D&AD: same old shit

Here’s an article that sums up what’s been said in this country for the last few years.

But it’s just one reason why D&AD is a dismal load of bollocks these days. Here are some others:

1. The standard of advertising in general has slipped a great deal in the last few years. If the best advertising isn’t as interesting or inspiring as it was a few years ago, why care?

2. There are so many other ways to see the best work of the year before D&AD shows it to you. It’s late, it’s irrelevant and it’s kind of sad.

3. The judges are more international, but they’re also of a lower standard. Check ’em out. Do you give a shit what many of these people think of your work?

4. They pride themselves on diversity of categories but they are too thick to understand that giving out Pencils for Interface and Navigation for Websites and Digital Design means that Pencils don’t matter so much. A bunch of Pencils on a shelf used to mean that their owner was a fucking good creator and executioner. Now it means that you can design a button that brings up a screen really well. Who gives a toss? I’m sure it’s difficult and worth giving prizes for, but really, 99% of us do. Not. Give. A. Fuck.

5. God, I’ve written this so many times. They’re making loads of money. They couldn’t care less. Why do I care? I’m not sure. But good advertising matters, and D&AD used to help that happen. Now it doesn’t. It just makes money and most advertising continues to spiral down the crapper.

What a shame.

Can you do anything to help?

Yep: don’t enter D&AD. No one gives a shit if you win, and you’ll only encourage them to prize cash over creativity (just like those clients you really hate).