StrawberryFrog's Fearless Creative Wins D&AD Top 10 Spot and a Wooden Pencil

Nothing says creative excellence in 2025 quite like a wooden pencil

By Nick Sonderup with Tyler DeAngelo

StrawberryFrog recently made D&AD's Top 10 (#9!) list of most awarded independent agencies ranking. That was quite a thrill to wake up to. It feels great to be celebrated with an award that's a wooden pencil. Not to disparage all of the amazingly innovative creative tools we have today, but as a writer, that's a creative symbol that will always ring true.

I recently found two old pushpin awards from “The Show” in Minneapolis, from when I was a student. Talk about an old school representation of advertising - hanging up ideas with pushpins on blackboards. Paper is dead! Wait, I think we just did that the other day for a client meeting. Long live paper! (Sometimes)

One surprising feeling after seeing the D&AD news is that it wasn't surprising. It was more like validation. No, confirmation. Because the whole point of being independent is to focus so intently on the creative. That's our whole IP as an industry, sure. But even more so at an independent shop. Many network agencies put out great creative, don't get me wrong. I've worked at them. So has Tyler. We've both been at agencies of all shapes and sizes - indies, networks, in-house.

But there's just something that hits different about the creative focus here (and all indies). So, in the spirit of cracking the top 10 on D&AD rankings this year, we offer our Top 10 things to love about working at an independent, creative agency like StrawberryFrog.

• 10. You can wear a hat and t-shirt in a client meeting—and no one cares.
• 9. Spend a week making an AI video game where a frog beats up a dinosaur—just because.
• 8. Present a horror movie titled ”Scared Shingle-less” to a client—and not get fired.
• 7. Turn a gun violence TVC brief into an original song and music video with an iconic rapper instead—and win awards.
• 6. Pitch a real live game of leapfrog down 5th Avenue as an agency stunt—and hear “Ok, how do we do that?”
• 5. Bring zero safe ideas to a meeting—and everyone's fine with it.
• 4. Say to the whole agency, “Everyone here is creative”—and it's not bullshit.
• 3. Swing for the damn fence, every damn time.
• 2. Say “We don't want to do that”—and not do that.
• 1. And be stoked to work at an agency named after a real, but oddly named poisonous dart frog that's still kicking ass after 26 years.

TL;DR;

“Be fearless and always think smarter, better” - Scott Goodson, our CEO and Co-Founder.

So sharpen your pencils, frogs.

1. What award did StrawberryFrog recently win?
   Gold at the Shots Awards and London International Awards. Silver at the Telly Awards. WOOD PENCIL award at the D&AD Awards. Lastly, shortlisted for the Webby Awards.
2. What is D&AD and why is it important?
   The D&AD (Design & Art Direction) Awards is one of the premiere global awards shows for advertising and design. Winning a D&AD pencil is a very difficult and esteemed achievement.
3. What makes StrawberryFrog different from other agencies?
   Some believe there are great brands, and “other” brands. We believe there's something great in every brand; sometimes clients just need help finding their greatness. It's what we call Unearthing and Unleashing a Brand's Unfair Advantage.
4. Who founded StrawberryFrog?
   Scott Goodson and Karin Drakenberg on February 14, 1999!
5. What does being an independent agency mean for clients?
   It means we can prioritize partnership and output over profits.

StrawberryFrog ranked #9 on D&AD's 2024 list of the most awarded independent agencies, earning recognition for fearless creativity and culture-driven work. This milestone celebrates over 26 years of bold ideas and movement thinking—reminding us that independent agencies thrive by staying true to creative excellence and impact.