A look inside Harold Moores Records: One of a series of eight portraits shot by Spencer Murphy
Whether from rapacious property developers or the internet, the independent record shops of London’s Soho are under threat. Barely a month goes by without another one disappearing. Designer Ali Augur and photographer Spencer Murphy decided to document these musical treasure troves and their owners before they become a distant memory.
Specsavers ad, agency: in-house, production company: Rattling Stick, director: Danny Kleinman
Here’s a round-up of recent advertising work that has caught our eye here at CR Towers. First up is director Danny Kleinman’s latest for Specsavers, which, considering it’s for an optician, is really rather chilling.
Is the above from a new series of artworks by a contemporary designer, an explosion of scientific data, or a photograph of a strange creature discovered by deep-sea biologists? Well, while most of the following images are just crying out to be placed on a T-shirt, they actually have little to do with design, fashion, photography or art, and much more to do with cyberspace…
Mexico 68 poster by Lance Wyman, with artistic direction from Eduardo Terrazas and Pedro Ramirez Vázquez, © courtesy of the artist/IOC/V&A
Despite the protests, Olympic fever is slowly starting to build, and the exhibitions are beginning. This weekend, at the V&A Museum of Childhood in London, a show looking at 100 years of Olympic posters will open which will run (no pun intended…) over the summer to coincide with the Beijing Games. Here are a few extracts from the selection that will be shown – included are posters by artists such as R B Kitaj, as well as much-loved design classics such as Lance Wyman’s poster for the Mexico 68 Olympics, shown above.
The May issue of Creative Review (above) features 100 pages of work selected for this year’s Annual. The very best of those make up our Best In Book section: details of the winners here…
Lam Hung’s Peace of Mind poster for a Zen Buddhist centre, Hong Kong, 2001
The V&A’s current flagship exhibition has a very clear, chronological layout, which is a little surprising considering its slightly clumsy title. The show itself begins in Shenzhen – the site of the first McDonald’s in China – and, perhaps more significantly, the birthplace of contemporary Chinese graphic design. Throughout the exhibition, China’s lust for iconic style and mischievous trends is depicted via a dazzling array of poster designs, illustrations, animations and quirky films: many of which frequently reference, on the one hand, the Buddhist way of life and, distinctly on the other, the visual potency of Maoist China.
Anthony Burrill’s Work Hard And Be Nice To People poster was a feature on the walls of CR Towers for a long time, providing valuable words to live by for all who labour here. An unfortunate Blu-Tac-related accident put paid to our copy so we were pleased to hear that its no-nonsense message will be reappearing on the cover of next month’s Wallpaper*
Are publishers the new record labels? Barely a week goes by without news reaching us of some new lavishly packaged re-releases, while there seems to be a spirit of innovation in book marketing that has been sadly lacking in the music business. Chuck “Fight Club” Palahniuk’s new book Snuff (out 20 May) is a case in point. Honest have been asked to direct three spoof porn movie trailers to help flog it, the first being The Wizard of Ass (above).
Tax disc holder by Sir Peter Blake. Yep – that’s right – a tax-disc holder
They’re a little bit tacky and verging on the ridiculous, but these tax disc holders add a sprinkling of creative spice to the dreary necessity – and otherwise creative blackhole – that is car tax. And among a new range from Pretty Taxing are some new designs by artists Sir Peter Blake, Mat Collishaw and Ian Munroe.
Hospital (Ground Zero), 2008, all images courtesy Hauser & Wirth Zurich/London and Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Cologne, © Isa Genzken
Currently showing at Hauser & Wirth gallery in London is a series of sculptures by German artist Isa Genzken that are also architectural proposals for Ground Zero in New York. Leave any expectations that this notion may give you at the door, however, for Genzken’s sculptures are far removed from formal architectural models and instead are wild, glitzy forms incorporating materials ranging from everyday household items to flowers.
Still from the Ode To Ford ad written by Ogilvy London and directed
by Noam Murro. Now the victim of a rather funny YouTube-hosted spoof
In this day and age, it’s never been easier to doctor audio or visual material with tools on our computers. When we posted up the latest Cadbury’s ad from Fallon (that features a host of airport vehicles racing each other to the soundtrack of Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now) a few weeks ago – almost immediately people responded by posting links to spoof films or versions with soundtracks tweaked for maximum hilarity. On one hand spoofs are made to poke fun at an original piece of work – but on the other, they acknowledge the original as a valid cultural reference point. So you could say, you know you’ve made it when your work is spoofed or parodied…
Creative Review was one of several UK-based winners at the Art Directors Club awards in New York last week, picking up a silver for our Monograph series.
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