WRAP launches second round of £1.4 million circular plastics grant programme
The funding is in partnership with UKRI, and will award up to £150,000 to projects which “trial ways to implement refill infrastructure”.
Product
News, views and analysis on the latest product and industrial design stories, covering transport, tech products and homewares.
Designing confidence in public spaces: how cities will change post-lockdown
Plastic barriers and caution tape are not permanent solutions for a world post-coronavirus, here’s how designers envisage a future where social distancing is here to stay.
Pantone unveils app to colour match with “real life”
The tool will also help creatives adapt to new ways of working following the COVID-19 crisis, according to the colour company.
Nike debuts new aerodynamic tech in “game-changing” football for new season
The Nike Flight ball is the result of an eight-year investigation from the Nike Equipment Innovation Lab, and the final of 68 iterations.
Trunki designer Rob Law on cystic fibrosis, suitcases and surviving a crisis
The product designer found wild success with ride-on children’s suitcases and is now delving deeper into his career – and its challenges – in a new book.
This product wants to get you growing and eating insects in your kitchen
In a bid to reduce the environmental impact of our diets, without missing out on essential protein, BeoBia has designed an at-home mealworm farm.
Five projects that represent a “new generation of socially conscious designers”
The Royal Society of Arts has unveiled the winners of its 96th annual Student Design Awards – here are the projects that caught our eye.
Urinals for women: Is it time to rethink public toilets?
The coronavirus crisis-induced lockdown has revealed the distinct lack of public toilet facilities for women. Could urinals be a solution?
What will air travel look like after coronavirus?
As airlines lose millions and the EasyJet generation remains on lockdown, designers reveal why COVID-19 could be a “watershed” moment for aviation.
D&AD announce first round of winners for updated 2020 awards format
Some 129 Pencils have been awarded in this first stage, across the competition’s Impact, Side Hustle, Next and Craft categories.
Design Week Awards 2020 — the shortlist in full
We’re excited to announce the full shortlist for our awards below. Stay tuned later in the month for our winners showcase, which will be revealed here on the site as
Can an “alternative” design funding platform “upend” the status quo?
Alternative Thinkers looks to provide a space for designers to find investors, collaborators and opportunities for projects with a social focus.
Watch designer Gordon Fraser: “Sometimes designs only need one function”
With an industry increasingly preoccupied with multi-function and smart watches, we explore Marloe Watch Company’s hand-wound approach with head designer Gordon Fraser.
How can designers combat domestic violence in their everyday work?
Responding to a surge in domestic violence cases brought on by lockdown, technology company IBM has proposed five design principles aimed at combating tech-facilitated coercive control.
Design inspiration: the best projects from May
From pub-scented candles, to Polaroid chemistry and a weekly cartoon strip inspired by the bubonic plague, this is what designers got up to last month.
Drone service launches in US to deliver medical supplies by air
Zipline has collaborated with a health network in North Carolina to deliver much-needed medical supplies to American health centres affected by the pandemic.
Could a train seat that stores bikes be a solution to post-pandemic travel?
PriestmanGoode has reworked a train seat so that it can hold bikes in place, thereby creating distance on trains and lessening pressure on public transport.
Google designer Mark Spates on the role of smart homes amid coronavirus
“If you told me 60 days ago that I’d be on video calls eight hours straight from home, I’d have been like, there’s no way,” Mark Spates says of the
Dyson reveals details about scrapped £500m electric vehicle
James Dyson has revealed information about electric vehicle project, which was scrapped last year, which was an SUV model with a “hologram” dashboard.
Are homegrown biomaterials the answer to facemask shortages?
US-based Sum Studio is looking to address the “supply chain bottleneck” caused by the pandemic with the nature-inspired “Xylinum” transparent mask.
How do you design an “immersive” virtual product launch?
Bike company VanMoof was supposed to unveil its new models live, but COVID-19 made that impossible. Instead design studio Resn created a virtual launch.
O-zone at home: how product design is aiming to purify our inside spaces
We take a look at the design concepts that seek to purify our domestic (and office) spaces, with a new urgency post-coronavirus.
Will this design from Philips be a “new normal” for retail post-coronavirus?
New “queue management” designs from Philips look to Android technology to implement two-metre social distancing regulations in retail settings.
This wearable monitoring technology aims to “revolutionise” elderly care
Bluebell InTouch is an extension of the company’s baby monitoring kit, which hopes to provide a “revolution in social care”.