Ads of the Week
Lots of cinematic ads to share with you this week, beginning with this striking film for HSBC from Grey London, which charts the four-decade journey of a business without leaving the office lift…
POP UP pops up in Berlin with United Notions show
The next stop for Arjowiggins Creative Papers’ touring POP UP show of print design will be Berlin with the addition of an extra show on cultural differences
Warning: Ageism – Can age be represented better?
Ever since its launch in 1981, the ‘warning, elderly people’ road sign has been the focus of complaints and controversy. Design studio NB and the Spring Chicken website challenged the creative community to come up with a better message
Emory Douglas and the art of The Black Panthers
As Revolutionary Artist and Minister of Culture for the Black Panther party, Emory Douglas was responsible for creating some powerful and provocative political illustrations in the 1960s and 70s. In this film from New York production company Dress Code, he discusses overseeing the art direction of the party’s official newspaper, a job that earned him a place on an FBI watchlist…
Emily Oberman: all good design has a level of wit
Pentagram partner Emily Oberman explains why all good design needs “a level of wit” in this film from Cape Town creative conference Design Indaba.
Behind-the-scenes look at the new Margate Dreamland
Once a symbol of the best of the British seaside, attracting millions of visitors at its peak in the 1960s, Margate’s Dreamland amusement park has sat unloved for decades. In ten days though, it will reopen, redesigned and restored under the creative direction of Hemingway Design. The new Dreamland will be a mix of a heritage theme park and a hip new events venue: here’s a first look at how the site is being developed…
New Apple film tracks the changing way we listen to music
Yesterday Apple announced the imminent arrival of Apple Music, a new app that is a combination of a streaming music service, a radio station and a social network for musicians. If that sounds like quite a bit to get your head around, you might prefer to watch this charming film, which tracks the myriad ways we have consumed music over the decades, from the gramophone to the boombox, the 8 track to the iPod…
Design and faith: How does being young, female and a Muslim impact life and work?
What’s it like to be a young, female, Muslim designer? How does one’s faith affect the work done and the career path taken? Sabika Hassan is about to graduate from Manchester School of Art. Dave Sedgwick from StudioDBD talked to her about life at university, her faith and her hopes for her future career
Sheffield Design Week 2015
Following a successful debut last summer, Sheffield Design Week returns to Yorkshire from June 13 to 21. Events include a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the British road sign, a one-day conference with talks from Henrik Kubel, Andy Altmann and Anthony Peters, an exhibition of British street furniture and the launch of a new guide to Sheffield’s modernist architecture…
Smith & Foulkes direct new Honda ads for US market
Directing duo Smith & Foulkes has teamed up with California agency RPA to create new pair of animated spots for Honda promoting the brand’s new CR-V Crossover. One stars cars, the other features a series of misshapen faces…
What can we learn from Mad Men?
Last week I went to an evening called ‘Inside The Writers Room With Mad Men’ at the Writers Guild Foundation in LA, writes Ben Kay. It was a sort of end-of-term writers round up of the remarkably good TV show where they talked about their favourite scenes and answered questions from the audience.
Apple continues stripped-back style in new ads
Back in April, top ad creative and regular CR columnist Paul Belford waxed lyrical about the new Apple iPhone 6 outdoor campaign, which features photographs shot on the phones blown up to poster size. The campaign continues this week, this time in a series of films featuring footage recorded by the devices, and the results are equally lovely…
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