Arena HoM/Me +
Adding further fuel to the “New Ugly” debate on magazine editorial design (see here, here, here, and here) comes M/M’s Arena Homme Plus, sorry Homme +.
The Saints
The Saints, Paul Pfeiffer, 2007. Commissioned and produced by Artangel
On Saturday, while most people flocked to Wembley for England’s qualifier for the European Championships against Estonia, I travelled to the area for more artistic reasons, to see Paul Pfeiffer’s new Artangel installation, The Saints. The show is being held in a disused warehouse just opposite the new stadium, continuing Artangel’s tradition for showing work in unusual and atmospheric venues.
While I may have missed the England game, knowing it was going on so near provided a good backdrop to Pfeiffer’s artwork, which explores the role of the audience in major sporting events. On entering the warehouse space, it initially seems empty apart from the epic noise of a roaring crowd. As a viewer, you are suddenly placed at the centre of the scene, with the crowd cheering, chanting and singing all around, creating an impact that’s both exciting and a little unnerving.
Editorial Designers Of The World, Unite
Haymarket design director Paul Harpin, John Brown executive creative director Jeremy Leslie and a line-up of the great and good of UK editorial design have come together to launch The Editorial Design Organisation, a not-for-profit body that “aims to promote the skill, knowledge and appreciation of editorial design in magazines, newspapers and websites”.
Leslie, who also runs the magazine design blog, magCulture explains the ED.O’s goals…
Alchemists: Du Preez and Thornton Jones
As part of our series of profiles on imagemakers working with light, published in association with Aurea by Philips, Paula Carson interviews Warren du Preez and Nick Thornton Jones. Shown above: from Magic Light Women: a du Preez/Thornton Jones personal project
Stanley Donwood on In Rainbows
Work-in-progress images for the artwork for Radiohead’s seventh album, In Rainbows
Radiohead’s seventh album, In Rainbows, in case somehow you didn’t already know, arrived via a weblink today to those who opted into the band’s unique offer to “pay what you like” for it online, and finally shifted attention away from the band’s marketing genius and back onto their music. This should keep fans happy for now, as they wait for the third wave of the In Rainbows release, a box set, designed once again by Stanley Donwood and released in December.
While he is remaining quiet on how the final In Rainbows artwork will look (see CR’s December issue, out late November, for an early peek), Donwood has in fact been dropping hints via the Radiohead website for months now. The images shown here are from a selection that were posted up online over the 10 month period that the record was made.
Saccharine Style
Ceramic figurines – not usually the kind of thing you might expect to find in the pages of Wallpaper*. My girlfirend’s mum’s house, yes, International Style Bibles, no. But look closer. This adorable li’l lady is wearing Louis Vuitton. Bless.
Art On 4 Wheels
An illuminated metallic fish based on a Nissan Micra, a fire-breathing fire engine named Gladys and a musical milk float … it’s the Blackpool Art Car Parade.
Best Wishes From Ian Stevenson
Image from Best Wishes Get Well Soon – a collection of Ian Stevenson’s work, published by Concrete Hermit
Best Wishes Get Well Soon, published by Concrete Hermit, is a 112 page book that showcases a selection of work by illustrator Ian Stevenson…
Forest: A Lichtfaktor Exclusive For CR
As promised in our post earlier this week, click Read More to view the film that CR – in association with Aurea by Philips – commissioned Cologne-based lightwriting crew Lichtfaktor to create. Enjoy.
Passion: Sony Play-Doh No Rip Off
Detail from a 2002 panoramic by Kozyndan. Passion deny that this was the inspiration for the new Sony Bravia spot
Passion Pictures MD, Andrew Ruhemann has strenuously denied that his production company “ripped off” LA illustrators Kozyndan over Play-Doh, the new Sony Bravia commercial. In a phone call to Creative Review today, Ruhemann says of the Kozyndan work (detail shown above), “Nobody here ever saw it. It never formed part of the reference material and no-one from Gorgeous or Fallon showed it to us.”
Nick Knight First To Tackle Big 4
The Big 4 under construction
Photographer Nick Knight will be the first of four leading imagemakers and artists to take on a major new public art challenge in London – a 48-feet-high steel number 4 to be erected outside the headquarters of Channel 4.
Re-Bag Show
Spin’s Re-Bag design
Packaging manufacturer Progress approached 15 of leading design practitioners to create a design to be printed on reusable canvas bags with a theme of sustainability…
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