Apple’s Creativity Lauded With D&AD Black Pencil Win Despite Recent Ad Backlash

Apple, which recently came under fire for an ad that many interpreted as a visual metaphor for destroying creativity, won a D&AD Black Pencil for its mixed reality headset operating system—one of the highest accolades in the creative industries.

The tech giant took home the prestigious prize at the D&AD Awards in London Wednesday for the design of its visionOS for Vision Pro. In total, D&AD awarded four Black Pencils, which industry judges famously reserve for “truly groundbreaking work,” giving out a different number each year. 

Some analysts predicted that the Vision Pro would usher in a new age of digital immersion and virtual reality, but since its release in February, Vision Pro sales have slowed and Apple reportedly reduced production of the headset. 

However, the Black Pencil win is fortuitous timing for Apple, since its creative reputation was called into question earlier this month for its controversial “Crush” ad, which shows a hydraulic press crushing objects such as musical instruments, books and cameras. 

Some critics saw the commercial as a crass metaphor for the threat tech poses to artistic professions and questioned the brand’s support of the creative community. Apple apologized for the ad. 

Besides Apple, French telecommunications company Orange and agency Marcel won a Black Pencil for their campaign “WoMen’s Football,” which used VFX to highlight gender bias in soccer. 

Dentsu Tokyo scooped another top prize for My Japan Railway, a project that aimed to restore a sense of human connection with railways in Japan. 

And Mastercard and McCann Poland won a Black Pencil for WhereToSettle, a smart-data platform aggregating multiple data points to help Ukrainian refugees map out opportunities for shelter and work across Poland. The campaign previously won the Sustainable Development Goals Grand Prix at Cannes Lions last year.  

“D&AD is all about championing the universal language of creativity and elevating industry talent, irrespective of geography,” Jo Jackson, CEO of D&AD, said in a statement. “The fact that this year’s Black Pencil winners are spread across three continents, from Asia to Europe and North America, shows that our Awards really do embody global excellence in creative craft. It’s an honor to celebrate truly international work.” 

Other winners from the D&AD Awards 2024 included:

• VML New York: Advertising Agency of the Year
• Raw Materials: Design Agency of the Year
• Division: Production Company of the Year
• AB InBev: Client of the Year
• Serviceplan: Independent Network of the Year
• Ogilvy: Network of the Year
• Jessica Walsh: Recipient of the President’s Award