The athletes take over the ad in new Nike commercial
Nike proves that it is still the boss of sports advertising in an epic but funny new spot, released to coincide with the Rio Olympics.
Harvey Nichols: The Provocateurs
The fashion and luxury industries have a reputation for seriousness, but over the last decade and a half luxury department store Harvey Nichols, with its ad agency adam&eveDDB, has shown that its customers will respond to humour too, especially if it comes with an edge. The brand’s marketing work may have received as many complaints as it has awards, but is impossible to ignore – we take an in-depth look at it here.
Ads of the Week
From humour to heartbreak to hyperbole, our Ads of the Week have a bit of everything. Dig in.
Ads of the Week
It’s hot, and the British are bothered. But to keep you chuckling while you boil, here’s a comedy-filled Ads of the Week…
Is Apple redefining luxury?
Apple’s World Gallery iPhone 6 campaign, which won a Grand Prix at Cannes, is part of a wider strategy to shift the brand towards luxury – a new kind of luxury, writes Tim Milne
Vans x Murakami
Vans has collaborated with artist Takashi Murakami on a range of t-shirts, skate decks, surf boards and shoes for its premium Vault by Vans label. We spoke to Vans’ VP of merchandising and design, Steve Mills, about the partnership, and how collaborating with artists and fashion labels has helped transform perceptions of its classic shoes.
The CR Annual 2015 – Best in Book
Here are this year’s Best in Book – those projects deemed by our judges to be of special merit selected from our showcase of outstanding work in visual communications over the past year
Ads of the Week
It’s a comedic Ads of the Week this time, opening with a surprisingly light-hearted ad for Nike, directed by Matthew Frost, of Fashion Film fame…
Ads of the Week
We’ve got great ads from Vodafone, Nike, GE, Canal+, Pedigree, Volkswagen and the Australian Transport Accident Commission to share with you this week. First up though, is a spot for Finish dishwasher powder that will resonate with anyone who finds that their pleasure in a social occasion can be marred by the thought of all the washing up…
Volvo LifePaint: awesome new product or PR stunt?
Car brand Volvo, and its ad agency Grey London, recently launched LifePaint, a reflective safety spray to be used by cyclists to make them more visible to cars at night. The product has received both cheers and critcism in the media and on blogs. Here, we talk to the creative director Hollie Newton about some of complaints, and also explore the complicated territory that emerges when ad agencies mix marketing with product design…
Your health in your hands
Wearables linked to online systems could put designers at the heart of a revolution in healthcare. Patrick Burgoyne asks where this ‘self-care’ movement is taking us
How I Got Here: Brian Rea
Modern Love illustrator Brian Rea recounts a childhood filled with stories, shares the struggles of embracing his style and tells CR why words have gained a new importance for him later in his career
The BakeKing’s hyperrealistic cake creations
Ben Cullen has built up a cult following for his mesmerising illusion cakes, which have appeared everywhere from Slowthai’s recent music video to Jurgen Klopp’s birthday party. He talks about how his career journey took him from graphic design to tattooing to cake artistry
Oxford Circus’s tube signs are now PlayStation-themed
TfL’s hallowed roundel has been transformed into the iconic PlayStation symbols, as part of a stunt to celebrate the launch of Sony’s latest console
Teenagers dress for proms that never happened in Alys Tomlinson’s Lost Summer
The photographer’s portraits of teenagers, taken after the cancellation of milestone events such as proms and graduations, emphasise the impact of 2020’s summer lockdown
Can an algorithm unpick gender bias in storytelling?
A new illustrated book of classic fairytales uses technology to illuminate gender bias by reversing the gender of the characters and narratives
Irvine Welsh on creativity and cancel culture
The author explores the rise of cancel culture in new documentary Offended by Irvine Welsh, where he discusses the threat that the phenomenon poses to the creative industries and why he thinks Trainspotting wouldn’t be published today
Stanley Donwood takes uplifting new artworks to the streets
The artist and long-time Radiohead collaborator has left his “depressing flyposters” behind in favour of new artworks designed to spread joy in ten cities across the UK
The theatrics of Lucy Prebble
Following the release of her explosive phone-hack series I Hate Suzie, Lucy Prebble talks about her belief that every story benefits from a little drama, and how an ongoing infatuation with tech inspired her to write for video games
Logos are losing their taches for Movember
Julius Pringles and Colonel Sanders have both been subjected to a shave to celebrate the month-long Movember challenge
Sunil Gupta on 45 years of making pictures
As a new exhibition at the Photographers’ Gallery in London brings together over four decades of his work, we speak to photographer Sunil Gupta about how his work straddles the world of activism, documentary and art
Life through an iPhone lens
Ghanaian visual artist Prince Gyasi creates striking, vivid imagery photographed with an iPhone. CR talks to him about his unconventional practice and how it helps local children get an education
Inside the surreal world of Hiro Murai
Hiro Murai’s dream-like vision has produced unforgettable imagery for artists including Childish Gambino and FKA twigs. Here, the filmmaker discusses the joys of collaboration, exploring the realm of television with the series Atlanta, and why This is America is an anomaly in music videos
Has game advertising gone soft?
With new Sony and Microsoft ad campaigns out, CR explores whether game advertising has lost its edge, and what the future holds for console makers operating in a more complicated market than ever before
Immerse yourself in the world of Accidentally Wes Anderson
The cult Instagram account celebrating real-life Anderson-esque moments has been reimagined in book form – complete with a foreword written by the director himself
Behind the scenes at Spitting Image
Satirical puppet show Spitting Image is back after a 24-year hiatus, and features everyone from President Trump’s tweeting anus to a James Corden-Cats hybrid. Here, we speak to the creatives behind the programme’s unique brand of public service satire
Creative Collaborators: How Burger King’s award-winning work gets made
Continuing our series on creative partnerships, RBI global CMO Fernando Machado and Pancho Cassis, global CCO at agency David, reveal how 5am WhatsApp chats, lawyers and healthy arguments go into Burger King’s award-winning work
Bond Redesigned: Reimagining the classic 007 film poster
Cardiff-based illustrator and graphic designer Matt Needle has spent the last seven months putting his own spin on all 25 of the original posters from the cult James Bond film franchise
Meet The Cevallos Brothers: 40 years of hand-painted signs
The Cevallos Brothers have been creating signs for the small businesses of New York City for over 40 years, but only recently have reached wider acclaim via Instagram. Here, CR gets an insight into their creative journey
A joyous celebration of America’s queer cowboy community
Photographer Luke Gilford revisits his childhood love of rodeo in new photo book National Anthem, based on his four-year project documenting the vibrant community behind the International Gay Rodeo Association
Photographer Paul Graham and the Great North Road
Originally published in 1983, Graham’s first photography book A1: The Great North Road is being republished by Mack. Here he reflects on the project nearly 40 years later
How I Work: Animator Will Child
Director, animator and claymation artist Will Child has transformed football managers, hip hop stars and pop culture figures into irreverent plasticine models. He talks to us about his “janky” animations
My Breakthrough Moment: Kevin Cummins
Having shot some of the biggest bands in the world and worked as the NME’s chief photographer for a decade, Kevin Cummins reflects on why his 2009 book Manchester: Looking For The Light Through The Pouring Rain marked a distinct turning point in his career
