Why design needs magick
UX and Design Thinking are leaving designers neutered and constrained, says Graham Wood. Through the applied combination of imagination and craft, it’s time to put the magick back
Designer Matthew Young on turning the Penguin Monarchs series paperback
Penguin’s popular Monarchs series is now available in paperback, featuring colour-coded covers and a clever graphic family tree system. We talk to designer Matthew Young about the process behind their creation
Beyond: Rebranding funeral care
London agency SomeOne has created a surprisingly cheerful identity for funeral comparison service Beyond – one that avoids clichés and sympathy in favour of a bold colour palette and a friendly mascot
In partnership with Route 1 Print
Common print design errors and how to avoid them
When starting out, designing for print can be tricky and there are lots of little things you have to keep in mind. This handy checklist points out common print design pitfalls and how to prevent them
Slack’s hashtag logo gets a refresh by Pentagram
The new look, which has been designed by Pentagram Partner Michael Bierut, is the first major change to the tech company’s branding since it was founded in 2013
My breakthrough moment: Emily Forgot
The graphic artist has worked with Adidas and the BBC, as well as crafting her own surreal ceramics. Here, she discusses the excitement of creating her first window display for Selfridges, and why she tries to recapture that feeling in her work now
D&AD’s noticeably pencil-free festival identity for 2019
Village Green has been tasked with creating the look and feel of this year’s festival, opting for a mixture of 2D and 3D abstract letterforms and a bold colour palette
Is creativity in crisis?
A recent report on the future of creativity reveals that consumers think brands lack originality and that 65% think that all brands look alike
My breakthrough moment: Matt Willey
Distinctive literary title Zembla gave New York Times Magazine Art Director Matt Willey his first taste of the world of publishing
Why rest matters and overworking is counterproductive
The creative industries are notorious for fetishising long hours and all-nighters. But for creativity, overwork is counter-productive, says Tanya Livesey. Taking time out to get some proper rest is much more productive and effective
Designing for The Favourite
The Favourite is hotly-tipped for major awards success. Design fans have an additional reason to love the film – its distinctive typographic ‘chapter openers’. We spoke to their designer Vasilis Marmatakis
My breakthrough moment: Ben Terrett
Long before gaining renown for his work for Gov.uk and Co-op, designer Ben Terrett won a RSA Student Design Award with an interactive CD-Rom. Here he reflects on what the piece meant to him, but also on why it might not always be good to look back
A physical version of Photoshop layers for by:Larm festival identity
Each year, illustrator Frode Skaren and graphic designer Rune Mortensen devise a fun new identity for this Oslo music festival. For this year, interchangeable wood-cut boards create a physical version of a digital image file
Sailing race SailGP ditches nautical clichés with typographic identity
Design studio GBH.London has created the branding for the new high-speed sailing competition, incorporating a distorted word mark and an unconventional colour palette
How We Got Here: DesignStudio
Founders Ben Wright and Paul Stafford on starting out in the industry, growing an agency and the challenges of working on high-profile rebrands
Patternity explores the patterns of the planet for new Vintage Classics series
Five science classics have been treated to unique new covers, thanks to a collaboration between Vintage Classics and the pattern-focused design studio