That’s been most people’s reaction I’ve discovered to this years D&AD annual (our window to the soul of what’s good in advertising and design from around the world). There’s some lovely stuff inside but the cover design… good grief. Designed by Neville Brody, typography god of the 80’s, it’s overwhelmingly disappointing. He’s obviously been given the budget for a telephone directory and has unsurprisingly come up with something as inspiring as a… telephone directory, without a proper spine. We have annuals in the agency going back forty years, but unfortunately this new one won’t last 4 minutes, especially in an agency with a bunch of slavering creatives ripping each other to shreds for a look. There is a flimsy cardboard lattice frame that comes with it, which will probably prolong it’s longevity to 4 weeks. For an institution that puts ideas above anything else in its manifesto, this book is sadly lacking one in concept, look or feel. Sadly the student awards annual is even worse, if that’s possible. D&AD. It’s just not good enough. Let’s hope it’s just been a very bad year. Oh, yes. And where’s the DVD, you muppets? Rant over.