The Guardian’s new campaign is a masterclass in elegant design

The Guardian has teamed up with creative agency Lucky Generals to create a new campaign that spotlights public perceptions of the independent media company. Featuring a number of digital, print and OOH pieces as well as a promotional video, the campaign showcases the brand's fearlessness in the face of diverse opinion. 

Focusing on building its identity as an independent media brand, the Guardian's new campaign is a strong reflection of its company ethos, dictated with a firm and unflinching confidence. (If you're after more examples of brilliant branding, check out our collection of the best best print ads). 

The 'Not for Sale' campaign features minimalist advertisements showcasing a series of positive and negative verbs and phrases responding to the company's contentious media coverage. The ads feature the Guardian's signature typeface, integrating a number of contrasting jewel-toned colour combinations that give the campaign an elevated elegance.

The central message of the campaign is to illustrate the media company's dedication to independent reporting, directly targeting readers with phrases such as: "Under no one's thumb but yours" and "The only pocket we're in is yours." The campaign, which will mainly target European audiences, is set to garner support for the company, which relies on a user-funded model. 

The accompanying video ad is the work of the directorial duo Rubberband and shows a number of ways in which the Guardian has integrated itself into our lives (from court cases to picking up the dog's business). Like the rest of the campaign, it holds a confident self-awareness, framing itself as an important news source, despite its sometimes controversial coverage. 

"With Not for Sale we focused on what makes the Guardian unique in the news landscape – the fact that because it is reader funded (rather than owned by controlling interests like billionaires or politicians) its journalism can never be influenced or controlled," says Cressida Holmes-Smith, managing director at Lucky Generals. 

If you're after more ingenious ad campaigns, check out Amazon's ad campaign that celebrates the beauty of books, or take a look at the new Specsavers ad that's an ASMR fan's dream.