In 2025, artificial intelligence remained the number one source of both concern and excitement for creatives. Here we assess the latest developments, from copyright to clankers...
The best music videos of the year 2025
This year MTV (owned by Paramount) announced it would be closing down five of its dedicated music video channels in the UK and Europe. It marked the end of an era for many people who grew up consuming music videos in this way. But rather than mourn the loss of channels that – let’s face it – we’d stopped watching...
Anger management: Why brands are feeding our rage addiction
Brands creating outrage is no longer an unfortunate accident – it’s now a marketing strategy. But is it an effective way to build brand loyalty, or just temporary shock value?...
BETC captures the essence of cinema for Canal+
For over 30 years, Paris-based advertising agency BETC has worked with French media group Canal+ on its advertising, creating numerous award-winning pieces of work. Often, these collaborations have drawn on a mutual love of humour, exemplified in their ad from last year which took the shape of a thriller-cum-comedy, defying conventions of the genre to assure viewers that there are...
The best book covers of the year 2025
Has it ever been easier to design a book cover? As with most things in 2025, should you require something – anything – the tech companies are queuing up to help. Many of them suggest AI as a tool you might consider using in your design work, but whether you turn to Venngage or Adobe Express, the promises sound very...
Trends of 2025: The year in branding
From boycotted logos to bold updates and everything in between, this year showed branding at its most reactive, expressive and culturally entangled...
Exposure: Lucy Sparks
Sparks’ photography shines a light on our relationship with consumerism and capitalism, and draws attention to the details of our day-to-day lives...
The best ad campaigns of the year 2025
The ad industry continues to be heavily buffeted by the winds of change. This year has seen acquisitions and layoffs, the ongoing rise of AI, and the demise of legendary agency brands. Meanwhile, brands have caused drama (sometimes intentionally, often not), which has set off storms across both social and traditional media. Amid this chaos, there has been positivity, in...
Ivy/Aidan explain their hands-on approach
Having graduated just last year, studio Ivy/Aidan is already working for clients including Ffern and enjoying experimenting with analogue techniques...
The Monthly Interview: Alec Maxwell
Alec Maxwell takes us behind the scenes at EE72, the new media company set up by Edward Enniful, where he is chief visual officer, and shares his creative journey to date...
The best movie posters of the year 2025
This year has produced a glorious array of movie posters, and although there was plenty to admire in the brash marketing of big budget franchise fare – there was some interesting work around Tron: Ares and Thunderbolts, for example – it’s perhaps telling that the most eye-catching creativity can be found promoting lower budget films that don’t have recognisable IP...
How productive friction builds cultural currency for brands
Cultural currency is one of those phrases that gets thrown around liberally in brand strategy circles, often as a vague synonym for being ‘cool on the internet’. But treating it as a tangible asset – something that can be earned, spent, traded and lost – reveals why some brands set the tone for their categories while others, with equivalent resources,...