Magazine

Inspiration

Balancing distinction with familiarity - #MemberSpotlight

Have you ever heard of a no-waste designer? Creative Director of Misfit Creative Pete Brady might be a first. Pete believes that everything in design must have a purpose. There is no room for wasted space, no way that any part of a design may be...

Leaders

How can brands handle woke capitalism?

So 2020 was the year in which we saw brands moving increasingly closer to their consumers, in an attempt to show an understanding and humanity in the wake of the Coronavirus crisis. However, this was but the culmination of a long path which global...

Leaders

From condoms to cannabis: how to market your taboo product

The conversation around controversial and taboo sectors is changing. Topics that used to be hard to tackle even ten years ago are now out and in the open, which opens up a whole new world of possibilities for marketers and brands. It does, of course,...

Leaders

Integrated payments: the key to a unique shopping experience

UK Ecommerce is set to account for almost a quarter of all retail spend in the UK in 2020, and it’s well documented that the high-street is struggling to compete with online retailers. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has even called 2019...

Leaders

Unicorns of retail: How upstart D2C brands are changing the game

Direct-to-consumer (D2C) retailers are fast gaining ground in an overcrowded market at a time when high street retail’s woes are only deepening. As iconic brands like Barney’s and Victoria’s Secret struggle in the US and Mothercare...

Leaders

Out-of-home set to score highly during World Cup fever

Summer’s most high-profile sporting event is the perfect opportunity for brands to get outdoors With the UK’s most anticipated sporting event of 2018, the FIFA World Cup Russia, now well underway, and England emphatically qualifying for...

How to get your first job in CG

When applying for a job, people often say it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Well, we call BS on that. In our industry, talent and creativity are obviously paramount. But that’s a little vague, isn’t it? What are...

Leaders

Wonder what you look like as a singing yeti?

British fashion label Ted Baker has famously shunned conventional advertising throughout its 26 year history. Indeed, Ted Baker remains one of the only brands to have been built into an international designer label without an international...

Leaders

Closed ears. How the music industry ruined itself.

In 1999 a website called Napster appeared on the internet. With little in the way of its own content, and certainly no means nor intention of producing or releasing music, it set a ball rolling that in 2013 tumbled most of HMV’s high street...

Inspiration

Easy as 1-2-3? There are fewer ways to make big money from a website than you'd think.

Like most people in the creative industry, I know a fair few people who operate websites. Some of those sites are superbly designed and executed, others are a bit dull, and a minority are a right royal mess. It's also notable how few make real...

Workshop

Opinion - The will to live. How complacency is ruining retail.

by Magnus Shaw I hope you enjoyed your Bank Holiday, thunder storms and all. I did some light shopping on Sunday, such is my hectic rock and roll lifestyle. My good lady wife and I wanted to make a couple of specific purchases: some reading glasses...

Features

Modern Crimes Against Shoe Design: The Rise And Rise Of Crocs And UGG®.

There is a lot of ugly footwear on the high street these days, from high-heeled wellies to trainers with a camel toe feature; the recent developments in the realms of Average Joe shoe design have been well and truly shocking. However, few...

Industry

Annual 2024 - Who will see your work?

Will my work get seen by the "right" people is a key question when deciding on whether or not to enter any award. As a part of our commitment to making The Annual the "Most Award" we make sure that your entries are delivered to, and downloaded by,...

Features

All the best Christmas 2023 ads in one place #HolidaysMonth

Christmas exists, in my opinion, to soften the blow of winter. The nights seem endless, the days are barely given time to breathe, and the weather is reliably dour for most of us, so we need it really. Even as someone that doesn’t really care...

Inspiration

Bold Ann Summers campaign looks to destigmatise smear tests | #BehindTheIdea

Sex toy and lingerie retailer Ann Summers is looking to destigmatise cervical smear tests and communicate their vital importance to women with its latest integrated campaign. The social-first campaign was launched at the beginning of National...

Industry

Branding for startups – where to begin

Often an afterthought for new business startups, branding is an essential element that sometimes seems overly complicated – and expensive to implement. But it doesn't have to be that way, and having some idea of branding can help you establish an...

Workshop

Drawing the gap between in-house design and creative studios | #CompanySpotlight

Draw is a UK-born architectural interiors and branding agency whose mission is to “bridge the gap between in-house design and creative studios.” From new interior schemes to visual identity and packaging design, it works with leading...

Leaders

Training our creative brains and #GettingToKnow Graham Sykes of Landor & Fitch

For this week’s getting to know feature, we’re sitting down with Graham Sykes, ECD at Landor & Fitch and a man with a storied history in the creatives industries. Tell us a bit about your role! Is there a “typical” day? No...

Inspiration

Where do you go when you can't get going?

Back in September, I wrote about how comparison can be both a blessing and a curse for creatives. I talked about my own experience with ‘imposter syndrome’, and how we need to strike a balance between allowing other design professionals...

Industry

Going with the virtual flow - Top marketing trends of 2022

The marketing industry is always evolving and, as a result, the average consumer expects more and more each year. Every day, a new idea is put through its paces to entice customers and encourage them to make a purchase. The brands that refuse to...

Inspiration

Sticking it to Putin - The brands doing more than paying lip service to Ukraine

Never did I once think that in my lifetime we’d be seeing war in Europe and never did I think we’d see a historical figure in our midst that echoed the pure despotic evil of Adolf Hitler. But here we are, two weeks into a completely...

Leaders

Why traditional Christmas marketing plans have been ripped up for good

There’s always been that sense that you shouldn’t start Christmas adverting too early; that there’s a time and a place when it’s ok to utter the c-word for the first time each year. It’s traditionally been when John...

Inspiration

What is the metaverse and why should brands take it seriously?

For many, the term ‘metaverse’ probably conjures up images of Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One, Tron, or Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner-but there is much more to dissect here. The future of experience - 'The Metaverse' As we...

Features

Here's how Gamification will change advertising

You are having a stroll on the main high street, on your way to your favourite park in town. A few steps away from the main gates, you see a man running towards you. He looks scared. Click here to dodge him. Click here to stop him. You dodge the...

Leaders

How can today’s finance brands navigate the years ahead?

We are approaching a whole new world for brands and consumers alike, one in which humanity will matter more than anything else. Yet, it would be foolish to overlook what has happened in the past 16 months - and how the financial struggles of many...

Leaders

Social Commerce: the new retail avenue for brands

Following the rise of social media during the pandemic, one may be left to wonder about the destiny of retail and how retail sales will be shaped by such surge in social media user bases. It is true that there is an opportunity for brands to take on...

Features

Beware, retail brands: Amazon Fresh's till-less store may be the future of consumer experience

There couldn't have been a better time for Amazon to open its till-less store in London. Think about it: we're all stuck at home for at least a few more months, having to comply with social-distancing rules and probably quite bored during the...

Leaders

Amazon, Black Friday and everything else - The creative future of digital commerce

With shopping peaks continuing to drive major sales for brands, it’s more important than ever for retailers to be prepared for moments in the year like Black Friday, Singles’ Day and Cyber Monday. Whilst you might expect the opposite...