Hasta La Ideas

Inspired by the government’s GREAT campaign to promote National greatness in 2012, luxury brand Mulberry has launched Brilliant Britain: a new website and printed journal devised as a guide to all that makes Britain brilliant…

The project essentially looks to gather and promote a whole gamut of British excellence – from beautiful landscapes, sites of historical or architectural interest, to great places to eat, drink, shop or go to the theatre, and even British crafts and traditions still practiced and upheld by individuals, specialist companies and communities.

Both the website (brilliantbritainguide.com) and the printed guide (cover shown, above) organise and group content in categories such as Craft, Fashion, Food & Drink, Heritage, and Art & Design. Here’s a look inside the 36 page printed guide, designed by Construct:

Mulberry commissioned editor Henrietta Thompson to pull together the diverse content for the project, which is set to grow over time. The website (designed and built by Applied ESP) has a section called Your Brilliant Britain which is open to the suggestions of visitors to the site who are encouraged to photograph and submit their own nominations for things to be included. There’s also an interactive map of Britain showing the location of everything listed on the site, again the content can be ordered by category:

“Guy Salter of Walpole approached us to participate in the GREAT Britain campaign and inspired us to create Brilliant Britain,” explains Mulberry’s brand director, Georgia Fendley of the project. “Conceived as a love letter from Mulberry to the nation this guide has been created to support the craftsmen and women, the designers, artists and innovators, the small businesses, the breath-taking landscapes, strange customs and delicious delicacies that make Britain so brilliant,” she continues.

“We really hope the public will be inspired to take up our cause championing their Brilliant Britain by nominating their favourite local producers, heroes, places and people,” adds Fendley.

brilliantbritainguide.com.

CR for the iPad
Read in-depth features and analysis plus exclusive iPad-only content in the Creative Review iPad App. Longer, more in-depth features than we run on the blog, portfolios of great, full-screen images and hi-res video. If the blog is about news, comment and debate, the iPad is about inspiration, viewing and reading. As well as providing exclusive, iPad-only content, the app will also update with new content throughout each month. Try a free sample issue here

CR in Print
In our October print issue we have a major feature on the rise of Riso printing, celebrate the art of signwriting, examine the credentials of ‘Goodvertising’ and look back at the birth of D&AD. Rebecca Lynch reviews the Book of Books, a survey of 500 years of book design, Jeremy Leslie explains how the daily London 2012 magazine delivered all the news and stories of the Games and Michael Evamy explores website emblemetric.com, offering “data-driven insights into logo design”. In addition to the issue this month, subscribers will receive a special 36-page supplement sponsored by Tag celebrating D&AD’s 50th with details of all those honoured with Lifetime Achievement awards plus pieces on this year’s Black Pencil and President’s Award-winners Derek Birdsall and Dan Wieden. And subscribers also receive Monograph which this month features Rian Hughes’ photographs of the unique lettering and illustration styles of British fairgrounds

Please note, CR now has a limited presence on the newsstand at WH Smith high street stores (although it can still be found in WH Smith travel branches at train stations and airports). If you cannot find a copy of CR in your town, your WH Smith store or a local independent newsagent can order it for you. You can search for your nearest stockist here. Alternatively, call us on 020 7970 4878 to buy a copy direct from us. Based outside the UK? Simply call +44(0)207 970 4878 to find your nearest stockist. Better yet, subscribe to CR for a year here and save yourself almost 30% on the printed magazine.

The October edition of our iPad app has now been published, and can be downloaded here. This month’s edition includes an iPad exclusive feature on illustrator Brian Grimwood, a look at the 50-year history of D&AD, a specially commissioned series of illustrated posters, and features on the rising popularity of Risograph and the disappearing art of sign-writing.

In an iPad exclusive feature we meet British illustrator Brian Grimwood to talk about his life in ten pictures, and find out how he’s using digital methods to create new work:

We also take a closer look at the set of illustrated posters created for this year’s Virgin Media Shorts:

And we take a look at how traditional hand-letterers are fighting to keep their art alive:

There’s also an in-depth feature on the revival of Riso printing, as well as profiles of Riso presses from around the world:

We take a look back at the past 50 years of D&AD:

And look inside the Book of Books, which charts 500 years of innovation in print:

We also explore how publisher Haymarket created a daily magazine for the London 2012 Olympics:

And we find out if ‘goodvertising’ can make the world a better place:

In Hi Res, there’s a preview of French design studio Akatre’s first monograph:

And we look at Lucas Foglia’s photographic series, A Natural Order, which documents the world of alternative and off-grid communities:

There’s more from the world of photography, with Japanese creative duo Nerhol’s series of 3D carved portraits:

And a preview of tbhe politically-themed Brighton Photo Biennial:

You can also preview a major retrospective show of Mel Bochner’s work:

And step into the logo graveyard:

In CRTV we’re featuring some of our favourite short films of the moment, including Lucid Inc’s new short, The Roper:

A visit to the junk cathedral of Vince Hannemann:

And a charming animation, that sees a strange vending machine creature wandering the streets of Tokyo:

The October edition will continue to be updated throughout the month, so check back for more features, more book previews, and our pick of the best photography, illustration and short films.

