MTV’s balloon burst flip-book
ParanoidBR director Dulcidio Caldeira shot this stop-motion ad for MTV Brazil, using bursting balloons to create a flip-book effect
Ron Collins: Unreasonably Creative
Ron Collins was behind some of the most famous, and much loved, ads of the 1970s and 1980s, though remained a controversial figure
Should it really be this hard to become an ad creative?
Advertising agencies spend time and money on graduate recruitment for account managers and planners, so why don’t creatives get the same opportunities?
What can we do to help?
After the Japanese earthquake, the creative community rushed to offer its sympathy and support, but do visual communicators have more to offer the cause of disaster relief than fundraising posters? And how could such practical efforts be best implemented on the ground?
More than just a cover: the story behind this year’s Annual
For this year’s Annual cover, Minivegas created an A out of
every story and image from the CR Blog over the past year
Pot Noeldle – AKQA – 12.047
Christmas ads are, by and large, of a type. Family-orientated, often rather schmaltzy, there are rarely many spots that surprise or delight anymore, despite it being the biggest time of year for consumer spending. The arrival in early December of AKQA’s Pot Noeldle spot was therefore a particular cause for celebration, as it cut through all the sparkly dross with its charming animation and witty observations on life in modern Britain.
Arcade Fire: The Wilderness Downtown – B-Reel – 6.046
Since the release of Arcade Fire’s website for the track Neon Bible in 2008, now widely recognised as the first interactive music video, the band has continued to experiment with using digital technology to create unusual music experiences.
Diesel: A Hundred Lovers – Stink Digital – 6.08
For the A Hundred Lovers film, fans of Diesel were contacted via social media sites, and invited to star in the video. In a reference to Jean-Luc Godard’s classic film Bande à Part, they are shown performing a dance routine.
The World’s Smallest Stop-motion Character Animation – Wieden + Kennedy/Aardman Animations – 9.01/9.015
At 9mm in height, miniature animated film star Dot is officially the world’s smallest stop-motion character. So small, in fact, that to produce the charming short film for Nokia’s N8 smart phone in which she stars, Aardman Animations made 50 different versions of her in order to generate all the body movements required.
Claridge’s – Construct – 15.047
London design studio Construct gave the branding of London’s famous Claridge’s hotel a thorough overhaul, starting with the hotel’s crest and logotype, which was redrawn using a refined weight of typeface SangBleu.
David Byrne In The Round
Musician, artist, film director, writer and patron of great graphic design, David Byrne is the creative king of crossover
Creative Review’s Annual Awards 2025 are officially open for entries
One of the most respected and trusted awards for the advertising and design industries are back for 2025. Run, don’t walk to get your entries in before the Early Bird Deadline on 25 October
How to scale your design business
Growth is a dream for many businesses, but it comes with challenges. Daisy Crowder, brand and marketing director at design recruitment agency Craft, offers advice on how to navigate the change and keep staff on side
Cultivating community with Ganni
The Danish luxury fashion label has spearheaded the characterful evolution of Scandi style. Here, chief brand officer Priya Matadeen discusses its approach to collabs, the pressures of being a responsible brand, and how Ganni Girls grew from a hashtag to a badge of belonging
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 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