Heartbeat: 100,000 balloon installation in Covent Garden
London’s Covent Garden plays host to an installation by French artist Charles Pétillon featuring 100,000 white balloons as part of London Design Festival
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…
Elliott Quince’s prize-winning posters for Expect the Unexporcupine
Illustrator Elliott Quince has won the Edinburgh Festival Comedy Poster Awards with a series of 21 designs promoting Michael Stranney and Olaf Falafel’s standup show, Expect the Unexporcupine…
Anna Louise Parker on letter carving and engraving Richard III’s coffin
Next month, the Lettering Arts Trust will host a new exhibition showcasing work by 15 female letter carvers. One of those artists is Anna Louise Parker, who recently worked on Richard III’s coffin. Here, she explains how she got into the craft and the joys (and challenges) of letter engraving…
Record sleeves of the month
Our latest pick of album art includes an eerie image for Venetian Snares, breakfast-themed still lifes for Battles, lunar artwork by The Designers Republic for The Orb and some stunning images by Matthew Stone for FKA twigs EP M3LL155X.
Introducing the Love-Bot: Bestival’s new installation for 2015
The Love-Bot, a brand new interactive art installation for Bestival 2015, will be the centrepiece showstopper at this year’s festival. 8 metres tall and weighing four tons, it will use “love-detectors” to sense affection and convert it into an amorous display. CR gets an exclusive look…
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