Research Guides: Advertising, PR and Media Design: Creatives & Copywriting

Ask A Librarian

Make an appointment

Chat, Call, Text

Email: libraries@colorado.edu

APRD, Communication, Journalism and Media Studies Librarian

Stacy Gilbert

she/her

Email Me

The Work from Cannes Lions
Collection of Cannes Lions award and shortlist winners. Also includes advertisement campaigns and briefs. Access note: Must use VPN to access on and off campus. Log in required. Register for a free account with your colorado.edu email address.
WARC
WARC provides information on advertising and marketing trends around the world. Subjects covered include expenditure data, case studies, industry trends and consumer insight.
AP Stylebook Online
Online version of the AP stylebook. Access note: Access limited to 50 concurrent users.

UX Magazine UX Magazine is a free community resource exploring all facets of experience design.
Emigre Magazine Online archive of Emigre magazine, a graphic design magazine, which ran from 1984 to 2005.

Find Creatives

The Work from Cannes Lions
Collection of Cannes Lions award and shortlist winners, with additional information on the creative process for each piece. Also includes advertisement campaigns and briefs.
Access note: Must use VPN to access on and off campus. Log in required. Register for a free account with your colorado.edu email address.

AdForum
Database of hundreds of advertising creatives from all over the world. Only access to the public website (the Libraries does not subscribe)

ProQuest Databases
Search for print advertisements. Typically has from the1900s to 2010s. Use the Advanced Search: Type in a company into the keywords box and under “Document Type”, select “Advertisement”.

YouTube
Current and historical TV commercials

J. Walter Thompson: Advertising America (Adam Matthew)
This collection documents the history, operation, policies and accomplishments of one of the world's largest and oldest advertising firms, and also examines twentieth-century cultural, social, business, marketing, consumer and economic history.

Communication Arts (CA) (1969-2021)
Call Number: NC1 .C3 v.11
Communication Arts showcase exceptional design, advertising, illustration, photography, interactive and typography. Newer issues are located in Norlin Library's Art & Architecture stacks and older issues can be requested from our offsite storage PASCAL.
Communication Arts (CA) (1961-1968)
Older issues of Communication Arts, formerly known as CA. These issues can be requested from our offsite storage PASCAL.
Lürzer's International Archive (2004-2021)
Call Number: HF5801 .L87
Lurzer's is a resource for advertising creatives. Newer issues are located in Norlin Library's Art & Architecture Stacks. Older issues can be requested from our offsite storage PASCAL.

The Work from Cannes Lions
Collection of Cannes Lions award and shortlist winners, with additional information on the creative process for each piece. Also includes advertisement campaigns and briefs.
Access note: Must use VPN to access on and off campus. Log in required. Register for a free account with your colorado.edu email address.
WARC
WARC provides information on advertising and marketing trends around the world. Subjects covered include expenditure data, case studies, industry trends and consumer insight.

Lürzer's International Archive (2004-2021)
Call Number: HF5801 .L87
Lurzer's is a resource for advertising creatives. Newer issues are located in Norlin Library's Art & Architecture Stacks. Older issues can be requested from our offsite storage PASCAL.
Communication Arts (CA) (1969-2021)
Call Number: NC1 .C3 v.11
Communication Arts showcase exceptional design, advertising, illustration, photography, interactive and typography. Newer issues are located in Norlin Library's Art & Architecture stacks and older issues can be requested from our offsite storage PASCAL.

Ad*Access
The Ad*Access Project at Duke University has images and database information for over 7,000 advertisements printed in U.S. and Canadian newspapers and magazines between 1911 and 1955. Ad*Access concentrates on five main subject areas: Radio, Television, Transportation, Beauty and Hygiene, and World War II.
ADSAUSAGE
Founded by the late Sir Roger Delfont, ADSAUSAGE is an open access database of printed material artifacts. Since 2004, ADSAUSAGE has curated a vast array of material spanning the past fifty years. Additionally, the holdings contain a large amount of pop-culture, including special collections on fashion, film, design, Los Angeles history and much more.

Market Research and American Business, 1935-1965 (Adam Matthew)
Provides unique insight into the American consumer boom of the mid-20th century.
Popular Culture in Britain and America, Modules I & II, 19501975 (Adam Matthew)
Provides images of manuscripts and rare printed material, photographs, ephemera and memorabilia from the dynamic period of social, political and cultural change between 1950 and 1975.

Internet Archive: Classic TV Commercials
Classic TV commercials and public service announcements (PSAs) uploaded by archive.org users.
Prelinger Archives
This is a collection of over 60,000 "ephemeral" (advertising, educational, industrial, and amateur) films.

ProQuest Databases
Search for print advertisements. Typically has from the1900s to 2010s. Use the Advanced Search: Type in a company into the keywords box and under “Document Type”, select “Advertisement”.

The Advertising Archives
The Advertising Archives was established in 1990 by Larry and Suzanne Viner and is the largest and most comprehensive resource of its kind in Europe. The collection spans the years from the mid 19th Century to the present day. Some content and features are behind a paywall and CU Boulder is not a subscriber.
more...less...
Image types include:
-British & American Press Adverts
-British & American Magazine Covers and Artwork including story Illustrations
-Rare French & Spanish Magazine Art
-British TV Advertising Stills
-Mail Order Catalogues
-Posters, Postcards, Menus, Theatre Programmes & other Ephemera
-Wide selection of Vintage Magazines
History of Advertising Trust
The History of Advertising Trust (HAT) is an archive of advertisements from the United Kingdom. TV commercials, radio commercials, and print advertisements from the 1860-2015 can be viewed on its website.
IADDB: International Advertising & Design Database
The not for profit foundation that includes posters, print advertisements, commercials, and more that as far as the Foundation could establish are free from copyright. International in scope and includes print ads going back to the 1800s and TV commercials going back to the 1950s.

Advertising Annuals in CU Boulder Libraries' Collection

Finding Issues at CU Boulder Libraries

Check the CU Boulder Library Catalog. Look at the location and availability. Make sure it's available.
If it's at PASCAL Offsite, click on "Place a Hold". The issue will be delivered to the CU library of your choice for you to pick up.
If it's at Norlin Library - Art & Architecture, either "Place a Hold" for the issue to be delivered to the CU library of your choice, or find it in Norlin Library's Art & Architecture stacks. To find it in the stacks:
1. Note the call number, which you can find in the catalog. For example, the call number for 2000-2019 volumes of The One Show is NC1001.5 .O3. Make sure the issue is available.
2. Go to the Art & Architecture stacks. Enter Norlin Library from the west entrance (Norlin Quad side). Walk left. When you reach the end of the hall, turn right and walk down this hall. Look for the "Art & Architecture" stacks sign on the left and enter the room below the sign. The video below shows how to find this room (as our shelving locations periodically change, review the call number information below to help you find the exact location of your item).
3. Review your call number again. Use the signs on the side of the stacks to find the issue or volume you are looking for. This resource from the University of Louisville Libraries explains call numbers:

How to Read Library of Congress Call Numbers (University of Louisville Libraries)

Advertising, PR and Media Design

Ask A Librarian

APRD, Communication, Journalism and Media Studies Librarian

Find Creatives

Advertising Annuals in CU Boulder Libraries' Collection

Finding Issues at CU Boulder Libraries

Finding Print Annuals at Norlin Library Art & Architecture Stacks

Print and Online Access