Adfest 2015 tells agencies to 'Be Bad'

The annual advertising awards festival will be held on March 19-21 in Pattaya, Thailand.

Adfest has announced its theme for 2015 - it is 'Be Bad'. The annual advertising awards festival will be held on March 19-21 in Pattaya, Thailand. The theme is a "rallying cry to encourage the industry to create braver, more provocative work," says the team at Adfest in a press statement.

"Fantastic work doesn't come easily. It results from the conviction to find a new angle and disrupt the status quo; it means having the passion to challenge the norm, the average and the mediocre," says Jimmy Lam, president of Adfest, explaining next year's theme.

The Adfest 2015 icon has been designed by Maud, a Sydney-based design agency.

David Park, creative director at Maud (and jury president of Design Lotus and Print Craft Lotus at Adfest 2014), states, "'Be Bad' is about breaking the rules and subverting the idea of 'good design'. We've created an anti-design system that, rather than adhering to grids, gutters and guidelines, opts for clashing colours, distorted character spacing and using raw, unpredictable materials."

Adfest 2015 will be a three-day long festival comprising seminars, workshops, networking events, screenings, parties and of course, the annual Lotus Awards.

"The industry needs more of us to 'Be Bad' by taking clients out of their comfort zone. Shake it up. Be bold. Get clients in your corner, fighting for provocative work and the art of creativity," says Vinit Suraphongchai, chairman of the Adfest Working Committee.

Entry criteria for the 2015 Lotus Awards will be unveiled later this month.

For the record, Adfest was founded back in 1988.