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The story of D&AD’s 50th anniversary annual
Advertising, Books, Graphic Design
Posted by Mike Dempsey, 17 January 2011, 9:59 Permalink Comments (27)
Former D&AD President Mike Dempsey questions the continued relevance of the organisation's annual and suggests an alternative future for the venerable publication
In 2007 D&AD sent out an oversized pizza box containing a bright yellow satin flag brandishing their logo. It was given to a variety of D&AD members around the world. They were asked to do something snazzy with it. A selection of the results was to be featured in the 2007 annual. The whole idea rather incenses me because of its utter waste and I felt the need to protest. This was my response to D&AD’s request…
Needless to say my little effort didn’t grace the pages of the annual nor was my protest acknowledged by D&AD. But thanks to Creative Review it found a cyber audience and started to whizz around the blogosphere. I mention this because I have been thinking about the future of the D&AD Annual.
Apart from the first catalogue style annual in 1963 I have every copy of the D&AD Annual. I still treasure many of them. But as much as I love books, over the last decade the D&AD Annual has, to my mind, become redundant as a vehicle to best record the year’s creative highlights in this digital age... 
You had to buy the annual in the early days. Later it was given out free to members but you had to collect it from D&AD. Later they organised a free delivery service. For those of you who are members of D&AD you will be well aware of the rapid increase in size of the annual over the past ten years. This reflects not only the new areas of design but now includes the growing international entries.
Last year’s edition of the annual weighed in at a hefty 3kg. It was delivered to me at a cost, I guess, of around £20 by one of those smartly dressed UPS drivers…
in their equally immaculate chocolate brown trucks…
I signed for it, reached for my still trusty scalpel and slashed my way through the dense cardboard protective packaging and it’s inner plastic shrink-wrapping. It left my studio floor full of debris and me holding the annual fearing a hernia under the weight. There followed a cup of coffee and a ten-minute thumb through – something I’ve done for the last two decades.
Then the tomb was snapped shut and added to my bookshelf, taking its place chronologically with its predecessors. There it will stay in quiet serenity. It was the sight of the discarded packaging and the weight of the annual that got me thinking about the sheer effort and expense to deliver this bibliographic extravaganza to my door.
Here is the DNA of the 2010 D&AD Annual…
On top of all that it travelled 10,000 miles (it was printed in China) to reach me. And all I do is give it a cursory glance as most of the images are too small and lack detail. Then it’s on the shelf with its old buddies. I am sure I am not alone in this casual act.
We are now very well bedded into the digital age (no longer ‘new media’) with its ever-increasing advances. And with a new D&AD president in office, and importantly, the first from a digital background I would like to pose a question. When is D&AD going to address this issue? Here is my solution.
Let’s just re run that UPS delivery scenario again. The only difference is that it is now 2013 (D&AD’s 50th anniversary).
So, I open my door and am handed a slim lightweight package (only 0.68g). I open it with ease, minimal waste. It is a 4th generation iPad, slimmer, faster, bigger memory and a lot cheaper (but knowing Apple it won't be). I discover later that Apple have subsidised this new little miracle to all D&AD members (how nice of them.)...
I click on to discover that it not only has the brand spanking new 2013 Annual – where I can look at the graphics in detail and activate all of the moving imagery, sound and music – but I also have access to the previous 49 annuals as well.
That’s 50 years, 1,450 cm in length, 124kg in weight, 149cm in thickness (think of those poor bookshelves) all reduced to a digital nothingness. As for the 2014 annual? Simple. It’s a download from D&AD. No UPS delivery required (sorry UPS). No Chinese printing. No paper, board, inks, glue, plastic and only one 10,000 miles journey (everything is made in China these days) to get it to your door.
A big step for D&AD and a small carbon footprint for the creative community. (Well done D&AD.)
This piece was originally published at Mike Dempsey's Graphic Journeys blog. Dempsey is a former President of D&AD and past Master of The Faculty of Royal Designers for Industry. A founder of design studio CDT, in 2007 he formed Studio Dempsey.
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27 Comments
And where do you think the ipad would be made?
2011-01-17 11:07:16
And the ipad would have a bigger carbon footprint than the book!!!
2011-01-17 11:10:01
Conceptually wonderful, and who doesn't imagine a world where everything design is delivered on i-.
The trouble is, soon everyone is going to be delivering on i-. It will be the 21st century squeezeball or stainless steel mini ruler and stapler set. What then? I'm imaginging all those ipads delivered in 2013 as 'unique and uberchic delivery platform for creative.' An even if falling short of 1421cm when stacked, unless such things become app-only, cool is going to have something of a larger footprint. Be careful what you wish for.
