Advertising: The new sadism
Why is advertising so fixated with pain? Well, it’s something that everyone can understand, argues Gordon Comstock
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
