News / 20 May 2025
Students win D&AD New Blood Pencils
BA (Hons) Marketing Communications
BA (Hons) Graphic Design
Students from BA (Hons) Marketing Communications and BA (Hons) Graphic Design are celebrating their success after winning coveted D&AD New Blood Pencils.
Open to advertising, design, digital and marketing students, recent graduates and emerging creatives worldwide the D&AD New Blood Awards celebrate the best new creative talent with briefs set by leading global clients and judged by the industry’s top creatives. This is the tenth year running students from BA (Hons) Marketing Communications have won an award at D&AD New Blood, taking home an impressive 14 Pencils over that time.
‘Silent Shake’, by final year BA (Hons) students Marketing Communications Hollie Spooner and Lizzie Day is a Monotype campaign designed to reflect the handwriting changes often seen in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease. It is intended to work as an educational tool, highlighting common irregularities in handwriting which can be early indicators of the disease.
“I genuinely can’t put into words how much this means to me. We worked so hard to make sure our work was as strong and meaningful as possible. I’m really glad that me and Lizzie created work that brought attention to this cause.”
Hollie Spooner, BA (Hons) Marketing Communications student
“I am so thrilled to have been awarded a New Blood Pencil for our Monotype idea: Silent Shake. This idea means the world to us and we couldn’t be prouder. Massive thank you to Fabio Fragiacomo and Nick Young for all the support. And thank you all the judges at D&AD for seeing the potential and can’t wait to meet you all in July.”
Lizzie Day, BA (Hons) Marketing Communications student
Hollie and Lizzie collaborated with final year BA (Hons) Graphic Design student Katie Charlesworth on the winning campaign. Katie worked with the creative team to design the typeface and create a keep safe card, a practical tool to support family and friends to identify the early signs of Parkinson’s disease in their loved one’s handwriting.
"As the graphic designer for our submission Silent Shake, I had the opportunity to design the custom typeface, keep-safe card and contribute in the visual identity to the project. It’s been such a rewarding concept to help communicate a condition that deserves more visibility. I'm incredibly proud to have been part of the creative team to make a difference and honoured our work has been recognised.”
Katie May Charlesworth, BA (Hons) Graphic Design student
Second year BA (Hons) Marketing Communications student Yesser Alkazaz has been awarded her Pencil for ‘Knowledge is Protection’, a campaign built around the idea the idea that the way we use words can change how we understand and treat people.
The campaign uses innovative technology and storytelling to empower people with Down’s syndrome to access conversations around consent, sex, and relationships in a way that makes sense for them and isn’t rooted in fear or shame.
“This was a really special brief for me, it touches on things I’ve seen and felt growing up in Middle Eastern culture, where topics like consent are rarely spoken about. So, to have this idea recognised feels like a real “I’ve done something right!” moment. I’m super grateful to my tutors, Nick and Fabio, for supporting me through the process and always believing in the work. I honestly didn’t expect it, but I’m over the moon!”
Yesser Alkazaz, BA (Hons) Marketing Communications student
The students have been invited to attend the New Blood Awards Ceremony held on 2 July in London, where they will find out the level of their awards and will be presented with their Pencils.
Over the past ten years, students from the University have won everything from the Wood Pencil, celebrating the best of the year in advertising, design, craft, culture and impact, right through to the Black Pencil, the highest accolade awarded for groundbreaking work.