Hilary Chittenden

Hilary Chittenden

Working within D&AD's Foundation to inspire the next generation of creative talent, promote diversity, and stimulate the creative industry to work towards a more sustainable future.

Location London

Activity

  • Glad you've enjoyed it, and well done for squeezing this into a busy schedule! p.s. dan-dad is how I read out my email address down the phone :)

  • Hi Ana and Karen - this course is all about ideas and understanding the different methods available to help communicate them in the most successful way. We're not expecting you to be able to deliver a digital piece of work, but hopefully this week will give you some insight into the different techniques that are available to use. Hilary :)

  • I love this Steve - such a simple story with a real concept at its heart. The idea of karma and passing one on brings the campaign to life beyond the TV ad.
    Great stuff!

  • Hi Jenny - don't panic, we'll be building up to looking at digital channels in Week 4. This week you just need to think about the basics of story. Good luck! Hilary

  • I love how not only are you telling a story, but you're also encouraging the story-telling to continue in the hands of the audience. I can imagine a really exciting digital/social sharing element to this - roll on Week 4!

  • Don't panic if you haven't had your lightbulb moment yet. It will come. These ideas take time to form, and finding the right 'big idea' takes even longer. It tends to be that these moments of inspiration come when you're least expecting them. Give yourself a break, take a walk, read a book... and let me know how you get on :)

  • Hey Nicole - firstly, a HUGE congratulations for giving animation a go.
    I really like the story you just told in your comment about cats 'disappearing' from Facebook due to the change in policy... I wonder if you could use this as the basis of your story!? That way, the cat lovers who are mourning the loss of their 'facebook cat' profile would really...

  • I think telling two stories in parallel sounds great - can't wait to see this develop!

  • If you jump to exactly 5 minutes into the film, there is a nod to this on their 'story staircase' - the coke can munching away at the innocent bottle!

  • Thanks Sue, and sorry about the registration - we're aware the form isn't ideal for a course like this and we're working on this internally. You can find most of the examples on YouTube with a bit of digging if you don't want to register. Glad you're enjoying the course though :)
    Hilary

  • Worth noting this was part of a series - you can see the other two examples here: http://www.dandad.org/awards/professional/2014/press-advertising/23257/cvs/ - but yes, I agree this still would have worked without the photos. It's the copy that makes this so powerful.

  • Sounds exciting Keith. Both myself and the other learners are here to support you, so just shout if you need a hand :)

  • Hi Maria,

    No rush, don't worry. Take your time. You can always revisit this step at the end of week 2 and see if you're feeling clearer on working on a brief.

    If not, don't panic, you can still work your way through the course without applying your learnings to a specific project.

    Let me know if there's anything I can help with in particular.
    Hilary

  • Hey Ali,

    If you don't feel comfortable working on this brief in the time you have available, you can either pull together a brief of your own (maybe there is a project you're already working on that you can use?) or have a look at the New Blood briefs that we set for students last year. While you won't be able to enter the competition (it's now closed), you...

  • Let us know how you get on! Testing is such an important process. Good for you for putting your story out there :)

  • Good points Mark and Ashley. Every piece of work featured in this course will have been created with a specific audience in mind. It's easy to watch these examples and give opinions on how much *we* like them, but the real challenge is to watch objectively and imagine how they would make the intended audience feel.

  • I was reminiscing about Golden Grahams just yesterday! I loved loved loved those boxes!

  • Good insight Javier. Do you think this archetype is also reflected on things like their website and packaging?
    Hilary

  • Hey Bas,

    Yes, I think the insight is about how sanitary pads have been marketed. Bodyform here are breaking away from the clichés of this sector. The product itself, as far as I know, is nothing new.

    Yes, most sanitary commercials talk about 'empowerment', however I think most of them fall into the trap of thinking 'empowerment' means running around in a...

  • Hey Nick - I am here!
    On a platform of this scale, we're unable to respond to every post and comment, however I do try and pick up on and respond to all key questions.
    Peer-to-peer sharing is a great way of learning online - I hope you're enjoying the discussions.
    Hilary

  • Hey Jorge,

    Writing is absolutely fine too. Just think about how writing can help to form parts of your campaign. For example, maybe set yourself the challenge of writing a script for a radio or TV ad, or writing copy for a poster?

