Pantone Smoothies
It’s almost the weekend… Surely it’s time to create a smoothie in an exact Pantone shade?
Fe2O3 – making glyphs with ferrofluid and magnetic fields
Typographer Craig Ward has once again collaborated with biochemist and photographer Linden Gledhill on the development of Fe2O3 Glyphs, an ornamental typeface produced by subjecting ferrofluid to magnetic fields. The resulting glyphs are set to feature on a series of unique letterpress prints
D&AD New Blood 2015: the winners
D&AD has announced the winners of its New Blood student awards, with three black, four white and 20 yellow pencils going to projects for Nationwide, Airbnb, WeTransfer, WWF, Pantone, BBC, Vice and more.
Further thoughts on a flag for the ‘former’ United Kingdom
Last September, Scotland decided to remain part of the United Kingdom, but with the SNP’s significant presence in Westminster, Scottish independence is still firmly on the political agenda. Quentin Newark follows up his previous post on what the UK flag might look like should Scotland eventually become a separate nation and, in light of what other nations have done, looks at some more design ideas
Marsala: Pantone’s Colour of the year 2015
Farewell Radiant Orchid, we hardly knew you (or noticed you being used very much). Hello Marsala, Pantone’s Colour of the Year for 2015
Front to back: The Book of Strange New Things
The new novel from Michel Faber, The Book of Strange New Things, features a cover designed and art directed by Canongate’s Rafaela Romaya and illustrated by Yehrin Tong. In the latest instalment of our Front to Back series, the pair talk through the process behind creating a unifying symbol and pattern design for the book
The Trends issue: Klein’s Blue
Suddenly, Yves Klein’s favourite colour is everywhere in graphic design. But why did International Klein Blue get so popular?
Record sleeves of the month
This month’s round-up of intriguing, unusual or beautiful album art includes work for The Horrors, Fink, Sohn and Oneohtrix Point Never. First up, though, is Melbourne studio Tin&Ed’s work for Australian musician Chet Faker’s album, Built on Glass…
Sagmeister & Walsh rebrand New York’s Jewish Museum
Sagmeister & Walsh has designed a new visual identity for New York’s Jewish Museum based on the same ancient geometry as the Star of David.
The painful task of updating a design portfolio
How hard can it be to convey the kind of work we do in ten small pictures, without completely losing the plot?
The return of Father Brown
This month sees another fine set of reissues from Penguin – GK Chesterton’s Father Brown series, designed in-house by Matthew Young with a nod to the influential work of Romek Marber
Pantone’s Colour of the Year
2013 is coming to an end, which means its time to bid farewell to Emerald and welcome Radiant Orchid – Pantone’s colour of the year for 2014.
Anthony Burrill has designed a seven-storey-high mural for Leeds
Black and white lettering stretches 88ft high in the designer’s biggest artwork so far, which adorns the end of a historic canal-side building in the city
How to survive 2021: A Guide for Creatives
With the uncertainty and challenges of 2020 following us into the new year, we talk to a number of industry experts about the ways that creatives can survive – and even thrive – in 2021
How the tech revolution failed creatives
Tech firms once claimed they could set us free. But, as a new book points out, for those working in the creative industries, the offering has proved a particularly bad deal
Burger King unveils a tasty new look
Created in collaboration with JKR, the fast food giant’s first rebrand in over 20 years features a more digital-friendly burger logo and an appropriately named brand font, Flame
How I Got Here: Joseph Rodriguez
As a taxi driver in the 70s and 80s, photographer Joseph Rodriguez captured the intensity of New York City from the driver’s seat. He talks to us about his childhood, learning from the greats, and his ‘get close’ mantra
Photographer Sydney Rahimtoola explores myth and heritage in her work
Images of mythical creatures and domestic sorcery are all part of artist and photographer Sydney Rahimtoola’s attempt to document the “little magical moments” of everyday life
Do advertising creatives need a union?
As the ad industry moves increasingly quickly towards a freelance model, our advertising correspondent Ben Kay asks whether it’s time for creatives to unionise
New trailer for the BBC celebrates the broadcaster’s creativity
At a time when criticism of the BBC feels more intense than ever, the broadcaster has put together a two-minute film to remind us all of the quality programming it delivers
Why simplicity is the way ahead for social media in 2021
As We Are Social releases its annual trends report, chief strategy officer Mobbie Nazir reveals evidence of a move towards simpler and kinder social media habits that look to brands for assistance rather than aspiration
Trends of 2020: The year in film and TV
Streaming giants ruled the roost once again in 2020, while many of us also sought comfort in the familiarity of public service broadcasters, in a year where we’ve essentially been forced to stay glued to our sofas
The best magazine covers of 2020
In a year of flux, magazine covers were dominated by radical change, calls for change and the changemakers themselves. We look back at ten of our favourites
The Creative’s Gambit
The Netflix hit series The Queen’s Gambit has brought chess back into the limelight. Here, ad creative Marta Morientes – an avid chess player in her youth – explains how the game has helped her to be a better creative
What will British branding look like post-Brexit?
Is branding’s post-Brexit future a sea of Union Jacks, or does the UK’s exit from the European Union offer a chance for companies to explore what being British actually means?
Inside Ricardo Cavolo’s wild drawings
As he releases a new book, the Barcelona-based artist talks to us about his creative process, and what it’s like to be introduced to the visual arts from the day you were born
A QR Code Renaissance?
QR codes have received an unexpected resurrection during Covid-19, becoming a vital tool for navigating pandemic life. But will they sink back into the depths when no longer needed? Stink Studios’ James Britton hopes not
Malika Favre’s sexy Kama Sutra alphabet is now available in book form
The illustrator’s 26 saucy letters have been immortalised in print, thanks to a glossy hardback book from Counter-Print
Ben & Jerry’s: Peace, love and ice cream
Ben & Jerry’s global social mission officer Dave Rapaport talks to Anna Burzlaff, head of cultural insights and strategy agency Truth, about the brand’s approach to activism, and what it takes to make credible change in the world today
Can creativity save restaurants from Covid-19?
Hospitality has been hit hard by the pandemic, but in the midst of increased restrictions restaurateurs are finding creative ways to reach hungry punters at home. Here, we delve into how restaurant brands are adapting to the new normal
Xinmei Liu’s images are inspired by old Chinese propaganda posters
With commissions from the New York Times and Medium, Xinmei Liu enjoys combining nostalgia with satire to create surreal and surprising illustrations
Getting to know Tony’s Chocolonely
The Tony’s Chocolonely brand started as a way to change the cocoa industry. Here, we get an insight into its visual branding and what being a responsible chocolate brand means
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
