On (Design) Bullshit
Every design presentation is a mix of functional requirements and intuitive decisions. We can argue for the former with logic, writes Michael Bierut, but the latter require something more creative…
On thinking small
For decades advertising has put all its faith in the single ‘big idea’ but now that the cost of failure has been reduced, it’s time to scale down and spread your bets, argues Goodby Silverstein’s Gareth Kay…
On Unprofessionalism
Over the past 12 months, the tricky issue of professional certification for designers has reared its head once more in the UK. In this 1994 essay, Michael Rock makes the case for a more relaxed attitude…
Total Design, total teamwork
For the staff of Total Design, an open plan office, team lunches and flat hierarchy created a special atmosphere, as its first employee recalls…
Designing a mark of respect
A new identity from Landor aims to reflect the growing
number of young Americans who are veterans of conflict…
How a great art director almost killed the greatest ad
Doyle Dane Bernbach’s ‘Think small’ ad for the VW Beetle is commonly credited as the greatest press ad ever. But it nearly never was…
Welcome to Barnumville
Since we featured Matt Hoyle’s Barnumville series of circus freak portraits in 2009, the photographer has been working on contextualising the characters in settings created using real composite shots, CG and, of course his original photography of each subject. The results are suitably unsettling…
MK Gallery supergraphics
Sara De Bondt studio has just completed a series of exterior signage supergraphics for the MK Gallery in Milton Keynes
Nice work for Weetabix, Toshiba, Nando’s and more
Here’s our regular Friday round-up of great new work to help inspire you at the end of the working week. First up we have an old-fashioned but brilliant TV ad for Weetabix from BBH.
Forget Me Not interactive video
nit9 director Dawid Marcinkowski has created a sweet interactive video for new track Forget Me Not by Smolik (featuring Emmanuelle Seigner), which mixes the official video with footage from three 1950s sci-fi movies…
The Return of Björk
It would appear that great music apps are like buses: you wait ages for one to arrive and then two come along at once. Just a few weeks ago we wrote about the new Radio Soulwax app by 2manydjs and now Björk has popped up with an app for her new album Biophilia.
Talk To Me at MoMA
Talk To Me is a new exhibition at MoMA in New York that explores how objects communicate with us, and in turn can help us communicate with others. The show features nearly 200 projects, all centred on interaction, and emphasises how the need to share information and have a dialogue with audiences is overtaking form and function in contemporary design…
Why are brands apologising so much right now?
Brands are saying sorry at a more rapid rate than ever. CR’s advertising columnist Ben Kay delves into why sorry is no longer the hardest word and whether this is an effective strategy for winning audiences
How Guinness embraced social
By loosening its approach to advertising, and engaging with its audience directly, the drinks brand has transformed with the times and won a whole new set of fans
Tracing Banksy’s art history remixes
Kelly Grovier’s new book charts the artist’s persistent dialogue with classic and contemporary art
How Lego creates meaningful brand experiences
We speak to Lego’s VP of global brand development Alero Akuya about the brand’s rare ability to straddle the physical and virtual worlds with ease – whether through its immersive new art exhibition in Paris or collaborations with Epic Games and Nike
Matt Willey brings a human touch to Kaos titles
The Pentagram partner has created the titles for the acclaimed new Netflix show, which reimagines the Greek myths in a contemporary setting
A visual history of movie posters
A new book from Reel Art Press collates the first comprehensive history of film posters. We explore why they remain an underappreciated area of cultural design
The Leaders Issue is out now!
The Autumn 2024 issue of Creative Review looks at the brands and individuals who are pushing creativity forward on their way to the top
The Monthly Interview: Rob Lowe, aka Supermundane
Mark Sinclair talks to the artist and designer about his new book, Lost Ordinary Magic, and the importance of recognising the power of simplicity and the everyday wonders that surround us
Unravelling adland’s obsession with 90s nostalgia
We explore how the 90s, an era the UK looks favourably upon for its thriving culture, are continually inspiring a stagnated creative industry
Building the visual world of Fontaines DC
The band’s surreal new album visuals explore a darker, more grotesque side of romance. We speak to the creative team behind the campaign about challenging the visual tropes of rock music
Jessica Walsh ventures into the world of type
As the &Walsh founder launches her agency’s new offshoot Type of Feeling, she discusses why typography’s ability to evoke emotions makes it one of the most powerful tools at a brand’s disposal
Can neuroscience make you a better creative?
Kinda Studios is tapping into the emerging field of neuroaesthetics to help creatives and brands make more impactful work that benefits people’s wellbeing