How brands are shaping the face of pickleball
We speak to the brands and creatives who are helping carve out a refreshingly accessible visual language for one of the world’s fastest growing sports
A soulful identity for furniture brand Symbol
The music furniture brand has been given a new identity that blends mid-century modern aesthetics with warm touches
Gradwatch 2022: Jack McKeon, Limerick School of Art and Design
Graphic designer Jack McKeon is one of the ten creatives we’ve selected to feature in our annual Gradwatch showcase, where we put the spotlight on the art and design grads who we feel are producing outstanding creative work
Bringing minimalism and modernism to games brands
Graphic designer Cory Schmitz is a distinctive voice in the games industry, turning his love of corporate logos into work for indie studios, major titles and tech companies. He discusses the ever-more sophisticated brand worlds of games and their makers
TikTok
How brands can be authentic on TikTok
Insider advice from Burberry, Rimmel and Duolingo to thrive in TikTok’s world of democratised creativity
If brands want to appeal to Gen Z, why do so few agencies talk to them?
Tag Agency takes the logical, and community-driven, step of connecting brands with young people and giving them a much-needed platform to get their voices heard
Latest from CR
Lego celebrates 90th birthday with wide-ranging global campaign
The much-loved brand enters its tenth decade with a series of celebrations across the world, including films featuring stars from Yotam Ottolenghi to Alicia Keys
How photography became gamified
We talk to the curators of How to Win at Photography, now on show at the Photographers’ Gallery in London, about how imagemaking turned into a numbers game and why artists are using humour to examine it in their work
Micaela Alcaino on the complexity of book cover design
Market researcher, avid reader, trend analyst, social media strategist – the modern book designer wears many hats, says multi-award-winning Micaela Alcaino, who’s capitalising on a renewed interest in beautiful covers. And she always reads the manuscript
Will Netflix spark a rebirth in great ads?
Netflix has recently announced that it will offer a lower-priced subscription featuring advertising. Here, Ben Kay explores what opportunities it might offer the ad industry
How brands are embracing the noughties revival
Nostalgia marketing is rearing its head once again with a spate of brand comebacks and collabs that are channelling the Y2K aesthetic. But what role should brands be playing in the trend, if any?
Examining Virgil Abloh’s legacy
Following the opening of Figures of Speech, a retrospective of Virgil Abloh’s work at the Brooklyn Museum, curator and collaborator Antwaun Sargent talks about Abloh’s wide-ranging influence on culture
Are drinks brands taking minimalism too far?
With San Pellegrino and Lilt embracing stripped back looks, we discuss what’s going on in drinks branding, the dangers of minimalism, and how brands including Full Circle Brew Co and Sprite are getting it right
Peter Saville has redrawn the Aston Martin wings
The car manufacturer has updated its branding, adapting the 95-year-old wing logo with what Saville describes as “subtle but necessary enhancements”
How Dickies straddles work and play
As the American workwear brand marks its 100th anniversary, we speak to global CMO Sarah Crockett about how Dickies balances different customer bases
Why design is central to building better brands
A new McKinsey reports shows that placing designers at the heart of businesses enhances growth. But to truly work, designers might need to let go of some long-established habits
The rise and rise of women’s football
Fresh from working on Nike’s new spot to mark the Euros this month, Wieden + Kennedy London’s Ankita Tobit talks to us about how the narrative around the women’s game has moved on in the last few years and where opportunities lie for brands
How to document hardship
Images of people facing suffering and financial hardship have often stumbled into ‘poverty porn’ and objectification. Is there a right way for an imagemaker to navigate this kind of work?
What does Dall-E 2 mean for creatives?
Are we on the verge of trading in traditional titles like graphic designer and illustrator for AI whisperer or prompt designer? CR discusses the current wave of AI art generators with Modem co-founder Bas van de Poel
The changing face of crypto
A more sophisticated approach to branding and marketing is bringing crypto to new audiences. But with a ‘crypto winter’ looming, should creatives be helping to legitimise what is still a highly volatile market?
A century after his birth, a new book examines Otl Aicher’s design legacy
Published by Prestel, the new book provides a detailed insight into the many ways Aicher influenced contemporary design practice and theory
Ryan Reynolds on how to make advertising fun
Speaking at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity last week, actor and marketer Ryan Reynolds shared his thoughts on humour, responding to culture, and managing anxiety; and also introduced his new talent initiative, Creative Ladder
The big money questions: a guide for new creatives
Pay rises, day rates, dilemmas about prioritising money or creative opportunities – young creatives have a lot to get their heads around. We asked OMSE founder James Kape, copywriter Ellen Ling and the Talent Business partner Anna Green for advice
The delicate balancing act of creative and commercial work
Is it a creative industries myth that bigger budget client work can’t be creatively fulfilling? Design studio DR.ME, photographer Emily Stein and branding studio NB weigh in
How should studios support designers’ mental health?
