The results are in. The winners of D&AD 2025 have been announced, with an impressive 668 Pencils awarded to the industry's most innovative commercial creatives. This year, three projects earned the coveted Black Pencil award, emphasising the importance of purposeful design that balances style and function as "a catalyst for commercial success and behavioural change."
We had the pleasure of attending this year's D&AD awards, meeting some of the pioneering creatives shaping the design sphere today. From Baxter and Bailey's candid talk on professional errors to magazine cover deep dives with the New York Times, it's impossible not to leave the event feeling inspired, with this year's winners being a testament to the diverse creative excellence in today's industry.
The coveted Black Pencil was awarded to three design projects (notably overlooking projects from the world of advertising). In the Graphic Design category, W Conran Design won for their 'Designing Paris 2024' project for the Olympics. Judges claimed the work carried "a unifying but distinctive feel that blends heritage and sport," according to D&AD's official press release.
Celebrating the diversity of design, Iconoclast LA won in the Music Videos category for their elite narrative storytelling in A$AP Rocky's 'Tailor Swif'. The final Black Pencil was awarded to FCB New York in the Digital Marketing category for their Spreadbeats project, leveraging "Innovation through nostalgic technologies".
D&AD also named its standout agencies of the year, with DIVISION continuing their winning streak as ‘Production Company of the Year’ for a fifth year in a row. Alongside their prestigious Black Pencil, FCB New York was highlighted as ‘Advertising Agency of the Year’, while FCB won 'Network of the Year'. Additionally, Serviceplan was awarded 'Independent Network of the Year', while Serviceplan Design was named ‘Design Agency of the Year’.
This year's D&AD was the first to introduce the new category: Creator Content. A yellow pencil was awarded to The Juju for their 'Blurred Unboxing' campaign, created as a cheeky clapback to stingy influencer endorsement. We also saw a Creative Bloq favourite – Cheetos' Other Hand campaign by Goodby Silverstein & Partners – awarded a yellow pencil for Digital Marketing and two Wood Pencils for the Integrated and Media categories.
“It’s exciting to see so many brands and companies refreshing their identities. But judging has been challenging – too many entries follow the same established design codes and trends, making everything start to look and feel alike, regardless of category," says D&AD Trustee Lisa Smith, global executive creative director at Jones Knowles Ritchie (watch this space for our interview with her). "The work that stood out – and was ultimately awarded – was the kind that breaks away from the expected: inspiring, well-crafted, and truly fit for purpose.”
Check out all the winners on the D&AD website and stay tuned for more coverage to come. If you're after more creative inspiration, take a look at the graphic design trends to watch this year and brush up on the skills to help designers get ahead in 2025.