  • Hey Bas - yep, that is totally fine. However you find it easiest to share your progress is fine with me. Looking forward to seeing your work.
    Hilary

  • Hey Philip,

    We are an awarding body and a creative education charity. We use the profit from the awards programme to inspire the next generation of creative talent, promote diversity, and stimulate the creative industry to work towards a fairer, more sustainable future.

    We don't creative adverts for other companies :)

    Thanks!
    Hilary

  • Spot on Christine - you can find out more about us here: http://www.dandad.org/en/global-creative-design-advertising-association/

  • Hey Anna,

    As you can see from some of the conversations in this thread, there are lots of different things that 'sustainable work' can refer to. Ultimately it's up to you to research and chose which direction you want to take this.

    I am specifically interested in how we can encourage creatives to build environmental sustainability into their work. This...

  • Exciting stuff!
    I'd recommend always starting with the core issue before you think about the layout and execution. This will ensure that your work is always delivered in the most relevant way for your brief.
    Hilary

  • Hey Virginia,

    I think a lot of the examples in this course are moving away from the 'show and tell' format of traditional product advertising. More and more we're seeing brands creating engaging content that may not showcase the direct effects of their products, but instead associates them with a certain emotion, human truth or movement. This is all about...

  • We're working hard at the minute on next years line up of briefs Alan - they should be out in the early Autumn... exciting!
    Looking forward to seeing how your brief progresses across the course :)
    Hilary

  • I think with any example of advertising, we always need to be thinking about the target audience. While to an extent we can critique work based on whether 'we' like it or not, every piece of work on this course will have been created with a specific user in mind. So while you may watch something and think it wouldn't influence your decision to consume said...

  • Yes, we're now having to change the way we think about time in online ads. This campaign from 2015 took on the 'skip ad' challenge:
    http://www.dandad.org/awards/professional/2015/integrated-innovative-media/24245/unskippable/

  • Hey Kseniya,

    I think a very recent example of where an existing product has had a 'big idea' or insight applied to it is the new Body Form ad, which has received a huge amount of...

  • Great stuff! You should let them know that we'll be releasing a new round of New Blood Briefs in the early Autumn - she should check them out and enter!
    Hilary

  • Hi Anna, let me know which part you feel you need some help with and I'll try and give you some clarity.
    Hilary

  • Hey Baren,

    They sound like great initial ideas. I'd recommend thinking about exactly what you'd like to communicate about those themes - for example if you decide to focus to pets at the shelter, would your message be to encourage people to adopt more, to promote donations to a shelter or to teach people how to help adopted pets adjust?
    Once you've...

  • Hey Paul,
    I completely agree that these plot types aren't a 'hard and fast' rule, and often you can argue that stories share many plot types/have broad overlaps.
    The reason I chose this example for 'Rebirth' was that Gareth specifically talks about a time of great depression and how he then recovered from it. I think Overcoming the Monster rears it's head...

  • Hilary Chittenden replied to [Learner left FutureLearn]

    Hey all!
    Mike - thanks for your clear description :)
    I would add that you can easily write your own brief from an idea of a personal project. It's important to think about exactly what you're trying to achieve, why you're trying to achieve it and who you're audience are.
    There's loads of templates online if you want to structure your brief - here's one I've...

  • Thanks for sharing Aahmes. I'm particularly interested in encouraging environmental sustainability in the creative industries with this brief. Can we be more sustainable in the way we work? Can the work we produce as creatives encourage sustainable behaviour change amongst our audiences? Interestingly, changes to work in a more environmentally sustainable way...

  • Hey Jayne,

    Have a look at this copy writing brief, set by Dr Martens: http://www.dandad.org/en/new-blood-dr-martens-brief/?j=110 (you need to register for free with us to download the full brief) - you might enjoy getting your teeth into this? Let me know what you think :)

    Hilary

  • Hey Kseniya,

    The 'big idea' often stems from an insight: a "revelatory breakthrough in your understanding of people’s lives that directs you to new ways in which to serve your customers better."

    The insight that the idea comes from is often based more on human behaviour and emotion than the product as a stand-alone 'thing'. So rather than thinking about...

