Five things we learnt at D&AD Festival 2025

Here’s what stood out for us across two inspiring days at London’s Southbank Centre.

1. Craft builds trust, stick to it

Forget the fluff. Craft is a code for care, connection and commercial performance. Talks like The Psychology Behind Craft and Behind the Scenes of OpenAI’s Brand Identity Refresh made one thing clear: craft IS creative psychology. It’s how your brand earns trust, builds emotional resonance, and stays in hearts and minds.

Whether it’s the subtle way a logo moves, the curve of a font, or a surprising sensory detail, craft says: we care, we give a damn. That matters. Because people don’t just buy what you make. They buy how it makes them feel. And the work that gets under the skin is crafted with purpose. Right down to the smallest details.

2. Brand identities should perform

COLLINS’ Leland Maschmeyer threw down a challenge we should all embrace: stop thinking of brand identity as a communication tool. It’s a business tool that powers progress. A high-functioning, scalable system that drives value across every touchpoint — from aesthetics and UX to culture and operations.

Identity should perform, not just signal. It should flex, scale and evolve, without losing clarity. If your brand system isn’t unlocking capability or enabling new behaviours, it’s not working hard enough.

3. Emotion changes behaviour

From Renault’s new brand and electric vehicle campaigns to the gritty vulnerability of design mishaps, one message stood out: emotion changes behaviour. Data on its own rarely does.

In fact, some of the best ideas showcased this year didn’t try to explain everything. They made you feel something. Whether it was laughter, discomfort or straight-up awe, the takeaway is simple: if you’re not moving people emotionally, you’re probably not moving them at all.

4. Design as a mindset, not a department

In All Ideas Are Bad Ideas (Until Designed), TBWA\Media Arts Lab’s James Taylor made a compelling case for design as a strategic lens, not just a discipline. Designers aren’t there to ‘make it pretty’ — they’re there to solve, simplify and shape big ideas into lasting clarity.

This echoed across talks: design-led thinking can unlock impact far beyond brand aesthetics. It’s about embedding creative intelligence into the entire organisation. From motion systems to sonic identities, design should inform how modern brands behave, not just how they look.

Advertising has a design problem—and James Taylor is fixing it from within. At @tbwamal, he’s making design foundational. Speaking at #dandad25, he challenged the “designer as stylist” mindset and made the case for brand-out ideas: simple, striking, built to perform. pic.twitter.com/zrfupIcIoA

— D&AD (@dandad) May 22, 2025

5. Curiosity is our most valuable creative tool

Embracing the messy bits was one of the most refreshing themes of D&AD 2025. From Teemu Suviala’s call to “seize the day with imperfection” to the raw truths of creative failure in The Design Laundry, the message was simple: perfection isn’t the goal, progress is.

Curiosity, courage and culture trump convention. The best ideas often start from discomfort. The boldest brands aren’t afraid to be a little weird, a little wild, and a little human. Because that’s where resonance truly lives and thrives.

What’s next for brave brands?

D&AD Festival 2025 reminded us that creativity is ever evolving and constantly changing. The brands shaping the future aren’t just ticking boxes. They’re the ones challenging expectations, building emotional equity, and turning identity into impact.

So here’s the question: are you building a brand that performs — or one that just shows up?

Let’s talk about how we can help build a braver, more distinctive brand that moves people as well as your bottom line.

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