Here is our round up of the news stories and industry articles that caught our eye during January 2025.
The folklore of Henry Hung Chang is rich in symbolism but has delicate colours
Born in a temple established by his grandparents, Henry Hung Chang grew up in Taiwan. He claims, “As a closed-off queer child, I was both perplexed and captivated.” He tells us that although he found many aspects of his rigidly religious upbringing challenging, he was enthralled with the folktales found in many East Asian folk faiths, including his family’s. These legendary tales from his early years would serve as a major source of inspiration for him as a painter and artist years later.
Find out more in It’s Nice That.
Microsoft’s outrageous Google website imitation branded a ‘new low’
It is said that imitation is the purest form of flattery, which may be why Dell opted to completely abandon Apple’s ‘Pro’ and ‘Pro Max’ branding schemes for its own laptops this week. Microsoft has now presented an even more egregious instance of what we may kindly refer to as “borrowing.”
The business has come under fire for mimicking the look of another reasonably well-known search engine on the Bing search results page. If you search for “Google” on Bing, you can mistakenly believe that you have truly left the latter website. Unfortunately, it appears that you are still heavily using Bing.
Find out more in Creative Bloq.
Art Vinyl names Record Cover Artwork of the Year
At the Hari in Belgravia, London, Art Vinyl announced the winner of the 20th greatest Art Vinyl Award, which is the yearly art prize for the year’s greatest record cover design.
‘Love Heart Cheat Code’, the fourth studio album by the Australian jazz/funk band Hiatus Kaiyote, featured artwork by multimedia artist Rajni Perera, located in Toronto, which won first prize. The record was selected from a varied shortlist of 50 recognisable and memorable vinyl cover art pieces from 2024 and was released by Brainfeeder and Ninja Tune.
Find out more in Creative Boom.
It’s official: AI is coming for your job
Concerned about your graphic design job? If not, perhaps you ought to be. because the profession has received dismal news from the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) most recent Future of Jobs Report.
According to the 2025 research, graphic design will be the eleventh fastest-declining employment area over the next five years, with 1,000 firms representing over 14 million people across 55 nations.
Compared to the previous survey, which classified graphic design as a “moderately growing” profession, it represents a significant change. Additionally, there are no rewards for identifying the primary offender.
Find out more in Creative Boom.
From brick to banana
Before smartphones, wearable technology, and scrolling was a hobby, Nokia was the company that created the unbreakable “brick” phone, Snake battles, and personalised ringtones. During a period when technology was still figuring out its role in society, the Finnish business rose to prominence with its futuristic “banana,” which was made famous in The Matrix, sleek silver 8210, and Y2K flip phones.
Nokia shaped personality in addition to producing phones. Mobile phones were an extension of who you were before Samsungs or iPhones became the standard. Nokia made these gadgets appealing—even stylish. It was the first to use technology as a means of self-expression, when the focus was on who you were when you pulled the trigger rather than likes, comments, or shares.
Find out more in It’s Nice That.
Parkinson’s UK gets an overhaul
Parkinson’s UK and London creative agency Red Stone have partnered to give the organisation’s brand a striking new appearance that focuses on addressing the requirements of the modern Parkinson’s community. Since Parkinson’s disease is the fastest-growing neurological disorder in the world, impacting almost 153,000 people in the UK alone, the charity sought an identity that more accurately reflected its goal of ensuring that everyone with the disease may live better today.
Understanding the lived experiences of the Parkinson’s community served as the foundation for the creative process. Red Stone engaged with more than a thousand people by holding workshops, conducting interviews, and even participating in neighbourhood gatherings.
Find out more in Creative Boom.
HOME Arches: £3.5m artist development hub opens in Manchester
The opening of a new £3.5 million artist development hub along Whitworth Street West, tucked beneath one of Manchester’s busiest railway lines, has significantly boosted the area’s arts and culture industry. HOME Arches, a component of the city’s top arts venue HOME, provides 5,000 hours of free studio, development, and manufacturing space annually in an effort to encourage local artists.
Three historic railway arches have been converted into a hub for the development of creative talent thanks to the initiative, which was partially supported by the government’s Levelling Up fund. Co-working spaces, rehearsal rooms and a specially designed public exhibition area that is visible from the street are all part of the 258 square metre building.
Find out more in Creative Boom.
About DWH
DWH is an award winning Coventry-based creative design agency offering a full range of services including:
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.