This year, Squarespace had the pleasure of sponsoring the D&AD New Blood Awards. D&AD (Design and Art Direction) is a UK-based educational charity with the primary mission to promote excellence in design and advertising and the New Blood Awards are all about inspiring and discovering the next generation of creative talent. As a sponsor we partnered with D&AD to develop a brief that challenged participants to create the “Ultimate Portfolio” by designing a website template for designers and creatives to showcase their work.

All submissions to the Squarespace x D&AD New Blood Brief were evaluated based on creativity, execution, and the ability to communicate the contest’s theme by a panel of expert judges, including our own Chief Creative Officer, David Lee, and Creative Director, Nessim Higson. The judges ultimately selected 11 winners who each received a coveted Pencil award across varied levels of achievement: Yellow, Graphite, and Wood.
 

We are thrilled to announce this year’s winners for our Squarespace brief:

2017 Yellow Pencil Winners

Fabula

Process

2017 Graphite Pencil Winners

Quick Crits

Squarespace - Ain’t No Time Theme

Stardust by Squarespace

2017 Wood Pencil Winners

Pholio: A Squarespace Template

Rodchenko

Squarespace Matchmaker

Apto - A Creative Portfolio Template

Maxima Squarespace Portfolio Template

Squarescan
 

See all of the winning designs here.

This year’s award ceremony was held on July 6th in London, England where Raphael Fontes, Vice President of our Customer Operations team in Dublin, had the honor of presenting the Squarespace Brief 2017 New Blood Award winners. All Pencil winners receive a free Squarespace website, as well as portfolio feedback or mentoring from a member of the Squarespace Creative team. Additionally, winners are granted eligibility for D&AD’s New Blood Academy, a two-week boot camp for young creatives, and the charity’s many exclusive scholarship and funding opportunities.

To learn more about D&AD and the New Bloods Awards, visit their website. Take a look at our own award-winning templates that inspired the innovative thinking of this young generation of creatives here.