The best is something like a phenomenon. It's powerful, beautiful and it is the extra in extraordinary. Most importantly, it touches people. It touches you and leaves you with this feeling that you have a hard time putting in words. So what do you say when people ask you about it? You say, it's something like a phenomena.




The color yellow usually means sunshine, pure and bright. It is the easiest color to see and to add to that people who are blind to other colors can usually see yellow. Yellow is full of creativity and it symbolizes wisdom as well. Like the energy of a bright sunshiny day, yellow brings clarity and recognition. So what does this year's D&AD Annual 45 really recognize? To simply put it in just two words: The Best.

The 619- page thick hardcover book is draped in royal yellow with the logo carefully embedded in the middle. Place it in the middle of any other books and we assure you that this advertising bible will catch your eyes in no time at all.

This year, for the first time, D&AD chose a non-British communication center to conceptualize the Annual. This choice went to Fabrica and they accepted the offer enthusiastically. The Bennetton communication research center and D&AD has one thing in common: They both work to recognize and welcome only the best. The best ideas, the best creative execution, anything. When asked to do the 45th Annual D&AD, Fabrica suggested the concept of “The Flag”. This Flag project was then launched and they sent the D&AD flag to 500 creative people from all over the world. The Flag Project was taught of because Fabrica do not like the idea of the usual idea of flags and their formality. This will then include uniforms, national anthems and everything else that defines belonging.

The message is clear. “ You can burn it, stab it, wrap it, fold it, tear it, drape over a coffin, use it as a cape, as a banner, as a kite, as a water filter, as a declaration for peace, as a pirate flag, to aid your rescue from a desert island, as a patch in a quilt...”

The result is then a collection of different images about creativity and personal differences.

For 2007, The D&AD awards made a tribute to one of the best and recognized people in the design world- Alan Fletcher. Being one of the world's best and most influential in the British graphic design, he was the one who married dry grid European modernism and Madison Avenue 'Big Idea' advertising that most people recognize as the best form of graphic design. Alan then also co-found Pentagram, which then became one of the most influential and safely to say, the best regarded design studios in the world. Alan's works in his last years were phenomenal. His work included watercolors of flowers, drawings made while walking ,collages involving sandpaper, sculptures made of pencils, and several drawers of alphabets cut from the crude lettering on cardboard boxes.


When Alan died, the shirt he was wearing said, “I don't know where I am going but I'm on my way.”


On to a lighter note, this year's D&AD saw more award entries than ever before- a whopping 25 000 pieces of work from 58 nations! This included Bangladesh and Qatar who submitted their creative for the very first time.

This year's President, Tony Davidson mentioned in his editorial, “As part of the plan, we were keen to make D&AD more widely recognized as the kite-mark for Creative Excellence. There is some amazing talent out there and we want the Annual to be a collection of the very best work in the world.”

What is The Best?

From print advertising, to radio commercials to package design. The Annual only gather The Best from all aspects of advertising. One of the works that caught our eyes was from Kolle Rebbe Werbeagentur. Their creative was awarded the Black Pencil for outstanding work in Press Advertising and there is no doubt why this ad was a clear winner. Sharp, concise and with no beating around the bush, the ad shows mural style paintings of different areas of conflict in the world with holes all over the ad itself. The strong message that goes along with the ad says “War leaves many scars”. The ad is basically designed for the Misereor Charity asking for donations for the war orphans as they need financial aid to live in peace. Because the holes were placed in a way that it's very sudden and sort of “in your face”, the ad becomes more impactful and it hopes to raise awareness to people around the world. The ads only have one message to the audience: War can destroy families in a very aesthetic and direct way. We think that says it all.



Another creative that was awarded a Pencil but this time a yellow one goes to the agency, AMV.BBDO for their Against Breast Cancer campaign. This ad was awarded the Yellow Pencil for outstanding work in Cinematography and to add to that it was also nominated for outstanding work in direction and in Viral Films.

The ad entitled “Anyone” holds a key message for the audience. It simply wants to let the public know that anyone can get breast cancer. In this film, it lets you into our highly sexualized culture and entices us into the voyeuristic world of stripping. There is a scene of a woman under beautiful lighting, showcasing her curves.

The dancer turns and then viewers are then confronted with the tangible devastation of breast cancer. The unveiling of the dancer's mastectomy acts as a harsh reminder that breast cancer can indeed happen to anyone and that it is up to women to act upon themselves by regularly checking for lumps in their breasts. The aim is crystal clear and AMV.BBDO has successfully set it across to their audience: Anyone can get breast cancer.



One more creative worth mentioning which made it to The D&AD Annual 45 is by Cummins & Partners, Melbourne for their client, Virgin Atlantic. Though they were not awarded any Pencils, Cummins & Partners successfully grab our attention because of their one of a kind integrated print graphics.

Carefully designed for the Premium Economy Class of Virgin Atlantic, the people at Cummins & Partners used the ordinary to create a higher-class appeal, instantly giving it a Premium Economy upgrade. What they did was simple. They turned the good old simple popcorn box into mock- crocodile designer leather containers, with matching leather choc-top wrappers. Napkins were used to enhance the whole premium experience. And then they said it all in one line: Get used to feeling posh.

This year's D&AD Annual is filled with excellence and it is a definite star among the rest. Just like its trademark color, yellow never fails to shine and in this case, we can put a safe bet that the D&AD Annual 45 will continue to light our paths through the years.



The D&AD Annual 2007 is not just any another advertising design book. This book actually is capable of breeding new ideas from the old. It is made to last in our minds. It is made to conquer. Once you've got your hands on The D&AD Annual 2007, you know you're only dealing with nothing but the best.























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