Yesterday saw the Designs of the Year exhibition open at London's Design Museum. Get a behind the scenes look here. It's surely a show every self-respecting creative needs to make room for in the diary. We're delighted to see the work of illustrator Noma Bar recognised by the judges. With the Queen marking 60 years as Head of State, and the celebration of Dickens' bicentenary, it's a big week for philatelists and the Royal Mail's press office, who have unveiled six new stamps to commemorate her madge's Diamond Jubilee, and also announced a Dickens collection that will launch in June, featuring illustrations by frequent Dickens collaborator Hablot Knight Brown, better known as Phiz. I mentioned in my last newsletter that while many people have taken advantage of the seasonal spike in recruitment and managed to land themselves new jobs, the passing of the New Year sees plenty of others who are following through on resolutions to strike out on their own. John Fountain's piece on the Creativepool blog offers some sound advice for those doing so, and if you're on Linkedin, be sure to join our Freelance only group. Michael Tomes Managing Director, Creativepool @CPMike

Design

Creative copywriting – the rude approach

Pitching for work - or even trying to solicit for work on spec - can be difficult at the best of times. Before Christmas, Ashley had hit a bit of a copywriting dry spell, so he thought he'd try out a new approach: being rude. Within 30 minutes of sending a rude (although tongue-in-cheek) email to the MD of a company, criticising their direct mailings, he'd got an email back, asking him to put his money where his mouth is. He did - and got the job. Click here to see what rewards a sharp tongue can win...

Design

10 of the best packaging designs

From cool and tasteful to wacky and downright weird, effective packaging can enable a product to be seen in an entirely new light. Here are ten of my absolute favourites. From spaghetti to headphones, this list covers products from all walks of life. Pretty packages

Design

Some of the most memorable advertising campaigns in recent history have involved humour. The truth is consumers prefer being entertained rather than pitched to, and so appealing to them emotionally can lead to further engagement and better sales. So how come there’s less stuff on telly to tickle our bones? Is it because it’s just too risky? Or have clients and creatives lost their balls? Show me the funny

Motion Graphics

Showreel of the week - Pratik Patel

Dark Black, a lively showreel by Creativepool freelance member Pratik Patel, demonstrates a gift for combining great animation with live action. The reel is a blend of advertising work for household name brands, as well as some top television infographics. See it here and why not Join us on Vimeo

Interview

Clare Bishop

Clare is a creative retoucher based in London. Having worked with a mix of creative studios around London, including top CGI house Saddington Baynes, she set up as a freelancer a few years, and hasn't looked back since. Find out what it takes to make it as a retoucher

Copywriting

Build’s creative director talks about the importance of staying hands on while running a team, working for The Designers Republic and, er, apps for London’s buses. Build it and they will come

Fashion

London Fashion Week

It’s that time of year again. London Fashion Week is here in less than two weeks. You can check out the provisional schedule for the sartorial supershow here. Visit London Fashion Week

Competition

Vimeo Redesign

Vimeo recently unveiled a major site redesign. Digital Arts shares some of the company’s behind-the-scenes thinking. Take a look at the vimeo revamp

Media

Over 2,000 likes on Facebook

Creativepool has hit 2,000 fans on Facebook. If you haven’t done so already, come on in, the water’s lovely. Creativepool on Facebook

Video

Jenny Odell – Using Google Earth as an art tool

Google Earth is a fascinating concept alone. Hours can be spent hovering over childhood homes, possible holiday destinations, exact locations of Argos etc etc. But now the ever-growing capabilities of Google Earth are being celebrated by the artist Jenny Odell who has come up with a series of interesting projects based on online geographical tools. Applying a fresh perspective of imagination and spending hours' collecting' various images from the maps, Jenny has embarked on a number of awe-inspiring projects to make us think about just how amazing being a human being on this planet is and how much of an impact us humans are having. The world is your oyster

Design

Take your pick. Why consumer choice is not always a good thing

'Do you want fries with that?', 'Any pastries?' - modern life is all about vital choices. But do we really need to use a social network to select the person with whom we are prepared to share a flight? The notion that adding choice to every consumer transaction or social policy makes the world a wonderful place is a myth that needs exposing. Magnus Shaw is happy oblige. Too picky?

Social

Our Linkedin groups have been getting a lot of interest of late. We have three groups, the main Creativepool Network is for everyone working in the creative industries, we also have a Creative Director only group and one especially for freelancers. On the main group this week Rhea Babia asked for advice on how one goes about developing a personal, recognisable style. It’s a good question, and quite a few people chipped in with their two pennies’ worth. If you are a Creative Director then maybe you can get involved in this quite incredible App Jury which James Sinclair is looking for members for. And for those freelancers out there the main point of topic on your group was something the MD here at Creativepool started. The topic is on flexible hours and whether or not these are a problem for freelancers. Join The Creativepool Network

Freelance

This week's pick of freelance talent on CP

The best current freelancers on the site are right here! Click an image to view their profile. Did your work make it into this space? No? If you'd like to get your work in front of over 60,000 readers of the CP newsletter then make sure your profile is up to date and displaying your best work. Then let Chris know and make sure you keep checking our newsletters to see if you made the grade. Get your work included

5 things we like...

Create toys with rubbish, she says - literally, a mag that isn't about boats, artist books blog and some titles.
	makedo Create any toy you can imagine using just discarded packaging and makedo's clever little clips
	She Says The women's-only organisation bringing a little more gender balance to the creative industries
	Boat Magazine A fine example of how great a mag can be. The city-themed publication comes to London with its next issue.
	Simon Goode's Tumblr Simon is a crafter of artists' books. His tumblr offers a wealth of visual chow for lovers of a well designed tome.
	Art of the Title Some of the most impressive film titles ever put to celluloid, all in one place.