Have brands given up on International Women’s Day?
Only a couple of years ago, IWD was seen as a prime marketing opportunity for brands to pledge their allegiance to womenkind. Yet this year we’ve seen barely any big campaigns – why?
Irina Rozovsky captures Brooklyn’s Prospect Park in a romantic light
The photographer’s new book In Plain Air features images from her decade-long series, which finds the calm amid the chaos in Prospect Park
Marketing for laughs
With TV comedy experiencing a boom time, channels are in stiff competition to attract viewers. Emily Gosling talks to creatives and marketers from across broadcasting and streaming to find out how they draw in the audiences
Think Food Bank project uses stickers to prompt people to contribute
Maisie Benson and Holly Kielty have designed a set of guerrilla stickers that pop up in strategic locations around supermarkets, reminding shoppers to add a few items for their local food bank
The indie publishers adapting to the pandemic
Three small book publishers talk about why they started, what impact the pandemic has had on their businesses and how they’ve adapted
A new online show is tracing leading artists’ early commercial practice
The Power of Advertising is an online exhibition exploring five modern artists’ early beginnings in advertising, graphic design and signpainting
Latest from CR
How I Got Here: Nicholas Blechman
The New Yorker creative director talks about his first job in the industry and how to avoid predictability in editorial design
Are brands the new mansplainers?
Brandsplaining is a new book tackling how women are addressed and represented in marketing. We talk to the authors about the ‘femvertising’ trend and why brands mustn’t rest on their laurels
How I Work: Nadia Lee Cohen
As she releases her first monograph, Nadia Lee Cohen discusses the inspiration behind her surreal images – which draw heavily on cinema and Americana – and the curious characters who frequent her photos
Heinz website stunt takes 57 minutes to load
Website Holdforheinz.com was designed for the more patient ketchup lovers among us, embracing a purposefully drawn out loading process to show that “good things take time”
Why Covid-19 has expanded the creative sector’s horizons
The pandemic has brought much more than digital acceleration to the creative industries. It has shone a light on career opportunities that exist beyond the capital, and boosted accessibility and inclusivity, says Charlie Butterfield, partner at fst
A decade in logo design: what’s changed?
As Michael Evamy publishes a revised version of his book Logo, he looks back at the big developments in the field over the past decade or so
Coke releases enjoyably weird ad soundtracked by Tyler, the Creator
The new ad is all about the feeling a Coke gives you, prompting some wild body popping and eyebrow dancing
The rise of the editorial gif
We speak to three illustrators and an art director about the benefits of using gifs over traditional illustration for editorial commissions
The history of the open plan office
From its surprisingly radical roots to its role post-pandemic, Jennifer Kaufmann-Buhler – assistant professor of design history at Purdue University – talks CR through the legacy of the open plan office
Inside the design boom at ad agencies
We talk to Wieden + Kennedy Portland, Droga5 London and Mother Design about bringing together design and advertising work under one roof, and the perception of design work produced at ad agencies
Inside the surreal world of Slowthai
As Slowthai reveals his introspective side with new album Tyron, we speak to frequent collaborators Crowns & Owls about the album art’s attempt to crack the glossy veneer of fame, and why the Northampton-born rapper is still the voice of a generation
CR’s pick of the 2021 Super Bowl ads
While the pandemic inevitably ushered in some changes to this year’s Super Bowl, we saw some familiar trends in the advertising around the big game
Lakwena on belief, mythology and making a statement
The London-based artist discusses the motivation and process behind her epic painted murals, which combine vibrant colour palettes with uplifting messages that are rooted in spirituality
Twitter’s new identity reflects the messiness of life online
Created by Twitter’s in-house team and French studio Irradié, the social media platform’s refreshed branding features an “intentionally imperfect” aesthetic and new brand font, Chirp
Oliver Jeffers on changing plans
The artist and children’s book author shares how Covid derailed his travel and career plans and how he’s adapted his life and creative practice as a result
The changing nature of book cover design
Donna Payne, Faber’s creative director, explains her creative process when designing a cover, and touches upon the impact of the pandemic and the boost in online sales it’s prompted
How I Work: Bukola Garry, adam&eveDDB
The ad agency’s new head of diversity, equality and inclusion talks to us about her experiences in advertising, her plans for the role, and why it isn’t about being the ‘PC police’
Denizen Works: in praise of off-kilter creativity
Murray Kerr, founder of architecture practice Denizen Works, shares his purposefully ‘naïve’ approach to design and discusses the challenges of leading his studio off the beaten path
Reverting to Type exhibition features protest posters by 100 letterpress artists
The online exhibition features a mix of famous names and less-heard voices, who all use letterpress techniques to express their feelings on a range of contemporary issues
Creative Inspiration
Images and ideas to feed your imagination
Advice for Creatives
Expert tips on how to navigate a creative career
The Creative Workplace
How flexible working is changing the creative process
Creativity and Coronavirus
How the creative industries are responding to the pandemic
Talk Soon is a photographic record of two artists’ quarantine conversations
Erik Kessels and Thomas Sauvin spent lockdown communicating via photographs, with the dialogue now collected in Talk Soon – which offers a collection of nonsensical juxtapositions that speak to the weirdness of quarantine
Libresse’s #painstories campaign lifts the lid on endometriosis
The new social-first campaign includes visceral artworks, a Pain Dictionary and a virtual exhibition displayed in a specially created Pain Museum
Dimitris Armenakis’ short tackles overconsumption in the 21st century
Using cartoon characters inspired by the 1930s, Armenakis explores overconsumption through the perspective of the consumed rather than the consumer
Can Klarna shake up the way we shop?
