Everything Is A Brand
The irrrepressible Ze Frank on the all pervasive brand – and why Grandma’s Cookies sound so much more enticing than Old People’s Cookies (link: DO)
Why this is killing creativity
Look around your studio. How many of your fellow designers/creatives are sitting hunched over their Macs, headphones on, plugged into their own private world?
Whatever happened to conversation?
Dark Cartooning
Anthony Lister, a Brisbane-based artist, makes his UK debut at London’s Spectrum Gallery next week. His show, Saturday Morning Prime Time, aligns the seemingly innocent world of children’s cartoons with that of power-hungry corporations vying for the attention of younger audiences.
Bad, Bare Bears
Icelandic director Einar Baldvin’s animated video for Bonnie Prince Billy’s new single, Cold and Wet, is a bittersweet tale of mummy and daddy bears and what can happen when bear love dies. Just goes to show you should never trust a crocodile.
Gunn Report sees UK topple USA
The results of this year’s Gunn Report are in, and suggest that creativity in the UK ad industry is alive and well, as UK agencies top both the Commercials and Print tables, and beat the USA to top the Countries table for the first time in eight years.
The report, which combines the winners’ lists from the most important global award shows to reveal the ads that have won the most each year, saw Abbott Mead Vickers.BBDO’s noitulovE spot for Guinness, directed by Daniel Kleinman, take the top spot in the Commercials table. The ad beat Fallon London’s Sony Balls spot and George Patterson Y&R Melbourne’s Big Ad for Carlton Draught Beer, which came second and third respectively.
The Bland Leading The Bland
As part of the Gap’s partnership with (Product) Red, a new AIDS–related charity, the company has produced Individuals, a collection of advertising campaigns past and present, the profits of which will go to the charity writes Tim Nelson. At $20 a copy, the book stands to make a sizeable contribution to this Bono/Bobby Shriver initiative to persuade US companies to help in the struggle to control AIDS and HIV in Africa. The Gap is also committed to donating half its profits from a new range of clothing to (Product) Red, but the aims of the book go beyond charity towards a continued promotion of the Gap, celebrity in America, and the national dream of success.
Together, Apart
Domenic Lippa and Harry Pearce are the latest designers to join the exclusive Pentagram club: dissolving one partnership in the process, but joining another, more challenging collective.
The best ad agency in London?
Despite having only one oicial client, Channel 4’s in-house agency, 4 Creative, has built a reputation for consistently stunning advertising campaigns. By Eliza Williams
The Ultimate Product Demo
Remember when ads for petrol were a common sight on our TV screens? Esso’s Tiger? Reassurances that we could be sure of Shell? What with global warming and dodgy goings-on in the Third World, oil companies have been maintaining something of a lower profile of late, but a new BP campaign from Ogilvy London puts fuel back on the agenda.
Alan Fletcher Remembered
Alan Fletcher, one of the greatest designers that the UK has ever produced, died last month. Creative Review opened up an online book of condolences on our blog site so that the design world could say goodbye. Here, in tribute to Alan, we reprint a selection of the comments
Window to the Future
In a unique collaboration, Creative Review and Selfridges joined forces earlier this year for Shape of the Future. Seven of our Creative Futures winners and runners-up from last year were each given a week in Selfridges’ largest window. The brief was simple: create an installation around the theme of shape, building on the work of the previous occupant. This is what happened next…
Greetings Grapple Fans!
The Luchadore are Mexico’s famous masked wrestlers – Lucha Libre (which translates as “free fighting”) their hugely popular sport that first wowed crowds back in the 1930s.
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