The creatives left coping with long Covid
CR talks to some creatives who are sufferers of long Covid, and discusses how it is impacting their lives and work
How global design teams drive innovation
Working with designers with different backgrounds and experiences brings richness and diversity to the design process, says Jo Barnard of Morrama. These collaborations are vital to the future of design
Bang your head against ajar doors
Happy Thoughts: Advice for Your Average Creative is a new series of articles by Stu Outhwaite-Noel of the agency Modern Citizens, designed to take you into 2025 with a spring in your step. Here’s column three
You’re just one cog in the machine
Happy Thoughts: Advice for Your Average Creative is a new series of articles by Stu Outhwaite-Noel of the agency Modern Citizens, designed to take you into 2025 with a spring in your step. Here’s column two
Should I go in-house?
A new year often brings the desire for a career change, including trying new avenues. Here, Patrick Burgoyne, co-founder of the In-House Agency Leaders Club, tackles an increasingly common question for creatives
Why we need to join the dots between creativity and value
It has been widely proved that creativity drives business value, and yet investment in it continues to go down. It’s time agencies demonstrated its effectiveness more clearly, says Ask Us For Ideas co-founder Nick Bell
This column won’t make you famous
Happy Thoughts: Advice for Your Average Creative is a new series of articles by Stu Outhwaite-Noel of the agency Modern Citizens, designed to take you into 2025 with a spring in your step. Here’s column one
How to kick-start a creative renaissance
As we look ahead to 2025, John Roescher of design agency Raw Materials offers a blueprint of how to reject blandness and create more meaningful and innovative design
How to talk about your work (and why you need to)
We tend to think of design in purely visual terms, but how you explain your work, and the decisions that drive it, are equally important, says designer Craig Oldham
What fortune telling can teach us about advertising
We often look at palm and tarot card readers with a degree of frivolity. But having spent the last year training as a fortune teller, Trouble Maker founder Jonathan Fraser believes it’s a skill that could also lead to better creative work
Are creatives undervaluing themselves?
Jelly’s global head of artist management Nicki Field, How&How founder Cat How, and photographer Jackson Bowley share advice on knowing your worth and how that translates into getting paid fairly
Why the phrase ‘been done’ should die
It’s all too easy to kill ideas by pronouncing that they’ve already ‘been done’. But, says We Are Pi’s Rick Chant, some of the best work is born out of remixing creativity
Why creative sustainability is essential for agencies to survive
Advertising is a wasteful business. Not only in environmental terms, but also in how agencies are run, and staff are treated. It’s time for a change, and AI can help, says Livio Basoli, CCO at Dude
What do young creatives want from their leaders?
We ask those establishing themselves in the ad and design industry what leaders are getting right, where there are gaps, and what their focus should be
How to scale your design business
Growth is a dream for many businesses, but it comes with challenges. Daisy Crowder, brand and marketing director at design recruitment agency Craft, offers advice on how to navigate the change and keep staff on side
The hidden carbon costs of making an ad
We might reassure ourselves that there are for worse industries for the planet than advertising, but that’s before you break down all the steps involved. Maybe it’s time to do things differently?
Meet the most creative people you’ll ever hire
As Disability Pride Month draws to a close, That Lot ECD Paul Hewitt questions why the creative industries are still failing to recognise the true value of what disabled and neurodiverse talent bring to the table
How to gain confidence and improve your pitching skills
Working in advertising and design requires the ability to sell your ideas. If you’re naturally more reserved or in a junior role, how do you manage the expectation to be a confident pitcher, presenter and networker? CR asks those in the industry for some advice
Life as a creative freelancer in 2024
In a volatile market, freelancing offers both opportunities and challenges. We talk to three creatives about how they are finding it out there right now
Ikigai and the question of personal purpose
While brands have been obsessed with purpose in recent years, we have overlooked personal purpose, which can lead to a far more enriching working life, says creative coach Richard Holman
Badal Patel on setting up her own design studio
The US-based creative talks about how setting up Super Spicy Studio has impacted her personal life and what she’s learned about different ways of working
How can brands play with controversy in risk-averse times?
In a consumer landscape that favours virtue, with audiences that will call out bad behaviour at the drop of a hat, courting controversy is a risky move. But brands can still use it to their advantage
How to bring online fandom into the real world
Shifting online success into the real world requires a delicate balance of staying authentic to the digital community while allowing space for others to join, says Paul Tynan, creative director at I-Am
Why I won’t apologise for working in advertising
People often feel guilty about working in advertising. Here, Bruno Steffen, head of strategy at Gut, asks those in the industry to embrace the wonderful opportunities it offers instead
Namestorming: Decoding the alphabet soup of tomorrow
A good moniker can make or break a new brand or product launch. Here, We Are Pi’s Rick Chant offers some advice on how to approach the name game
Why building a strong creative team calls for brutal self-reflection
Dan Crowder, founder at recruitment agency Craft, says design leaders should ask themselves tough questions before even thinking about hiring
How do you build a brand from scratch?
CR speaks to creative agency Sunshine about how their all-in approach to building brands has allowed them to tell stories and create businesses with longevity
How brands can be topical without f*cking it up
Brands are keen to be culturally relevant on social media but it requires a deep understanding of who you are and what interests your audience. CR explores how to get the balance right
Creativity Sucks! podcast looks at how to be a great creative leader
The latest episode of Creative Review’s podcast looks at how to nurture creative teams, with advice from Richard Holman, Rani Patel, and Sarah Watson
Do we need a new way of talking about diversity?
