Finding the one:

D&AD is something that gets mentioned though out the course, from day one. Everyone knows it’s coming and what it can do for you. When I first saw the selection of briefs I really wanted to take my time and pick the right one. To do this we looked at all these briefs and started thinking about how we can tackle them. We went through the same process w ego through with most briefs and started doing research. We started generating some ideas and showed them to our mentor but because it’s D&AD, the question of would this idea get a pencil is always there. That question turns into which of these ideas has a greater chance of getting a pencil when the ideas are narrowed down and the deadline is closer. It’s hard to convince yourself. I feel like the truth is at that stage everybody gets their potential pencil-winning idea, so it’s better to just go with your gut, pick one and start your video as soon as possible.

Eat, Sleep, D&AD, Repeat:

D&AD is probably the most time everybody has spent on a single brief. I mean it’s D&AD, I couldn’t really digest that we had gotten this far into the course and that D&AD was here until I actually saw the official briefs. Getting closer to the deadline the nerves start to hit and every time I did something unrelated to D&AD, all I could think about would be to get back to it. It was hard to focus on other briefs. Whilst I actually worked on it being this attached to it felt like it was the right thing to do, but now I wish that I had taken those breathers so that I could refresh and get my mind straight before tackling the problem I was trying to solve. A lot like collecting dots. Because I think that you can collect dots anytime you actually look out for them.

Conclusion:

D&AD has been a very fruitful experience from start to finish. It was also very exhausting. It required a lot of time and thought to put together. It was also a great canvas to demonstrate most of the skills, techniques, and knowledge that we gained from SCA. This goes into so many areas. Not just the strategy and craft, but even things like picking the right brief and managing the effort you put into separate briefs. So, the best thing that D&AD did for me was that even though it was very exhausting, it showed me that I was able to do it. That was so important for me. It was very motivating, and hopefully, I want to keep that motivation going into the next big thing. Which is portfolio day. D&AD because it was such a big thing for us it kinda felt like the endgame, but it’s not the endgame, so I had to remind myself that it’s not the time to take my foot off the pedal.

@alicenanuras