  • This casestudy by the IPA is quite long, but worth a watch - it drills down into the history of Specsavers advertising and the decision to use humour and comedy, and talks about how this changed the effectiveness of their advertising.
    https://www.thinkbox.tv/Case-studies/Brand-films/Specsavers#

  • Hi Duncan, yes - fine for gathering inspiration. Just make it clear when you're using material that isn't yours and where appropriate make sure you reference where it's from.
    Hilary

  • Hi Aloysius, I'm sorry to hear that you couldn't open the videos. Could you let me know exactly what problem you're having? Also, have you tried using a different browser?

  • Hey Philip,

    Under most of the examples you will see a line that follows this format:
    "Wood Pencil / Branded Film Content & Entertainment / 2015"

    This is referring to:
    "Award Level / Category Awarded / Year Awarded"

    D&AD is an awarding body, and our awards are known as 'pencils'. We award several different levels of pencils, ranging from Wood,...

  • Cheers Mack! So glad you're enjoying the course :) Looking forward to seeing your project develop over the next few weeks.
    Hilary

  • Hey Karen,

    We used Padlet for the first run of this course and it proved quite unpopular! I'm happy to set one up if that's the concensus? Alternatively you can set up a free Tumblr, youtube or Flickr account to share your work.

    Looking forward to hearing peoples thoughts and preferences.
    Hilary

  • Hey Ana - it will be interesting to get your thoughts on the examples I've used for the Overcoming the Monster, Rags to Riches and Rebirth used in the next steps. These are all biographical (Misty, Rory and Gareth), yet still conform to an archetype. I think it is down to how we chose to tell the story of a life. We are always editing, and it's how we edit and...

  • Good point Alan - we're going to be looking at amplifying stories using digital in Week 4, but I agree, it means stories can be overall longer, but maybe have to be told in even shorter snippets...

  • Hi Maria, Sorry you're having problems with the registration. You can either continue and use an incorrect number of years or, alternatively you can find most of the examples we look at on YouTube.
    Thanks
    Hilary

  • Can you find any of the commercials on YouTube and share them with us Morgan? Would love to know which ones you're referring to.

  • Thanks for sharing Marina - a really beautiful story. It would be great for you to tell us which archetype you think this fits into once you've gotten a bit further through the course :)

  • Thanks Gerard.

    Next week we're looking a lot at communicating a brand's values through narrative, rather than necessarily just the product, and I think this is a really interesting example. In Week 4, we also explore the idea of branded content: brands are enabling important stories to be told and moving away from the traditional 'sell sell sell'.

    It's...

  • Hi everyone,

    I'm delighted to announce that after much deliberation we have selected our winner!

    A big congratulations to Jonathon Shannon for his entry: D&AD: Make Your Mark
    which you can watch here: https://youtu.be/hz5SZdJTczU

    Both myself and the judges were impressed by the concept, the consideration of audience motivation and the way he made...

  • Hi all - thanks for your patience while we judge the entries. I'm hoping to be able to post the winner here early next week. I'll also be emailing the winner directly - so watch this space!
    Best
    Hilary

  • Congratulations and a big thanks to all of you that submitted your video and entered the competition. We're starting the judging process, and will post updates here. The winner will also be emailed directly.
    Good luck all!
    Hilary

  • Hi Souvik - There's no hard-and-fast rule on this, but it would be helpful if you include your name and the name of your project.
    Good luck! Hilary

  • Hi Aylin - happy for you to use the D&AD logo and pencil shape so long as the YouTube submission is 'unlisted' and it's made clear in the titling that this is an entry in to the competition. Hope that helps :) Good luck with your entry!

  • Great to see lots of entries coming in - big well done for everyone who's entered so far on giving it a go :)
    If you've enjoyed working on this brief and exploring sustainability in the creative sector, you might be interested in a D&AD President's Lecture that's happening next week in...

  • Hiya Ruth - I think as long as you are purely showing these images as your inspiration, rather than building them in to your creative idea this will be ok. Just make sure it's clear that these images were inspiration, not your work, and that you fully credit them. Hope this helps! Hilary

  • Hi Aylin, we're looking at design and advertising in the broadest sense here, so if you feel the persona you currently have reflects this broad industry, then great! If not, maybe tweak it slightly to reflect a design role (although this doesn't have to be in advertising.) I hope this helps?

