Pentawards 2025: Forget the Tech—Let’s Just Be Human
As The Pentawards Festival 2025 wrapped up in Paris, we couldn’t help but notice a theme across the talks and discussions—amid the rise of AI, the real power of design still lies in being human.
We recently attended the Pentawards Festival at Paris Packaging Week, the theme of which was Designing With Impact. Two days of global design leaders, creatives, and other industry experts from brands and agencies gathering in one place to share insights and expertise, motivations and fears, and celebrate an industry that holds such power to create positive impact and drive change across many aspects of our world.
The Pentawards ’25 Takeaway: The Importance of Being Human
Across many of the panel talks, discussions, and dinners, we noted a recurring theme that resonated with us. In today’s world of AI-dominated headlines, with much ongoing debate around the impact on the creative industries and many of us adapting to AI’s role within our daily lives, much of the content that featured at the Festival either centred on, or contained themes on the importance of just being human.
“Have real conversations, be authentic and cultivate a world where we can be creative.”
Throughout the two days we immersed ourselves in the brilliantly titled talk from Coca-Cola design director, Rebecca McCowan, and her former colleague, now founder of Experimenta, Fe Amarante, “Forget about the tech and tools, let’s just be fucking human” that concluded with a line from Rebecca that struck a chord, “Have real conversations, be authentic and cultivate a world where we can be creative.”
We marvelled as Marie-Therese Cassidy, VP Design Europe at PepsiCo shared why the latest Pepsi identity was rooted in the past after asking superfans to draw logos from memory. With most drawing the logo from the 1970s – this human insight demonstrated how significant the emotional connection was – so powerful that it informed the first new logo and visual identity in 14 years.
We rationalised human emotion versus sustainability as we listened to Jeremy Lindley, Global Design Director at Diageo pose the question “Is sustainability the opposite of desire?”
Technology vs. Humanity in Design
Of course technology is critical to all of our futures and, like many, TDC is watching, listening and learning about how this new frontier is developing whilst streamlining processes that empower us with more time.
But this happy human centric place where we did the wonderful thing only humans can do – connecting, debating, discussing, laughing, caring, sharing – is the place that I will be drawing much inspiration and motivation from.
We walked away so enthused and excited to continue our mission of elevating the conversation around design as a catalyst of change and driver of tangible impact within business, within sustainability and within every aspect of our daily lives.
There are, of course, some humans that don’t make me feel so happy, but the Pentawards community is filled to the brim with ones that do. I am a lucky human to be a part of that!
