Graduates from the BA (Hons) Graphic Design course at Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) are celebrating after being awarded Best in Show for their stand at the D&AD New Blood Awards.
“BA (Hons) Graphic Design exhibited work that was awarded ‘Best in Show’ with a record store theme that enabled the D&AD creative audience to interact with students work, accessing and collating ‘album’ style portfolios of work,” explains Course Leader Marion Morrison.
Students Ed Musgrove, Sam Thomson and Emilie Shepherd were awarded Wood Pencils for their respective projects, while fellow Gianna Gonzalez Watterston, Poppy Bartlett and Julia Anderson were all named D&AD “Ones to Watch”.
“This year’s success at D&AD New Blood reflects the exceptional innovation, ambition and creativity of our designers,” Marion says.
“Alongside the winners, the breadth of creative talent on display working across branding, motion, design for good, editorial, digital experiences, and information design highlights both the strength of the cohort and the exciting future ahead for these practitioners.
“A shoutout for our alumni and industry partners whose support and engagement helped make the event such a valuable experience for our designers.”
Responding to the brief, The Future of Entertainment, which tasked students to invent a new way to experience entertainment, Sam Thomson created [In Frame] for the streaming platform Canal+.
“I asked the simple question: why is it easier than ever to find something to watch, yet harder than ever to decide what to watch?” Sam explains.
“The project tackled the problem of the endless scroll, a frustration almost everyone can relate to. Streaming platforms present thousands of options, yet many of us still end up feeling there is nothing to watch. Audiences increasingly discover films and series through comments and commentary on social media, from friends and family, through conversation, rather than through streaming platforms’ algorithmic recommendations.”
Using this insight, Sam reimagined Canal+ as a more social streaming experience, introducing social media architecture into the platform, making it easier for users to discover content through trusted opinions and shared conversation.
[In Frame] also enhanced the way users watch content by embracing second-screen behaviour, allowing viewers to connect their phones in sync with what’s shown on their TV to react, comment and share moments while they watch.
Sam says, “By combining cultural insight with a genuine understanding of how people discover and experience entertainment today, I was able to create a forward-thinking concept that addressed a real problem – helping people watch what’s worth talking about.
“It felt incredibly gratifying, and honestly quite surreal, to win a Wood Pencil for this project. It was the perfect way to round off three years at university and a reminder that all the late nights and hard work really do pay off. I poured so much of my own passion for film and television into the project, and I think that genuine enthusiasm came through. This win has given me the confidence to keep pursuing these areas I’m most passionate about and trust that those interests in film and TV can become my greatest creative strengths.”
The Wood Pencil is the latest in a string of successes for Sam, who also won this year’s Dragon Rouge Firestarters for the XBOX 25 'Personal Connections' brief, where Sam challenged himself to create “a gaming campaign without showing any games.”
The Dragon Rouge Firestarters project also earned him a finalist place at the South West Design + Digital Student Awards.
“D&AD New Blood is an annual London-based creative festival that provides a platform for showcasing the outstanding work of our graduating graphic design students,” says Marion.
“It brings together emerging creative talent and a national and international audience of industry professionals for three days of inspiring conversations, collaborations and opportunity.
“This year’s theme, Creativity is Alive was evident throughout the festival, with our students demonstrating the creative excellence that defines the next generation of designers."
The 2026 D&AD New Blood Festival took place on 30 June and 1 July at Protein Studios, Shoreditch, exhibiting the work of graduating students from BA (Hons) Graphic Design and BA (Hons) Visual Communication (now known as BA (Hons) Communication Design and Strategy).
