Embracing Universal Stories | Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business

Stratford Student Austin Jack wins D&AD New Blood Award for achievement in design and advertising

No matter the language a person speaks, we still relate to the shared experiences of those around us. A legend is a legend. Friendship is friendship. Love is love.

Austin Jack, a fourth-year Global Business and Digital Arts student, is a winner of a British Design & Advertising (D&AD) Pencil Award in the New Blood category for his proposed Netflix marketing brief, "Find Your Story." The campaign embraces universal stories regardless of language within Netflix's library.

"I'm still in awe of what happened yesterday," read Austin Jack's LinkedIn post, as he learned he was a winner.

D&AD's annual award is regarded as the highest achievement in design and advertising. It is the equivalent of a "career knighthood," according to one industry observer.

"It's an incredible honour to win a D&AD Pencil at this point in my life, and I couldn't be more jazzed about it. Thank you to everyone who has helped inspire my passion for advertising thus far. Keep being great people," notes Austin.

Finding Your Story

Austin's submission, "Find Your Story," builds upon the diversity of Netflix's library and introduces viewers to stories they may have never considered. "Through exposing audiences to the wide variety of content that exists on Netflix and showing them how relatable it is, we can get them excited, talk about, and consider Netflix's international titles first," Austin's brief explains.

“Audiences in the UK find non-English titles unrelatable. But no matter where you're from, you don't need to understand the language to relate to the characters on screen.”

Of Netflix’s 2,600 title catalogue, half are not in English.

One of Netflix's most popular shows of 2021 was Squid Game. "You may not speak Korean, but you know what it's like to want a better life," Austin points out.

By showing the existing content to a broader audience, Austin is potentially solving a massive problem, as creating and licensing content is one of Netflix’s most significant expenses, at an estimated $13.6 billion annually.

About the D&AD Awards

The D&AD Awards, famously noted for their pencil trophies, are an annual award for achievements of creative excellence in design and advertising. Established in 1962 as British Design & Art Direction, D&AD is a creative collective built upon celebrating and raising standards within the advertising industry. In addition to their tiered pencil awards, D&AD also awards a New Blood category to students and entry-level creatives eager to jumpstart their careers.

You can view his D&AD Award-winning submission on the D&AD Website. Congratulations Austin!