The Brand Agency honoured at Diamond Skulls
It was a good day for The Brand Agency as the brightest and best creative professionals working WA’s advertising industry were honoured at the inaugural Diamond Skull Awards this morning.
David Donald, from The Brand Agency, was named Art Director of the Year at a special ceremony in Margaret River, as part of the Emergence Creative Festival.
Mr Donald was art director on the award-winning Break the Barrier ad, which the agency created for St John Ambulance WA.
The Diamond Skulls are run by the Perth Advertising and Design Club and honour the individuals who create the most inspiring creative communications in WA in a given year.
Mr Donald’s entry included the Our Volunteers Drop Everything to Help Campaign, also for St Johns, and a television ad for the Alcohol Think Again campaign.
Award judge, J. Walter Thompson worldwide chief creative officer Matt Eastwood, praised Mr Donald’s work.
“David’s work is filled with genuine human insight matched by world class execution. He obviously has the ability to generate big ideas,” he said.
“But he also has the unique ability to use art direction to seamlessly and elegantly enhance his thinking.”
Copywriter of the Year was won by Melita Masters, for her work on Raw Hire’s radio campaign, Feral Brewing Company’s posters and brand vision, and the concept and editorial behind the Oh 8 website.
Ms Masters works for The Brand Agency and had previously worked with Block Branding.
The agency’s designer, Janice Law, took out Designer of the Year for her work on the branding, graphic design and typography developed for the Allara land release north of Alkimos. Her branding and graphic work for Orelia Trails, another Landcorp project, and Methodist Ladies College, helped her win the gong.
The Penguin Empire’s Grant Sputore’s work on the Break the Barrier ad helped him pick up Director of the Year. He was also honoured of his direction on an iiNet television ad and a Make Smoking History television commercial.
Editor of the Year went to Merlin Cornish, owner of Mt Lawley-based production company Siamese, for his work on SBS documentary Prison Songs, a
documentary on Australia’s relationship with the coast, called Girt by Sea, and SBS’s Australia’s Secret Heroes.
Ian and Erick Regnard picked up Photographer of the Year for work for clients including Skyy Vodka and Redbull.
Soundbyte Studios’ Xoe Baird won Sound Designer of the Year for her sound design, editing and effects for a short film called The Fan, a web advertisement for the Soccer world Cup for SBS, and the particularly graphic Stay in School web ad (written and directed by Henry Inglis and Aaron McCann) for the Learn for Life Foundation WA.
