Hasta La Ideas

Our May issue is the biggest CR ever, weighing in at over 230 pages. It’s our Annual special, with over 100 pages of the best work of the year in visual communications combined with a regular issue containing our usual mix of interviews, opinion and reviews

The CR Annual, in association with iStockphoto, is our round-up of the best work of the year, as chosen by our panel of judges. The judges also choose what they deem to be the best of the best in our Best in Book section.

We have also chosen our design studio, client and ad agency of the year – details in the issue.

Once you’ve finished perusing the Annual, turn over for a regular issue of the magazine where you will find a host of features relating to the work selected for the Annual this year. This includes a major profile piece on Morag Myerscough, whose Cathedral Café project features in The Annual and who also designed our cover this month

Here’s a film of Morag and her team making the cover:

We also interview Christian Borstlap from Part of a Biggler Plan in Amsterdam, whose work for Louis Vuitton has featured in several of our Annuals

One thing our graphics jury noticed about the work entered this year was how nostalgic much of it was. In particular, there was a trend for what we termed ‘Austerity Graphics’ – post-war British replete with sugary pastel colours. We explore the rise of this trend and look back at graphic design’s abiding addiction to referencing the past

Another trend discussed by our judges was the increasing importance of the ‘PR stunt’ in advertising: we explore what effect this is having on ad agency creative departments and the skills of those who work there

And, in our final profile piece, we met Human After All, the creative agency formed by the design team behind Little White Lies magazine

In our Crit section, Wayne Ford reviews Jo Metson Scott’s new book of photographs of soldiers who have opposed the Iraq war

James Pallister looks at how microsites have become a new platform for protest, Gordon Comstock discusses the tensionbetween branding’s desire for consistency and advertising’s search for originality, MIchale Evamy discusses brands which play with concealing their identity, Daniel Benneworth-Grey ruminates on the difficulties of working for that most demanding client (yourself) an Paul Belford applauds the risk-taking in a classic ad for Alexon produced by the combined talents of Richard Avedon, Paul Arden and Tim Mellors

And, if that wasn’t enough, our subscribers can also enjoy a fabulous collection of Cuban posters produced by the Organisation in Solidarity with the People of Africa, Asia, and Latin America, in this month’s Monograph

You can buy the May Annual issue direct from us here. Better yet, subscribe and you will not only save money but will be guaranteed to receive CR (and Monograph) every month. If you subscribe before May 3, you will get the Annual issue thrown in for free. The offer also applies to anyone renewing their subscription. Details here

Thanks to everyone who entered The Annual this year, our judges, and to all our sponsors: iStockphoto, Microsoft, Shadowplay, Cake Factory, Streamtime, Agency Rush and Fasthosts Internet