Staying sustainable in tricky times

Towards the end of 2021, 180 Studios in The Strand put on an exhibition celebrating the director Wes Anderson's new film, The French Dispatch. We explore how graphic design and illustration brought the movie to life in a fascinating show.

With the challenges of Plan B and fewer people feeling comfortable visiting stores, how are brands using social media to get their messages across?

This week’s festive insights tour took us westwards to the centre of Birmingham, where the Bullring and Grand Central revealed the reality of the past 20 months.

​​We returned to London to see how the festivities have dialled up across the capital. From neon displays to opulent disco balls, London was feeling festive but leaning more into a party atmosphere than your traditional festive rite of passage.

To give a broader picture of festive retail in 2021 we have ventured away from the capital, up north to Manchester to look at retail both in the city, and out-of-town at the sprawling Trafford Centre.

As our festive insights start again, we look at how brands and retailers have responded to the pandemic in the run up to Christmas, and how the retail landscape is looking from a customer’s point of view…

Many of us are starting to think about what we’ll do, where we’ll go and what we’ll buy once we’re ‘back to normal’. So what types of messages are out there, and has there been a shift in the way that brands are talking to their customers?

How are brands balancing a sense of motivation and optimism with the reality of lockdown life?

With everyone feeling the need for love and connection more than ever, brands and retailers are looking at ways to deliver on this for the festive period.

Our festive research continues with a look into how wellness and health brands are adapting to our first (and hopefully last) Covid-Christmas. 

Our festive research continues with a look into how beauty brands are innovating this Christmas to adapt to the current state of the world and inject hope with powerful charity campaigns.

Our festive research continues with a look into how brands and retailers are adapting to the current state of the world and how it affects their Christmas campaigns.

Our festive research this year starts with a pre-lockdown trip to London to assess the general mood from retailers and brands.

With home and garden spending rising significantly during the pandemic, we take a look at how some home brands are reacting to this where footfall in stores is still fairly low.

As the need for people to shop safely is here for the foreseeable future, how best can retailers and brands communicate these important messages?

We ventured back into the world of retail to see how London retailers and brands have responded to the reopening of stores – looking at the delicate balance of keeping shoppers safe but encouraging them to shop again.

Over the last couple of months the nation has been trying to keep active, with the likes of Joe Wicks and Mr Motivator to name but two. How have sports brands changed their approach to stay relevant?

During lockdown, screen time and engagement on social media has seen an unparalleled increase as some retailers and companies put their ‘business as usual’ to one side to focus on the needs of their young audiences, inspiring creativity through virtual connectivity.

Despite the fact normal life has been put on hold, issues around climate change are not going away. To coincide with Earth Day, here are some examples of how these important messages are being communicated.

How the entertainment industry is rethinking ways to keep us all tuning in.

Our pick of inspirational and creative ideas currently out there for everyone working from home.

An overview of things that caught our eye in London in February 2020.

As January brings our yearly dose of healthy, active and wellbeing messages, the new decade adds a layer of corporate responsibility and continued sustainability…

In the countdown to the ‘big day’, we’re wrapping up our Christmas insights with a last look at some of the more unusual installations and celebrations around the capital.

With a thriving creative scene and an increasing reputation as the largest cultural hub outside of London, Manchester is one of the most exciting cities in the country. We’ve wrapped up warm and headed North to see what festive experiences the city has to offer shoppers.

From installations to interactivity, pop-ups to personalisation, brands have done some quick and quirky thinking to bring Christmas shoppers back to London’s high street.

We took ourselves off to Birmingham to see what festive delights the city had to pique our interest. We weren’t disappointed. From future visions of Christmas, to taking a trip on the Polar Express, Brum has played a blinder.

We’re totally wowed by all the festive goings-on in the West End, and totally inspired by the seismic shift to a more environment-friendly approach to Christmas.

With festivities in full swing on the high street, we’ve been out and about in the capital, looking at the most interesting ways to get into the Christmas spirit.

From foggy fun to tech playgrounds and pop-ups, here are some of our highlights from the early part of September…

From non-shops to pop-ups – here's a list of our top 10 retail must-sees this month…

The newly formed Birmingham Design Festival is now in its second year and judging by the lineup and attendance, is going from strength to strength.

Bauhaus (meaning ''house of building'') started its journey as an art school from 1919-1933, and still endures today as a global art movement.

Visiting the Design Museum's 'Home Futures: Living in Yesterday's Tomorrows' exhibition on the same day as the new Ikea Greenwich store makes an interesting comparison.

New Year’s resolutions, Dry January, Sugar Free February: the public interest in eating and living well is showing no signs of shifting.

2019 marks 50 years since man – specifically, Neil Armstrong – first set foot on the moon.

From screen printing nuns to '70s rock 'n' roll, March had a lot of colourful experiences to recommend – here are some highlights...

Whether Shakespeare leaves you ''bedazzled'' (The Taming of the Shrew) or a ''green-eyed monster'' (Othello), his legacy lives on to this day.

I was lucky enough to attend the OFFF London festival last weekend and it really showed why design festivals are still so important for our industry.