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
Tom Hingston on designing for arts venues
As Hingston Studio’s type-led identities for the Serpentine and the V&A greet the general public, the designer talks to us about the importance of creating designs that give institutions flexibility in these times
Channel 4 releases new Paralympics epic for Toyko Games
The ad reveals the challenges that come with being an elite sportsperson, and features the provocative line, ‘To be a Paralympian there’s got to be something wrong with you’
How branding can help us reach a greener travel future
Car brands have spent years, and millions, shoring up our reliance on petrol and personal vehicles, but change is arriving fast. Can a new wave of design and branding persuade us to move to greener forms of transport?
My Career Journey: Calmatic
The LA-based director behind music videos for Pharrell, Lizzo and Lil Nas X reflects on his journey from afterschool computer club to Grammy-winning director
My Career Journey: Polly Nor
Polly Nor creates striking, satirical drawings of women and their demons. We speak to the illustrator about her up-and-down career journey, the perils of imposter syndrome, and using art as an emotional release
Explore the work of influential 20th century designer Tom Eckersley
A new book by Paul Rennie is packed with iconic poster designs created by Eckersley for the likes of London Transport and Guinness
Marina Willer and Stuart Watson on ‘aimless’ creativity
During lockdown, Marina Willer and Stuart Watson turned their house into a home for painting, doodling, monster-making and music. Here they talk about being creative as a family, and why making work for pure pleasure is essential
The changing face of travel
The pandemic has been the catalyst for all of us to reassess our relationship with travel. As the world slowly begins to reopen, we speak to the travel brands that are shaping what our holidays of the future might look like
Jump on 25 years of making motion graphics
Jump is responsible for the titles of some of the UK’s biggest TV entertainment and sports programmes. Here two of its co-founders look back on a turbulent 25 years in the industry, and what it takes to make a successful creative business
How Foundation empowers creatives to make money
As part of our series on creative businesses set up during the pandemic, we speak to Foundation, the auction platform for digital art and NFTs about how their digital-first approach is working for them
BBC Creative launches Tokyo Olympics 2020 promo
The corporation’s in-house agency has teamed up with Nexus Studios and Factory Fifteen to create a film that reimagines the host city
Sport and Creativity
In this report, we look at the way that creative thinking is influencing sport, including in advertising, TV, branding, design, photography, illustration and more
Cannes Lions 2021 Grand Prix winners in full
It’s a bumper year for Cannes Lions this time, with the awards honouring work from 2020 and 2021 after last year’s event was cancelled. Here you can view all 35 of the Grand Prix winners
How Strava built a billion dollar fitness app
We examine how Strava became the app of choice for both professional athletes and amateur fitness enthusiasts, plus its ambition to create the biggest sporting community in the world
An oral history of… the London 2012 Olympics branding
As the Tokyo Olympics approaches, we look back at one of the more controversial Olympic identities, Wolff Olins’ London 2012 branding, which prompted a storm of press and public opinion. CEO Sairah Ashman and chairman Brian Boylan remember the project
What’s next for the battle of the burger brands?
We look at the creative ways in which fast food brands are appealing to our tastebuds and standing out in a saturated market – from piggybacking off the vegan movement to embracing the allure of nostalgia
The stories embedded in the design of homes
The Museum of the Home’s new displays put storytelling at the centre and illustrate how our homes are rich with design and cultural history
How to make a thrilling sports promo
Sky Creative’s Simon Cole explains the process behind making sports promos, including how to appeal to younger audiences and why he takes parodies on the chin
Ikea Norway introduces the Trash Collection
Ikea’s latest sustainability push sees the brand repurpose furniture that has been found as trash on the street, to be sold in a new secondhand store
The role of the sketchbook in creative work
Despite the dominance of digital, the humble sketchbook is still a vital tool in making creative work. Here, we speak to three creatives about how working in a sketchbook is an important part of their process and also their favourite books to work in
Greg Williams on the art of the candid shot
The photographer discusses his journey from documenting war zones to capturing candid moments of some of the biggest celebs on the planet, plus why the best images often aren’t technically perfect
Unrecognised and unloved: Patrick Burgoyne on the state of creative education
Education is vital to the UK’s phenomenally successful creative industries. Yet its value to the country appears to be going unrecognised in the government’s plans
The colourful world of Autumn de Wilde
The photographer and director has injected striking palettes into fashion photos, celebrity portraits, vibrant ads and her feature-length debut, Emma. She talks to us about navigating these different arenas and building worlds through music and colour
Ryan Reynolds creates a Father’s Day cocktail: The Vasectomy
Reynolds brings his irreverent advertising approach to Father’s Day with a new cocktail for dads, featuring a good slug of Aviation Gin, natch
Why the time has come for game title sequences to shine
Territory Studio’s Andrew Popplestone discusses the evolution of games credits and title sequences, and how they’re moving ever closer to the world of film
Why it pays for brands to go local
In an age of turbulence, brands are seeing the benefits of a localised approach over a global one. Here, Ben Sillence, strategy director at Lewis Moberly, explores what this may mean for designers and creatives
Can we design a more sustainable internet?
With the internet now accounting for roughly the same amount of carbon emissions as global air travel, we look at what designers can do to help tackle our digital waste problem
Early 2000s nightlife in all its chaotic, shiny glory
Matthew Smith’s new book brings together his photographs taken across the flourishing British nightlife scene at the turn of the millennium
Tony Barry on why advertising should move people
The director and former Wieden + Kennedy creative director looks back on the lessons he’s learned about peeling back the ‘veneer’ of advertising to make people laugh, cry, and truly believe in what they’re watching
Cephas Williams project features letters from Black boys to their future selves
The letters are addressed by the children to their older selves, and detail the world that they’d like to see in the future. The project, which will appear on billboards in the UK, is created to mark the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder
The ups and downs of being a hybrid creative
In today’s complex media landscape, creatives are often expected to work across multiple mediums. CR speaks to those who’ve broadened their practice to understand the benefits and challenges of the multi-disciplinary life
