New Age Thinking
The ageing populations of Western economies pose huge social and political challenges, but they also offer a great opportunity. Patrick Burgoyne reports
Getting old
Rather than seeing ageing as a problem and old people as a burden, shouldn’t we start thinking about all the positives that an older population can contribute to our society? A two-day conference will bring together designers, artists, policy makers and employers to start a new conversation about what it means to get old
Virgin Records at 40: Interview with Brian Cooke
As the record label celebrates four decades of ‘disruption’ we interview one of Virgin’s key creative collaborators, Brian Cooke
CR November issue: pistols, paranoia and publishing
In the November issue of Creative Review, we look back at 40 years of Virgin Records, go coast to coast with Levi’s, explore the future of print publishing and tell one man’s story of love, fatherhood and how graphic design can get you arrested in modern America
Virgin Records celebrates 40 years of disruption
Virgin Records is launching an exhibition, an art book and a compilation CD as part of a campaign to celebrate its 40th birthday. CR spoke to designer Adrian Shaughnessy, who is working the project, to find out more.
Hiding in plain sight
Logos that actively conceal a brand’s identity can be confusing, but they’re also a clever way of getting noticed, argues our resident corporate identity expert
The iPad May edition
This month on the CR iPad edition, we’ve got an iPad exclusive profile on Sebastian Edge, the photographer who builds his own cameras, a peek inside Gestalten’s new book Iron Curtain Graphics, some vintage London transport maps, a look at Mark Jenkins’ surreal urban sculptures, and Brooklyn street artist FAILE’s latest project, using over a thousand handmade tiles. We also take a closer look at some of the pioneers of the modern gig poster scene, and illustrator Hattie Stewart’s ongoing Megazines project…
The none-of-your-business card
The humble business card is a long-term staple of graphic design books and awards: a chance to show some ingenuity in making that all-important first impression. This is Real Art has come up with a nice idea in this tradition for human rights watchdog Privacy International
Unusual music formats of the month
It would appear that packaging your album or music release in a jewel case just isn’t the done thing in 2012. Here are some new music packages (from Kindness, Anxieteam, and DJ Food) that disregard music packaging convention…
Photography Annual Motion Category winners
This year’s Photography Annual included a brand new moving image category, which was judged by the CR editorial staff. Winners in this category included Carl Warner’s animated short for Findus, Adam Hinton’s work for the War Child charity, Dean Chalkley’s documentary ‘Young Souls’, which looks at the contemporary Northern Soul scene, and Dave Young’s ‘Everyone has a story’
Exhibition: Hand.Written.Letter.Project
Craig Oldham began his Hand.Written.Letter.Project (HWLP) by inviting a selection of leading designers and image makers to simply share their thoughts in the form of a handwritten letter on their own letterhead. Now over 100 handwritten responses are being exhibited at London’s KK Outlet until 27 August…
Privacy International data trail film
To flag up Privacy International’s new report on European attitudes to privacy, This Is Real Art has created a short film which illustrates the various data trails people can unwittingly leave behind during an hour of online activity
Making sense of the NFT gold rush
NFTs have been all over the news, spreading a mix of confusion and excitement in equal measure. Here, James Britton, group managing director at Stink Studios, explores what opportunities they might open up for artists and designers
Donald Graham Burt on making a career in production design
The Oscar-winning production designer discusses his journey from night janitor to one of David Fincher’s most trusted collaborators, plus his work on the director’s latest film Mank
How design is bringing new places to life
The past year has created a new emphasis on our surroundings, leading to an acute awareness of whether areas really serve their communities. We explore how place branding and marketing have been adjusted to reflect this
Inter Milan introduces stripped back ‘I am’ logo
Bureau Borsche is responsible for the updated visual identity, which is tailored for digital environments and, according to the club, aims to “establish itself as an icon of culture as well as sport”
Why portrait photography is all about trust
CR speaks to three portrait photographers about why they were drawn to the art form, and the importance of trust and collaboration when working with a subject
Rachel Seidu’s photography captures what she sees around her
The Lagos-based photographer is inspired by her environment and favours close crops to capture the emotions of her subjects
Kara Haupt on art directing for daily news websites
Haupt is senior art director for the websites of NBC News, Today and MSNBC. Here she talks about the importance of commissioning and the pressure of millions of viewers every day
My breakthrough moment: Simon Buckley
“I wanted to be Ultravox, but sometimes I worry I’ve ended up like Joe Dolce.” Simon Buckley’s photograph of Manchester in the rain became a viral sensation in 2019. He explains what happened next
Confessions of a former Trump designer
As the founder of social impact agency Smakk, Katie Klencheski’s mission feels a million miles away from the Trump Hotels brand that she helped establish in the early noughties. She discusses how the experience taught her the importance of practicing what you preach
Photographers finding humour in the streets
Everyday life is packed with unintentionally comical moments – if only you have the skills to spot them. Here, three photographers discuss ways of capturing humour on our streets
Documenting the drag explosion
Armed with her camera, Linda Simpson found herself at the heart of New York’s burgeoning drag scene in the 80s. Her new book gives an insight into the hedonistic heights and melancholic lows that came to define the era
Radio 2 becomes one of the family in quirky new campaign
Presenters including Sara Cox and Rylan Clark-Neal join some enjoyably awkward family photos, complete with matching outfits, disgruntled children and swathes of 80s lycra
An oral history of the Old Spice ads
First launched in 2010, Wieden + Kennedy Portland’s shirtless one-shot ads for P&G brand Old Spice turned heads and spawned a cascade of spinoffs. We retrace how the ads were made with the creatives as well as The Man himself, Isaiah Mustafa
Alex Merto on his less is more approach to book cover design
Having designed book covers for around ten years, Merto says his process is driven fully by the book rather than his own personal style
Tackling graphic design’s relationship with race
In new book The Design of Race, Peter Fine discusses how technology, graphic design, typography and photography have all influenced ideas of race in America
The golden age of webcomics
Dwindling attention spans and a hunger for immediate punchlines mean webcomics are flourishing – and they have plenty to teach us about what the internet finds funny. We talk to artists Alex Norris, Sarah Andersen and Reza Farazmand to find out more
How I Got Here: Nicholas Blechman
The New Yorker creative director talks about his first job in the industry and how to avoid predictability in editorial design
Are brands the new mansplainers?
Brandsplaining is a new book tackling how women are addressed and represented in marketing. We talk to the authors about the ‘femvertising’ trend and why brands mustn’t rest on their laurels
How I Work: Nadia Lee Cohen
As she releases her first monograph, Nadia Lee Cohen discusses the inspiration behind her surreal images – which draw heavily on cinema and Americana – and the curious characters who frequent her photos
Heinz website stunt takes 57 minutes to load
Website Holdforheinz.com was designed for the more patient ketchup lovers among us, embracing a purposefully drawn out loading process to show that “good things take time”
