Picks of the month: the best design events to catch in June
Learn about London’s street signs, visit an exhibition about brilliant craftswomen and find out whether you’ve won a coveted Design Week award.
Product
News, views and analysis on the latest product and industrial design stories, covering transport, tech products and homewares.
Store Store: the project trying to change the “social imbalance” in design
A London-based group of artists, designers and architects hosts workshops in King’s Cross every month that look to engage the young, local community, teach them new skills and help them
V&A food exhibition challenges our ideas of consumption
Food: Bigger than the Plate is the museum’s latest blockbuster show, which hopes to explore the future of food production, looking at how we can be more sustainable without compromising
NHS lets people take their own blood at home with new kit
Monitor My Health is a new paid-for venture from the NHS that allows patients to take blood at their convenience, send it to a lab for testing, then keep track
Dragon Rouge on how it gave Coke a “premium” mixers range
The design consultancy recently created the branding, packaging and structural bottle design for Coke’s latest venture, its signature mixers for spirits. We speak to creative director Dave Robinson about bringing
Viva La Vulva and Microsoft’s Adaptive Controller top D&AD Awards 2019
The annual, global awards scheme, which famously rewards its winners with black, yellow, graphite and wood pencils, has announced its 720 winners for this year.
Design Week Awards 2019 – the shortlist in full
We’re excited to announce the full shortlist for our awards, which will take place on 20 June at the Science Museum’s new Illuminate space. You can buy tickets
Could designing products that last longer put people at risk?
The new “right to repair” legislation states that household electrical items should be made easier for the public to mend themselves, so that they do not need to regularly replace
Are you being paid enough in your current role and are you happy?
Design Week research reveals equal pay discrepancies between men and women in the same role, a gender pay gap of more than 20% and that three quarters of the designers
Picks of the month: the best design events to catch in May
Take a trip to Scotland for the third ever Dundee Design Festival, explore the future of food at the V&A and learn about the 20th century’s most prolific “graphic designer
Aldi “arrogant” for alleged copying of backpack, says BabaBing
The children’s brand, which designs and manufactures all its own products, is seeking legal action against the supermarket for selling a baby changing bag which BabaBing claims is a “blatant
Memory Lane: the AI tool that asks older people their life stories
Accenture has created artificial intelligence software that asks lonely, older people to recall memories from their lives, which are then transformed into a written and audio biography they can pass
A bespoke lace bra to fit different breast cancer patients
Algorithmic Lace is the winner of the Lexus Design Award 2019 and uses body measurements to enable those who have undergone breast removal surgery to wear well-fitting underwear once again.
What can designers do to help tackle the climate change crisis?
We talk to graphic, product and industrial experts about the responsibilities the industry has in helping to save the planet, from designing persuasive visual campaigns through to better public transport
Could earrings be designed to prevent pregnancy?
Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology have come up with a new concept for a form of contraception, which would see users wear hormone-infused jewellery.
How to become a: product developer
As part of our series looking at jobs in design studios, we speak to Nikki Stuart, production manager at Here Design, about creating everything from pop-up restaurants to tote bags,
Our favourite talks from Offset Dublin 2019
The three-day design conference returned to Ireland this month with a host of graphic designers, illustrators, animators and makers taking to its stages to talk about their work and offer
Apple reveals credit card, news subscription and gaming app in latest launch
As the technology company moves away from hardware and towards subscriptions, we pick out some of its most interesting new products and services for 2019.
Vodafone shows how tech is being used to help lonely older people
The company’s new collation of research puts forward the case on how technology, such as wearable devices and touchscreens, can be used to ease loneliness and depression in over 50s.
What could Google’s new platform Stadia mean for gamers?
The online streaming service will work on a range of screens, from TVs to tablets, and will let players switch from watching games on YouTube to playing them instantly.
Design Week Awards 2019 entry deadline extended
If you haven’t entered yet, there’s still time and you can find everything you need to know right here.
Ikea hacks its own products to make them better suited for disability
To coincide with Disabled Access Day 2019, Ikea has launched its ThisAbles range of add-on products that aim to make daily life easier for disabled people, including bumpers for bookshelves,
Designers to watch: Daniela Paredes
As part of our series looking at up-and-coming creatives, we speak to Daniela Paredes, who tells us about how she co-created the Gravity Sketch virtual reality design tool, what travelling
How a no-deal Brexit could affect cigarette packaging
Tobacco manufacturers claim a loss of access to the EU’s picture library could encourage illicit trade, while anti-smoking campaigners say adopting Australia’s imagery instead will still be “effective in reducing