In ADC 103rd Annual Awards
Banana Balloon Shenzhen named Boutique Agency of the Year.
NEW YORK, May 15, 2024 — Agencies, studios, and independent designers in APAC had a strong showing at the ADC 103rd Annual Awards ceremony, held this evening at Gotham Hall in New York during The One Club for Creativity’s Creative Week 2024.
The region is home to four prestigious ADC Best of Discipline winners this year:
Architecture/Interior/Environmental Design: PILLS Beijing “Wu Jian’an Solo Exhibition” for Silk Road International Art Exchange Center and CAFA Art Museum
Illustration: Dentsu Inc. Tokyo “My Japan Railway” for JR Group
Product Design: TBWA\Hakuhodo Inc. Tokyo with Quantum Inc. Tokyo and Robot Communications Tokyo “Shellmet” for Koushi Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., Sarufutsu Village
Publication Design: Weiwei Zhou Nanjing “Cuban Chinese” for Nanjing University Press
In addition, Banana Balloon Shenzhen was named ADC 103rd Annual Awards Boutique Agency of the Year, based on cumulative points for all awards won this year.
Dentsu Inc. Tokyo led APAC in ADC Gold Cube wins with eight, including five for “My Japan Railway” on behalf of JR Group.
APAC’s 22 ADC Gold Cube winners, by country/region, are as follows.
Mainland China (7 Gold Cubes)
Banana Balloon Shenzhen with Linkfilms Shanghai “Answer Me” for Tencent/Tencent Sustainable Social Value for in Brand-Side/In-House, Design for Good – Brand-Side / In-House
Banana Balloon Shenzhen with Linkfilms Shanghai “Answer Me” for Tencent/Tencent Sustainable Social Value for in Brand-Side/In-House, Motion / Film Craft – Direction
Yiyao Da Changzhou “City Wanderer” self-promotion in Illustration, Personal Project – Series
Mint Design Beijing “Matisse’s Journey Picture Book” for UCCA in Publication Design, Books – Children’s
PILLS Beijing “Wu Jian’an Solo Exhibition” for Silk Road International Art Exchange Center and CAFA Art Museum in Architecture/Interior/Environmental Design, Exhibition Design – Museum Exhibition
The Nine Shanghai “Magnificent” for Yotkan Ancient City in Xinjiang, China in Photography, Travel/Tourism
Weiwei Zhou Nanjing “Cuban Chinese” for Nanjing University Press in Publication Design, Books – Limited Edition/Private Press/Special Format
Japan (12 Gold Cubes)
Dentsu Inc. Tokyo “My Japan Railway” for JR Group in Interactive, Digital Craft – Art Direction
Dentsu Inc. Tokyo “My Japan Railway” for JR Group in Illustration, Book – Single
Dentsu Inc. Tokyo “My Japan Railway” for JR Group, in Brand / Communication Design, Promotional – Wildcard
Dentsu Inc. Tokyo “My Japan Railway” for JR Group in Brand / Communication Design, Branding – Branding Systems / Identities – Integrated
Dentsu Inc. Tokyo “My Japan Railway” for JR Group in Illustration, ILT-106: Branded Identity – Series
Dentsu Inc. Tokyo with NTT Tokyo “Project Humanity” for With ALS in Experiential Design, Innovation
Dentsu Inc. Tokyo with Shoei Inc. Tokyo and Woil Inc. Tokyo “Reach for the Summit” for The Hokkoku Shimbun in Brand/Communication Design, Posters – Traditional – Series
Dentsu Inc. Tokyo “The Sacred Dirt” for Asahi Television Broadcasting Corporation in Brand / Communication Design, Posters – Traditional – Series
Yoshihito Katata Niigata “Tojiro Knife Gallery Tokyo” for Tojiro Co., Ltd. in Architecture/Interior/Environmental Design, Interior Design – Retail / Restaurant Interiors
SIX Inc. Tokyo with good design company Tokyo “A Train of Memories” for Sotetsu Holdings in Motion/Film Craft, Craft in Motion / Film – Visual Effects
TBWA\Hakuhodo Inc. Tokyo with Quantum Inc. Tokyo and Robot Communications Tokyo “Shellmet” for Koushi Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., Sarufutsu Village in Apparel/Accessory/Footwear Design, Sustainable/Eco-friendly Fashion
TBWA\Hakuhodo Inc. Tokyo with Quantum Inc. Tokyo and Robot Communications Tokyo “Shellmet” for Koushi Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., Sarufutsu Village in Product Design, Innovation
Macau SAR China (1 Gold Cube)
Indego Design Macau SAR China “Gummies” for Naughty Roll in Publication Design, Books – Image-Driven
Malaysia (1 Gold Cube)
Michael Lim Petaling Jaya “Hermès – Interludes” for Hermès in Illustration, Animation – Series
A complete showcase of all ADC 103rd Annual Awards Cube winners can be viewed here.
Globally, this year’s prestigious ADC Black Cube for Best of Show was awarded to McCann New York for “ADLaM”, done on behalf of Microsoft. The work also won Best of Discipline in Typography, and the coveted ADC Designism Cube for the entry that best encourages positive societal and political change.
