Norwich students win at D&AD New Blood Awards 2025
Every year, the D&AD New Blood Awards attract thousands of submissions from graduating students around the world.
The awards showcase the most impressive recent graduate work across design, advertising and craft. Winning a D&AD Pencil not only brings valuable exposure to the global creative industry, it can also serve as a powerful launchpad for a graduate’s career.
The competition features briefs developed in collaboration with leading global brands across a range of sectors.
Norwich’s winning entries for 2025, from our BA (Hons) Graphic Communication course, were:
Write to Roam– Sam Butler
Brief: Monotype, Wooden Pencil
England’s Right to Roam laws lag behind other progressive policies, creating tension between the public and the government. While England is seen as a rural country, most people are unaware of the restrictions limiting their freedom to explore nature. This campaign aims to highlight shocking statistics through typography-led visuals, making the issue tangible. By encouraging people to write to their MPs, the initiative seeks to drive meaningful change and expand access to outdoor spaces.
The Cult of Connection– Sienna Torres Bavins and Will Fletcher
Brief: giffgaff, Wooden Pencil
This guerrilla campaign transforms giffgaff’s community-powered ethos into a satirical ‘cult’ that spreads the gospel of true mobile freedom. Through preachers, street graffiti and confession booths, we invite the public to experience what it truly feels like to be with giffgaff. Join us and experience true enlightenment!
Once Upon a Giffgaff– Jack Charlesworth, Reiss Badhasha and Matthew Mallett
Brief: giffgaff, Graphite Pencil
Once upon a giffgaff, aims to take the mystery out of mobile by marketing the goodness of giffgaff through the lens of a quirky magical cast of characters, and unexpected, interactive OOH advertising, as well as a comprehensive social media approach in a fun and fresh new take on giffgaff’s existing brand platform.
Secret 7″ Black Rain– Ciaran Burling
Brief: War Child, Graphite Pencil
This submission for Secret 7″ illustrates a vinyl cover for ‘Black Rain’ by Keane. The song communicates feelings of longing and uncertainty, through the metaphor of ‘black rain’, symbolizing emotional struggles or a sense of being lost. My design illustrates the focus of the song, ‘Black Rain’. I used repeated lines in a grid, but made them collapse in the center. This communicated the idea of rain as a literal piece of imagery, but also uncovered a conceptual way of seeing the design.
Having irregularly moving lines that communicate collapse or falling down links well to Keane’s message in the song. The links to mental and emotional struggle, uncertainty, fragility, and vulnerability are all communicated through the design.
Secret 7″ Warsong– Ciaran Burling
Brief: War Child, Wooden Pencil

“Students from Graphic Design, Design for Publishing, Graphic Communication and User Experience Design have had huge success with D&AD New Blood Awards, and also with many other prestigious national and international competition schemes. These include: The Society of Publication Designers, Type Directors Club, Pentawards, World Brand Design Society, Adobe Design Achievement Awards, Firestarters, YCN, ISTD, Creative Conscience and BulletProof – to name but a few.
“These awards are incredibly hard to win. They are judged by external experts made up of professional creatives, art directors, senior designers, commercial clients and leading academics. Our students compete with their peers from other graphics courses all over the UK, and in some cases from courses all over the world.
“Winning these awards or being a runner-up is a true mark of excellence on the part of the student. It is also testament to the very high standards of teaching and learning on our courses, and the dedicated, passionate and experienced teaching team that nurture and support our students.
“Competitions of course, are not everything; there are many ways to excel and to reach one’s potential during and after their course. But what they do signal is a clear message to employers about the quality of a student’s work, and their readiness to join the creative industries.”
Congratulations go to all our 2025 D&AD winners. Explore more work from our BA (Hons) Graphic Communication students on our course page.
“Winning these awards or being a runner-up is a true mark of excellence on the part of the student. It is also testament to the very high standards of teaching and learning on our courses, and the dedicated, passionate and experienced teaching team that nurture and support our students.”
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Graphic Communication BA (Hons)
Ignite your passion for exploring visual ideas and brand communication from real-world problems to commercial briefs, across print and digital.