The need for diversity has been adopted wholesale by the ad and design industries. But do we really know what we’re striving for when we talk about increasing opportunity and equality in the workplace?
Confessions of a creative industry coach
Here Richard Holman discusses some of the most common questions, doubts and problems that have come up in his five years as a creative coach, from self-doubt to managing pressure
On the creative benefits of going slow
As Disability Pride Month draws to a close, Deliveroo’s global head of creative Paul Hewitt reflects on losing his mobility in his late 20s and how it taught him to value a slower pace of life and work
How to avoid a branding backlash
If you want a community to buy into a new brand, you need to design with them, not for them, says Melissa Higgs, principal at design studio hcma
What adland can learn from 50 Cent
Stepping outside your cultural comfort zones can be a boon to your creativity says our ad correspondent Ben Kay, who has found himself surprisingly inspired by the teachings of the In da Club rapper
Why every agency needs to talk about mistakes
Errors, cock ups, blunders – we have plenty of words for mistakes but rarely like to admit they happen. Here, agency founder Carsten Glock argues that this is gaffe in itself and instead we should embrace them to create a better work culture
The art of writing a brief
We look into why briefs are so imperative to get right, the difference between advertising and design briefs, and whether visuals have any place in them
How to write a great advertising slogan
Here, our advertising correspondent breaks down the methodology for creating a great slogan, by examining some of the iconic endlines of the past. But is there really a formula for brilliant creative work?
How much do you earn?
Every single person at How&How knows what their colleagues are being paid, from the most junior designer to the studio’s owners. The branding studio’s co-founder Cat How discusses the pros and cons of total salary transparency
A manifesto for building a successful in-house team
There is definitely no one-size-fits-all for in-house teams, but here are some principles for success to draw on, put together by the In-House Agency Leaders Club
Is the creative industry ready for the four-day week?
As the evidence in favour of the four-day work week mounts up, we speak to agencies large and small about why they won’t be returning to the norm
Why words matter during a cost of living crisis
We speak to Reed Words about the importance brands should be placing on their tone of voice amid the recession – and why platitudes simply won’t cut it for consumers
Vince Frost’s lessons on running a design business
Almost two decades since moving to the other side of the world, Frost*collective’s founder reflects on why he had to radically redesign his business in order to transform his life
How to make brand guidelines fit for purpose
Too often, brand guidelines become a straitjacket for brands, says Harbour creative partner Grant Parker. Here he explains how thinking about them differently can benefit brands in a complex world
How to build better work environments for new creatives
Marc Lewis, dean of London’s School of Communication Arts 2.0, discusses why a more thoughtful, empathetic approach – and more present CDs and ECDs – are critical for supporting industry newcomers
The art of the rapid ‘crapotype’
Creatives often pursue perfection in their ideas before they are willing to release them to others. In fact, says We Are Pi’s Rick Chant, we should be doing the opposite
Creativity Sucks! podcast: Does sex still sell?
Photographer Sophie Ebrard, Uncommon co-founder Nils Leonard, and Headspace VP of marketing Louise Troen all convene on CR’s podcast to discuss the role of sex for brands today
Why Creativity Matters: How to build a long-term legacy for brands
Speakers from Space10, Ikea’s research and design lab; TBWA\Media Arts Lab, which works with Apple; and adam&eveDDB all join CR editor Eliza Williams to discuss brand legacy in our latest virtual event
Logo lessons from Tom Geismar
What does it take to design a symbol that lasts for 60 years, and should all designers go back to the drawing board? CR catches up with esteemed graphic designer and logo legend Tom Geismar
Do companies need to get more creative with how they work?
Evidence suggests that adopting inventive, individual styles of working can aid creative thinking, yet agencies and studios remain conservative in their approach
Remembering George Lois
George Lois – legendary art director, ad man, and creative whirlwind – has died aged 91. In this interview from 2012, he reflected on his life and work, including creating the I Want My MTV slogan, and interactions with the likes of Bob Dylan and Muhammad Ali
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
On client work vs personal work
Though working for commercial clients can be a fulfilling and lucrative path for creatives today, balancing this alongside personal projects benefits everyone, says Ravi Amaratunga Hitchcock
What marketers really want from agencies
A survey of 500 CMOs by Dentsu Creative will make salutary reading for agencies, but also reveals how central creativity and design are to business, says Patricia McDonald, chief strategy director at Dentsu Creative
Why Creativity Matters: The role of purpose for brands
The third talk in our free virtual event series looks at purpose, examining the role it plays in shaping brands and their marketing, and how it can be used to attract audiences
Interview anthology End of Nowhere is ideas fuel for creatives
Creative agency Wongdoody has designed and published the platform, which features 20 different creatives who “know about creating things amidst suffering and strange times”
How to sell your agency
The ad agency Creature London was recently acquired by Dutch group Candid. Here, CEO Dan Cullen-Shute gives a frank, funny and insightful account of what the team at the agency learned during the process
What constitutes success?
We are hardwired to seek success in our careers, but what does it actually look like, and by what measure do you define it in your work?
When is the right time to rebrand?
One of the toughest questions for everyone responsible for ‘the brand’, deciding when to rebrand is a delicate balancing act, says Coley Porter Bell ECD James Ramsden
Why Creativity Matters: How to build a successful in-house team
The second talk in our free virtual event series tackles the subject of in-house creative teams, and features speakers from Polestar, Lego and Oatly
Introducing Creative Review’s new podcast: Creativity Sucks!
A new podcast brought to you by Creative Review, Creativity Sucks! aims to look at some of the challenges facing the advertising and design worlds and how to fix them. In our first episode, we examine whether advertising is getting worse