Why CX is the next creative frontier
Uncommon London explains why it’s invested in a new customer experience team, and outlines its plans for bringing some much-needed delight – and maybe even a bit of friction – back to the world of CX
How Wild is making personal care more sustainable
Since launching in 2019, Wild has taken over our social feeds and shaken up traditional perceptions of natural deodorants. We look at how the brand is using design and creativity to reshape what we expect from our toiletries
Why all high street brands should embrace ‘experience retail’ (or risk disappearing)
Shopping online has soared during the Covid-19 pandemic, but brands needs to create experiences in real life to keep their customers engaged in the longer term, says Simon Hatter, founder of creative retail agency Hatter
My Career Journey: Christina Mallon
After being diagnosed with a rare form of motor neurone disease that paralysed her arms, Christina Mallon’s career path shifted dramatically, setting her on a mission to create a world accessible for everyone
How creativity could take us into space
Advances in science and technology mean space travel and tourism could become as normal as hopping on a flight. But what role does design and creativity play in transforming humans into a space-faring, multi-planetary civilisation?
Cannes Lions 2021 Grand Prix winners in full
It’s a bumper year for Cannes Lions this time, with the awards honouring work from 2020 and 2021 after last year’s event was cancelled. Here you can view all 35 of the Grand Prix winners
Earl of East creates Scents of Belonging candle series for World Refugee Day
The candles feature the scents that three refugees, from Syria, Iran and Nigeria, personally remember from home. All profits from the sales will go to the charity Choose Love, to help those fleeing war, persecution and the impact of climate change
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
The design legacy of 2 Tone
A major new exhibition at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum in Coventry looks at the history of 2 Tone, the record label behind seminal bands including The Specials, The Selecter, Madness, The Beat and The Bodysnatchers
The challenges and joys of being your own boss
Nick Howe, co-founder of the Liverpool based design agency Uniform, reflects on setting up shop straight out of uni and the lessons learned along the way
Does Amazon need to worry about design?
Its seductive promise of friction-free shopping has helped it become the world’s biggest retailer, without the need for a beautiful brand experience. As Amazon now joins the physical retail world, has it moved beyond the need to worry about ‘good’ design or aesthetics?
The evolution of advertising in the home
Technology and the internet of things will embed advertising even further into our homes, via ever-evolving products. While this may sound unnerving, it doesn’t necessarily need to be a bad thing, says Neil Cooper at Rehab
Are brands the new religion?
Brands with big or cult-like followings have both power and community. Creative Review speaks to three brand experts about how they cultivate followers and maintain their flock
The battle for self-belief
Working in the creative industries inevitably involves rejection and doubt. But those are also the elements that can lead to greatness, writes Richard Holman
Scouts introduces new programme Squirrels, with branding by Supple Studio
Aimed at four-five year-olds and focused on areas of the UK that have been particularly affected by the pandemic, Squirrels is the first new Scouts programme for 35 years
Creativity for change!
In the fight to gain attention for charities and grassroots causes, design and creative thinking is more important than ever. Here, we look at how creativity can engage people in causes and galvanise wider audiences
Why we need to design for all ages
As a new book by Jeremy Myerson celebrates the inclusive design work of the Helen Hamlyn Centre, Patrick Burgoyne talks to him about what has changed in the past three decades
New book Summer After captures the fragility of a post-9/11 New York
In 2002, photographer Lucas Foglia moved to Manhattan, and spent his spare time taking portraits in a city still recovering from the after effects of 9/11. A new book brings the images together for the first time
Prarthna Singh on photography as a force for change
The photographer speaks to CR about how she aligns her photography with her values, which sees her explore themes of female identity, social injustice and power
What happens when you fall out of love with your studio?
Following a recent rebrand and change of focus for her design business, Laura Jane Boast discusses how she lost and then re-discovered the connection with her own studio
How to handle a PR disaster
Persuasion Communications founder Jane Austin discusses what it takes to recover from a PR crisis – and how brands can avoid bumbling into one in the first place
Quirky McDonald’s Canada ad celebrates the joy of friendship (and fries)
A man waxes lyrical about how much he’s looking forward to meeting his friend for a McDonald’s, even if he always nicks his fries
How designers make food brands delicious
Whether it’s the battle of plant-based brands or the move to online shopping, designers have more opportunities than ever to tickle people’s tastebuds. We spoke with studios Robot Food and This Way Up about what it takes to create a successful food brand
How Antwaun Sargent is transforming the art world
The author of seminal photography book The New Black Vanguard talks through his plans as director of Gagosian Gallery with Gem Fletcher, which includes asking the question ‘what more can art do?’
The beauty of ‘ugly’ portraits
Historically speaking, portraits have almost always been about glorifying the subject – so what’s behind our recent fascination with unflattering, caricatured depictions of ourselves?
The spirit of Street Fighter lives on in ITV’s 16-bit video game
Part of its ongoing Drama Vs Reality campaign, Uncommon has taken the next logical step and created an online beat ‘em up game that pits TOWIE and Love Island stars against actors
Meet the creatives who are challenging Western tastes
We speak to the creatives behind Instagram page Diet Paratha and type foundry Vocal Type about the need for a more diverse group of tastemakers in the creative industries
How influencers are reshaping the creative industries
As influencer marketing continues to dominate our social media feeds, we explore how it is impacting more traditional areas of advertising and what exactly separates ‘creators’ from ‘influencers’
The case for radical popularism in advertising
The advertising industry turns its nose up at popular creative approaches such as jingles or celebrities in favour of ‘brave originality’. But, asks Ben Kay, is it shooting itself in the foot?
