Penguin on Design
Four seminal visual arts texts by Bruno Munari, Marshall McLuhan, Susan Sontag and
John Berger have been republished as part of Penguin’s ongoing project to honour its
design heritage.
The 12 Days of Christmas show
A Partridge in a Pear Tree, by HelloVon
Christmas is, as most blog-readers around the world know, a time for giving and, we hope, receiving presents. However, there are, of course, those not fortunate enough to be sat indoors perusing the world wide web and its many wares, for whom Christmas represents a miserably cold and lonely time of year: homeless people. It is with those less fortunate than themselves in mind that the big-hearted folks at London-based design agency Studio8 Design have cooked up a festive art event, The 12 Days of Christmas, to raise money for the UK’s premier housing and homeless charity Shelter…
The Tim And Tony Show
“Do you want to say anything now Tony? You want to sing a song? He says he wants to sing a song.” Two of adland’s more ‘colourful’ characters, Tim Mellors and Tony Kaye, gave a talk to the M&C Saatchi creative department last week…
Geometrophilia
Kapitza, the design studio of sisters Nicole and Petra Kapitza has just released a book for all you geometrophiles out there. Geometric: Graphic Art and Pattern is chock full of 264 coloured and black and white patterns with 100 pattern fonts on an accompanying CD…
Gunn Report 2008
Fallon London’s Gorilla spot for Cadbury’s was the most awarded commercial in the world in 2008 according to the Gunn Report
All the winners from this year’s advertising awards ceremonies have been counted and verified, and the results of this year’s Gunn Report are in.
Your Xmas Gift Problems Answered
‘Tis Christmas morn. The family is gathered around the hearth, eager for some Yuletide amusement. “I know,” you cry excitedly, “let’s all do my 1000 piece Steven Meisel jigsaw.”
Art by 42 Below
One of five films created by The Glue Society for vodka brand 42 Below. Concept and direction: The Glue Society. Creatives: Jonathan Kneebone, James Harvey, Matt Devine, Luke Nuto. Production company: @radical.media, Sydney
The Glue Society in Sydney has created a series of artistic happenings in a promotion for New Zealand vodka company 42 Below.
Crispin Finn Plan Ahead
Around this time of year CR is inundated with promotional calendars and the occasional diary as gifts. Most of them, to be honest, end up being filed under R (for Recycling) as it would seem that making a genuinely covetable calendar, that’s both practical and good looking, isn’t easy. So it was with some considerable delight that we found ourselves positively cooing over a year planner this morning here at CR towers…
Go Homo
Ad for the Gay Times’ Homo Promo campaign by Leo Burnett, Chicago
Right-wing conservative groups have often accused gay people of having an agenda to promote homosexuality. In response to this, the UK’s Gay Times decided to run an interesting recruitment campaign: selling homosexuality to the straight community. Editor Joseph Galliano explains why he asked five ad agencies to help promote the gay cause…
Kilimanjaro: Teddy Killers
“Seeing things exploding isn’t particularly rare,” says founder of Kilimanjaro magazine Olu Odukoya, “but seeing a teddy bear exploding evokes an emotional response.” Indeed. This is one of several images shot for Kilimanjaro’s latest issue by Dan Tobin Smith and art directed by Odukoya. Read on to see the feature on Kilimanjaro from the current (November) issue of CR and an exclusive film of the teddy bear shoot…
Stanley Donwood Fleet Street Linocut
Artist Stanley Donwood, who is perhaps best known for his Radiohead artwork, has created this beautiful linocut which depicts his vision of Fleet Street being destroyed by fire and flood.
Cartoon BoJo
Four Feet From A Rat cover, agency/creative: Mother, publisher: Mam Tor, Designer: Jim Bletsas, artwork: Roger Langridge
The current edition of Time Out London includes the third installment of advertising agency Mother’s Four Feet From A Rat comic. Created in collaboration with graphic novel publishers Mam Tor, the comic offers a quirky insight into London life, with one story, illustrated by artist Roger Langridge, focusing on London’s ebullient mayor, Boris Johnson.
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