2011-01-17 11:17:28
Why not go totally futuristic and have a 'web-site' that way all you need to send out is an 'eMail' with a 'password'.
Seems like it would be even less wasteful than an iPad.
2011-01-17 11:19:45
Sanky and others will be discussing the annual and wider implications on D&AD's website later this week, so check it out. Not sure where the 50th anniversary reference comes from though? That isn't until 2012 during Rosie Arnold's presidency according to my (admittedly rusty) arithmetic.
Laura Woodroffe, DIrector of Content, Community and Campaigns
2011-01-17 11:23:37
This was a really interesting read and the solution was going well up to the point where you expected an ipad instead of a book. Of course ipads are made in China and have a huge carbon footprint. Also, have you not considered the packaging of an ipad to make it 10,000 miles?
Just stupid. What I think this he was trying to say was... "D&AD could release an app for ipads (which you already will have) for a decent amount (£10) which would feature a digital version of the annual and where you could also download back issues for maybe £10".
2011-01-17 11:26:40
You didn't understand the problem, therefore you gave the wrong solution.
From the comments above, it's pretty obvious where you got it wrong...
2011-01-17 11:50:00
I'm going to post exactly the same as what I posted on his blog:
You have collected D&AD annuals for an age and yes you might have a massive collection of books but what about new designers? Do you want them to be totally digital just because you don't want any more clutter and waste? And one designers waste is anothers pride and joy. I would be horrified if something that shows craft in printing would be turned into something as disposable, dull and lifeless as yet another app or iPad magazine.
Whilst I do agree on weight/postage/environment I would circle more on companies who circulate the masses of junk mail I get every day, from utilities and sales that will amount to far far more waste than a collectable annual would make.
Oh yeah and you need a brand spanking £500 device to view it on, luckily I do have one but many do not including students who use the annual as a resource... but of course your not bothered about that because it's what you want.
Print will never die, digital will sit alongside it but you can never ever replace the craft of a well made book and as designers should protect the medium rather than want to replace it.
2011-01-17 12:04:19
Making everything digital isn't always as eco friendly as you think.
I know an electrical engineering company who do work in data centres (where the internet and apps live) and apparently 90% of all the energy that goes into them is used trying to cool the servers down.
Just because they don't use materials doesn't mean websites and digital thingmajigs are magical and don't use any recources at all.
Maybe printing is still the way to go.
2011-01-17 15:58:49
I think Mike's got a really valid point about the Annuals feeling dated as a delivery device for all the work that gets nominated each year - we were having exactly the same thoughts in the studio. Last year's annual is still sitting on the side, looking decidedly anachronistic, pretty much unread except for a cursory flip through when it arrived.
But I agree with some of the comments here - the iPad doesn't feel like the right way to go.
But a really clean, well structured site, that's open to everyone; where all the online / on-screen work can be seen properly? That sounds like a great idea. Add in a full archive of all the previous years' awards, and you're really talking. And assuming all that saves some cash, then perhaps that money could go towards an annual show where all the best work can be seen (which would certainly be useful for getting a fuller sense of the print work). Duplicate / adapt that site as an iPad app, and then readers / users / viewers can choose how to experience it.
Sure, running the servers for a dedicated site will use energy, but surely it's less than would be involved in the production and transportation of the Annuals?
2011-01-18 12:38:58
I heartily concur with Mike Dempsey.
I too have every D&AD Annual since the year I first entered our industry, 1984.
I remember as a youth reading and rereading again and again those hallowed pages.
I used to gaze in awe and wonder.
However as the years fly past they now get a cursory glance over a cup of tea and then placed on the ever groaning shelf.
Even the talking 2010 tome (in which I was fortunate to be included) merited only a myopic glance from me.
Are the images getting smaller or is it my eyesight?
At my age it becomes increasingly more difficult to get excited - however my pulse did race when I received an iPad at Christmas.
The 2011 Annual as an app would just be fantastic.
The real problem, however, is what to do with the old Annuals that are really taking up too much space.
I don't suppose that they could be archived on the same app?
Come on D&AD don't just embrace the digital age but give it a good seeing to.
Ruan x
2011-01-18 12:40:30
The book sounds like quite a nicely crafted object to me and the result of a lot of thought and effort. I wish I could afford a copy myself!
I do agree that the 2007 exercise sounds extremely 'showy' and wasteful though, and is not something I'd suggest they repeat.
2011-01-18 12:48:00
I like books. I don't like iPads.
2011-01-18 12:50:00
Which method is more eco-friendly is debatable. However those 600 pages of thick gsm high quality stock aren't going to do those rain forests too much good.
