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Yorkshire design firm beats 50 agencies to New York commission

A South Yorkshire agency has created artwork which will be sent to the world’s leading creative directors after it was chosen to work with a highly prestigious arts organisation.

Kyle Wilkinson, creative director and co-owner of Barnsley studio DMSQD, was chosen from 50 other agencies bidding to work for the famous Art Directors Club.

The New York-based organisation has one of the most concentrated groups of creative talent in the world with 1,500 members who are art directors, graphic designers, illustrators, photographers and other creative professionals.

The not-for-profit club was founded to elevate advertising art to the same stringent standards as fine art.

For over 90 years the club has funded programmes for creative professionals and brought together the best minds in the creative industries.

Since 1971, its Hall of Fame has recognised and honoured innovators who have made significant contributions to art direction and visual communications, and whose lifetime achievements represent the highest standards of creative excellence. Names on the wall include Andy Warhol, Jim Henson and Issey Miyake.

Wilkinson was asked to design an invitation for the club’s annual Creative Directors Dinner which will be sent to hundreds of the top names in global organisations such as Saatchi and Saatchi, Sony Music and Sesame Street Studios.

Several dinners will take place in cities around the world, including New York, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Chicago, Barcelona, Paris, London and San Paolo.

Wilkinson said: “The organisers wanted one invitation which they could send to all the different cities, so we designed an alphabet that acts as a visual identity on both the invitations and across the whole Dinner series, with everything finished in copper foil on black Neenah linen stock for a special feel.

“It’s extremely prestigious for a company from South Yorkshire to have been chosen from all the other agencies worldwide. It’s a huge achievement for us to have a high profile, New York based client coming to Barnsley rather than usual suspects in London and Manchester.

“Our work will be sent around the world and will be landing on the desks of the top creative directors in global design agencies so we’re immensely proud.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Mark Lane .