Gradwatch: Corin Kennington
We speak to Corin Kennington, who studied graphic and media design at London College of Communication and specialises in typography and hand-painted lettering.
Our picks from Pick Me Up 2015
Graphic arts festival Pick Me Up opened at London’s Somerset House last night, with talks, workshops, screenings and exhibitions taking place until May 4. Here’s a look at some of our favourite work on show and what’s on over the next few days…
Scotland’s Graphic Design Festival
Scotland’s first annual Graphic Design Festival takes place in Glasgow next week, with a five-day programme of hands-on events that aim to help connect young creatives with industry. Here’s a look at the line-up, plus we have one ticket to a two-day workshop with Eike Konig to give away…
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?
Leeds Print Festival: Process & Printmaking
Prints showcasing a range of processes and techniques from studios, collectives and individuals, who took part in this year’s Leeds Print Festival
Low Tech Print
Flying Machines founder Caspar Williamson has written a book about contemporary design projects made using handmade printing techniques.
Unfold: An exhibition of contemporary book designs
London Print Studio’s latest exhibition, Unfold, is a beautiful collection of hand made, pop up and laser cut books and prints.
Nous magazine: exploring depression in print
Manchester Metropolitan graphic design student Lisa Lorenz has launched a free quarterly print magazine that aims to raise awareness of depression through illustration, photography, poetry and prose.
Talent Spotters: NCAD Dublin
Designer Ciara Fitzgerald visited Dublin’s National College of Art & Design Visual Communication degree show and chose to highlight the work of seven students that she felt really stood out
Talent spotters: Camberwell Degree Show 2013
Camberwell College of Arts’s degree show is open to the public this week and includes work from photography, illustration, design, painting and sculpture graduates.
Talent Spotters: Liverpool John Moores Graphic Arts
This year Liverpool’s Graphic Arts graduates shunned the traditional gallery space in favour of a bar – London’s Social, just off Oxford Street. Here wall space was unavailable, so work was projected in a slideshow onto a screen. The course is multidisciplinary, and output falls broadly into the categories of graphic design and illustration. Here are some of the highlights:
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
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
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