  • Hey Olly - thanks for the question. The audience is pretty open on the brief, so up to you how you chose to take it. I love the idea of persuading companies like Apple to be more sustainable with their products, however if you go down this road, make sure you're targeting the product designers (rather than the 'suits') - this is all about creative that talks...

  • Hi Corina - can you adjust the privacy settings on your video to 'Unlisted' rather than 'Private' as I can't access it as it is. Thanks!
    Hilary

  • For those of you not familiar with the #LikeAGirl campaign, you can see a case study here: http://www.dandad.org/en/case-study-always-likeagirl/

  • Sounds great Sean - do share some of your findings! Hilary

  • I just meant that by attaching a brand to 'Christmas in a Day', and therefore investment, a piece of great content was able to be created that wouldn't exist without Sainsbury's support.
    There's an interesting interview here with the client (Sainsbury's) and creative agency (AMV DDBO):...

  • Hi Dave - yes, 'Christmas in a Day' was definitely a progression/sequel from 'Life in a Day', with both films being directed by Kevin. This is an interesting example of a brand seeing something popular and wanting to be associated with it. Their association (funding!) will then allow the iteration to be created.

  • Hi Fred - I know, I'm gutted that the original site doesn't exist any more - they only took it down a couple of weeks ago, which is a real shame! You'll have to take my word for it that it was really great - much more terrifying than the case study video! Hilary

  • Hi Gillian - you can find an example of a user persona PDF at the bottom of step 3.14.
    When working on the Customer Journey Map, you can either think of this as a story board (map out the audiences interaction with your story over a day/period of time) of imagine a 'target', which goes from 'not engaged' (the outer rings) to 'extremely engaged and taking...

  • I love the idea of utilising existing relevant digital platforms such as IMDB. Using existing channels rather than developing them new (e.g. launching a new blog) can be more effective as you have a ready made relevant audience.

  • Hi Claudia - that's odd - do you get the same message if you use a different device/browser? I've checked this end and can't see an immediate problem. Thanks! Hilary

  • Hi Ching - I agree that it is a risk, but I think brands that are 'breaking the mould' and creating entertaining content, rather than traditional 'adverts', are giving a possibly fatigued audience a break from the norm. This in itself may be building the brands reputation resulting in sales? I think this isn't the right approach for all brands, but it seems to...

  • Hiya Jennifer - this wasn't on TV - the above is a case study video explaining the 'Updater' campaign that ran on Facebook. Hope that helps you to see it a little differently! Hilary

  • Hi Sophia, the 'alternative voices' on Channel 4 happened over 10 days in 2013, and I think would have been easy to miss as consumers, as you would have just heard the voices rather than seen the case study videos. There's some more info on it here: http://www.channel4.com/info/press/news/channel-4s-alternative-voices
    I think it was quite a subtle campaign,...

  • Hiya - the three examples are the pieces of work Jon talked about in his video - Nike Vines, Channel4 Born Risky + Parkinsons posters. There are links to them in the 'See Also' section.

  • Hey Fiifi - would love to see the poster you're designing - glad you found inspiration in the quote.

  • Hiya Finola. Yes, the 2 minute case study video needs to explain all the ideas you have for your integrated campaign. How long the imagined campaign runs for is totally up to you. What would work best for your idea - a very fast, concentrated period of activity, or would a slow reveal campaign work better? This is all for the taking!
    Hilary

  • Hi Finola - no problem! You've got plenty of time to catch up - the competition deadline isn't until the 22 January 2016 if you are planning on entering.

    Yes, the D&AD brief asks you to come up with the ideas for a campaign using story/narrative across several different marketing channels. We want to see a you apply a narrative to different mediums, both...

  • Good spot - thanks Fiona - I've changed the step number :)

  • Hi Antonia - the deadline for the competition isn't until the 22nd January 2016, which means everyone (including those starting the course late) should have time to learn at their own pace, then develop their concept to make it ready for entry. If you want to jump ahead to find out how to enter, you can jump ahead to step 4.11...