CR for the iPad
Download the October edition of the iPad app here. This month features an iPad exclusive interview with Brian Grimwood, the man who changed the look of British illustration, as well as a preview of Lucas Foglia’s new exhibition of photography documenting off-grid communities, a look at the rising popularity of Risograph, and the 50-year history of D&AD. The October issue will be updated throughout the month with new stories, book previews, and our pick of the best photography, illustration and short films. Try a free sample issue here.

The current issue of literary quarterly Granta features not just some fine writing but some beautiful illustration too, as does another Granta publication, The Book of Barely Imagined Beings

The Medicine issue of Granta uses illustration only rather than the magazine’s usual mix of illustration and photography. This work by Matthew Green introduces My Heart by Bosnian writer Semezdin Mehmedinovic

Granta’s artistic director Michael Salu illustrates The Perfect Code by Terrence Holt

Suzanne Rivecca’s Philanthropy is accompanied by this image from Sam Green

And Robert Hunter illustrates The Third Dumpster by Gish Jen

Daniela Silva was assistant designer on the issue.

Also from Granta, and similalry visually rich, is The Book of Barely Imagined Beings by Casper Henderson, a survey of some of the more exotic, weird and wonderful creatures of the world.

Taking its cues from medieval beastiaries, the book is richly illustrated by the Iranian artist Golbanou Moghaddas. Each chapter is introduced by an intricate and witty summation of its content

Moghaddas’s decorative type also features on the endpapers of this beautiful book designed by Michael Salu

CR for the iPad
Read in-depth features and analysis plus exclusive iPad-only content in the Creative Review iPad App. Longer, more in-depth features than we run on the blog, portfolios of great, full-screen images and hi-res video. If the blog is about news, comment and debate, the iPad is about inspiration, viewing and reading. As well as providing exclusive, iPad-only content, the app will also update with new content throughout each month. Try a free sample issue here

CR in Print
In our October print issue we have a major feature on the rise of Riso printing, celebrate the art of signwriting, examine the credentials of ‘Goodvertising’ and look back at the birth of D&AD. Rebecca Lynch reviews the Book of Books, a survey of 500 years of book design, Jeremy Leslie explains how the daily London 2012 magazine delivered all the news and stories of the Games and Michael Evamy explores website emblematic.com, offering “data-driven insights into logo design”. In addition to the issue this month, subscribers will receive a special 36-page supplement celebrating D&AD’s 50th with details of all those honoured with Lifetime Achievement awards plus pieces on this year’s Black Pencil and President’s Award-winners Derek Birdsall and Dan Wieden. And subscribers also receive Monograph which this month features Rian Hughes’ photographs of the unique lettering and illustration styles of British fairgrounds

Please note, CR now has a limited presence on the newsstand at WH Smith high street stores (although it can still be found in WH Smith travel branches at train stations and airports). If you cannot find a copy of CR in your town, your WH Smith store or a local independent newsagent can order it for you. You can search for your nearest stockist here. Alternatively, call us on 020 7970 4878 to buy a copy direct from us. Based outside the UK? Simply call +44(0)207 970 4878 to find your nearest stockist. Better yet, subscribe to CR for a year here and save yourself almost 30% on the printed magazine.

The Sunday Times Style magazine celebrates its 10th anniversary this Sunday, supported by a press and poster campaign by Grey London that makes use of satin and some fine embroidered typography…

The special edition of Style will publish with the newspaper on September 23 and be available in ten different front covers. Grey worked with embroidery company Hand & Lock on the campaign to evoke “ten year’s in style”.

Executive creative director: Nils Leonard. Creative: Lex Firth, Clemmie Telford. Typography: Paul Reddington. Senior creative producer: Sarah Burns. Account director: Clare Anderson. Embroidery: Hand & Lock. Photographer: Tom Brown.

