Unilever’s Latest Play to Tackle Food Waste? A ‘Smart’ Mayonnaise Jar

Right now, your refrigerator’s door bin might be home to some almost-off milk, a scattering of garlic bulbs and a jar of relish from 2022. Now, Unilever has actually made something useful for you to put in there: a “Smart Jar” that tells you if your fridge is at the right temperature. In 2019, the…

Polestar Reimagines Retail With a Car Showroom Built Out of Snow 

The Arctic Circle city of Rovaniemi, Finland is known for a few things: the mythical home of Santa Claus, stunning wintry landscapes and Modernist designs by influential architect Alvar Aalto. The latter two are the inspiration behind an unusual design project from electric car brand Polestar. The company reimagined a car showroom by building a…

Why Escapism Will Be the Defining Design Trend of 2023 for Brands

After a difficult few years, our world still isn’t short of challenges. Amid global economic pressures, an escalating climate crisis, a war in Europe and increasing austerity, brands are meeting consumers where they’re at when it comes to design: in need of escape. Creatives are embracing visual styles that reflect both our chaotic social climate…

Purpose-Led Spaces Are Redefining the Music Industry

The challenge This summer, 4th Floor Creative was busy settling into Sony Music U.K.’s recently relocated London headquarters in King’s Cross. Preparing and completing any home or office move creates a moment for reflection, as one leaves familiar spaces and routines behind to discover new ones. Office space planning and design also offer insights into…

‘An Investment in Attendance:’ Why Pop Up Magazine Is Prioritizing Accessibility

The upcoming fall tour of Pop Up Magazine will feature a slew of initiatives designed to make its performances accessible to the disabled community, an effort that aims to bolster both its reputational and commercial objectives. The publisher, which hosts a series of on-stage performances involving personal essays, humor and reporting, worked with the disability…

This Discreet, Lifesaving QR Code Might Make Brands Think Differently About Design

QR codes were one of the biggest comeback stories of the Covid-19 pandemic. According to Engine Insights, 76% of people have used them in the last two years, and 58% have grown more comfortable with using them since March 2020. The humble piece of tech has popped up everywhere from Super Bowl ads to restaurant…

Publishers Spin up Economic Explainer Products, Spurred by Reader Demand

As the U.S. economy grows more volatile, publishers have responded to rising demand for explanatory reporting by launching new editorial initiatives, designed to help readers navigate the financial landscape. Some, like The Washington Post, Barron’s and MarketWatch, have debuted new products that examine issues like inflation, rising gas prices and market irregularity. Others, like The…

These Are the 2022 Winners of D&AD’s Coveted Black Pencils

D&AD has awarded its Black Pencil–the industry award show’s top honor–to campaigns addressing the gun violence crisis in the U.S., pandemic frontline workers facing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and diverse representation of skin tones. The awards body gave out five Black Pencils this year. Two of them went to Leo Burnett Chicago’s “The Lost Class”…

Instagram Unveils New Visual Identity With a Focus on Accessibility, Legibility

Instagram shared the details behind its new visual identity Monday, saying that its goal from the beginning of the process was to provide its community worldwide with an immersive and inclusive experience by focusing on accessibility and legibility throughout the design process. “We approached the design evolution from a spirit of innovation and exploration by…

AAPI Creative Spotlight: Riri Tamura Recognizes the Influential Power of Good Design

While there are plenty of reasons to get into the creative side of advertising, LA-based visual designer Riri Tamura’s reason leans more into altruism. “What sparked my interest in creative advertising was the ability to use my creativity for good and influence society in some way,” she told Adweek for the AAPI Creative Spotlight series,…

Hendrick’s Gin Uses Lighthouses as Canvas for Stunning Projections

Britain’s lighthouses might not be an obvious inspiration for a creative initiative, but Hendrick’s Gin has enlisted three to be given a makeover using artistic projections to promote its Neptunia Gin release. Owned by distiller William Grant & Sons, Hendrick’s is a premium gin brand distilled in Scotland with an infusion of cucumber and rose…

LGBTQ+ Publisher Them Unveils a Brand Refresh Under New Leadership

The landscape of queer media has changed significantly in the nearly five years since Them launched, and the publisher aims to reflect that evolution in a brand refresh it unveiled Wednesday morning. The Cond? Nast property, which hired its new editor in chief Sarah Burke from Vice Media in October, announced a suite of updates…

This Archive of Old Outdoor Ads Serves as Design Inspiration for Brands

Trends tend to be somewhat cyclical, no matter where you’re looking at them. Whether that’s the return of the dreaded flare jean or thin eyebrows (much to the chagrin of every millennial who over-tweezed), there tends to be someone who looks at something from the past and finds nostalgic inspiration in it. And that is…

AKQA Acquires Made Thought to Form Design Collective The New Standard

WPP is to form a new design entity within the AKQA Group called The New Standard, following the acquisition of branding and design agency Made Thought. The formation of The New Standard sees Made Thought join with Universal Design Studio and industrial design studio Map Project Office under the umbrella to collaborate when necessary but…

Pantone Develops a Color Palette to Promote the Beauty of Finland

Finland is known, alongside the rest of the Nordics, as a place that is surrounded by natural beauty, which drives much of its tourism. To convey what visitors can expect, Pantone has created a color palette to evoke its look alongside a connected picture gallery of photos taken by its citizens. Developed by mobile technology…

MSQ Group Acquires Design Firm Elmwood to Merge With Holmes & Marchant

Agency group MSQ has acquired international design firm Elmwood in a seven-figure deal that will see it merge with the group’s Holmes & Marchant to create a new global design agency model. The acquisition of Elmwood, which employs around 200 people across its offices in London, New York and Singapore, has been supported through private…

The Inside Scoop on How Wes Anderson Designed a Dining Car for the World’s Most Luxurious Train

Celebrities are often spotted riding the Venice-Simplon Orient Express. The opulent train was made famous by Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express. Recent movies based on that 1934 novel have helped maintain that rail service’s rarefied air of classic luxury with hints of diabolical mystery. A single ticket from London to Venice goes for…

This TikToker Gave Brands the Refresh They Didn’t Know They Needed

Earlier this month, TikTok user Emily Zugay uploaded a satirical video in which she made mock redesigns of famous logos. A week later, huge brands like Adobe, Tampax, Nascar and Tinder had left comments on the video, begging her to make crude reimaginings of their own marks. She more than delivered, sharing more MS Paint-esque…

Two Brands Designed Superhero Capes for Kids That Destroy Air Pollution Near Schools

The statistics on air pollution are sobering: dirty air is the world’s biggest environmental killer, causing 4.2 million early deaths each year, according to the Clean Air Fund. But with governments taking little action, one brand has enlisted children in the fight against this deadly crisis. Energy company E.ON teamed up with fashion brand Scamp…

Fresh Bird: Twitter Adds Beakful of Design Changes

Twitter unveiled some design tweaks Wednesday with the aim of making its platform “more accessible, unique and focused on you and what you’re talking about.” The Chirp font the social network initially discussed in January is now being rolled out. Twitter’s color palette was updated to be more high contrast and less blue, which the…