However, the smell of the ink and that reassuring weight in your lap as you flick through page after page, the colours standing out vibrant and bold, the crisp flick of every serif and the chunky spine standing out on your bookshelf... isn't that the appeal?
As much as I love my 'iGadgetry', give me one of these coffee table monoliths any day.
2011-01-18 12:52:17
I'm a designer mainly because I love print. i love the touch, feel, smell etc...
I'd hate to see the annual exclusively in a digital format - no thanks.
(although I do agree - the flag stunt was naff)
2011-01-18 13:51:55
Test both (Book v Digital) and let the people decide by choosing one or the other!
2011-01-18 14:14:23
Sounds like Mike Dempsey just wants a free iPad. But no one has pointed out that all of these digital devices that we love so much seem to have a much shorter shelf life than any book. Our computers last about 5 years, our phones only 1 or 2. iPads have yet to be be seen, but I'm sure Apple will, like clockwork, unveil newer models very soon making the previous obsolete. I guess Mike would like a free version of the latest iPad each year instead of a book? Sounds like the definition of waste to me.
2011-01-18 16:32:20
Dear Mike
I would love to buy some your old annuals off you if you are interested, or anyone else if they are willing to sell them to me. I have a few missing from my collection.
Digital / print. Love them both.
Alan Dye
NB:Studio
2011-01-18 20:54:34
A great opportunity for D&AD to flex some creative muscle and re-define the design annual 'genre' as it currently exists.
(Alan, if you get any duplicates I'll buy them).
2011-01-19 02:12:28
So its interesting. I would agree that half of this is about access to the annuals content - and half is about the annual as an object to treasure as a device holding this information.
Different people will want to store and archive the information in different ways. A book is way more environmentally friendly over 200 years. Any time it can be opened and read. I have problems looking or listening to old media formats from five years ago!
An online annual and a book, that works great. One to keep, bulky and solid, one light, transportable and temporary.
2011-01-19 02:47:39
I can't help but get giddy when I receive my annual.
If D&AD goes purely digital, it becomes yet another digital image file, placed neatly in another digital folder, hidden away on the desktop somewhere, just like all the collected folders of inspiration taken from blogs and sites like behance & ffffound etc.
When AIGA went digital with their annual, it became irrelevant to me, or more importantly, out of sight out of mind.
The D&AD annual sitting proudly on the studio bookshelf is a reminder to every designer, that good is not great, and that great might just earn you a place.
It does make sense to upgrade the included dvd to an app, though (in addition to the physical book).
2011-01-19 09:13:44
How much do you think people would be willing to pay for a complete set of D&AD Annuals? All in pristine condition.
I'm open to offers.
2011-01-19 10:21:13
Hey Mike, i've actually got a pristine copy of your missing 1963 first ever 'D&AD' annual here on my desk.
If you want to complete your collection, make me an offer...
2011-01-20 11:25:13
FAO: Aaron and PS.
I'd certainly be interested in purchasing these Annuals.
Please contact me: dayanthony23@yahoo.co.uk
2011-01-21 11:14:37
I'd also certainly be interested in purchasing some of the annuals - dependent on price.
What would people be looking for per copy?
Contact me on myles@idlehandsclub.com if anyone is interested in selling any, would certainly give them a good home..
2011-01-24 13:28:29
I think the last few posts highlight the solution; choice.
D&AD should allow us to choose how we want to view the work from the year. I might just wanted to see the visual work, in which case I get set a beautiful DVD, or if I want to see all the print work I get a larger formatted book of just those sections. If I want to view all the online work then a beautiful site where I can view it all in one place would suffice. And iPad if I want it all but I don't want the waste of a book.
This is what D&AD should embrace. Allowing us to choose what we want to see and how we want to see it.
It would be a shame if D&AD don't embrace a new approach to the Annual. A book doesn't have to be just a 'book'. They should ask themselves a simple question, 'What is a book?' and go from there.
2011-01-24 14:44:44
Right here's what you do....
Carry on printing the Annual for the people that want it. But raise the price to pay for ALL d&ad work to be made viewable free online. Make us sign in and have some discreet ads. Ask all d&ad members, who get the book for free, for a contribution, £10, 10p, whatever.
Done.
The debate on Digital vs Books, Printing vs Pixels, is pointless and boring. There's room for both and far much more. Create, don't moan.
And let's not kid ourselves, the Annual isn't that well made and cannot show everything off in it's intended glory anymore of less than a site would. I appreciate 'Craft' (Horrible word) and Print as much as the next man, though maybe not as much as the previous men before me on this blog.
2011-01-25 09:39:55
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