Interaction design event This Happened will take place this month at the Design Overtime festival, held at the Design Museum.This Happened is a series of talks aimed at opening up a dialogue and creating a greater understanding of the stories behind multimedia and interaction design.The project encourages people to share information on concepts and production […]
UK contemporary art gallery Haunch of Venison is making its first foray into the US market, with the opening of a space designed by Steven Learner Studio.It is Haunch of Venison’s first major venture since being controversially acquired by international auction house Christie’s last year.Final touches are being put to the 1860m2 exhibition space located […]
New York’s iconic Morgans Hotel will next month unveil a contemporary new look created by interior designer Andrée Putman.The French designer first crafted the Madison Avenue site’s dramatic black-and-white interior back in 1983, forging the brand’s reputation for design-led, understated chic within the luxury hotel market.Putman’s latest redesign remains faithful to the hotel’s trademark monochrome […]
Long dominated by shabby chic, low-key interiors, Berlin’s retailers have lately adopted a wittier design aesthetic. John Stones takes a look at Geometry, a new menswear store which features a ‘mad professor’ look with a skeletal twistThink Berlin and a certain alternative style comes to mind. From the subcultures that developed in Kreuzberg to the […]
What, exactly, is a bridge for? Crossing some obstruction to get from one point to another, in a functional kind of way? Don’t be so naive. These days bridges are high-design objects, collaborations between architects and engineers. They frequently meander and incorporate seating and look-out platforms – like the new Castleford bridge, following the course […]
Cast, blown, etched, engraved, slumped, fused – glass offers designers huge scope for decorative and functional forms, and that excludes its architectural potential. With several recent exhibitions and innovative, eye-catching graduate work, Hannah Booth wonders if this area is fast becoming the hottest creative disciplineBlame Swarovski if you like, but years after the trend for […]
Excess is a byword in rock’n’roll, but in these eco-conscious times can concert lighting still make an impact without damaging the planet? Bands like Radiohead are taking the lead with hi-tech LEDs to achieve more with less, says Nick SmurthwaiteAfter years of profligacy, rock concert designers and promoters are finding eco-friendly ways of mounting shows […]
The issue of free-pitching has again raised its head. As the national strategic body for design, we are opposed to free-pitching and always ensure that whenever we commission creative work, it is paid for. Through programmes such as Designing Demand, we actively and unambiguously promote best practice. However, what is more troubling from discussions in […]
As reported in ‘Criminal opportunities’ (DW 10 July), Sebastian Conran of the Home Office’s Design and Technology Alliance says design can tackle broader crime-related issues including youth and knife crime. Since time immemorial, the designer and thief have been in a cat-and-mouse game outwitting and out-innovating each other. We have all benefited from this and […]
Sustainable Development Commission chairman Jonathon Porritt says designers must cure themselves of ‘client dependency syndrome’ to further sustainable design. Is CDS debilitating, and what is the remedy? As an industry we have, for too long, hidden behind the excuse of not having the time or resources to learn about sustainability. Our clients face some very […]
While agreeing with the Design Business Association and the Chartered Society of Designers about changing the culture of free-pitching being an accepted norm, Anti Copying In Design is aware that critics might say it’s easy for design bodies to take the moral high ground. A potential pot of gold is always tempting, but beware – […]
Finding the unique, noticing the ignored and looking where others do not dare are some of the pointers that can help crack a design problem. The adventure of travelling to the places we visit to discover a solution can make for an exciting journey, opening new horizons and places for design thinking in the process; […]
Last week, Nestlé lost an appeal to trademark the four-fingered shape of its classic chocolate bar KitKat. This got us thinking – what are some of the most distinctive, food-related designs?
Apple’s Jony Ive took up a position at the Royal College of Art, and the London Design Festival announced its line-up – the important design news from the last seven days.
Ive will take over from James Dyson at London’s Royal College of Art in July, and aims to better connect art, design and technology at the university.
A round-up of moves, changes and appointments in the design world.
Designer Alan Long has authored and designed a new book called An A-Z Guide to Being a Freelance Designer. The book offers practical advice for people who are new to freelancing in the graphic design industry. It deals with subjects ranging from work that will enhance a designer’s portfolio to navigating invoicing. The book is […]
Consultancy FutureBrand’s Sydney office has created the visual identity for a new real-time payments platform based in Australia. New Payments Platform is designed to be used by both businesses and consumers to make payments quickly and easily. The new logo features a sans-serif typeface and a simple box-shaped outline. FutureBrand has also designed an animated […]
Salford-based business park MediaCityUK is playing host to four giant sculptures of endangered animal species as part of Quays Culture’s Unnatural Borders exhibition. Designed by Netherlands-based studio Sober Industries, the idea behind the project is to raise awareness about the impact of human civilisation on the animal kingdom and the environment. The sculptures include a […]
Swedish design consultancy Studio Reko has created the branding for fellow Swedish carpentry company Trä Möbelsnickeri. The logo is composed of an “A” symbol that is crossed at the top, which is a nod to the “ä” in “Trä” with its umlaut, and a visual interpretation of a cross section of a wooden bench. Brown […]
Amsterdam-based interior design consultancy Uxus has designed Speys, a food court within Jaarbeurs, the Netherlands’ largest event centre based in Utrecht. Speys seats roughly 520 people and adopts an art deco style, characterised by the geometric patterns which adorn the walls and old-fashioned, cinema-style lighting. Old, archive posters previously used to advertise the venue also […]
Filthymedia has designed the album cover for British DJ Audio’s debut album Beastmode, which takes on a monochrome, minimalist style. The album is split across four 12” singles. Filthymedia designed the print covers, the packaging for vinyl and CD, and the logotype for Beastmode. The simple identity uses “bold shapes and subtle shadows”, says Joe […]
Digital design studio Human After All has created a new website for independent publisher Canongate, which moves away from a traditional, book-ish look and adopts a colourful, contemporary and multimedia style. The homepage showcases key authors’ quotes against colourful backgrounds, alongside extracts, photography, audio and video. The About Us page has also been revamped to […]
When we think of dartboards, connotations of music-less, ale-filled, old-fashioned pubs and splintered, ancient wooden boards arise. But now, designers including Base Design and Karim Rashid have reimagined the dartboard as part of charity project Dart x Design, organised by consultancy Frog. Interpretations include a colourful, 3D-printed board from Alex Trochut, a mathematical, geometric board […]