Based on cumulative points for all awards won, FCB New York was crowned ADC 103rd Annual Awards Agency of the Year. The agency won a total of three Best of Disciplines, nine Gold Cubes, three Silver, three Bronze, and four Merits.
This year’s ADC 103rd Annual Awards “of the Year” winners are:
Agency of the Year: FCB New York
Boutique Agency of the Year: Banana Balloon Shenzhen
Brand-Side Agency of the Year: Google Brand Studio San Francisco
Design Team of the Year: The New York Times Magazine New York
Boutique Design Studio of the Year (tie): OlssønBarbieri Oslo, and PILLS Beijing
Network of the Year: FCB Global
Production Company of the Year: Helo West Hollywood
Music & Sound Company of the Year (tie): Citizen Music New York, and DaHouse Audio Los Angeles
Brand of the Year: AB InBev, Michelob ULTRA
Non-profit Client of the Year: Digital Public Library of America
Freelancer of the Year (as selected by The One Club and Working Not Working): Michelle Watt Brooklyn
Members’ Choice Award: TBWA\Media Arts Lab Los Angeles “Fuzzy Feelings” for Apple
ADC 103rd Annual Awards Best of Discipline winners are as follows.
Advertising: VML Colombia Bogotá with Grey Colombia Bogotá “Life Extending Stickers” for Makro Colombia
Apparel/Accessory/Footwear Design: Serviceplan Germany Munich “AIZOME ULTRA An innovative method to create textiles with lasting health benefits” for AIZOME
Architecture/Interior/Environmental Design: PILLS Beijing “Wu Jian’an Solo Exhibition” for Silk Road International Art Exchange Center and CAFA Art Museum
Artificial Intelligence: FCB New York with 456 Studios New York “Dreamcaster” for AB InBev, Michelob ULTRA
Brand/Communication Design: VML Colombia Bogotá with Grey Colombia Bogotá “Life Extending Stickers” for Makro Colombia
Brand-Side/In-House: Squarespace New York with Superprime Los Angeles “Marty & Francesca Make A Website” for Squarespace
Experiential Design: FCB New York with 456 Studios New York “Dreamcaster” for AB InBev, Michelob ULTRA
Gaming: Google Mountain View with Google Brand Studio San Francisco “Google Search Playground” for Google
Illustration: Dentsu Inc. Tokyo “My Japan Railway” for JR Group
Interactive: FCB New York with 456 Studios New York “Dreamcaster” for AB InBev, Michelob ULTRA
Motion/Film Craft: HeimatTBWA\ Germany Berlin with Revolver Sydney and Tony Petersen Film GmbH Berlin “The Square Meter” for Hornbach Baumarkt AG
Packaging Design: OlssønBarbieri Oslo “Avamposto Gin” for Avamposto Gin
Photography: The New York Times Magazine New York for its own “A Boy’s Life on the Front Lines”
Product Design: TBWA\Hakuhodo Inc. Tokyo with Quantum Inc. Tokyo and Robot Communications Tokyo “Shellmet” for Koushi Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., Sarufutsu Village
Publication Design: Weiwei Zhou Nanjing “Cuban Chinese” for Nanjing University Press
Typography: McCann New York “ADLaM” for Microsoft
The ADC Fusion Cube, established in 2021 along with The One Show Fusion Pencil as the industry’s first global award to recognize great work that best incorporates underrepresented groups in both the content of the ad and the team that made it, went to FCB Chicago with 456 Studios Chicago for “Banned Book Club” on behalf of Digital Public Library of America.
FCB New York led this year in ADC Gold Cube wins with nine, all for AB InBev, Michelob ULTRA “Dreamcaster”. That was also the entry to win the most Golds.
A total of 11,309 pieces were entered from 62 countries and regions in the ADC 102nd Annual Awards. Agencies, studios, freelancers, brands and production companies in 38 countries were awarded a total of 92 ADC Gold Cubes, 130 Silvers, 184 Bronze and 363 Merits this year.
ADC 103rd Annual Awards winners were announced in the middle of Creative Week 2024 in New York, May 13-17.
Now in its 15th year, Creative Week is a premier annual gathering for the advertising and design industries to come together and celebrate the creative excellence showcased in four of the club’s leading global awards shows, and discuss the latest creative trends and issues.
In addition to the ADC 103rd Annual Awards event, Creative Week 2024 includes the Young Ones Student Awards ceremony at Sony Hall on May 13, Type Directors Club TDC70 Best of Discipline winners and exhibition on May 14, exclusive Executive Creative Summit-New York on May 16-17, and The One Show 2024 awards ceremony on May 17.
The One Club for Creativity – home of The One Show, ADC Annual Awards, Art Directors Club of Europe (ADCE) awards, ONE Asia Awards, Type Directors Club and competition, TDC Ascenders, Young Guns, Young Ones Student Awards, Next Creative Leaders, ONE Screen Short Film Festival, and more – is the world’s foremost non-profit organization whose mission is to support and celebrate the global creative community. Revenue generated from entries to its global awards shows goes back into the industry to fund programming under the organization’s four pillars: Education, Inclusion & Diversity, Gender Equality, and Creative Development.
