LONDON, UK – At the 2025 D&AD Awards, three campaigns received the highest honor of the night — the coveted Black Pencil. Considered the ultimate creative accolade, Black Pencils are awarded only to the most groundbreaking work each year. This year’s winning campaigns were from W Conran Design, Iconoclast LA, and FCB New York.
According to D&AD Chief Executive Officer Dara Lynch, this year’s awards celebrated the power of design not just as a form of art, but as a “catalyst for commercial success and behavioral change.”
Awarding 668 Pencils this year, the global jury, led by Kwame Taylor-Hayford, D&AD’s Jury President, they have decided to hand out three Black Pencils this year for outstanding creative excellence.
“With 3 prestigious Black Pencils awarded, the jurors emphasized that innovative ideas must possess both aesthetic appeal and tangible impact. As also seen in the winning entries, the resurgence of craftsmanship stands as a reminder that in an era of automation, true excellence lies in the thoughtful execution of ideas. It’s not enough to just look good, true creative excellence must also leave a lasting impression. The need to further define excellence in craft and raise the standards in areas such as content creation was clear,” Dara shared.
Designing Paris 2024 by W Conran Design won in Graphic Design
“How do you dress up a city already known for its beauty? Paris 2024 refused to fall into postcard clichés and instead created a bold, modular design system that captures the true, diverse Paris—the one Parisians actually live in. Inspired by the pavés, the city’s most iconic streetscape, the Look of the Games blends heritage and sport, adapting seamlessly to every venue, street, and touchpoint. From stadiums to airports, fan zones to volunteers’ uniforms, this is Paris, in motion—made for Parisians, shared with the world,” the entry’s description read.
Judges from the Graphic Design category said that the campaign is a breakthrough for sports marketing and traditional sports marketing aesthetics, calling the design playful and scalable, with a unifying but distinctive feel that blends heritage and sport. The campaign also won two Wood Pencils on the Spatial Design category under the Installations and Public Spaces subcategories.
CREDITS
- Client: Paris 2024 COJOP
- Design Agency: W Conran Design
A$AP Rocky – Tailor Swif by Iconoclast LA won in Music Videos
“The “Tailor Swif” music video is a visually captivating narrative that fuses surreal imagery with urban culture. Set against the backdrop of Kyiv, Ukraine, the video features a series of avant-garde and meme-inspired scenes designed to challenge traditional music video aesthetics and engage a digitally savvy audience,” the entry description read.
This year’s Black Pencil winner for the Music Video category emphasizes an overarching theme seen in various works: the importance of narrative storytelling, which highlights the structure of the narrative arc across different mediums and artistic disciplines. In particular, narrative music videos, such as those like “Tailor Swif”, feature long-form storytelling where the music is integral to the narrative, rather than being an afterthought.
This entry earned huge recognition in the Music Video category, earning a Yellow Pencil for Art Direction, two Graphite Pencils for Concept and Visual Effects, and a shortlist placement for Cinematography subcategories.
CREDITS
- Client: A$AP Rocky
- Production Company: Iconoclast LA
Spreadbeats by FCB New York won in Digital Marketing
FCB New York have described their Black Pencil-winning work as, “Innovation through nostalgic technologies,” which is in line with the overarching theme across work this year that has seen brands hacking their way into events / sports / games with a cheeky idea.
Commenting on this year’s winners, D&AD Trustee Lisa Smith, Global Executive Creative Director, Jones Knowles Ritchie said: “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. 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.”
Among the three Black Pencil awardees, “Spreadbeats” is the most awarded. The campaign earned a total of 15 Pencils across various categories. It won three Yellow Pencils in Art Direction for Digital Content, Illustration for Digital, and Media for Direct. It also took home eight Graphite Pencils in categories including Animation for Motion Design, Art Direction for both Digital Platforms and Direct, Digital Design for UI in Motion, Direct for both Digital and Acquisition & Retention, Illustration for Collaboration, and Production Design for Animated Film. Additionally, it received four Wood Pencils in Digital Design for Data Visualisation, Entertainment for Scripted Long Form, PR for B2B, and Visual Effects for Use of Emerging Technology. The campaign was also shortlisted in four categories: Animation (2D Digital), Art Direction (Film), Digital Marketing (Use of Data), and Film (Innovation).
CREDITS
- Client: Spotify
- Advertising Agency: FCB New York
- Production Company: Uncharted Limbo Collective
adobo Magazine is an official media partner of the 2025 D&AD Awards.
