The 10 biggest product stories of 2019
From an at-home blood testing kit to a holographic sat nav system, we look back at our most popular stories across product and digital in the past year.
Product
News, views and analysis on the latest product and industrial design stories, covering transport, tech products and homewares.
From Bauhaus to Berlin’s poster culture: a German design guide
In the first of a new series spotlighting design in different countries, we look at Germany’s diverse creative culture, from industrial to graphic design, which is both forward-thinking and respectful
Design Week’s Christmas gift guide for designers
From books and stationary, to tech and experiences, here’s a selection of everything the design enthusiast in your life could possibly want for Christmas.
Space10: “We try not to predict the future, just embrace it”
Winners of the Design Week Social Design Award 2019, Ikea’s research and design lab Space10 has had a busy year – here they speak to us about crowdsourcing, why you
Dr. Seuss Enterprises to launch series of educational AR apps
Designed and developed in partnership with UK-based studio Sugar Creative, the first app of the series will be based on Dr. Seuss’s ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book and is set
The Home Office is searching for a “user-centred design partnership”
The UK government body responsible for immigration, security and policing has published a tender document looking for those that might be able “design and deliver technology which supports the transformation
Design inspiration: the best projects from November
From an immersive rendering of King Kong to a map that breaks down the UK into 1400 songs, these are some of our favourite studio projects from November.
Mooncup packaging redesign: “It’s time the product shouted proudly from the shelf”
Established in 2002, the Mooncup was the first menstrual cup on the market – a brand overhaul from Bluemarlin looks to strengthen its position as an “ethical pioneer”.
“Trust, transparency, and no cannabis leaves” – designing for the UK’s CBD market
Market value is set to reach almost £1 billion in the next five years, but experts say careful design is needed to ensure products don’t suffer from preconceived negative associations
Royal Designers for Industry award recipients unveiled for 2019
Among the six designers who have been recognised are the lighting designer for War Horse, head of fabrics at Alexander McQueen and a newspaper cartoonist.
National Football Museum exhibition explores football shirt culture
Hosting more than 200 exhibits, Strip! How Football Got Shirty charts the technological and cultural evolution of the football shirt across the world.
Map showing damage caused by Amazon Echo scoops Designs of the Year 2019 prize
This year’s winners also include a low-cost self-testing HIV kit, multi-lingual graphic system and self-driving shuttle bus.
How a new generation of designers is creating social impact
From circular economies within fashion to rehabilitating indigenous communities, a crop of young designers are focusing on design’s capacity for social change.
Design Week picks: 5 speakers to see at Offset 2020
Our guide of what to catch at the Offset Dublin conference, which has just announced a line up including illustrator Laura Callaghan, Pentagram’s Rory Simms and Lego’s Jen Kronvold Frederiksen.
Plastic alternative from fish waste wins International Dyson Award
University of Sussex student Lucy Hughes had previously won the national UK prize, and has now been awarded £30,000 to develop the invention.
Planned Parenthood launches new online tool to help navigate abortion laws
The Abortion Care Finder tool provides those seeking abortions with location-specific information relating to laws and regulations, nearby health centres and different medical options.
D&AD 2019 Impact award winners announced
Among the 32 awards, two Black Pencils and four White Pencils were given out at a ceremony in New York, which saw the top accolades go to a system for
How design is changing the face of adult retail
From feminist activism to partnerships with high street stores, the adult retail industry is repositioning its identity away from seedy stereotypes, and toward the mainstream.
Could this headset be the cure for depression?
Four million people in England are long-term users of antidepressants and one in six adults were prescribed them in 2017 – but a new medical device promises to deliver
The designer who built a drone to save lives
We speak to Keenan Wyrobek, the founder of Zipline about designing an autonomous drone system which has revolutionised the way blood and medicine are transported in places which are hard
“To move fast, you have to be working together” – Dell VP on unifying tech and design
Justin Lyles, vice president of consumer design and advanced design director, talks inspiration, collaboration and why consumers expect smartphones everywhere.
Lovehoney competition asks designers to imagine sex toys of the future
According to the sex toy retailer, previous winners of the worldwide design competition have gone on to earn hundreds of thousands from their ideas, on top of the £5,000 cash
Barnbrook designs Rihanna’s new autobiography
According to the London-based designers, Rihanna’s eponymous book took two years to design.
Hostile design is still a problem in our public spaces - here's why
Bars on benches, studs in doorways and fenced off window ledges are just some of the many measures put in place to control how public space is used – but