CR for the iPad
Read in-depth features and analysis plus exclusive iPad-only content in the Creative Review iPad App. Longer, more in-depth features than we run on the blog, portfolios of great, full-screen images and hi-res video. If the blog is about news, comment and debate, the iPad is about inspiration, viewing and reading. As well as providing exclusive, iPad-only content, the app will also update with new content throughout each month. Try a free sample issue here

CR in Print
In our October print issue we have a major feature on the rise of Riso printing, celebrate the art of signwriting, examine the credentials of ‘Goodvertising’ and look back at the birth of D&AD. Rebecca Lynch reviews the Book of Books, a survey of 500 years of book design, Jeremy Leslie explains how the daily London 2012 magazine delivered all the news and stories of the Games and Michael Evamy explores website emblematic.com, offering “data-driven insights into logo design”. In addition to the issue this month, subscribers will receive a special 36-page supplement celebrating D&AD’s 50th with details of all those honoured with Lifetime Achievement awards plus pieces on this year’s Black Pencil and President’s Award-winners Derek Birdsall and Dan Wieden. And subscribers also receive Monograph which this month features Rian Hughes’ photographs of the unique lettering and illustration styles of British fairgrounds

Please note, CR now has a limited presence on the newsstand at WH Smith high street stores (although it can still be found in WH Smith travel branches at train stations and airports). If you cannot find a copy of CR in your town, your WH Smith store or a local independent newsagent can order it for you. You can search for your nearest stockist here. Alternatively, call us on 020 7970 4878 to buy a copy direct from us. Based outside the UK? Simply call +44(0)207 970 4878 to find your nearest stockist. Better yet, subscribe to CR for a year here and save yourself almost 30% on the printed magazine.

Wolff Olins has brought some of the techniques more usually associated with the world of corporate branding to the newspaper with the redesign of USA Today

When USA Today launched in 1982 (first issue below) its use of colour, bit-size panels for supporting stories and infographics was unprecedented and highly influential. Now, of course, everyone’s at it.

The paper’s new look also breaks with tradition. Newspaper redesigns typically are the preserve of specialists such as the near ubiquitous Mario Garcia. Perhaps USA Today’s choice of Wolff Olins to work with them on the project is recognition of the fact that newspapers are trying now to think of themselves as multimedia ‘brands’ rather than predominantly ink on paper operations.

Certainly, Wolff Olins has brought the language of current branding practice to bear on the paper with the introduction of a flexible logo system.

The core logo uses a a bespoke cut of Futura (the typeface used in the paper’s original logo) and a blue circle (presumably to represent the fact that the paper, uniquely in the US, covers the whole country and, in its avowedly non-partisan stance, the whole community). Supplementary logos introduce separate colours for each section.

Things get more interesting when the logos are applied in print. The idea is that relevant images overlay the circles, changing each day.

The chosen colour for each section is also applied across panels, graphs and so on.

WO worked on the strategy with CoCollective.

In print, Gulliver, USA Today’s previous text face, gives way to Chronicle Grade 1 from Hoefler & Frere-Jones, which is also used in headlines alongside the Futura. The paper now just uses two grids, one of five columns for the bulk of the content, and one of eight for tables.

Although at the time of writing the paper’s website had not been updated with the new look, its rather good (and free) iPad app does make use of the new look.

And here’s the iPhone app:

The new look works particularly well in these apps leaving us to wonder whether they or the paper led in terms of design priorities. It would certainly make sense to attempt as ‘media neutral’ an approach as possible given the current trajectory of print. With that in mind, although it may not have the impact and influence of its launch design, USA Today’s new look appears to have left it well-placed for a future where news will be predominantly delivered via the screen.

More detail on the redesign here.

CR for the iPad
Read in-depth features and analysis plus exclusive iPad-only content in the Creative Review iPad App. Longer, more in-depth features than we run on the blog, portfolios of great, full-screen images and hi-res video. If the blog is about news, comment and debate, the iPad is about inspiration, viewing and reading. As well as providing exclusive, iPad-only content, the app will also update with new content throughout each month. Try a free sample issue here

CR in Print
Students, grads, young professionals: if you buy one issue of CR this year, make sure it’s this one. The September print issue of CR is our annual graduates special. In it, we have teamed four recent graduates with professional practitioners in their chosen field who offer invaluable advice on how to get started in their profession. APFEL meet graphics graduate Arthur Carey, BETC London ECD Neil Dawson meets Sophia Ray, illustrator Matthew ‘The Horse’ Hodson offers sage advice to Sam Tomlins and photographer Jenny van Sommers meets Megan Helyer. In addition, our September issue also features Google Creative Lab, Unit Editions’ new book on Herb Lubalin, Michael Evamy on place branding, Jeremy Leslie on new bilingual magzine Figure and Gordon Comstock on the importance of failure.

Please note, CR now has a limited presence on the newsstand at WH Smith high street stores (although it can still be found in WH Smith travel branches at train stations and airports). If you cannot find a copy of CR in your town, your WH Smith store or a local independent newsagent can order it for you. You can search for your nearest stockist here. Alternatively, call us on 020 7970 4878 to buy a copy direct from us. Based outside the UK? Simply call +44(0)207 970 4878 to find your nearest stockist. Better yet, subscribe to CR for a year here and save yourself almost 30% on the printed magazine.