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
Funky Buddha sets up the Manatee Derby to promote seltzer
In one of the more bizarre ad campaigns we’ve seen this year, Funky Buddha Premium Hard Seltzer set up the fictional Manatee Derby to sell cans of seltzer and raise awareness of the plight of manatee
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
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
Even Vikings wore helmets, says new PSA from Denmark
In a bid to get cyclists wearing their protective headgear, the Danish Road Safety Council travelled back to 893 to find out how the Vikings did it
Is gambling advertising bad for us?
As the relationship between gambling and advertising comes under growing scrutiny, particularly in football, we talk to figures across the ad industry about whether regulations are working hard enough to protect consumers
Nike challenges sporting stereotypes in new series of ads
The latest iterations of Wieden + Kennedy’s Play New campaign see the brand examine issues such as toxic masculinity and gender equality in sport (and life)
Google’s new ad reflects on the highs and lows of a post-lockdown summer
The campaign from Uncommon explores our hopes and fears for the future, covering everything from Covid-induced social anxiety to the return of hugs, parties and football
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
Verizon Media
Push the boundaries of interactive entertainment
The future is now for ambitious production companies keen to supercharge their ideas using the very latest tech
D&AD has revealed the winners of its 2021 Awards
Libresse’s #wombstories campaign and a Mastercard credit card that allows non-binary people to use their chosen names are among the Black Pencil winners, in another year with a big focus on purpose-driven creativity
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
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
