After joining TBWAMedia Arts Lab in Los Angeles, art director Lauren Dykes has already landed a role working with one of her dream brands: Apple. Here, she talks about why brands need to be entertaining to have a chance of cutting through...
Nike enters the footballverse in its star-studded World Cup ad
It’s been a strange time for advertisers in the run up to this year’s FIFA World Cup. The event has been marred by everything from reports of exploitation and corruption, to the deaths of migrant workers, to discriminative LGBTQ+ laws. Most brands have chosen to avoid mentioning host nation Qatar as much as possible, while others have made some PR...
Asha & Co’s new RSPB branding ‘reconciles urgency with inclusivity’
Asha & Co has worked on the new brand positioning, identity, and messaging for nature conservation charity RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds), aiming to better communicate “the scale and depth of the charity’s work, enabling it to speak with passion, understanding, hope and urgency”, according to the agency. The RSPB visual identity has also had a refresh:...
Ryu Ika: A flash of reality
Photographer Ryu Ika captures the absurd chaos of everyday life, using her sweaty, bloody, brightly lit images to try to make sense of the world around her...
Fantasy worlds for marginalised communities
Digital artist and graphic designer Elise Rose discusses growing up on a diet of video games, and why she decided to switch from making photography to 3D art...
Good Reads: Explore the ugly, beautiful chaos of Circus magazine
Jackson Bowley’s website bio describes himself as a London based ‘beauty’ photographer. The use of inverted commas is an inside joke with himself, alluding to the fact that, despite having shot for the likes of Asos and 3ina, he’s always struggled to find a version of beauty that fits with his own vision. The idea to create his own magazine...
Creativity Sucks! enters the metaverse
Creativity Sucks! aims to take a clear-eyed look at the commercial creative industries and examine the topics of the day in design and advertising. And what bigger, more discussed topic has there been in 2022 than the metaverse? We’ve seen a heady mix of hype and cynicism dominate think pieces and panel talks about the metaverse over the past year,...
How to keep great ideas alive – even when the client says no
A firm “no thanks” from a client can seem like the end of the road for your brilliant idea. But not necessarily, says Wunderman Thompson CCO Daniel Bonner...
In his latest project, Noma Bar sculpts new characters from old toys
What can a child’s soft toy teach us about empathy? According to Israeli graphic artist Noma Bar, a lot. Best known for his minimal 2D illustration work and his collaborations with high profile authors, magazines and newspapers, Bar’s latest project has seen him venture out into the world of 3D art – more specifically, art involving stuffed toys. Titled Transitions...
Okocha Obasi’s mission to challenge the status quo
The graphic designer and art director discusses why he thinks university is a scam, feeling othered, and finding joy in his current design role at creative agency Futurimpose...
Taika Waititi takes the reins for Amazon’s Christmas ad
It wouldn’t be the Christmas ad season without a little bit of festive schmaltz, and this year Amazon has delivered the goods with an especially heartfelt spot. Lucky Generals, the agency behind the brand’s holiday campaign since 2017, decided to bring in the big guns to pull off its vision, enlisting the help of Academy Award-winning director, writer and actor...
Entertainment as a means to an end
The director Ebeneza Blanche is behind imaginative shorts and music videos for Little Simz and Skepta. But he wants his audiences to come away informed, not just entertained...