Promising the Earth
In 2000, BP’s ads began to promise to go “beyond petroleum”. Now Shell are claiming they use their CO2 emissions to grow flowers. Is it all a lot of hot air?
Towards Creative Activism
Companies whose stories are real, compelling and smartly designed are starting to shine. Sarah Rich of World Changing explains how Creative Review’s readers can help genuinely green businesses to thrive
How to be Green(er)
We asked graphic designer Caroline Clark, co-founder of online resource Twig, to give us her recommendations for how you can work in a more environmentally sustainable way
Design of the World
Designers have a responsibility to be environmentally-aware and to instigate change in the wider world
This is Where Our Work Ends Up (Well, Some of It)
So what happens to unsold copies of CR, or those put out for recycling? Most go to Aylesford Newsprint, a mill in Kent that produces 400,000 tonnes of recycled paper a year. Mark Sinclair went to see it in action
Follow The Americans
The battle for District 8 in Saigon in May 1968 produced many civilian casualties. This woman hit by helicopter rocket fire was helped by a nervous South Vietnamese soldier.
Veteran Magnum photographer Philip Jones Griffiths gave a talk earlier this week at the Royal Geographical Society in London, where he discussed his photographic experiences in Vietnam and a body of work that spans over 40 years.
Towards Creative Activism
This the first page of the April issue of Creative Review. This month, the magazine has no cover. Instead, the biodegradable bag that the magazine is sent out in also fulfils that role, thus saving 8700 sheets of paper
April’s Creative Review is a special issue devoted to sustainability. For it, we asked Sarah Rich, editor of worldchanging.com, to explain how our readers can help genuinely green businesses to thrive.
Conscious consumers in the modern marketplace rarely face an either/or proposition. Gone are the days of choosing between pleasure and principle. Gone is the sacrifice of flavour, colour and style in the name of environmental responsibility. With the likely exception of toilet paper (which it seems still cannot be made both recycled and soft), many of our everyday items can now be found in a luxurious shade of green. Savvy advocates of sustainability know that business is not the enemy of the good…
Edited Highlights
Jonathan Ellery at his debut London show
The subtle alchemy of the editing process will be familiar to most designers and art directors. Browns’ Jonathan Ellery has translated his own fascination with it into three personal projects, all of which are brought together at his debut London gallery show, Unrest, which opened at The Wapping Project earler this month and was featured in last month’s issue of Creative Review.
What Do You Want To Ask Non-Format?
Ever wanted to ask the guys at design studio Non-Format about their work, their clients or what they get up to when they’re not creating some of the best graphic design around? Well, now’s your chance. We’re running a piece on the London-based duo in the May issue of CR. Send us a question: we’ll put the best ones to Kjell and Jon on your behalf and print their replies in the issue.
Post your questions as a comment on this thread or email them to mark.sinclair@centaur.co.uk.
That’s My Door
The door of 7 Meard St, London W1
Regular readers will remember that we gave away a sticker made by Peter Saville in our February issue. The sticker was inspired by a sign that Saville had spotted on a door in London’s Soho.
Yesterday, we had a call from the owner of that door, artist and latter-day dandy of some notoriety, Sebastian Horsley…
Record Sleeves of the Week
Illustrated CD pack for Efterklang’s Under Giant Trees album by Nan Na Hvass
As mentioned last week, we’ve been sent a raft of stunning record sleeves and CD packs so far this year. Here is this week’s selection…
Don’t Spend All At Once
Remember the time when money really could wear a hole in your pocket? The original 50p piece (above), weighed in at the best part of 14 grams and was bigger than the UK’s current two pound coin. In comparison, today’s 50p coins – at a mere 8 grams – feel decidedly flimsy.
One thing they do have over their predecessor, however, is their function as a design canvas. Over the last 15 years, the Royal Mint has been using the back of the 50p as the site for a surprising variety of commemorative illustrations, all of which are gathered together here…
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 Leaders Issue is out now!
The Autumn 2024 issue of Creative Review looks at the brands and individuals who are pushing creativity forward on their way to the top
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
Jessica Walsh ventures into the world of type
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
Can neuroscience make you a better creative?
Kinda Studios is tapping into the emerging field of neuroaesthetics to help creatives and brands make more impactful work that benefits people’s wellbeing