From pouring candles on their kitchen worktop to an unwavering belief in physical retail, Earl of East founders Paul Firmin and Niko Dafkos tell CR how they built a thriving lifestyle business Fourteen years ago, Paul Firmin started his first job in London, moved to Hackney, and landed himself a nickname: the Earl of East […]

DesignStudio has created an uplifting brand identity for Parisian startup Dayuse, a hotel booking site encouraging daytime visitors to hotel spas, restaurants and office spaces Founded in 2010, Dayuse is an online platform set on changing how people make use of hotels around the world. Rather than focusing on the usual overnight stays, the booking […]

In the competitive world of illustration, adopting a signature motif or icon in your work can help you grow your brand and your career. Here, CR speaks to three illustrators about the benefits and challenges of making one element your trademark As in most creative careers, being an illustrator means competing in a talented pool […]

Whether you’re a product or service-based business, it’s never too early to start planning your holiday promotions. After all, the holidays are a key time for you to boost your revenue and grow your business before the year’s out, so it’s crucial you take advantage of the opportunity. Do you really need a seasonal promotion […]

The reopening of offices and workplaces in the UK can be intimidating and unnerving for many creatives. Our agony aunt Anna Higgs gives some advice on navigating our new world Dear Anna, I’m struggling to adapt to the new normal. I’m starting to go into the office again on the odd day, and also set […]

Created by Mother ad agency, the new spot is the latest in the long-running Wonderful Everyday campaign from the retailer Last year saw Ikea promoting the value of a good night’s sleep, and in its latest campaign the furniture brand is placing an emphasis on the importance of play and security for a happy family […]

Welcome to my weekly round-up of the best-of-the-best recent leadership and communication blog posts.  This Week’s Round-Up of Leadership and Communication Blogs: Seventeen Best Ways to Retain Employees in Today’s WorkplacesBy Brett Farmiloe (@BrettFarmiloe via @SHRM), SHRM17 HR professionals and business leaders weigh in on how companies can retain their employees in today’s environment. “From […]

One of the most influential designer-entrepreneurs of his generation, Sir Terence Conran, who died last year, was a champion of design education and the creative industries in the UK throughout his life. Opening to mark what would have been Conran’s 90th birthday, the Design Museum in London is celebrating the memory of its founder by […]

One thing writers have told me consistently is that knowing story structure and the major plot points—or points of a story—makes writing great stories easier. But what are the main points of a story? How can you get them into your books? I’ve personally found story structure to be incredibly helpful, not just in writing […]

You’ve probably used tools like Google Optimize for A/B testing to increase conversion rates on your site. These tools allow you to test content by showing different variations of the same page to visitors at random.  A/B testing helps prevent websites from spending time and resources on developing features that turn out to be unpopular […]