by someone that learns how to use AI, as the gurus of doom like to yell on LinkedIn. The biggest threat is to become automats ourselves, repeating the same notions, ideas and behaviors that have put advertising creativity in the weird place of being both a commodity and scarce in the real work we do every day. Human truths have been the place I have always come back to, to refresh my passion for our industry and keeping my own creativity alive.

How will you use your creative abilities to foster impact and change? It’s a question worth pondering as we navigate through our interconnected society.

Pum Lefebure will explore designers’ profound power to unite, communicate, and inspire action. Attendees will discover how every creative endeavor, from small projects to large campaigns, has the potential to leave a lasting impact on communities.

Pum will share her own experiences showcasing how creative initiatives can rally support for local arts programs, challenge cultural norms, and pave the way for positive change no matter where you are.

During this totally interactive session you’ll be introduced to the Creative Ladder - the single most commonly used tool the world’s biggest brands use to decide what is Good, Great and Terrible in today’s creative industry. You’ll be introduced to the Why What and How of the Creative Ladder before getting your chance to put it into action to review some real life campaigns – all led by one of the original team that built it a decade ago.

A neon-soaked passion-filled presentation of all things creativity, trying to strike the elusive balance between uncurbed enthusiasm and pragmatic process

Hosted by Claire Blyth, Founder of Red Setter and My Life in Design Podcast

Come together with global peers to celebrate the very best in creative excellence this year at the D&AD Awards 2025 Ceremony. Guests will enjoy a drinks reception and canapés, followed by the highly anticipated awards presentation. Following the announcement, enjoy bowl food and live music during an after party to celebrate this year's winners.

Come visit the Procreate stand to have a play with the worlds top selling iPad apps - Procreate and Procreate Dreams. Speak to our team about how both apps can help your creative practice, no matter what type of creative you are.

Explore the intersection of imagination and innovation at the D&AD Festival, where Shutterstock invites you to experience Generative AI in a whole new way. Get hands-on with tools that turn your ideas into visuals in real time —and try out a playable video game built with assets made using generative 3D tools. See how emerging technology can elevate bold concepts into scalable, ethical, and intuitive creative solutions. This isn’t just a demo, it’s a glimpse into what’s next.

Global Street Art will build and fabricate a freestanding 3D Yellow Pencil — allowing artists and attendees to apply water-based-indoor black spray paints to create a unique artwork.

The Agency for Nature is a pop-up creative shop dedicated to building universal love for nature, founded by award-winning non-profit, Purpose Disruptors. Explore Nature's new lineup, now featuring Football, Streetwear Fashion, Drag, Gothic Underworlds and even a Talking Tree. Developed by rising creatives at VCCP, AMV BBDO, House 337, Iris and droga5 and produced by Locate Productions.

Immerse yourself in shortlisted work from the D&AD Awards 2025.

A robot armed with a humble pencil draws bold, custom posters live—each one a fusion of campaign-led phrases and attendee-generated provocations. It’s part performance, part printing press, and all analogue energy.

Discover the new generation of magazines! The magCulture team are back at the Festival with a carefully chosen selection of print from their Clerkenwell HQ.

D&AD branded merch will be available for sale at the Festival. Designed by JKR and inspired by the Drawn to theme, the exclusive merch includes t-shirts and tote bags.