It is impossible to tell the story of late twentieth century Britain without reference to The Sun. For right or wrong, the tabloid newspaper is central to the narrative of a country that, in the 1980s particularly, was more divided than at any time before or since. On its pages – and most especially on its front pages – The Sun embodied the dominant political and social spirit of the times. Seldom can graphic design have been used to such dramatic effect.
Pop artist Sir Peter Blake has painted a portrait of the late and much-lamented John Peel to feature on the sleeve on a new compilation of the DJ’s favourite tracks, John Peel-Right Time, Wrong Speed:1977-1987, the first of a trilogy celebrating Peel’s career.
Wallpaper* has thrown everything but the proverbial kitchen sink at the cover of the magazine’s tenth anniversary issue, out today. The result is a cornucopia of print finishing.
Last year in the magazine we wrote about design group FUEL’s initial forays into the world of publishing with books The Music Library and Fleur. Now FUEL is about to publish a new book, Ideas Have Legs…
Faced with coming up with a stand-out campaign for British Airways’ latest “World Offers” sale, BBH in London has hit on a ingenious solution: to do a tie-up between the airline and Google, whose account is also held by the agency.
Straight outta Cape Cod and keepin’ it real is Prep Unit, a trio of New England gangsters, or “prepsters”, whose video Tea Partay has been notching up a massive amount of hits since its recent online release. BBH New York are behind this well-produced viral for Smirnoff’s Raw Tea which essentially takes all the clichés of blinged-up gangster rap at its finest and adorns them in pastel knitwear and boat shoes.
Here we go again. Today’s Observer Magazine proudly proclaims itself to be “The Design Issue” and yet, with wearisome predictability, we search its glossy pages in vain for any acknowledgement that design can, just sometimes, be about the organisation and dissemination of information and ideas. Unless, of course, those ideas are rendered in ruinously expensive polycarbonate.
Graphic design’s invisibility in the British national press long ago ceased to be a surprise. Now it’s just downright rude.
With just under two years to go, the The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (or, mercifully, BOCOG for short) have released what, for many designers will be a result far more interesting than the efforts of a few thousand sweaty athletes.
Yes, the winners of a competition to design the new set of Olympic Pictograms have been annnounced. And very cool they are too.
Academy director Kim Gehrig helms this charming new video for indie rockers Gomez. Gehrig places us in the role of the protagonist as we travel the world, eating bad plane food, flirting with strangers and generally having a fine time. Guaranteed to cause itchy feet.
Another great animated video from Swedish act The Knife. This one’s directed by Andreas Nilsonn. The track, Like a Pen, is released as a single on 9 October.
Illustrator Marcus Oakley was one of 21 contributors to The Blank Tape Spillage Fête, at The English Folk Dance and Song Society, Cecil Sharp House in London. This is what happened:
I really like cassette tapes, I still use them, I still use my Walkman and I use them to record music with on my four track, and so last winter I was delighted when I was invited by Mat Fowler and Matt Hunt to take part in their Blank Tape Spillage Fête project.
Our visual culture has a seemingly endless appetite for nostalgia. Personally, I blame all those “I Love The …” TV programmes (“Spangles, eh, remember them?”) and the fact that today’s TV and publishing executives are the first to have come through a childhood of shared mass media consumption.
This summer saw the publication of The Dangerous Book For Boys, an unashamedly retro compendium of jolly activities designed to prise today’s pallid fatties away from their PlayStations and out into the fresh air. As well as joyfully instructing its young readers on how to make a catapult and flouting conventional wisdom with a chapter on how to teach your old dog some new tricks, the writers also included doses of the type of factual content that was once a staple of children’s weekly, Look and Learn.
In the 60s, Look and Learn shifted some 300,000 copies every week. Its team of crack illustrators launched themselves with gusto at everything from the early life of Ben-Hur to the Wonders of Nature. A typical issue might survey wildlife in the frozen Arctic, before regaling its no-doubt spellbound readers with The Story of Algebra (a real rollercoaster ride), pausing to investigate who killed William Rufus (a nobleman called Tyrell, apparently, although it could have been an accident) and ending with a brief introduction to the writings of Aristotle.
Thanks to a new website which has bought up rights to the magazine and its associated titles, many of Look and Learn’s amazing illustrations are now available to licence.
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