The Partners scoops DandAD black pencil

Creative branding consultancy The Partners has won a prestigious black pencil award at this years DandAD Awards for its Grand Tour work with The National Gallery.

The campaign saw full-scale high-resolution prints of masterpiece paintings appearing throughout the streets of Central London for a 12-week period during summer 2007.

DandAD is the industry's most coveted global design and innovation awards with entrants from the top of the design and advertising world.

The Partners fended off tough competition to win a gold award in the Poster Advertising category in addition to winning one of the rarely awarded black pencils.

This year only six black pencils were awarded in the international competition.

Jim Prior, Managing Partner, The Partners, said: "Winning a DandAD Gold, is for us, the ultimate accolade.

"It's always hard to judge how good your own work is, so it's best to let others decide.

"Getting this level of recognition from our peers in the world of advertising and design confirms what we thought might be true - that The Grand Tour work for The National Gallery is an exceptional idea, perfectly executed.

"It's simple enough to require no explanation or justification beyond its physical self, yet bold enough to capture attention and engage the mind.

"We're very flattered, excited and proud".

The Grand Tour campaign was an innovative approach to branding that raised awareness of The National Gallery's permanent collection through a modern take on the 17th century Grand Tour.

To assist The National Gallery in bringing the art to the attention of the busy British public, 44 full size prints were hung around London.

Locations for the paintings were carefully selected in order that they be appropriate for the subject matter of the painting; for example, Caravaggio's provocative 'Salome receives the head of John The Baptist' was hung outside a sex shop in central Soho.

The campaign met great acclaim, generating global media coverage.

Prior concluded: "This year, The Partners celebrates its 25th birthday and we couldn't ask for a better reward to highlight the outstanding work that we deliver.

"With just over 50 smart and agile thinkers on board, we are in an excellent position to continue to bring both highly creative and innovative solutions to our clients".

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