  • Hi Fiona - thanks for flagging this up - I've updated the link so should take you to the right place now :) Hilary

  • Just to add to this - Ann, the way you have in Week 3 really thought about how the poster might need to be supplemented with different types of media (e.g YouTube) is really great. Good stuff! Hilary

  • Great to see so many ideas appearing over on the Padlet board.
    It looks like there's a few people struggling with uploading. Have a look at these guidelines from FutureLearn, and let me know if you're still struggling.
    https://about.futurelearn.com/about/faq/social-media-tips/#padlet
    Hilary

  • Hi David - by 'strong' I just mean a clear narrative/story that you'll be able to use and translate across different touchpoints and media types throughout the rest of the course. If you already have one, fab!

  • This is another really fantastic example of a piece of print work that takes you from a spectator to really experiencing something: http://www.dandad.org/awards/professional/2014/graphic-design/23696/cspd-2012-annual-report/
    Would be good to get your thoughts on this, and find out how you think it compares.

  • Hi Michele - we're talking about sustainability in it's broadest sense, so this could include rainforests, but you can also thing beyond this - reducing carbon footprints, re-using and recycling rather than throwing away (thinking about the life-span of the work we're making) - and we're also interested in looking at the social difference we can make with our...

  • Hi Len - spot on. This is all about how you can communicate your idea and tell us about your campaign. Using an iPhone is absolutely fine, but do try to be as creative with how you present your ideas as you can. We're judging ideas rather than production.

  • Hi Harriett - we're going to build on the brief week on week, so as you reach the end of week 2, you'll have a clearer idea of what you need to do to develop and present your campaign. Your video (which you only need to produce at the end of week 4) should communicate the idea behind your proposed campaign, covering the points outlined in the brief above. Take...

  • Fab - really helpful feedback Katherine - thanks so much! I'll take a look at implementing some of these changes over the weekend. You can see we're all learning together here :)

  • Hi Eleni + Alison - a mobile phone or webcam is all you need to make your video for this course. We're looking for great ideas, rather than great production, so as long as you are able to communicate your campaign, this could just be a video of you talking about it. If you are interested in entering the competition, you only need to create your video at the...

  • Great example of how a brand can tell their story and communicate their ethos through a retail experience (or lack of!)

  • What do you think Nando's are trying to say about their brand by being 'controversial'? What does this say about their personality, and who do you think they are trying to attract?

  • There's some really great stuff popping up on the Padlet board - really exciting to start to see your ideas take shape. It's important to reflect back to Gary's video in Week 1 at this point: you first need a big idea, then a story. The channels you use to communicate your idea (social networks, posters etc) will come later. For now, just focus on constructing...

  • Hey Jess - try not to worry about the video element. This won't come in to play until the end of week 4, and we're really looking for the best ideas, not the best production values in this course. You can make your film with your mobile or your webcam if that's easier for you. We're not expecting anything very 'glossy', we just want you to succinctly...

  • Hey Sharon - I'm pleased you've picked up on the subtlety of the brand here. In Week 4 we explore branded content and the 'invisible brand'... look out for it... I hope you enjoy!

  • I think you've hit on a point here Stacey - a lot of advertising touches on aspiration, and we normally think of this as people wanting more... but maybe in this case Mercedes have tapped into their audience of people with 'humongous wallets'(!) wanting to be younger and 'cooler'?

  • Hey Serge - I'm really glad you enjoyed watching these - I had so much fun dipping in to our archive, but Nike have produced so much great creative work it was so hard to pick just a few!! I think the thing that I like most being able to watch the same message being delivered across different decades and cultures. It offers a real snapshot of the creative...

  • Hey Alan - How important do you think it is that all of a brand's messaging follows a similar archetype? Do you think there's any wiggle room?

  • Hi Holly - this is a really interesting example when we're talking about brand's projected image compared to their reality. Do you think it's misleading to promote a gambling company in a very light-hearted, comedic way, considering the negative impact it can have on ones life?
    I'm not saying it's right or wrong, just an interesting discussion to have that's...

  • Hi Arlene, I think the most important thing about this step is looking beyond just the adverts, and at everything a brand projects and produces. You might want to start with looking at a logo and a website, rather than advertising. Everything that a brand does needs to tell their story, from their packaging to their twitter account.