Image licensed via Adobe Stock Three-quarters of you say that Instagram has become "useless" for reach and engagement. With the help of the Creative Boom community, we revisit some alternative strategies to get attention. In today's sluggish economy, finding new clients and maintaining a steady workflow is more challenging than ever for graphic designers, illustrators, artists and other creatives. And here's one more thing that isn't helping. While Instagram has long been a useful channel for showcasing our creativity, its effectiveness for reaching potential clients is waning due to algo ..read more

Hideki Yoshimoto and Marjan van Aubel have been pushing the boundaries in their Milan Design Week installations for car giant Lexus. We report from the show. The world's largest design event, Milan Design Week, is a funny old thing. Originally a furniture fair, it's grown over the years into a massive week-long celebration of creativity and innovation in furniture, lighting, fashion, textiles and all kinds of product design. This being Milan, one of the world's fashion capitals, almost everyone who attends (this reporter excepted) is attractive, stylish and elegantly dressed. This air of ex ..read more

The Swiss artist's new installation, Arena For a Tree, encased in a basket-type structure of wooden ribs, not only asks audiences to reflect on themes of nature and sustainability, but delivers a stark warning on climate change. Unveiled in Venice as part of the opening for the 60th International Art Exhibition, the Arena For a Tree installation sees Basel-based visual artist Klaus Littmann take a bald cypress tree and transport it to a floating platform in the waters around the historic Arsenale Nord. Nestled in a grandstand that can accommodate up to 50 people at a time, it acts as an imm ..read more

Photography by Fiona Finchett Illustrator Len Grant has drawn the places and people that make Manchester's Northern Quarter so special in his new book, Bars and Barbers. But he needs your help to make it a reality. If you've seen a man cycling through the streets of Manchester's Northern Quarter at the weekend with a sketchbook and stool in tow, chances are it's Len Grant. That's because the renowned urban sketcher has spent the last couple of years busily drawing the unique charms of the city's hippest neighbourhood. Now, these drawings, along with anecdotes he overheard while sketching ..read more

Virgin Wines has introduced its first major rebrand in two decades, including a fresh logo, colour palette, and typography. Crafted by Norwich agency Borne, it's designed to breathe new life into the range and emphasise the "joy of wine from grape to glass". Almost two decades since entering the market with a vision to shake up the traditional wine connoisseur space, Virgin Wines recently decided it needed to adapt and refine its brand to better reflect its unique value proposition. Nathan Wadlow, brand and digital marketing director at Virgin Wines, said it was the company's intention to n ..read more

Philadelphia-based artist Adam Shub pays homage to the films and games of his youth in a series of meticulously planned pixel paintings. We caught up with him to hear how he paints them by hand. When it comes to evoking nostalgia, few things send back people of a certain age more than the sight of pixellated game art. While not as smooth or sophisticated as today's impressive graphics, pixel art has a charm of its own that captures the spirit of the 1980s and '90s. In his glorious handmade paintings, Adam Shub, aka Squarepainter, recalls his youth and the films and games that made it specia ..read more

Illustrator, animator, and prolific sketchbook keeper Léon Moh-Cah reveals how she travelled the world and connected with people through her art. It's surely the dream of many artists to pack their bags and set off on a round-the-world adventure where their art pays their way. However, French artist Léon Moh-Cah has turned that fantasy into a reality with her project, The Roving Sketchbook. Having taken her from Brazil to South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and the Canary Islands, Léon's Roving Sketchbook has connected her with a big group of friends and even led to her meeting her husband ..read more

The high-protein, gluten-free UK sausages get a brand overhaul courtesy of the global consultancy. Sausages are lovely, but the traditional kind isn't good for cholesterol levels. And they're not much use for vegetarians or anyone trying to afford gluten, either. So, in recent years, HECK! has made a name for itself in UK supermarkets by supplying alternative sossies that are gluten-free, higher in protein, and include a great range of meat-free versions. They've now unveiled playful new branding designed to reinvigorate the category appeal to a younger audience. Developed in partnership wi ..read more

Slow & Low uses a blackletter typeface from Sharp Type called Respira, which resonates with the aesthetics of both lowrider and Chicano cultures. Chicago-based studio Span has designed a retrospective book of Chicago's Lowrider community titled Slow & Low, featuring custom lettering and photographic compositions that "evoke a film-like cadence". Lowrider culture emerged in the 1940s, created by Mexican-American veterans whose customised, lowered-body cars became an extension of their personalities. Lowrider car clubs were prominent during the mid-20th century and remain a part of Ch ..read more

Anthony Hurd, Howdy Stranger, 2024 With Beyonce's album Cowboy Culture riding high in the charts, the opening of the new exhibition Weird West couldn't be better timed. We reveal the thinking behind this new take on cowboy culture. Many of us love a good Western. But even the most devoted fans of the genre know that it's mostly BS. The image of a "Wild West" filled with countless gunfights was a myth generated primarily by dime-novel authors in the late 19th century. Yes, there was some rowdiness in frontier towns, but they weren't complete free-for-alls. Sheriffs kept some order, and cow ..read more