When I dropped my son off at school on his first day of kindergarten, he looked at me and said, “I can’t wait to not be new anymore.” Thinking about the many people changing roles and companies these days, I can’t help but wonder how many may be counting the days until they’re not new […]

“The logo does exactly what a logo should do,” is Vicki Young’s verdict on the NHS symbol. “It’s got to be really clear, used with quite a sense of rigour, and for that global standard to be protected and not allow people to add things onto it – which I think has helped it carve […]

Image: Shutterstock Much has been written about the effects of the pandemic on so many aspects of the creative industries. While some were lucky enough to be able to pivot or remain industrious through the past couple of years, we all know actors who’ve retrained as electricians, comedians doing shifts as truck drivers, and designers […]

How do you create memorable characters? What’s characterization, and how does a writer turn a name on a page into a person so vivid and compelling that you imagine they’re real? Pin In this article, you’ll learn what characterization is, when it matters, and how to apply it to your characters and stories. You’ll also […]

Mark Denton is back in an ad agency for the first time in 35 years — as an intern. He’s found the atmosphere to be less competitive and more collaborative: but what does that mean for creativity? As 2022 began, Mark Denton — adland star and director/owner of Coy! Communications — found himself in a […]

First drafts are ugly, as they’re intended to be. Frankly, if your first draft isn’t full of run-on sentences, plot holes, and poorly developed characters, you might be doing something wrong. With the hardest part done, you turn to your second draft—but how do you write a second draft? To start, you need to write […]

A new Bill Brandt exhibition at Foam museum in Amsterdam asserts that the sinister is “an ever-present element of Brandt’s photographs”, from his photojournalism through to the more artistically driven endeavours later in his career. Curated by Fundación Mapfre’s Ramón Esparza in collaboration with Foam, The Beautiful and the Sinister features many of Brandt’s works […]

How will new ways of designing our bodies and our health, including gene editing, affect our future selves? Lucy McRae explores these concepts in her art, presenting radical sci-fi ideas that are rooted in science fact “I operate my best when I’m in unfamiliar territory,” Lucy McRae says. “It’s a sensation I feel in my […]

While many ad industry practices have evolved over the years, the pitching process remains a long hours, high stakes exercise. Here, Ben Kay examines the insidious effect it has on agencies, from burnout to ageism A few years ago I was freelancing at an agency that needed help on a pitch. I knew the ECD […]

For anyone who gorged on MTV’s LA reality drama series The Hills, which ran from 2006 to 2010, the new short film from fashion label Collina Strada will look a little familiar. Created to unveil the label’s Autumn/Winter 2022 collection, the film follows Tommy Dorfman (known for starring in Netflix series 13 Reasons Why) on […]