How Ace & Tate shook up the eyewear category
The eyewear brand has found favour among young people thanks to its refreshing tone and image. Creative director Ruud de Bruin talks to us about showcasing its offering through a creative lens
KFC masquerades as Ikea in its latest PR stunt
To mark the opening of its new restaurant in Majorca, KFC has dressed up a billboard in the yellow and blue brand colours of its neighbouring Ikea store
Inside the ambitious music videos for Jungle’s new album
Jungle are back with a bumper pack of dance-laden videos for their third album. The collective’s Josh Lloyd-Watson and co-director Charlie Di Placido explain the intensive process of making the choreographed one-shot videos, which were all filmed in just five days
Paul Woods on handling a creative crisis
Whether you’re a fresh grad still finding your way or an old hand who’s lost faith, designer Paul Woods has some sage words of wisdom to help navigate creative angst
Why some creative businesses want to stay small
For a lot of agencies and studios, growth is a top priority – but not all set up shop with this in mind. We talk to two founders about why they want to keep things small and how they’ve made it work
Celebrating the legacy of the Tokyo 1964 Olympics
A timely new exhibition at Japan House London highlights some of the pioneering design from the event, including Olympic pictograms, posters and architectural models
How Deliveroo is putting design at the heart of its brand
We speak to Deliveroo’s director of design Stuart Frisby about the joy of working at a brand that values creativity, plus how it’s standing out in an increasingly saturated delivery market
How rap music took over advertising
As genres such as hip-hop and grime cement their position in the mainstream, we explore how the brand world is increasingly taking note
Manjit Thapp brings her illustrated world to life for Now Gallery
My Head Is A Jungle sees the Birmingham-born illustrator transform the gallery space into a 3D maze-like structure filled with murals and sculptures
Behind the scenes with Tyler, The Creator’s producer
We speak to Tara Razavi, founder of creative production company Happy Place, about her work with Tyler, The Creator on his latest album, plus what the role of a good producer entails
Meet the agency shaking up the ad industry in ten days
London-based agency 10 Days is run by a trio of brothers determined to prove that ten days is all it takes to crack a brief and make a brilliant ad. Creative director Jolyon White tells us how they get it done
Loulou João on creating a safe space in 3D
The animator, illustrator and visual artist speaks to CR about how her work has helped find her identity and why representation in what she does is key
How UK skateboarding culture flourished
As skateboarding reaches new levels of attention around the world, we look at the evolution of the symbiotic relationship between skate culture and visual media
Morag Myerscough has created a ribbon of colours for Coventry
The latest installation by the artist sees Myerscough turn a street canopy into a stained glass-style artwork that casts bright colours onto the pedestrians beneath
How to commission great photography
From nailing the brief to making space for the magic to happen, CR spoke with photographer Shamil Tanna, IBM photo director Emily Keegin and East Photographic agent Kane Giblin to find out what it takes to commission great images
Tom Hingston on designing for arts venues
As Hingston Studio’s type-led identities for the Serpentine and the V&A greet the general public, the designer talks to us about the importance of creating designs that give institutions flexibility in these times
Channel 4 releases new Paralympics epic for Toyko Games
The ad reveals the challenges that come with being an elite sportsperson, and features the provocative line, ‘To be a Paralympian there’s got to be something wrong with you’
How branding can help us reach a greener travel future
Car brands have spent years, and millions, shoring up our reliance on petrol and personal vehicles, but change is arriving fast. Can a new wave of design and branding persuade us to move to greener forms of transport?
My Career Journey: Calmatic
The LA-based director behind music videos for Pharrell, Lizzo and Lil Nas X reflects on his journey from afterschool computer club to Grammy-winning director
My Career Journey: Polly Nor
Polly Nor creates striking, satirical drawings of women and their demons. We speak to the illustrator about her up-and-down career journey, the perils of imposter syndrome, and using art as an emotional release
Explore the work of influential 20th century designer Tom Eckersley
A new book by Paul Rennie is packed with iconic poster designs created by Eckersley for the likes of London Transport and Guinness
Marina Willer and Stuart Watson on ‘aimless’ creativity
During lockdown, Marina Willer and Stuart Watson turned their house into a home for painting, doodling, monster-making and music. Here they talk about being creative as a family, and why making work for pure pleasure is essential
The changing face of travel
The pandemic has been the catalyst for all of us to reassess our relationship with travel. As the world slowly begins to reopen, we speak to the travel brands that are shaping what our holidays of the future might look like
Jump on 25 years of making motion graphics
Jump is responsible for the titles of some of the UK’s biggest TV entertainment and sports programmes. Here two of its co-founders look back on a turbulent 25 years in the industry, and what it takes to make a successful creative business
How Foundation empowers creatives to make money
As part of our series on creative businesses set up during the pandemic, we speak to Foundation, the auction platform for digital art and NFTs about how their digital-first approach is working for them
BBC Creative launches Tokyo Olympics 2020 promo
The corporation’s in-house agency has teamed up with Nexus Studios and Factory Fifteen to create a film that reimagines the host city
Sport and Creativity
In this report, we look at the way that creative thinking is influencing sport, including in advertising, TV, branding, design, photography, illustration and more
