VCU Brandcenter Grads Make D&AD History with Back-to-Back Black Pencils

In early July, five recent VCU Brandcenter graduates made history at the D&AD New Blood Awards, becoming the first team in the competition’s 40+ year history to win two Black Pencils, let alone in back-to-back years, a record officially confirmed by D&AD.

Their 2025 campaign, 'Ads for Rats,' was one of only three Black Pencil winners from a pool of nearly 6,000 entrants from 65 countries.

This followed up their 2024 campaign, 'Scan to Revolt,' which earned one of three Black Pencils from a pool of more than 6,000 entrants from over 60 countries.

The Black Pencil represents D&AD’s highest honour, reserved for work that meets the highest standards of creative strategy, originality, and execution. It is so rare that some years yield none.

“The Black Pencil is where shit gets serious. All the Yellow and White winners go up against each other in a showdown for the ultimate award for new creatives. The Black Pencil represents the best of the best,” commented the team at D&AD

“Winning one Black Pencil is amazing. Winning two is an extraordinary achievement. This moment is a reflection of our students’ talent and resilience and a testament to the creative culture we foster at Brandcenter,” said Dr. Vann Graves, executive director of Brandcenter

“What makes these teammates exceptional isn’t just their work, it’s the way they support one another, challenge each other, and help each other grow. The relationships cultivated at Brandcenter are life-long. We’re so proud of them,” commented Ashley Sommardahl, associate director of Brandcenter

Alex Ward, Boyan Zlatarski, Callum Leitenberg, Emma Kerencheva and Henry Coffey continue to collaborate on disruptive projects as an art collective. Their goal is to keep pushing the boundaries of what creativity can be in this new era of technology.

2025 Campaign: 'Ads for Rats'

In a fiercely crowded and expensive attention economy, young professionals proved that creativity is more valuable than budget.

In February, the group unveiled a series of miniature billboards designed for rats on sidewalks across New York City, comically reimagining real products for a rodent audience. They didn’t just grab the attention of the local rat population; they captured the imagination of humans across the world.

And incredibly, these tiny billboards started winning the battle for attention in the United States’ most competitive market.

What began as a creative experiment soon earned top national coverage on USA Today, as well as attention from popular TV, radio, and morning shows across NYC, and media outlets from 11 countries. Generating hundreds of thousands of dollars in earned media on a rat-sized budget.

2024 Campaign: 'Scan to Revolt'

In 2024, Adobe challenged young creatives to make Adobe Express and Photoshop an essential part of gen z creative expression. And this gen z team answered with Scan to Revolt.

“We're really excited to award this black pencil because it really made the jury stop and think about the way the industry works, and it's rare for students to be able to identify where the industry is going wrong - I'm really excited to see where these entrants take their thoughts in the future,” said India Pearce, senior creative and designer, Havas Play​

The team recognised that, having grown up on the internet, gen z creatives were tired of seeing the same cliché-ridden design. Instead of adding more design to the world, the team created blank slates where rebels could redesign cliches.

Posters calling out 'design icks' were placed in the wild, each with a QR code. Scanning it unlocked an editable template in Adobe Express, letting anyone redesign the ad their way. On World Design Day, the originals would be replaced with submissions from gen z creators.

The campaign turned frustration with design monotony into creative action, and struck a chord. It earned both a Black and a Yellow Pencil at D&AD New Blood, with judges praising its clarity, provocation, and cultural relevance.

More than a successful spec, Scan to Revolt became a creative thesis for the team’s future rebellious work.