Klarna’s pastel pink aesthetic and playful marketing is setting it apart from traditional finance brands – but it isn’t without its critics. As the ‘shop now, pay later’ service faces regulation, we explore how it is using creativity to try and win over consumers
Lenovo
How the VFX industry will thrive post-Covid
What it takes to maintain world-class creative output in a hybrid-working future
The Creative Review Humour Issue is out now!
The latest issue of Creative Review is devoted to comedic creativity and giving you a laugh in our challenging times. We talk to the creatives and performers who are helping to shape what makes us chuckle today
Nomad’s identity looks to the future of classical music
The new contemporary classical music imprint is launching with a visual language that echoes the label’s boundary-pushing approach to music
Parallel Teeth on the art of creating animated music videos
The one-man studio of animator and illustrator Robert Wallace has created music videos and ad campaigns for an array of artists and clients. Here he tells us how he makes it work
Frankie Perez’s photo book is a raw ode to street dance culture
The photographer and filmmaker’s debut book See Me Up? It’s ‘Cause I’ve Been Down is a vibrant documentation of breaking and the wider street dance scene
The joy of friction
Most brands are on a mission to create customer experiences that are as simple and smooth as possible. Yet, argues Wayne Deakin, ECD, EMEA at Huge, sometimes a bit of friction is a good thing
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
Daniel Stier captures the clashing opposites lining our city streets
In his new book A Tale of One City, photographer Stier takes to the street to highlight the excess and deprivation of our cities
In partnership with Facebook & Instagram
On Brief: Museum of Happiness x Hannah Jacobs
Our On Brief project pairs creative talent with startups, non-profits and community groups to create scroll-stopping visuals for Facebook and Instagram. Here we take a look at Hannah Jacobs’ collaboration with Museum of Happiness
In partnership with Facebook & Instagram
Great Work: Defected Records’ virtual music festival
The house label surprised dance music fans with a series of live streams – starting with a 12-hour performance broadcast from Ministry of Sound
In partnership with Facebook & Instagram
Great Work: WWF’s Black Friday Twist
The wildlife charity put a new spin on Black Friday sales promotions, with a series of Facebook ads urging consumers to adopt animals which are endangered or at risk
In partnership with Facebook & Instagram
On Brief: Help Refugees x Luis Mazon
Our On Brief initiative pairs emerging talent with startups, charities and community groups to create scroll-stopping visuals for Facebook and Instagram. Here we take a look at Luis Mazon’s work for Help Refugees
In partnership with Facebook & Instagram
Great Work: Specsavers, Don’t Lose the Picture
The optician chain used AR to illustrate the effects of common eye conditions in a campaign to promote free eye tests
In partnership with Facebook & Instagram
Charlotte May on her vibrant still lifes
Our New Talent series highlights visual creatives who are sharing great work on Facebook and Instagram. Here we talk to photographer Charlotte May about her colourful images
In partnership with Facebook & Instagram
On Brief: Freddie’s Flowers x Charlotte May
Our On Brief initiative pairs emerging talent with startups, charities and community groups to create scroll-stopping visuals for Facebook and Instagram. Here we take a look at Charlotte May’s work for Freddie’s Flowers
In partnership with Facebook & Instagram
Oliver Sin on his playful animations
Our New Talent series highlights visual creatives who are sharing great work on Facebook and Instagram. Here we talk to Cheltenham-based animator and former designer Oliver Sin about his work
