Bruce Duckworth is this year's D&AD President

Eight new creatives have been elected to sit on the D&AD Board of Trustees. Duckworth wants to raise the profile of designers and bring all the different communities within D&AD together

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Mumbai | September 26, 2016

Bruce Duckworth

Each year, D&AD appoints a President from the Board of Trustees to lead the charge and shape the conversations for the year ahead. The job of the President is to galvanise and creative communities and bring them together to inspire and celebrate the finest in design and advertising. This year, Bruce Duckworth, Principal at Turner Duckworth, will be D&AD President with renewed focus on the power and importance of design.

With D&AD Festival returning for a second year in 2017, as well as an international roster of President's Lectures, Duckworth is sure to have his hands full and he wants to set an agenda of his own this year.

Duckworth wants to raise the profile of designers, to elevate great design and bring all the different communities within D&AD together under one roof.

Duckworth explains how he plans to achieve this, “This year I'd like to strengthen the relationship between D&AD and the design community. To bring the design community back into D&AD. And to give design a louder voice, we need to make D&AD a hub for our creative community -- a place where the different creatives come together. One of the things I love about D&AD are the conversations I have with people from other disciplines, from different industries, people with different ways of seeing things. I find it energising, inspiring, and creative.”

Duckworth added, “We have to work together, and the best creative work comes when we are together, from established greats to people embarking on a creative career, that's where the magic is. So we have to get the different communities within D&AD talking, design and advertising, sharing ideas. Embracing the '&' in D&AD.”

“The Festival will be even bigger and better than last year, bringing people together and sharing ideas on how to shape our future. The President's lectures will focus on how design excellence is central to business success, and we've got some fantastic names booked.”

“There's a real opportunity to help creative practitioners stay in control, and lead business through creativity, not accountancy. We need to help creative people become better business people. There are lots of small brilliant companies that would love to become bigger brilliant companies, but don't know how to get there. So we'll be looking at a programme of professional development to help creative people who run companies to understand business better and to take creative excellence to more people.”

“And by educating people about the opportunities that exist within the creative industry, and with exciting programmes like D&AD New Blood Shift, I want to help D&AD continue to bring new kinds of people into the industry, which is so vital for us all.”

In addition to the new President, there have been eight new creatives elected to sit on the D&AD Board of Trustees:

• Alexandra Taylor, Consultant Head of Art, Mrs. McGuinty
• Bruno Maag, Chairman, Dalton Maag
• Graham Shearsby, ?Chief Creative Officer, Design Bridge
• L A Ronayne, Creative Director, Havas London
• Kath Tudball, Design Director, The Partners
• Paco Conde, Group Creative Director, BBH London
• Steve Spence, Lecturer, London College of Communication
• Thomas Manning, Junior Creative, Havas London (New Blood Trustee)

The D&AD Board of Trustees represent the full breadth of the advertising, design and digital industries. As a member-run organisation, the elected board is responsible for the overall direction of D&AD, its programmes and where its money is spent. Any awarded member of D&AD is eligible to stand for election of the Board of Trustees, which is voted only by D&AD Awarded and full members. Each elected trustee serves a term of three years and the New Blood Trustees serve for a year.

Tim Lindsay, Chief Executive, D&AD, said, “I would like to extend a warm welcome to Bruce who brings with him experience from a stellar career in the design industry. It comes as no surprise that he has big plans to bring the D&AD design community closer and we are excited to see how his leadership will help to guide and shape D&AD over the coming year.”

“September always brings change here at D&AD but this whole year has been full of new beginnings: the first-ever D&AD Festival, the launch of New Blood Shift and we are days away from the inaugural D&AD Impact Awards. I'd like to thank Andy Sandoz on behalf of all my colleagues at D&AD and the Board of Trustees for his fantastic commitment over five years culminating in a great Presidential year.”

Info@BestMediaInfo.com

Info@BestMediaInfo.com