How to Art Direct Christmas
Written by Tim Lane
Tis the season to be bombarded with vector baubles and Da Font typefaces of all descriptions. The challenge we find with art directing Christmas is to always try to make the tacky noise work for you, not limit you.
Here we talk about just some of the Christmas projects, both new and old, that the Lane + Co team have worked on over recent years, spanning design, illustration, photography and video.
Natural History Museum Shop
2024
When conceptualising the campaign for the Natural History Museum, we knew we wanted to anchor it in nostalgia, both for the Natural History Museum and for Christmas. The 1980s and 1990s Christmas party aesthetic offered the perfect balance of playfulness and warmth. By leaning into this retro theme, we were able to create scenes that felt both timeless and fun.
↑ All the colours used in the shoot were taken from the Natural History Museum's style guide
Christmas Begins with a Book
2022
The first Christmas after the lockdowns of 2020 presented a unique opportunity to reconnect with loved ones—and our 2022 campaign, Christmas Begins with a Book, was built around this idea.
Illustrated by Bianca Bagnarelli, the campaign captured the timeless joy of giving and receiving books as gifts.
The campaign emphasised the personal and meaningful nature of gifting books, showing how a well-chosen story can bring people closer together. The illustrations were delicate yet vibrant, with a timeless quality that perfectly reflected the enduring appeal of books as Christmas gifts.
↑ The illustrated scenes show just some of the moments books can inspire with those we love at Christmas
Colm Tóibín Photo Shoot
2023
It was the day before Christmas Eve 2023 that we photographed the wonderful Colm Tóibín.
We decided to find a cosy, authentic Irish pub in London with a roaring fire as the location for this series of portraits, which look like they could have been have just as likely been shot in 1953 as 2023. This is exactly what we wanted.
His eagerly awaited book Long Island has gone on to be a huge commercial and critical success which is no surprise to us.
↑ As well as these portraits, we also took create shots of the Long Island book
It Begins with a Book
2020
In 2020, we created a powerful video campaign titled It Begins with a Book, which explored the transformative impact books can have on people’s lives. The concept was to show how books influence us in both big and small ways, inspiring confidence, growth, and connection.
Sandra set out to read War and Peace, a daunting literary challenge. Completing the book gave her newfound confidence in her ability to overcome obstacles, ultimately inspiring her to be a better parent and breaking down barriers of class and language.
This video was an Honoree, Video Ad Shortform at The Webby Awards, 2020.
Lane + Co Christmas Card
2023
What's Christmas without a Christmas card? In our launch year we decided to express the Lane + Co branding in the form of our first Christmas card. It had to be a tree as our colour palette and suite of shapes did not do Santa or Rudolph justice.
Penguin Shop Campaign
2020
Books are the perfect Christmas gift—affordable, luxurious, and deeply personal. For the Penguin Shop’s 2020 campaign, we captured this sentiment through a series of elegant still-life photographs. Photographer Matthew Beedle created a visual narrative that felt intimate and indulgent.
The images depicted books as the centrepiece of post-dinner Christmas moments, nestled among elegant props like velvet tablecloths, candlelit settings, and seasonal food and drink.
The lighting played a crucial role in creating a warm and inviting atmosphere, evoking the feeling of cosy evenings spent with loved ones. The campaign emphasised the idea of books as “affordable luxury,” celebrating their timeless appeal as thoughtful and meaningful gifts.
↑ The elegant setting played on the concept that books are an 'affordable luxury'
A Court of Thorns and Roses
2024
Books are the perfect Christmas gift—affordable, luxurious, and deeply personal. For the Penguin Shop’s 2020 campaign, we captured this sentiment through a series of elegant still-life photographs. Photographer Matthew Beedle created a visual narrative that felt intimate and indulgent.
The images depicted books as the centrepiece of post-dinner Christmas moments, nestled among elegant props like velvet tablecloths, candlelit settings, and seasonal food and drink.
The lighting played a crucial role in creating a warm and inviting atmosphere, evoking the feeling of cosy evenings spent with loved ones. The campaign emphasised the idea of books as “affordable luxury,” celebrating their timeless appeal as thoughtful and meaningful gifts.
↑ No cgi was used in creating these images!
Have a Penguin Christmas
2019
In the spirit of Willy Wonker, we wanted to create the idea that there is a Penguin factory, churning out amazing book after amazing book. To lean intio the Christmas theme, the image illustrated by Design Lad, has 12 references to classic Christmas books.
Can you spot them all?
↑ Can you find Scrooge's hat?
↓ View more of our work
