Here is our round up of the news stories and industry articles that caught our eye during July 2022.
Advertising breaks on UK television could become longer
The length and frequency of commercial breaks on UK television may increase as Ofcom evaluates the broadcasting regulations.
The regulator is looking at the “complex” regulations that establish limits for public service broadcasters that are “stricter than the norms set for commercial broadcasters” and that determine the frequency and duration of broadcast TV advertising.
According to current regulations, ITV1 and Channel 5 are only allowed to air an average of seven minutes of commercials every hour of programming on any given day. Other networks, however, are permitted up to nine minutes during primetime.
Read the article in Marketing Week.
Penguin announces 2022 Cover Design Award winners
Penguin is well known for its book covers and there is strong rivalry for its honours. Adult Fiction, Adult Non-Fiction, and Children’s are the three categories for this year, and competitors are asked to reimagine the covers for books by Bernardine Evaristo, Dara McAnulty, and Robin Stevens.
This year, the publisher accepted everyone interested in becoming a designer, regardless of their level of higher education, and got over 1,500 entries (previously those entering were required to be studying on a further education or higher education course).
Read the article in Creative Review.
IPO releases design protection review findings
In response to a request for feedback on the UK designs framework, the government’s comments have been made public by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO).
The UK’s present system for protecting designs is known as the Design Framework, or “designs systems,” as the IPO also refers to it. In the aftermath of the UK’s decision to leave the European Union, this has been under review (EU).
The conclusions come after a two-month informal consultation that took place from January to March and during which the government requested evidence-based solutions to queries regarding the present system. The poll examined issues including the system’s complexity, the effectiveness of the user experience, and the importance of intellectual property rights.
Read the article in Design Week.
Uber’s brand takes hit following damning leak
Since the release of the Uber files, a global investigation of the aggressive expansion strategies used by the taxi-hailing industry between 2013 and 2017, the reputation of Uber has suffered.
Uber broke the law, secretly lobbied governments, and offered shares to media moguls in order to sway favourable coverage as it pursued the disruption of the world taxi market, according to the more than 124,000 confidential documents that were leaked to the Guardian by the company’s former chief lobbyist in Europe, Mark MacGann.
Read the article in Marketing Week.
Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Royal Mail stamps
A set of eight stamps from the Royal Mail have been released to support the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Find out more in Design Week.
Why typography still packs a punch when it comes to protest
San Francisco exhibition Strikethrough: Typographic Messages of Protest aims to “chart a typographic chant of resistance” through mixing the histories of dissent and graphic design.
Read the article in Creative Review.
The cost of living crisis and consumer confidence
As the price of food and fuel rises and interest rates skyrocket, the “financial tone of the country” is “darken[ed], and consumer confidence continues to deteriorate, stagnating at a historically low level.”
According to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), inflation reached a fresh 40-year high last month, rising to 9.4%, while data from Kantar showed food price inflation at 9.9% in June.
Read the article in Marketing Week.
Gérard DuBois takes V&A Illustration Awards 22 top prize
The V&A Illustration Awards, now in their 50th year, showcase some of the best work being produced in the publishing industry, focusing on both journalism and illustrations for books and book covers. The award’s student division selects some of the most talented young people.
For his acrylic paintings done for the Folio Society’s special edition of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, French illustrator Gérard DuBois won the Moira Gemmill Illustrator of the Year Prize and the Book Illustration Award for 2022. Numerous children’s books as well as magazines, including the New York Times, have included DuBois’ illustrations.
Read the article in Creative Review.
Jonathon Bright
Jonathon is the DWH marketing guru and handles all marketing, copywriting and social media duties. With over 25 years experience working with clients and agencies across the globe, his role is to provide all things marketing from lead generation strategies right through to writing blogs and press articles. With two Marketing degrees and a successful track record of working with sole traders, SME’s & FTSE 100 companies his full mix experience can deliver results whatever the budget.