The Barcelona-based imagemaker shares how he navigates the ‘boundaries’ of being a commercial illustrator and a fine artist – and his thoughts on the perceived divide between the two...
Veet turns its attention to men in comedic new ad
It’s hard to think of an elegant way to encourage men to remove the hair from their balls, but ad agency BETC appears to have found it, via its new ad for Veet Men. The star of the spot is a pair of floating balloon-like knackers which are shown delicately drifting around the world, experiencing new sensations at every turn....
MC1R, the design-led mag for redheads, launches new sunscreen
MC1R magazine inhabits a very specific niche: it’s a publication for, and largely about, redheads — its name refers to the melanocortin 1 hormone receptor, otherwise known as the ‘ginger gene’ mutation which causes red hair. Since it launched its first English language issue in 2015 (the magazine was created by editor Tristan Rodgers from Hamburg, who is a redhead...
Why brands need to let go of minimalism
Minimalism is the go-to design route for many brands. But by taking this safe option, they could be missing the opportunity to really stand out, says monopo London creative director Melanie Hubert-Crozet...
Apple channels its classic iPod ads for new campaign starring Harry Styles
Apple may have recently decided to stop producing its iPod range, but the cultural influence of the product continues, with the tech brand revisiting its iconic iPod ‘silhouette’ ads from the noughties for its new ad for Airpods. To bring the spot bang up to date though, it stars Harry Styles, who is rapidly becoming a cultural icon all of...
Phoebe McCaughley animates the rollercoaster ride that is the brain
McCaughley, who’s a former CR Gradwatch pick, spent eight months working on the film, making every single element – except the clothes – herself, as well as handling the animation and edit. She drew direct inspiration from the lyrics for Feel Joy, alongside her own experience of the anxiety of lockdown. As she says: “Sometimes your brain just has the...
KesselsKramer’s Jubilee plates take an ‘honest look’ at the royal extravaganza
This year, the UK’s monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, celebrates her Platinum Jubilee – marking seven decades of her rule. It’s the third Jubilee enjoyed by the Queen, with other milestones including the Silver Jubilee in 1977 marking 25 years on the throne, Gold in 2002 for 50 years, and Diamond in 2012 for 60 years. She’s the first monarch to...
Metamorphic dancers take flight in HAAi’s music video
Electronic music producer and DJ HAAi has released a new music video for Baby, We’re Ascending, a euphoric track created with Jon Hopkins taken from her introspective debut album of the same name. The dancing figures at the centre of the music video have a mythological feel to them, owing to their part-bird, part-human appearance, as well as the way...
How CEOs make an agency creative
We chat to CEOs Chris Kay at Saatchi & Saatchi and Ajaz Ahmed at AKQA about what it means to drive forward creativity at top agencies — and how they balance that with the ‘business’ side ...
New exhibition at the Modernist gallery finds life in old slide film
Out of Time is a project devised for the Manchester Modernist Society by Bill Mather, after he stumbled upon a stash of slide films from the 1970s discarded in a haberdashery shop in Timperley, Greater Manchester. “Sometimes you go looking for one thing and you find another,” says Mather. “I found these slide films in a bag under some polyester...
Dionne Kitching on why play is better than perfectionism
The Manchester-based artist tells CR how embracing the element of chance, and stopping the endless quest for perfection, restored her love of illustration and gave her work a new lease of life...
CNET’s new identity is inspired by the golden era of journalism
Since launching in 1994, US media brand CNET (an abbreviation of Computer Network) has become a trusted source for reporting and advice on all things related to technology and digital culture. As tech has evolved over the last two decades to influence almost every aspect our lives, the media company decided to expand its coverage and advice to what matters...