TypoCircle at 40 – how its Circular journal continues to evolve
As TypoCircle turns 40, with an exhibition and book celebrating its role in type and design, we look back at the evolution of Circular, the organisation’s journal that launched in 1993
Hudson-Powell to join Pentagram London
Pentagram has just announced that two new partners – brothers in fact – are set to join its London office. Luke Powell (above, on right) and Jody Hudson-Powell, whose studio Hudson-Powell was set up in 2005, will become part of the Pentagram stable in October this year
When Harry met Ai Weiwei
The Royal Academy of Arts is staging a major Ai Weiwei show in September. With the artist banned from leaving China, designer Harry Pearce decided to go and visit him at his Beijing studio to create an image that would symbolically bring the artist to London. He explains what happened next
Rebranding Oxford’s oldest church
Creating an identity for an 800-year-old church that will attract a new audience, without alienating its existing one, is a challenging task. But since launching early this year, Spy Studio’s branding for Oxford’s University Church has had a positive response from both newcomers and loyal visitors. We spoke to associate priest Alan Ramsey, a former designer, and Spy director Ben Duckett about the thinking behind the church’s new look.
Emily Oberman: all good design has a level of wit
Pentagram partner Emily Oberman explains why all good design needs “a level of wit” in this film from Cape Town creative conference Design Indaba.
CR June: The Age issue
Our June issue looks at how the creative industries are engaging with our ageing population – and how working both for and with older people can create a better world for everyone
Waterfront: a new magazine for the Canal & River Trust
The Canal & River Trust has launched a new magazine and blog highlighting the people who work and live on Britain’s waterways. Produced by Studio Pensom and Smoke Creatives, the new titles make great use of illustration, animation and photography…
Studio Dumbar’s big bold mark for VBMS
Studio Dumbar’s new identity for Visser & Smith Marine Contracting is in the grand tradition of Dutch graphic design studios providing serious industrial concerns with powerful, quirky marks
Nick Cave’s Sick Bag Song
Artist and musician Nick Cave’s latest book offers a visual document of a 22-city tour of North America, scrawled on the back of airline sick bags. Designed by Pentagram’s Angus Hyland and published by Canongate, it’s a fascinating collection of doodles, lyrics, thoughts and verse…
Mad Men bench unveiled in New York
A bench made in honour of the US TV show Mad Men has been unveiled outside the Time & Life Building in New York, the fictional home of the show’s agency, Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. Designed by Pentagram, it features the unmistakably louche silhouette of ad man, Don Draper
Offset 2015 day three: Sue Murphy, Matt Willey, Matthew Thompson & more
The final day of Dublin’s OFFSET conference featured talks from Why Not Associates’ Andy Altmann, art director Sue Murphy, photographer Matthew Thompson, illustrator Andrew Rae, Pentagram partner Emily Oberman and designer Matt Willey.
Spin designs a new visual identity for UCA
Design studio Spin has created a new visual identity for the University for the Creative Arts, a group of art and design colleges in Kent and Surrey. We spoke to Spin’s Tony Brook and UCA vice chancellor Simon Ofield-Kerr about why the university needed a rebrand and the thinking behind the new look…
Scott Dungate on what it means to be a global creative
Wieden + Kennedy Tokyo’s ECD discusses his experiences working everywhere from Shanghai to London, and explains what it takes to be successful as a globetrotting ad creative
How Duolingo keeps learning fun
Duolingo’s creative director James Kuczynski speaks to CR about how the app keeps users engaged, but also how it translates a sense of fun into its communications
Striking poster campaign introduces Coca-Cola Real Magic tagline
The posters feature bold illustrations and photography and also reveal a refreshed design identity for the trademark Coke logo
How I Got Here: Daniel Liévano
The artist and author delves into his philosophically minded approach to creativity, including the importance of solitude and his attempt to translate the metaphorical “magic” of Haruki Murakami
Geltor’s identity by &Walsh emphasises the wild beauty of nature
‘Earth-conscious’ biodesign company Geltor has a new look by &Walsh that draws on cells and natural ingredients, brought to life with the help of striking art direction
How Papier redefined the stationery sector
As the business unveils a major rebrand, founder Taymoor Atighetchi shares how he’s spent the last six years building a category-defining stationery brand
Studio Blackburn on its We Mean Green campaign
Last week a revamp, albeit a temporary one, of the British Rail double arrow logo caused a stir in the design press and on social media. CR speaks to Studio Blackburn, the team behind the update, to get an insight into the project and how they felt about the reaction
Lifting the lid on Pringles’ new rebrand
Snack brand Pringles has revealed the first update to its mascot in 20 years. JKR creative director Della Lawrence takes us through the new branding, including Mr P’s widely discussed haircut
How behavioural science could make branding better
Mark Hauser, applied behavioural scientist at branding agency The Team, discusses how psychology could create more effective, human-centred creative work
A new exhibition celebrates Push Pin’s gloriously anti-minimalist aesthetic
Hosted at New York’s Poster House, the Push Pin Legacy brings together over 200 posters by the likes of Milton Glaser, Seymour Chwast, Reynold Ruffins and Edward Sorel
Does the design of everyday materials deserve more credit?
Logos, exhibition design and book covers can often seem like the zenith of graphic design. Do reports, documents and catalogues get overlooked by comparison?
Inside the fantastical world of Lil Nas X
Lil Nas X is ripping up the music rulebook with his rap-country-pop sound, gender-bending style and eye-catching creative output. As he releases his debut album, we look at how the artist brings his unique vision to life
How I Work: Max Siedentopf
The artist, photographer, designer and director talks to CR about working at speed, the joy of not being confined by one discipline, how he balances the commercial with the personal, and why his spirit animal is a cross between a chameleon and a dung beetle
A history of London as told by its shopfronts
New book London Shopfronts, published by Hoxton Mini Press, offers a photographic guide to some of the capital’s most striking independent retailers, old and new, and reveals how style and uniqueness remain crucial for attracting customers
The power of persuasion
We speak to the creatives behind successful political campaigns for the UK’s Conservative party and US congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez about the role of design and creativity in the battle for voters
Is there room for ethics in design?
The devil on the ad industry’s shoulder might still say that fast fashion and oil companies aren’t so bad, but some design studios are taking an ethical stand. But can ‘good’ clients and big business can ever live in harmony?
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
