Quick – call the fashion police! It’s a crack down! Apparently it’s not a hoax but police in Flint, Michigan are attempting to enforce a seemingly crazy ruling, based on indecent exposure law, whereby sagging trousers could result in a stern warning, a fine, or even a prison sentence, depending on just how much buttock is on show. This helpful infographic appeared in the Detroit Free Press so that readers could be fully aware of the legality of their, er, position.
From Lean Mean Fighting Machine’s Virgin Bets campaign, one of several that won awards at Cannes this year, making Lean Mean Interactive Agency of the Year. See the work here
London’s Lean Mean Fighting Machine won Best Interactive Agency at Cannes this year. We talk to Lean Mean’s Dave Bedwood about the agency and its future plans
Hitler Moves East: A Graphic Chronicle, 1941-43 is a unique photography project from US artists David Levinthal and Garry Trudeau that was originally published in 1977. But the book, which documents the German invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II, isn’t quite what it appears to be at first glance. While all the images are photographs, they’re actually all of toy soldiers arranged upon a series of intricately modelled dioramas.
“To design is to create images which communicate specific ideas in purely visual terms and utter statements whose form graphically embodies or enhances the essential nature of the notions to be communicated.” This definition of graphic design comes from John Commander, the first chairman of D&AD and a noted art director. I first heard it from the design critic Rick Poynor at a CR-organised debate (see CR Aug 04). At the time, Poynor called it about the best description he’d heard for what a graphic designer does. Some would argue that it is no longer adequate.
Levi’s viral by Cutwater ad agency, production company: Tate USA, director: Eric King
Levi’s has been seeding a number of these virals online (see the one with guys backflipping into jeans here), but this is our favourite to date. Debate is raging online about whether they are real – we presume they are not, but maybe who cares anyway…
On Friday we got to Camberwell College of Art’s MA show where there was much to see. Here are some of the highlights from the Illustration show…
Toejam video for Brighton Port Authority, production company: Streetgang. Director: Keith Schofield
Here’s a selection of brilliant new music videos for your viewing pleasure. First up is the video for the first single from Norman Cook’s new venture, Brighton Port Authority, which features guest vocals from David Byrne and Dizzee Rascal. Directed by Keith Schofield (who also directed the excellent promo for Supergrass track Bad Blood), the cheeky video shows how you can put censorship bars to good use. Quicktime here.
Wimbledon artwork by Heather Ackroyd & Dan Harvey for HSBC. Ad agency: JWT London. Exec Creative director: Russell Ramsey. Creative director: Axel Chaldecott. Creatives: Mark Norcutt, Laurence Quinn, Phillip Meyler, Darren Keff
Following on from the blog post on Olafur Eliasson’s Waterfalls in New York, we have some more nature-based art for you, this time by UK artists Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey. They have created this artwork, their first piece to be used in a commercial context, for HSBC as part of the bank’s partnership with the 2008 Wimbledon Tennis Championships, which, in case you haven’t been paying attention, are currently taking place. JWT London is the agency behind the campaign.
Governers Island Waterfall by Olafur Eliasson, Photo: © Bernstein Photography
After wowing audiences at the Tate Modern in 2004 with his epic installation, The Weather Project, Danish artist Olafur Eliasson has turned his attention to New York, where he continues his interest in natural phenomena in this series of four enormous waterfalls that he has created across the city.
Circus is a new book of work from photographers Anderson & Low. Shot in 2006 it features the circus performers of Blackpool Pleasure Beach shot both at work and off duty in the surroundings of the theme park
Pentagram’s Abbott Miller has curated a multimedia design exhibition, Brno Echo: Ornament and Crime from Adolf Loos to Now, currently on show at the Moravian Gallery in Brno, Czech Republic as part of the city’s Biennial of Graphic Design
The Love Travel Guides are a series of upmarket yet practical guidebooks to Indian cities for the “luxury vagabond”, written by ex-advertising executive Fiona Caulfield
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
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
Kelly Grovier’s new book charts the artist’s persistent dialogue with classic and contemporary art
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
The Pentagram partner has created the titles for the acclaimed new Netflix show, which reimagines the Greek myths in a contemporary setting
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 Autumn 2024 issue of Creative Review looks at the brands and individuals who are pushing creativity forward on their way to the top
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
We explore how the 90s, an era the UK looks favourably upon for its thriving culture, are continually inspiring a stagnated creative industry
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
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
Kinda Studios is tapping into the emerging field of neuroaesthetics to help creatives and brands make more impactful work that benefits people’s wellbeing