D&AD AWARDS 2015 –
Title Sequence & Ceremony Design

In collaboration with the D&AD team, I co-directed and led the creative development for the 2015 D&AD Awards ceremony — crafting a full design system that spanned motion, print, and environmental elements for one of the creative industry’s most iconic events.

Partnering with Mill+ Creative Director Carl Addy, our goal was to encapsulate the brand’s core values — creative excellence, perseverance, and craft — in a cohesive and visually striking campaign. The concept, titled ASCEND, imagined each of the five D&AD pencils as towering peaks, rendered in materials that matched their respective award tiers: from Wood to Graphite, Yellow, White, and the coveted Black Pencil.

The mountain metaphor expressed the escalating challenge of creative recognition, while celebrating the resilience required to reach the summit. These forms were brought to life through a combination of Cinema4D, custom textures, and matte paintings, resulting in a cinematic title sequence supported by a bespoke typographic system and an atmospheric soundtrack from Grand Central Studios.

Our design language extended across every touchpoint of the event — from digital and printed invites to stage graphics, teaser films, and the book of the night — building a unified visual narrative for the ceremony.