D & A By Gizem Tumburi

Who are D&AD? D&AD are an organisation that started in 1962 by designers and art directors, that wanted to celebrate the different ways people can communicate in the media industry. They called themselves D&AD which means British Design and Art Direction. Even though they did start in Britain, when they organised the awards event, it soon enough became global.

What are they about? The organisation created a competition where there are 2,500 entries and only 16 pieces of work are chosen to be given an award to - which is a large pencil. To enter you can be of any age but there is a £25 per entry where you can send in five images and no more. The awards vary for the different creative aspects of the media industry.

The Next Photographer’s Award The photography can vary from many types such as fashion, advertising, art, portrait or editorial. By entering the D&AD Next Photographer Award, there is a chance to win a $5,000 grant too. The aim is to be able to find the finest developed talent in the photography industry. The judges will be looking at photographers with an authentic and one of a kind vision, who uses different crafts as well as techniques to create an outstanding photography piece.

The Winners of Next Photographer’s Award from 2016:

Laura Thompson: Senseless Laura Thompson lived in California her whole life until eight years ago where she moved to the UK. As well as that, she achieved her Masters in Communication Design from the Glasgow School of Art. This photographer was really creative by producing creatures from manmade products. Her pieces show the level of imaginativeness and skill someone would need to win the next photographer’s award.

Tam Hoi ying: Being Disappeared - The Paradoxical Relationship between Human Right and Law in China Tam is a Chinese photographer who grew up in Hong Kong. Her aim was to raise awareness of human rights in China. She uses visual storytelling to show the social issues that occur there. This type of piece was made so other people can speak for someone who doesn’t have the right to. The images suggest the suppressing of freedom and would make people question China’s rights. It is a political piece which makes it unique and stands out too.

Michael Nigro: Escape From Freedom Michael Nigro is a writer, director and activist who lives in Brooklyn. He first started to shoot protests at Occupy Wall Street in 2011. His aim is to give his photos a voice to the people that feel that they need to protest at the streets to make a point. Each of these photos are from protests but each are from different protests. This piece is very powerful as the photos are not staged so all the emotions shown are raw and true.

Different Photography Workshops 1. I chose this workshop because drones are more exciting so I would think it would be enjoyable as well as knowledgeable. However, for the cost I think the duration should have been longer. 2. I chose this workshop because it varies in the different types of photography so it would attract more people. As well as that it is normal price for the amount of time being there, although it would have been better if there was something for the advanced photographers to learn from too.

3. This workshop stood out to me because it was a unique topic that I think would intrigue the d&ad audience. There is a lot of theory which some people would not want because they would mostly prefer it to be practical. 4. This workshop was brought to my attention because of the title. I think that because it is intermediate than the d&ad audience would learn from it as well. I also like the fact that you are developing a picture by trying to find a meaning behind it. It is also good for price but some people may find it interesting because it doesn’t focus on a specific type of photography. 5. I found a d&ad course that included photography through communication design. I like this because it is a little more independent, however that may not be a good thing if people there are dependant on the tutors.

Comparing Workshops I decided to look for workshops that were more advanced because the workshop I am creating is for the photographers of d&ad that would already have the experience. From this I found that it was more expensive, the highest amount was £695 from the photojournalism and street photography workshop, and the lowest was £245 from the intermediate photography course. From this I know that the workshop needs to be somewhere in between those two prices but I would like to make it close to £245, so people who are younger or people who have low income can also be able to attend this workshop. I found that 3 of the workshops only involve 8 attendees so I would also like to involve that many people or less. I think it is better with less people because you would know that everyone is able to achieve the objectives by the end of the workshop and the tutor/tutors are able to benefit everyone. In the workshops I found that a lot of content included theory then practical work. I want to be able to do this as well because the photographer’s will be knowledgeable about what they are doing instead of just learning the technique. I would like the duration to be five hours in each day for a few days. I think this way I am able to teach everyone as well as everyone being able to develop on their own too. It is also better because if we have more than one day then the audience could also experiment more to make it more enjoyable for them and to make it a memorable experience for them so they are able to make mistakes and learn from them too. Overall, I would like to create a workshop that is advanced enough for potential photography winners of d&ad, making it relatively cheap for the amount given back. I would also like to include a small group of people so I am able to have one to one time with each student and help them with their questions of the topic. I want to start the workshop off, by explaining the meaning behind different topic such as: the history and topic so they can remember everything easily, then they are able to do practical work, experimenting which is now easier because they understand the topic,.