The Design Block
If you're looking for the latest in advertising and marketing, design related technology and lifestyle tips, and art or design highlights then you're in the right place. Find all this and more with the Design Block blog.
10 of the most impactful ads by the WWF
The WWF utilizes powerful advertising with thought-provoking visuals to shed light on critical issues.
McDonald’s highlights home delivery with half a logo
Minimalism seems to be taking brands by storm, and this campaign from McDonald's uses less than half of its logo.
5 steps to using psychology in your advertising
To help your ads stand out in a crowded market, you first need to learn about consumer thought processes.
Coca-Cola uses optical illusion so you see its iconic bottle
Coke believes it’s so iconic that our brain needs little to feel it — and to desire it.
Old Spice Guy returns 10 years later as an uncool dad
Old Spice gets back on the horse to mark the 10 year anniversary of its “Smell Like a Man, Man” campaign.
No logo. No images. But you know these are McDonald’s ads
There aren't many brands that could pull off a campaign with no images, products or even a company logo.
Planters kills off Mr. Peanut after 104 years
Known for his top hat, cane and monocle, the famous mascot apparently sacrificed himself in a pre-Super Bowl ad.
Burger King offers Harry & Meghan its crown
BK is asking Harry and Meghan to don a different kind of crown — one of the paper variety.
M&M’s steals KFC’s “Finger-Lickin’ Good” slogan
M&M's chocolate bar filled melts in your hand too, so the company hijacks KFC's slogan for 48 hours.
BK misses the deadline, so they ask fans to complete it
BK recently published an unfinished ad, calling upon fans to make improvements on it.
UK regulator banned Volkswagen ad for being ‘sexist’
Commercials from Volkswagen and Philadelphia Cream Cheese have been banned by new UK regulations.
Washington’s Metro launches ad about manspreading
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority asks manspreaders to think about the comfort of other passengers.
German cycling safety campaign being called sexist and stupid
A German ad campaign to get cyclists to wear helmets has sparked accusations of sexism.
Dunkin’ and Saucony reunite for donut-inspired sneakers
Saucony has teamed up with Dunkin’ for co-branded sneakers that looks so good you'll want to eat them.
Anti-cruelty campaign shows animals get no pleasure from suffering
How do you push people to action when it comes to anti-cruelty? You create controversy.
Russian start-up plans to deploy space-based billboards
A Russian startup, StartRocket, plans massive billboards to beam advertisements to Earth from space.
BK uses actual photos of car crashes to encourage home delivery
Some people are so hungry for a Whopper that they don’t just go through the drive-thru, they go through the entire restaurant. And that’s what led Burger King to create this campaign by Lola MullenLowe, promoting home delivery with images of real car crashes that occurred…
Volkswagen’s ad about avoiding advertising bans ironically gets banned
Volkswagen’s “Too powerful for TV“ commercial was, apparently, too powerful for television in Australia. The humorous commercial was banned in the country for breaking advertising codes of conduct and for being “unsafe”.
Organ donation ad featuring Jesus at the crucifixion sparks controversy
An Australian group has released a new ad to promote organ donation. And as they point out in the ad, organ donation can save lives. However, the number of people who register for organ donation remains relatively low.
Burger King’s AI-written ads prove tech can’t substitute great ideas
Using artificial intelligence (AI) to revolutionize the future of marketing might be a threat to certain jobs, but Burger King isn’t buying into it yet.
Lingerie campaign celebrates models of all sizes and bans airbrushing
UK-based lingerie brand Figleaves has released its latest campaign that includes a cast models of different sizes, shapes and ethnicities. What also makes this campaign special is that Figleaves is the latest brand to ban airbrushing in their ads.
Over-the-top Toyota ad replaces Chuck Norris with a truck
Chuck Norris is so tough that there’s no chin under his beard, only another fist. But this new commercial by Toyota sees the roundhouse kicking actor being replaced by a truck.
People aren’t happy with the new Jack in the Box commercial
The burger chain Jack in the Box has recently drawn criticism for its new TV commercial. The ad for the company’s new Teriyaki Bowls riffs off the word “bowls” and features not-so-subtle references to male genitalia.
Burger brand apologizes for using beheaded photojournalist in ad
Washington DC-based Z-Burger has apologized after causing a stir for its inappropriate use of an image for its marketing.
Ad agency leases women’s armpits as advertising space
We’ve gone from being exposed to about 500 ads a day back in the 1970’s to as many as 5,000 a day today. But, if you think the saturation of advertisements in cities like London, New York or Japan are heavy now, just wait. An idea that literally goes to the…
Shutterstock comes to the rescue in witty print ad campaign
Stock photography website, Shutterstock is used by designers and agencies the world over. And to highlight their coming to the rescue of those creatives, Dominican Republic ad agency Cazar DDB has created a trio of witty print ads to promote the stock photography company and its offerings.
Fruit of the Loom has a message for shirtless selfie men on Instagram
For men on social media, the shirtless selfie has become a ubiquitous calling card, shamelessly saying, “Here I am! See me! Notice me! ‘Like’ me!” Clothing brand Fruit of the Loom has taken notice and are worried that men’s lower-quality shirts are being #ripped and #shredded.
New survey finds people cannot correctly remember food brand logos
Despite millions spent on marketing, a new study by Kitchen Cabinet Kings finds that very few consumers can accurately remember food brand logos of the most well-known companies.
Spice up your Valentine’s with KFC’s chicken scratch & sniff cards
This Valentine’s Day, KFC wants you to send your crush a special card. To show your loved ones how much you care, give them a fried chicken scratch & sniff Valentine’s Day card featuring Colonel Sanders.
