How Strava built a billion dollar fitness app
We examine how Strava became the app of choice for both professional athletes and amateur fitness enthusiasts, plus its ambition to create the biggest sporting community in the world
Soho businesses united under graphic new branding
M&C Saatchi has drawn on vibrant illustrations to highlight iconic stores and venues in the lively central London area
How to start a rum brand with purpose
For the next piece in our series on businesses created during the pandemic, Nic Akinnibosun and Rico Oyejobi talk about setting up their rum brand Saint Ogun while keeping their day jobs at Mother ad agency
One of Wim Crouwel’s classic tomes gets a stylish reissue
The republished version of the late Dutch designer’s 2007 book, Typographic Architectures, features texts by Catherine de Smet, Emmanuel Berard and Crouwel himself
An oral history of… the London 2012 Olympics branding
As the Tokyo Olympics approaches, we look back at one of the more controversial Olympic identities, Wolff Olins’ London 2012 branding, which prompted a storm of press and public opinion. CEO Sairah Ashman and chairman Brian Boylan remember the project
Katty Huertas adopts a painterly approach for her editorial illustrations
The illustrator, who creates work for a big list of clients, talks about how she got started, her creative process, and why she’ll always make time to add detail
Latest from CR
The stories embedded in the design of homes
The Museum of the Home’s new displays put storytelling at the centre and illustrate how our homes are rich with design and cultural history
How to make a thrilling sports promo
Sky Creative’s Simon Cole explains the process behind making sports promos, including how to appeal to younger audiences and why he takes parodies on the chin
Ikea Norway introduces the Trash Collection
Ikea’s latest sustainability push sees the brand repurpose furniture that has been found as trash on the street, to be sold in a new secondhand store
The role of the sketchbook in creative work
Despite the dominance of digital, the humble sketchbook is still a vital tool in making creative work. Here, we speak to three creatives about how working in a sketchbook is an important part of their process and also their favourite books to work in
Greg Williams on the art of the candid shot
The photographer discusses his journey from documenting war zones to capturing candid moments of some of the biggest celebs on the planet, plus why the best images often aren’t technically perfect
Unrecognised and unloved: Patrick Burgoyne on the state of creative education
Education is vital to the UK’s phenomenally successful creative industries. Yet its value to the country appears to be going unrecognised in the government’s plans
The colourful world of Autumn de Wilde
The photographer and director has injected striking palettes into fashion photos, celebrity portraits, vibrant ads and her feature-length debut, Emma. She talks to us about navigating these different arenas and building worlds through music and colour
Ryan Reynolds creates a Father’s Day cocktail: The Vasectomy
Reynolds brings his irreverent advertising approach to Father’s Day with a new cocktail for dads, featuring a good slug of Aviation Gin, natch
Why the time has come for game title sequences to shine
Territory Studio’s Andrew Popplestone discusses the evolution of games credits and title sequences, and how they’re moving ever closer to the world of film
Why it pays for brands to go local
In an age of turbulence, brands are seeing the benefits of a localised approach over a global one. Here, Ben Sillence, strategy director at Lewis Moberly, explores what this may mean for designers and creatives
Can we design a more sustainable internet?
With the internet now accounting for roughly the same amount of carbon emissions as global air travel, we look at what designers can do to help tackle our digital waste problem
Early 2000s nightlife in all its chaotic, shiny glory
Matthew Smith’s new book brings together his photographs taken across the flourishing British nightlife scene at the turn of the millennium
Tony Barry on why advertising should move people
The director and former Wieden + Kennedy creative director looks back on the lessons he’s learned about peeling back the ‘veneer’ of advertising to make people laugh, cry, and truly believe in what they’re watching
Cephas Williams project features letters from Black boys to their future selves
The letters are addressed by the children to their older selves, and detail the world that they’d like to see in the future. The project, which will appear on billboards in the UK, is created to mark the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder
The ups and downs of being a hybrid creative
In today’s complex media landscape, creatives are often expected to work across multiple mediums. CR speaks to those who’ve broadened their practice to understand the benefits and challenges of the multi-disciplinary life
Behind the punchy covers of SZ Magazin
The weekly German newspaper supplement has a track record of publishing abstract and playful images. We talk to Thomas Kartsolis and Birthe Steinbeck from the art direction team about risk, deadlines and the joy of analogue tricks
Ask Anna: How do I find a creative partner?
