Creative Boom

Shrewsbury (and surrounding area) creatives! I’m at it again with our local Creative Boom IRL. It’s at GlouGlou on Castle Gates. It’s free. It’s a mingle of creatives, so no pressure, no talks, no pitches. Just folk meeting up for a drink or two to make connections and friends. Bring one with you if you like. Will you be joining us? Would be great to see you. RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/ekFdHxAk (or just turn up on the night, I know some of you aren’t keen on that kind of thing) #creativecommunity #shrewsburyandsurroundingareacreatives #creativeboom

"I'm not that vain. And besides, I'm still alive!" 👀 That was Dutch photographer Erwin Olaf's response when asked to sit for a biography. He grew from a provocative Amsterdam nightlife photographer into one of his generation's most celebrated image-makers before his death in 2023. A new 392-page biography by Mischa Cohen traces the artist, the activist and the man behind the pictures. More on Creative Boom. 👇 https://lnkd.in/eMfiYgwZ #Photography #ArtBooks #Portrait #CreativeLegacy

Spent years mastering your craft, only to watch AI make production the cheap part? You're not alone 👀 The creatives in this week's Dear Boom say the fix isn't panic; it's reframing. "The real value isn't in the final artwork. It's in the thinking that leads to it," says Ian Paget of Logo Geek. Practical advice on selling judgment, taste and direction – the things AI can't replicate. We hear more of your thoughts on Creative Boom. 👇 Read more: https://lnkd.in/eYKJE9n4 #GraphicDesign #DesignThinking #CreativeCareers #AI

There's a lightning bolt hiding in this wordmark – did you spot it? 👀 Lark Design Studio's rebrand for Wottz, the British maker of custom EV charging cables, hangs its entire personality on one tiny detail: a bolt tucked into the crossbar of the double 't'. Around it sits a tight palette of core blue and neon yellow, the typeface Centra No.1 nodding to Gill Sans and New Rail Alphabet, and cable-inspired icons that run right down to an embossed badge on the connector heads. Proof that one well-executed idea beats maximalism. Full story on Creative Boom. 👇 https://lnkd.in/e8_gpdst #Branding #LogoDesign #Typography #GraphicDesign

Some animators chase pixel-perfect polish. Simon Vergély sprints in the opposite direction 👀 The self-taught French animator behind [SIC]Film builds his surreal films to feel rough, grainy and hand-touched. "Sometimes, it's imperfections that make the work feel alive," he says – and clients like Snapchat and Devialet seek him out for exactly that texture. His take on AI? A reminder that what makes you valuable is your touch, your way of seeing, and the consistency of your voice over time. More on Creative Boom. 👇 https://lnkd.in/gXJwY-BF #Animation #MotionDesign #Illustration #CreativeIndustry

A young man in an Easter bunny costume, alone on a misty beach – Britain's seaside, but not as the headlines tell it 👀 Photographer Polly Braden spent more than a year visiting seaside towns with journalist Lisa Bachelor, talking to 16 to 25-year-olds about their lives. The result, Against the Tide, has just opened at Arnolfini in Bristol. Rather than the usual stories of decline, the pair handed over some creative control – young people in Weston-super-Mare, Blackpool, Whitehaven and Brightlingsea were taught to take their own photographs, and their images hang alongside Braden's. As Michael from Blackpool puts it: 'So many good things are happening here, but nobody is telling those stories.' It runs until 27 September, and entry is free. Full story on Creative Boom. 👇 https://lnkd.in/eMJRxJGG #Photography #Exhibition #Bristol

Creatives of Manchester! I'm stepping up to host our local Creative Boom IRL this month, as the brilliant host Philippa Rustage can't make the next one. It's happening at HOME, Tony Wilson Place. It's free. It's a chilled-out mingle with creatives. No pressure. Our motto is "Don't be shy, say hi". Nothing intimidating or out there. No talks or panels. Just lovely people, meeting up for a drink or two and making connections and, hopefully, new friends. Will you be joining us? Would be ace to see you. RSVP here: https://luma.com/qchv2o5t Thanks to Love & Logic® for making us look good. And big love to Philippa Rustage and John Cooper for making this chapter awesome. I hope I do you proud! #creativecommunity #manchestercreatives #creativeboom

A machine that shreds the CVs of mothers pushed out of work – raised in the House of Commons 👀 Gemma Phillips spent 12 years at Saatchi & Saatchi. Since 2022, she's been consultant creative director for Pregnant Then Screwed, making work built on one stark figure: 74,000 women pushed out of work every year in the UK. 'Brands have an instinct to sugarcoat. Maybe they think we can't handle the truth. But we're already living the truth; that's the irony. The grit is where it's at.' She talks to Tom May about creative bravery, why humour can be the most respectful move of all, and the case for squiggly-line careers. #Advertising #CreativeIndustry #CreativeDirection Full interview on Creative Boom. 👇 https://lnkd.in/e47edQJ6

"I hope that when viewers see my work, they don't try to understand it first" 👀 Meet Cooot, the studio founded by Bai Mi in Zhengzhou, China, that designs brands to wrong-foot you on purpose – a brief sense of dislocation, then a familiar foothold. See it in PocketTAILS, a cocktail booklet series organised entirely around glassware, and BLO*R, a coffee brand built from the colours of ripening coffee cherries. Ayla Angelos spoke to Bai Mi about breaking habits without losing legibility: https://lnkd.in/eW-82gqP #Branding #Packaging #GraphicDesign