Katy Cowan

Manchester

Founding Editor at Creative Boom

Host at The Creative Boom Podcast

Founding editor of @creativeboom, a magazine and podcast for creatives across art and design.

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Articles

AI Jesus has risen-and He's got thoughts on what you should buy

1 week ago | creativeboom.com | Katy Cowan

What happens when faith, capitalism and generative AI collide? You get AI Jesus, a surreal and strangely soothing online experience that's equal parts spiritual satire and performance art. Just in time for Easter, artists Ben Polkinghorne, Zach Bishop and Chris Chapman are behind www.aiJesus.live, a free-to-use website that invites users to "video call" with a lifelike 3D avatar of Jesus Christ.
Koto crafts bold 50th anniversary identity for Microsoft, celebrating its past and future

2 weeks ago | creativeboom.com | Katy Cowan

Global design studio Koto has unveiled a new identity to mark Microsoft's 50th anniversary, celebrating five decades of the tech giant's influence and legacy while recognising those who are continuing to push things forward today.
UK town introduces 'creative tax' to curb rise of freelancers in local cafés

3 weeks ago | creativeboom.com | Katy Cowan

A small coastal town has made a controversial move to reclaim its cafés from the grip of the creative class. The picturesque seaside town of Netherford-on-Sea has become the first UK town or city to introduce a so-called Creative Tax. The charge is aimed at freelancers, remote workers, and "digital nomads" who regularly use local cafés as makeshift offices.
OurCreative crafts identity for Pico blending Mexican and Yorkshire heritage

1 month ago | creativeboom.com | Katy Cowan

But what happens when these two worlds collide? That's precisely the challenge Leeds-based agency OurCreative tackled in their brand identity for Pico Tequilana, a new agave spirit from Double Six Drinks that fuses Mexican tradition with Yorkshire grit. Double Six Drinks approached OurCreative with a bold ambition: to introduce a truly authentic Mexican spirit to the UK market. But there was a catch.
Why I won’t be publishing on Substack

2 months ago | katycowan.co.uk | Katy Cowan

I’ve been watching Substack explode. The publishing platform everyone’s talking about. And it’s easy to see why. There’s a ton of great writing on a wealth of topics, from styling tips to deep political analysis. It’s beautifully laid out. You can curate your own feed, build a following, reach loads of people for free. Engagement seems decent. You can even make money.
Rise of the machines: How illustrators can avoid being replaced by AI

2 months ago | creativeboom.com | Katy Cowan

Stories of brands using AI in their latest campaign have become a daily occurrence. Whether it's Coca-Cola, Adidas or BMW, AI is being used by some of the world's richest companies to cut costs and do the work of creatives. AI has even won awards for its illustration work from creative bodies such as Communication Arts and the Colorado State Fair. Once notorious for its use of extra fingers, contorted faces and garbled text, AI is developing quickly and ironing out tell-tale mistakes.
Rise of the machines: How illustrators can avoid being replaced by AI

2 months ago | flipboard.com | Katy Cowan

16 hours agoMan shares lunchbox doodles his wife of 20 years includes every day and people are utterly impressedAfter a husband shared doodles created by his wife online, people were just blown away by the creativity.
HOME Arches: £3.5m artist development hub opens in Manchester

2 months ago | creativeboom.com | Katy Cowan

Tucked under one of Manchester's busiest railway lines along Whitworth Street West, a new £3.5 million artist development hub has been unveiled, providing a major boost to the region's arts and culture sector. HOME Arches, part of the city's premier arts venue HOME, aims to support local creatives by offering 5,000 hours of free making, studio, and development space each year.
New identity for LMA PR points to its specialism in food and drink

2 months ago | creativeboom.com | Katy Cowan

There are many clever ways to align yourself with the sector you're trying to win clients from, and a brand identity is just one of them. For LMA PR, a relatively new public relations firm based in London, it wanted to appeal to its core target market: food and drink. So it called on the creative talents of Cluny Studio to help refine its look and feel, pitching itself as though it might be a new restaurant or drinks product itself.
François Prost's fascinating photo series of Love Hotels in Japan

Jan 23, 2025 | creativeboom.com | Katy Cowan

It's not long until Valentine's Day, that regular fixture on the calendar that encourages us all to send cards, flowers, or chocolates to express our undying devotion to those we're coupled up with or have yet to do so. While many of us have private spaces in which to, ahem, enjoy each other's company, spare a thought for those living in Japan.