McCann London and D&AD New Blood Shift launch the ultimate unbiased recruitment tool

Featuring aliens, kissing cows and flame-throwing women, this wordless comic will be used by McCann to aid its application process when finding and hiring creative talent, based on talent alone. Its level of anonymity means McCann won’t know who has filled out the narrative, as applicants will supply just their phone number, filtering out any unconscious bias and letting McCann see nothing but the creative talent on display.

Excited by Kkaptionn’s purpose – to break the cycle of any potential discrimination and open creativity up to everyone from all socio-economic backgrounds – D&AD is using the comic book as part of its application process for the New Blood Shift programme, which kicked off on Thursday 23 August in London.

"What I first loved about the idea of Kkaptionn is that it reminded me of how blind auditions were held to help orchestras eliminate gender bias," says Laurence Thomson, Chief Creative Officer at McCann London. "Kkaptionn will serve to do the same for our industry.

"We’d also love to see Kkaptionn sit comfortably alongside independent zines in comic book shops and be loved by the zine community. It’s a story that’s waiting to be told – by anyone, from any walk of life, and could even land you a job in the creative industry. So, grab a copy, fill it in, and get to help fund D&AD’s New Blood Shift programme."

Robin and Ella, creatives at McCann London and the brains behind Kkaptionn, said: "We both always thought it would be cool to produce our own comic book series, but at the same time wanted to create something with a point of difference that would stand out.

"So, we decided to flip the notion of the comic book and turn the reader into the story-teller. Plus, as a creative, it isn’t every day you get to put a DIY head transplant with a chainsaw into your work."

Hilary Chittenden, Senior Foundation Manager from D&AD, said: "D&AD New Blood Shift shares McCann’s vision to find extraordinary creative thinkers who haven’t been through the conventional creative education routes. Kkaptionn offers the chance for creatives to show off their raw skills – their weird and wonderful ideas – without having to know what a ‘book’ is, without needing an extensive portfolio or a string of letters after their name.

"Any new way for D&AD to recognise creative excellence is really exciting for us, so we’re delighted that McCann is donating copies of Kkaptionn to use as part of our application process and throughout the New Blood Shift programme."

Visit www.kkaptionn.com to find out more and to order your copy of Kkaptionn. A limited number of comic books can be purchased online for £6.99, with profits going towards D&AD’s New Blood Shift programme.