Fe2O3 – making glyphs with ferrofluid and magnetic fields

Typographer Craig Ward has once again collaborated with biochemist and photographer Linden Gledhill on the development of Fe2O3 Glyphs, an ornamental typeface produced by subjecting ferrofluid to magnetic fields. The resulting glyphs are set to feature on a series of unique letterpress prints

Playful objects of desire: Mario Bellini

I think of a design project as an exploration that involves both the mind and the senses,” says Italian designer and architect Mario Bellini in a new book of his work published by Phaidon. “In order to understand something fully I must test it and investigate it thoroughly, just as children do, when they touch and taste everything around them.”

The Fox and the Star by Coralie Bickford-Smith

Today, Penguin book cover designer Coralie Bickford-Smith publishes her first illustrated book, The Fox and the Star, a tale of love, loss and self-discovery. Here, she reveals how she came to make it and how her skills with pattern, colour and shape helped inform its pages

Pushkin Press launches Vertigo crime series

Next month Pushkin Press launches its new Vertigo imprint, dedicated to republishing crime classics from 1920 to 1970. The series has a range of suitably dizzying cover designs created by Jamie Keenan and, here, he explains the thinking behind the bold typographic direction

German critic Hellmuth Karasek reviews the Ikea catalogue

Following last year’s brilliant bookbook film, Ikea has returned with another doozy of an ad to promote the release of this year’s catalogue. Created for the Swiss market, it features renowned German literary critic Hellmuth Karasek subjecting the “world’s most widely distributed book” to a review…

Dismaland’s dismal ad

It could/should have been great – an ad for Banksy’s satirical theme park, Dismaland. So why isn’t it?

Neasden Control Centre at the Royal London Hospital

Vital Arts, the arts organisation for Barts Health NHS Trust, recently unveiled its latest commission at the Royal London Hospital – an installation in the dental ward by artist and illustrator Stephen Smith of Neasden Control Centre

CR Photography Annual: new student category

For the first time this year, we will have a Student Photographer category in the CR Photography Annual. It’s open to all current and graduating students and is free to enter

5 Instagram Influencers to Watch

They’re the cool kids of social media whose eye for the new (or the recycled) makes them vauable partners for brands. For our fashion issue, Amy Scrimshire picks out 5 Instagram ‘influencers’ to watch while Sarah Penny argues that, to get the most out of such relationships, brands need to go niche

Dougal Wilson: good with kids

Insurance is a hard product to sell in an interesting way. But a new ad for John Lewis, directed by Dougal Wilson, is a masterclass in how to make a boring subject entertaining. And it also shows off Wilson’s enduring skill in drawing out dazzling performances from child actors…