Our resident creative industry agony aunt tackles an age-old question from a reader: how to find a good work partner? Here she offers a range of solutions, including polyamory
K-Y’s sex-positive campaign champions female masturbation
To celebrate National Masturbation Month in the US, Elephant has created a series of billboards for K-Y to remove the stigma attached to female pleasure
The unstoppable rise of sneaker culture
A new show at the Design Museum is tracing the journey of the sneaker from sportswear staple to cultural icon. We explore how the marketing strategies of the biggest brands in the game have evolved hand-in-hand with the $80 billion industry
Has the ad industry improved for women directors?
Women filmmakers have racked up long overdue accolades in recent film and TV awards. But what is the state of play in the commercial world?
John Hegarty on advertising’s automated future
We speak to the adland legend about his new gig as chairman of AI recruitment company Genie, plus how he thinks the industry will need to adapt post-Covid
New Nike ad celebrates being rubbish at sport
Nike’s new ad is part of a campaign titled Play New, which emphasises the joy of taking part in sport, even if you’re a bit crap at it
How Xbox is getting accessibility right
From releasing its adaptive controller to tackling loneliness in older people, Xbox has proved how much creative scope there is for brands that commit to accessibility
Inside the UK’s biggest content house
Envisioned as Big Brother for the TikTok generation, content houses have become a mecca for influencer marketing in the US. So is the UK ready to follow suit?
The Annual 2021: Trends and observations
Last year was dominated by the Covid-19 pandemic, but we also saw a number of other trends and developments emerge in the commercial creative industries. Here, we examine what they might suggest for the future
A new film wants to make people angry about period poverty
Hey Girls has released a chaotic campaign film directed by Margot Bowman, which aims to rile up viewers as a way of driving action
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
How brands and photography are expanding sport
In the past, sport ads and photography were largely focused on men and competitiveness. But recent campaigns and projects have seen a more nuanced way of approaching the subject emerge, with space for women to shine too (with sweat)
Fine+Rare’s new journal celebrates stories from the world of wine
Envisioned as a ‘journal of adjacencies’, Fondata brings the wine importer’s passion for the vine to life on the printed page and beyond
New ad demonstrates why the travel industry needs to get more human
Created by agency Broken Heart Love Affair for US firm Internova Travel Group, this dystopian ad shows what happens when machines take over our holiday experiences, and why good old-fashioned travel advisors can be vital
The indie mags that are changing the face of sport
We speak to the teams behind Victory Journal, Spiral and Glorious about how they are helping reshape perceptions of sport through a combination of insightful editorial and striking visuals
Exposure: Ying Ang
In her latest Exposure column, art director Gem Fletcher profiles Melbourne-based photographer Ying Ang – who explores the transition to motherhood through the lens of biological, psychological and social identity
Football’s Muddy Dance
A new book by Erik Kessels features a series of found photographs of football matches gone by, which demonstrate the balletic qualities of the beautiful game
Simon Norfolk and Klaus Thymann capture a Swiss glacier slowly vanishing
On show now as part of Belfast Photo Festival, Shroud sees the photographers capture the cloaked Rhône Glacier, highlighting the forces of climate change
Buy Toronto Time campaign aims to support local businesses
The campaign features a striking set of posters picturing makeshift tombstones for over 400 local independent businesses in the city that have been affected by coronavirus lockdowns
2021 UK art and design degree show guide
We’ve put together a list of UK undergraduate art and design showcases taking place this summer across a mixture of virtual and physical formats
Why mentoring’s for life (not just for uni)
Mentoring is a powerful tool throughout your career, says Katie Cadwell, a designer at DesignStudio in Sydney. Here she talks about how you can get it started, and what makes for the most fruitful mentor/mentee relationship
How FIFA became a creative catalyst
Not just an enormously popular video game, this year saw FIFA become the impetus for some forward-thinking creative work. Engine and adam&eveDDB discuss its huge cultural influence and advertising’s changing relationship with gaming
Raman Djafari directs stunning animation for Warp Records’ Squid
Coming in at over eight minutes long, the video for the song Pamphlets explores “the feeling of being unfit, unlovable, not compatible and the manic anxiety and stress that this results in,” according to Djafari
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