The top 5 commercials from the 2018 Super Bowl
By now you probably know that the Eagles upset the Super Bowl favourites, the Patriots. But, if you watched the Super Bowl mainly for the new commercials, you probably got to see the best and worst that money can buy.
Spotify reveals 2017 users’ most embarrassing listening habits
The popular streaming service Spotify has once again erected a number of billboards that expose the shameless listening habits of some of its users. Titled 2018 Goals, the new campaign proves that clearing out your “recently played” just isn’t enough anymore.
KFC launches festive bucket designs created by 5 artist collectives
Just in time for the holidays, KFC has unveiled a series of six new limited edition festive bucket design. Forgoing KFC’s typical festive campaign, this year they’ve decided to put their iconic bucket in the spotlight.
Giant London billboard knows your car, even how you’re feeling
Many drivers and pedestrians have become used to tuning out billboard advertisements. But what if those billboards could serve up ads to you based on your vehicle, or even how you’re feeling? One London billboard is trying just that.
Facebook faces backlash after banning ad of a woman shaving her legs
We’ve all heard stories of Facebook and Instagram banning posts and advertisements that contain nudity. Their reasoning is that it’s adult content and not suitable for some of their users. Fair enough. However, sometimes it seems as though they pick and choose which posts they take down. The latest…
Snowbird ski resort cleverly uses 1-star review in its ad
From intermediate to expert skiers, Snowbird ski resort in Utah is renowned for its challenging slopes. However, one guest found the mountains to be a bit too challenging and wrote a 1-star review of his stay.
Controversial KFC Whole Chicken ad will not face an investigation
We all know that the meat we eat used to be a barnyard animal. And as both an Art Director and a farmer, I know that not a lot of people like being reminded of that fact. That, however, is some of the criticism behind…
Award winning ads show how humans are getting dumber
Our world is populated by different kinds of people, all with hugely varying levels of intelligence. And while most consider themselves intelligent, it can be very hard to get an accurate assessment of our own intelligence. After all, our thoughts tend to sound smart in…
Clever ads use optical illusions to encourage pet adoption
Pet adoption is a wonderful thing. Ask any pet owner, and they’ll probably tell you that their furry friend has made their family feel complete. Photographer Amol Jadhav along with art director Pranav Bhide took that concept and transformed a brilliant idea into striking ads that are more than…
LEGO builds its way to award-winning campaign at Cannes festival
After a decade of being nearly forgotten, LEGO has rebuilt itself into a global toy juggernaut. Fuelled in part by The LEGO Movie‘s popularity, the company surpassed rival Mattel to become the biggest toy manufacturer in the world. The LEGO bricks are available in 53 different…
Smirnoff humorously trolls Trump with new transit ad
Whether you like your vodka straight, on the rocks or in your Bloody Mary, there’s a reason Smirnoff received a ton of buzz recently. In its new transit shelter ad campaign, Smirnoff takes a shot at President Donald Trump.
Real estate ad for a $100 million mansion is basically softcore porn
You’ll hear the phrase often when you enter the advertising industry: sex sells. But do people really buy a product just because it has sexually stimulating imagery attached to it? For this US$100 million OPUS mansion in Beverly Hills, half-naked women covered in gold paint star in a…
Penis seat installed on a Mexico City train to highlight sexual harassment
Have you ever been sexually harassed on public transit before? If you’re in Mexico City, it happens quite a bit. The United Nations and Mexico City‘s government have joined together to launch this campaign against the soaring rates of sexual harassment on the city’s public transit. How? By…
Real estate agency In hot water for objectifying women in sexist ad
A transit poster popped up recently in the London Underground that’s turning heads for the wrong reasons. Real estate agency Marsh and Parsons has received severe criticism following the release of an advertisement objectifying women.
Zara’s ‘Love Your Curves’ ad draws harsh criticism and humorous responses
You should always be weary of what you say or post online—especially on Twitter. Clothing brand Zara certainly learned that after posting an ad showing two models with the tagline, “Love your curves.”
New Burger King ad campaign has its restaurants up in flames
Burger King is serious about flame grilling its burgers. So much so that its new print ad campaign has the photos to prove it. Literally burning the house down, Burger King’s latest ads shows its restaurants up in flames; a consequence, according to the ads, of the…
Clever campaign for erotic books gets around censorship
How can you create an advertising campaign for a series of erotic books without getting dealing with censorship? That was the challenge for Brussels-based communications agency Mortierbrigade.
Minimalist WWF ads show the impact of global warming
Climate change is already having a significant impact on global ecosystems and communities. Rising average temperatures don’t simply mean warmer winters. Some regions are already experiencing more extreme heat, cold, flooding and drought. To help raise awareness, Leo Burnett Philippines has come up with a collection of print…
Powerful ads feature animals tied up like garbage bags
An argument can be made that in order to deserve respect from other humans, you need to be human. However, with peoples deep love for animals, it raises fundamental questions about the basis of moral rights.
Life in an ad agency shown through stock photos
Stock photos get a lot of hate. And most of time, the annoyance makes sense. We’ve all seen our share of cliché images, and there are lots of weird, creepy ones that leave you wondering who would want to use them. Then you see them thrown in…
College student’s photo series protests rapists release
In June of this year, Brock Turner, a former student at Stanford University in California, was sentenced for rape. He received only six months for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman behind a dumpster at a campus party. As you can probably imagine, many people were understandably…