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 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.

Creative Team
Creative Directors: Carl Addy, Nils Kloth
Directors: Carl Addy, Nils Kloth
Executive Producer: Luke Colson
Producer: Oana Anghel

Design & Art Direction
Art Direction & Typography: Alexandra Thursby-Pelham
Art Department: Charles Bigeast

3D & Matte Painting
3D Lead Artist: Fred Huergo
3D Artists: Anthony Fieldsend, Stephanie Dewhirst, Daniel Fitzgerald
Matte Painting: Can Y. Sanalan, Alex Caldow, Marie Tricart, Melanie Climent

Editorial & Colour
Editors: Hugo Vaughan-Hughes, David Toba
Colourist: Timothy Smith