D&AD and The Future Laboratory – partnership for trend reports

Cristina Blanaru Creativity, Marketing, Studies

D&AD, the global creative association for the advertising and design professions, announced a new partnership with trend forecasting consultancy The Future Laboratory, as it looks to draw rich insights from its Professional Awards for the benefit of the creative industries.

 

Following the annual judging of the D&AD Professional Awards, which takes place between 19-23 April in 2015, The Future Laboratory will produce a series of trend reports split across seven creative disciplines. The reports will be released exclusively to D&AD Members following the Professional Awards Ceremony in May, before being made widely available in June.

 

Holly Hall, Awards Director at D&AD:

Each year, D&AD is privy to the world’s best in commercial creativity. D&AD is synonymous with creative excellence and no other body gets to see such an extensive and diverse spread of brilliance across both advertising and design.

 

By joining up with The Future Laboratory, we’re aiming to turn this wealth of creative data and case studies that we have into real actionable insight for the benefit of the industry. This partnership will help us provide further inspiration and professional development to both young and old creatives alike, positioning D&AD as an invaluable community resource.

 

The Future Laboratory first began working with D&AD in 2014, with the two organisations collaborating on the 2015 New Blood Awards. In a step-change from previous years, entrants to the D&AD New Blood Awards were given four trend toolkits to tackle a range of newly designed multidisciplinary briefs. With each brief specifically crafted to accurately replicate the real challenges faced by modern brands and develop the skills sought after by industry, The Future Laboratory partnership enabled young creatives to have to access to the same high-level insight used by industry, to help shape their responses.

 

Kirsty Minns, Creative Director The Future Laboratory

The Future Laboratory is honored to be working with D&AD to define the trends and forces shaping design and creativity and how these trends will impact the future of the creative industries.

 

Launching the partnership will be a special President’s Lecture on January 21: ‘Awakening Tech’. Held at Logan Hall, Institute of Education in London, The Future Laboratory will introduce one of their key macro trends for 2015, exploring the rise of ‘phygital’ and seeking to uncover how technological advancements and the digital universe are impacting creative practitioners. Bringing the talk to life will be three digital artists who are using technology to push their craft forward:

 

  • Andreas Fischer, investigating the effects of technology and automation on society and contemporary art.
  • Quayola, a visual artist whose work explores photography, geometry, time-based digital sculptures and immersive audiovisual installations and performances.
  • Lawrence Lek, who is interested in the transformation of utopian visions through prototypes, simulations, videos and installations.

 

Entries for the 2015 D&AD Professional Awards are open until 18 February 2015, with more information on categories, eligibility and entry criteria available here

 

Since 1962, D&AD has been inspiring a community of creative thinkers by celebrating and stimulating the finest in design and advertising. A D&AD Award is recognised globally as the ultimate creative accolade, entered and attended by the best creative decision makers from around the world. Set to reward, promote and enable creative brilliance in all areas of creative communication, a Yellow – or Black – Pencil remains the pinnacle in many careers.

 

Founded in 2001, The Future Laboratory is one of the world’s most renowned futures consultancies, having shaped the future of over 1,000 brands in 37 countries. With its unique blend of trend forecasting, consumer insight, brand strategy and innovation, we help our clients harness market trends, understand and adapt to emerging consumer needs, position their brand for success and keep ahead of competitors.