Slides in the office and wellbeing workshops aren’t going to cut it anymore. We speak to design studios taking a more considered approach to mental health
Did somebody say Just Eat?
McCann London discusses how it made one of the most recognisable — and polarising — pieces of sonic branding around today
Creative Inspiration
Images and ideas to feed your imagination
Advice for Creatives
Expert tips on how to navigate a creative career
Design and Sustainability
How design and creative thinking can help address climate change
How I Got Here
Leading creatives look back on their career journeys
Exposure: Diego Moreno
Photographer Diego Moreno subverts traditional family albums to explore his painful upbringing, in turn creating a set of striking and unsettling images
Behind the scenes at Queer Britain
We speak to the co-founder of the UK’s first LGBTQ+ museum about the challenges of bringing it to life, and how brands can support queer communities without rainbow washing
KFC’s new ad: no dialogue, just chicken
Ogilvy Johannesburg and director Sam Coleman play up the greasy seduction of a bucket of chicken with an atmospheric ad dedicated to the torture of waiting
Modern Designers’ new test card-inspired BBC Philharmonic campaign
The illustrations by Sophie Douala use soft colour gradients and geometric forms to house information and include Easter eggs relating to the orchestra
Nina Bachmann’s illustrations combine the everyday with the absurd
The Munich-based illustrator’s deliberately garish works are currently on display at art gallery Moosey London
Kick It Out goes grassroots with its new branding
Sky Creative has rebranded the anti-discrimination charity, using type that looks like it’s been constructed from tape to speak to the organisation’s history of activism
Google’s new campaign shows us how to “internet better”
Aimed largely at Gen Z, the tech giant’s new PSA is being brought to life primarily on YouTube and TikTok
Immy Humes’ new book examines the significance of lone women in photography
The Only Woman brings together images of single women in a sea of men, as a visual testament to the “long persistence and slow erosion of a man’s world”
Anagram creates a “light and springy” new brand for Aevi
The shapes of currency symbols informed the payment platform’s new visual identity, which includes a custom typeface with “monetary flourishes”
What’s the value of awards?
The design and advertising industry has a plethora of award schemes. Here we examine what part they play in the industry and in the success of creative businesses
H&M launches new brand H&M Move with Jane Fonda and JaQuel Knight
The inclusive fitness brand draws on Fonda’s days as a fitness guru to encourage everyone to get moving in H&M’s new gear
How Prehistoric Planet’s dinos were designed
Jellyfish Pictures spent a year working on concept art for the Apple TV show, designing beasts that go beyond the big, scary lizard stereotype
In partnership with Adobe
Why collaboration will drive our next creative renaissance
Hone your craft with insights from Tilda Swinton, Eddie Opara and more at this year’s advice-packed Adobe MAX
Meta
Great Work: Flare Audio engages the autistic community
Drawing on its illustrator’s lived experiences, the Make Noise Beautiful campaign captures hearing sensitivity beautifully
Figma
How your agency can thrive in a hybrid-working world
Find the sweet spot that works best for your team, clients, and collaborators
Jeremy Tankard
Stop making lazy type choices
In the face of overwhelming choice, it can be tempting to revert to the same old typefaces – but upfront effort will pay off in the long run, says Jeremy Tankard
MPB
How to get published as a photographer
It is easy to share your work with others via channels such as Instagram, but how do you get it featured in magazines, exhibitions and more? Here are some tips
In partnership with Adobe
Why collaboration will drive our next creative renaissance
Hone your craft with insights from Tilda Swinton, Eddie Opara and more at this year’s advice-packed Adobe MAX
Voice
How to make money from NFTs as an artist
New opportunities are emerging for extended income, fundraising efforts, and more as a result of blockchain technology
Studio Pi
A foot in the door
Essential advice to make a name for yourself in photography, whatever your background
Everpress
Fuel your creative development through T-shirt design
Selling by pre-order cuts out the risk, so you can make some extra cash while pushing your creative expression in new directions
Production Type
How to find the right type design partner
Bespoke brand typefaces are on the rise, but it pays to pick your battles and invest in quality
Asana
Why being more organised leads to better work
According to Asana, a well-structured process doesn’t just reduce stress – it’ll improve your creative output too
Smiley
How Smiley can inject emotion into a brand
To mark five decades of Smiley, Creative Review commissioned five exclusive artworks to explore how brands can build an emotional connection
Bynder
How automation could help make you a better creative
We explore how marketers and creative teams can harness new technologies such as automation in order to minimise the time spent on menial tasks and maximise creative effectiveness
