About Lürzer's Archiv

Lürzer's Archiv

Lürzer's Archiv is the international bimonthly magazine for advertising creativity, showcasing the world's best print ads, commercials, digital campaigns and packaging design. Founded in 1984 in Frankfurt by Walter Lürzer, it has grown into the advertising industry's most prestigious creative showcase, with a sold circulation of 38,000 copies reaching agencies, advertisers and creatives worldwide. Published in English, the magazine's headquarters moved from Frankfurt to Salzburg in 2002, to Vienna in 2008, and to London in 2021, following the industry's geography. With its "200 Best" special editions since 2004 and its digital edition launched on Exact Editions in February 2025, it remains the benchmark publication for creative excellence in advertising.

Overview

Lürzer's Archiv is a curated showcase of the world's best advertising creativity: the print advertisements, the television and cinema commercials, the digital work and the packaging designs that set the creative standards of the industry. Appearing every two months, the magazine presents the selected work with the credits, the agency information and the editorial context, serving as the reference and the inspiration for the creative community.

The magazine is published in English for the international audience, with a sold circulation of 38,000 copies distributed to agencies, advertisers, production companies and creative professionals worldwide. The "200 Best" series, published since 2004, extends the brand into the annuals business: the special editions collecting the 200 best advertising photographers, illustrators, digital artists and packaging designs, among others, have become coveted references and coveted inclusions for the creatives featured.

The editorial leadership has shaped the magazine's identity. The founder Walter Lürzer established the concept in Frankfurt in 1984. Michael Weinzettl, who served as editor-in-chief and later as publisher, defined the magazine's editorial voice until his death in April 2011. Since 2021 the editorial work has continued under the director Lewis Blackwell, maintaining the magazine's standards through the headquarters' move to London.

History

Walter Lürzer founded Lürzer's Archiv in 1984 in Frankfurt am Main, then the centre of the German advertising industry. Frankfurt in the 1980s was the city of the German advertising boom: the agencies along the Main, the Art Directors Club, the creative awards, the sense that German advertising was finding its own voice between the American influence and the European traditions. Lürzer, himself a legendary creative, understood that the industry needed a medium that honoured the work itself. The concept was simple and radical: a magazine that shows only the best advertising, selected by creative standards, without the industry news and without the agency politics. The archive in the title expressed the ambition: to build the lasting record of the advertising creativity of the era.

The magazine grew with the globalisation of the advertising industry. The 1990s brought the international expansion: the English-language edition, the worldwide distribution, and the reputation as the creative industry's showcase. The headquarters followed the founder's life and the industry's geography: from Frankfurt to Salzburg in 2002, to Vienna in 2008, and to London in 2021, where the magazine is now based. Each move reflected the shifting centres of the European creative industry: the German-speaking world of the founding years, the Austrian interlude, and the London base at the heart of the global agency networks.

Michael Weinzettl's era, as editor-in-chief and later publisher, gave the magazine its editorial authority. Weinzettl, who died in April 2011, was one of the most respected voices of the creative industry: his selections, his interviews and his commentaries set the tone for the international creative discourse. The "200 Best" series, launched in 2004, extended the brand into the annuals: the special editions on the best photographers, illustrators and digital artists became the industry's reference works.

The digital transformation brought the Exact Editions launch in February 2025, making the magazine's archive available in the digital edition platform. The move to London in 2021 positioned the magazine at the heart of the European creative industry, under the editorial direction of Lewis Blackwell.

Content and Sections

Each issue of Lürzer's Archiv presents the curated selection of the world's best advertising work. The print section showcases the print advertisements: the campaigns, the single ads, the posters, selected for their creative idea and their craft. The film section presents the commercials: the television and cinema spots, documented with stills and credits. The digital section covers the online campaigns, the social media work and the interactive projects. The packaging design section presents the best of the discipline that shapes the supermarket shelves.

The "200 Best" specials, published since 2004, are the brand's signature: the annual collections of the 200 best advertising photographers, the 200 best illustrators, the 200 best digital artists, the 200 best packaging designs, and the other volumes. For the creatives featured, the inclusion is a career distinction; for the industry, the volumes are the reference library of the creative standards.

The interviews and features provide the context: the conversations with the leading creatives, the agency portraits, the behind-the-scenes of the great campaigns. The magazine's curation is its editorial statement: in an age of infinite digital content, the selected, printed, permanent showcase carries the authority of the editorial judgment.

The authority of the selection is the magazine's capital. The advertising industry produces millions of pieces of work each year; the festivals award thousands; the trade press reports hundreds. Lürzer's Archiv's promise is the reduction to the essential: the work that will still matter in ten years, selected by editors who have seen everything. For the young creative, the magazine is the education: the visual history of the discipline's best ideas. For the agency leader, it is the benchmark: the standard against which the own work is measured. For the advertiser, it is the proof: the evidence of what creativity can achieve.

Publisher and Organization

Lürzer's Archiv is published from London, where the headquarters moved in 2021, after the stations Frankfurt (1984–2002), Salzburg (2002–2008) and Vienna (2008–2021). The founder Walter Lürzer established the magazine in Frankfurt; Michael Weinzettl led it as editor-in-chief and publisher until his death in April 2011; since 2021 the editorial work has continued under the director Lewis Blackwell. Detailed information about the current ownership structure is not publicly confirmed in the sources consulted.

The business model combines the subscriptions and newsstand sales, with the sold circulation of 38,000 copies, and the "200 Best" annuals business, which provides the additional revenue and deepens the brand's relationship with the creative community. The international distribution serves the global agency networks and the advertisers, for whom the magazine is both the inspiration and the benchmark.

Digital Presence

The website luerzersarchive.com is the magazine's digital home, presenting the current issues, the "200 Best" specials, the subscription offers and the archive. The Exact Editions launch in February 2025 made the digital editions available on the platform, serving the readers who prefer the tablet and desktop reading. The digital archive extends the magazine's founding ambition: the lasting record of the advertising creativity, now searchable and accessible worldwide.

The digital strategy serves the curated print brand: the website and the digital editions promote the current selections, recruit the subscribers, and connect the creative community, while the bimonthly print magazine remains the core product: the permanent, collectible showcase of the world's best advertising. With its history since 1984, its 38,000-copy circulation and its "200 Best" series since 2004, Lürzer's Archiv remains the international magazine for advertising creativity, published bimonthly from London and online every day.