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
This submission for Secret 7″ illustrates a vinyl cover for ‘Warsong’ by The Cure. The song communicates the horrors of the world, specifically the themes of conflict, violence, and desperation. The world is plagued with conflicts, and many people are forced to fight in a war they don’t agree with, and for a country they aren’t willing to die for. This design is a symbolic representation of the carelessness that occurs in bringing people into war. The cover shows an anonymous hand, holding a gun to a pixelated head. The point of the anonymity in this design is that either side can be anyone. The message and interaction is lateral, but the only thing consistent is that they are people. This cover communicates the songs message, symbolising blood through the use of red as the primary colour.
Commenting on the awards, Martin Schooley, Director of Communication Design at Norwich University of the Arts, said:
“All the graphics courses at Norwich University of the Arts are multi award-winning, and these fantastic D&AD pencil wins for Graphic Communication students add to a bulging collective trophy cabinet that has been accumulating awards for many years.
“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.
Related News
-
BA Illustration •Stories of Home: Norwich Illustration students explore culture, identity and memory
Students from our BA (Hons) Illustration course have produced a striking exhibition of work, exploring community heritage and visual storytelling. -
MA Textile Design •In conversation with: Caroline Mayers, MA Textile Design
We caught up with Caroline to discuss her creative practice, her experience of studying MA Textile Design at Norwich, and what it meant to win a Sustainability Award at our annual Grad Fest event. -
Institution •Norwich University of the Arts and Donghua University Strengthen International Partnership
Norwich University of the Arts has signed a partnership with Donghua University in Shanghai to deliver a new MA in Interaction Design. -
Norwich University of the Arts Ranked UK’s Top Specialist Creative Arts University in National Student Awards
Norwich University of the Arts is the UK’s highest-ranked specialist creative arts university in the Whatuni Student Choice Awards (WUSCAs) 2026, placing 14th overall among universities across the UK. -
BA Textile Design •In conversation with: Marianne Shillingford, Creative Director of Dulux UK and Ireland
We caught up with Marianne, Dulux’s Creative Director, to discuss her work with Norwich's Textile Design students and her advice for breaking into the industry. -
Institution •Norwich hosts visit from the Ambassador of Japan to the United Kingdom
Norwich University of the Arts welcomed Ambassador Hiroshi Suzuki to tour the university’s creative technology facilities and explore ongoing research projects. -
MA Illustration •In conversation with: Rebecca Osborne, MA Illustration
Rebecca shares what life on our MA Illustration course is like and how she's building on her career as a live illustrator. -
East Gallery •‘A museum show with Francis Bacon? It is a dream come true!’ In conversation with: artist Olivia Sterling
Contemporary painter Olivia Sterling discusses her recent exhibition, Pity the Meat!, at Norwich University’s East Gallery – and shares her advice for students and future artists. -
BA Photography •In conversation with: Joe Coleman, BA (Hons) Photography graduate
Joe tells us about his current work and how the skills he learned at Norwich have helped shape his practice in computer generated imagery. -
Alumni •In conversation with: Carrie Clarke, MA Fine Art Graduate
MA Fine Art graduate Carrie Clarke reflects on her experience at Norwich University of the Arts, from exploring new materials to building confidence in her practice as a sculptor. -
BA Animation •Success for Norwich Graduates at Royal Television Society East Student Awards
Norwich students were nominated across seven categories, with Henry Schwind, a graduate from BA (Hons) Film and Moving Image Production, winning the Craft – Camerawork category. -
East Gallery •Culture in Norwich: East Gallery
Claire Allerton, East Gallery Curator, discusses everything our city-centre art space has to offer – and why a visit to Olivia Sterling’s Pity the Meat! exhibition is a must this spring. -
Alumni •Norwich ranked in QS World University Rankings for Art and Design
Norwich University of the Arts has been ranked in the 201–300 band globally for Art and Design in the latest QS World University Rankings by Subject, marking its first-ever inclusion in the internationally recognised ranking. -
MA Communication Design •In conversation with: Bevan Dolon, MA Communication Design
Bevan shares his design influences, creative practice and experience studying a postgraduate degree at Norwich University of the Arts. -
East Gallery •Sterling vs Bacon: Artists in dialogue in Olivia Sterling’s Pity the Meat! Exhibition
Pity the Meat! sees artist Olivia Sterling’s work in dialogue with the 1959 Francis Bacon painting, Two Figures in a Room. Eddy Frankel, art critic and former art and culture editor for Time Out, explores what brings them together – and sets them apart. -
BA Animation •Access and representation in a changing landscape: How women can shape the future of computer arts and technology
Access and representation remain central issues for the computer arts and technology industries. Helen Piercy, Animation Lecturer at Norwich, explores the opportunities emerging for graduates in a rapidly changing landscape.
1 / 1
Related courses
-
-
Undergraduate
-
Full time
-
September
-
Graphic Communication
Graphic Communication BA (Hons)
Ignite your passion for exploring visual ideas and brand communication from real-world problems to commercial briefs, across digital and print.
-
