SHOREDITCH, LONDON. “D&AD always feels very special,” says 2018 Press Jury president from Melvin Mangada of TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno. “The show has almost perfected the judging system, ensuring only great work rises from the lot. My jury was composed of highly respected people from very diverse markets, each contributing mature and insightful perspectives. The whole experience was, as always, both educational and inspiring.”
TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno CCO & Managing Partner Melvin Mangada is this year’s Jury President for Press
“But Press this year, I must say, has been a bit of a letdown. We were looking for groundbreaking work and there wasn’t much, really. In the end, after much deliberation, the jury settled for 18 Wood Pencils and four Graphite Pencils – up from last year’s two; but no Yellow Pencil. As usual, Asia did well in Press, with stunning and well-crafted visual narratives.”
Melvin catches up with the legendary Jeff Goodby of San Francisco’s Goodby, Silverstein & Partners
With this year’s festival seeing 100 fewer entries than the previous one, Mangada remains optimistic about the future of the medium in an increasingly digital world: “While print may not be as sexy as it was a century ago, it keeps its purpose. It’s available even in the absence of technology – when you are on flight mode or have run out of batt or there’s nowhere to plug in.
Melvin poses with D&AD CEO Tim Lindsay
“I am still upbeat about the medium’s future. The tactile experience of paper – matte or glossy, book paper or recycled, rough or embossed – cannot be replicated by digital and is certainly not lost on the young. Even in music, vinyl records and cassette tapes are regaining popularity, even as sound experience on Spotify and Apple becomes familiar and ordinary. I believe that the new generation of creatives will ensure that print stays relevant, referencing the past and, at the same time, evolving for the future.”
