Scholar Names Kev Jones as Executive Producer
April 23, 2026
Six months after D&AD asked the question: is creativity dead or alive?, they have annouced the full program for D&AD Festival 2026, bringing together the most provocative voices in global creativity on May 19-20 at London’s South Bank.
Leading the program are The President’s Lectures, curated by D&AD President Lisa Smith and headlined by Stefan Sagmeister. The Festival also features Jury Insight Sessions, Yellow Pencils: Why They Won and dedicated learning programs.
Stefan Sagmeister states: “I’m delighted to be appearing at the D&AD Festival this year. It’s where the industry comes together to properly celebrate the work, challenge itself and talk about what actually matters to drive creativity forward. I’ll be talking about the single worst job of my career, the kind of project that nearly kills your creativity. We all love a good disaster, so it should be fun.”
Full program and ticket details HERE
David Patton, CEO of D&AD, says:”At D&AD, we’ve never believed creativity is dead, but belief isn’t enough. The industry needs to prove it. The D&AD Festival is where that argument gets made at the highest level. Two days, the most provocative voices in the business and the finest creative work of the year. We think we know the answer. Come and join the debate.”
• Stefan Sagmeister will reflect on the job that, in his words, almost killed his creativity, and why it didn’t.
• David Lee (Squarespace) will argue that creativity may be the last remaining human advantage, while Alex Center (CENTER) sets out the case for a creative rebirth and
• Court Williams (De-Yan) explores the intersection of brand, technology and experience.
• Mary Lewis (Lewis Moberly), D&AD’s first female President, joins current President Lisa Smith on stage to ask: three decades later, have we really moved on?
