D&AD Awards 2009

The challenge

Needed, then: the charisma and energy of a ringmaster with the mystery and wit of a magician and the care of
a museum curator. Spectacle, magic, value. But faces, legs and torsos would limit subtlety and flexibility. The spirit of these personalities was the key. Because in any case what could an MC, a conjuror and a curator really have in common apart from their famous white gloves? If only one could chop them off at the wrist…

What we did

Chop them off at the wrist. Now there’s a thought. Liberated from their arms and body, the white-gloved hands took on a life of their own. In no time at all they were the applause, the nerves, the camaraderie of the night. They were big and small, figurative and literal. They supported, guided, communicated, hosted. First they were a viral teaser film, acting out a script. Then they adorned posters and web banners, lurked within envelopes to present the tickets, were showing people the way. Here they held cutlery to present the table plan, there they pointed cameras to advertise a press area, and nearly everywhere they were holding up table numbers and bar-menus.

How we did it

Rather than slides, huge screens showed white-gloved hands playfully presenting the nominations on 174 separate hardboards, bringing them to life, drawing the eye. From there the hands moved on to belt out a loud drum roll to start the ceremony, and then introduce each category with a brief mimed ident. In the small hours they joined the party, bouncing, jiving, and rocking to the music as if alive…

Result

This was one event that was never going to drift off into anonymity. The spectacle, the magic and the value were behind it at every turn; hands most definitely on.