Ikea launches home safety app after huge product recalls
The Ikea Safer Homes app gives users safety tips and to-do lists to better prepare their homes for children.
Retail
New store concepts, shop designs and in-store technological innovations for everything from restaurant chains to homeware retailers.
“It’s great to surprise people with how they might use a piece” – Rowena Edwards
The recipient of the Design Week Rising Star Award 2019 talks about her home roots, finding inspiration everywhere and why people using chairs to dry clothes is a good thing.
Design inspiration: the best studio projects from July
Reinterpretations of Robin Day chairs, a handy primer on Northern city names and a digital identity for a Rwandan girls empowerment magazine are some of our favourite design projects this
London’s Microsoft store opens with “maximum flexibility” in mind
The new store — conceived by design and architectural practice Gensler — has a gaming lounge, multi-purpose Community Theatre and a McLaren sports car on the ground floor.
What does Jony Ive’s departure mean for Apple?
Apple’s chief design officer is leaving after more than two decades to form his own design company. We speak to designers about Ive’s legacy at the technology giant, his
How fashion is styling sustainability through product design
From seaweed shoes to synthetic spider silk, the fashion industry is finding inventive solutions to its sustainability crisis.
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
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
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
Design inspiration: the best studio work from April
Lego bricks designed to help blind children learn, a smartphone concept that gets people away from their screen and a fun campaign encouraging nurses to wash their hands are some
Design inspiration: the best studio work from March
Reimagined Baby on Board badges, a musical Google Doodle people can compose themselves, and a virtual reality kit for kids are some of our favourite projects this month.
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.
Design Week Awards 2019 judges revealed…
Experts on branding (Jack Renwick), social design (Sophie Thomas), exhibition design (Lucienne Roberts) are joined by Ustwo design director Helen Fuchs, The Guardian’s digital director Ben Longden and many more.
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,
How to become a: 3D packaging and structural designer
As part of our series looking at alternative jobs in design studios, we speak to Mike Beauchamp, associate creative director of 3D and experiential design at Pearlfisher, about how
Ikea launches Överallt, its first African design collection
The new collection, which has seen African designers collaborate with Ikea designers, is set for a global roll-out in May.
The impact of Bauhaus: designers tell us how it has influenced them
As we celebrate 100 years of Bauhaus, we ask designers how the school, its teachings and approaches have influenced their design style or career.
Amazon could develop an app that lets people virtually try on outfits
The retail giant has filed a patent for a new platform that would show people what combinations of different clothes look like without the need to physically wear them or
Ikea’s new London branch will be its “most sustainable” in UK
The furniture store will include a range of green energy features, such as solar panels and rainwater collection systems, and will have a roof garden open for use by the
New Dubai Nike shop weaves Arabic script into store design
A highlight of the retail concept is a “trial space” resembling a basketball court, which features the brand’s manifesto in Arabic.
From VR experiences to going cashless: could design save the high street?
Amid a tough retail climate and increasing competition from online stores, we look at how bricks-and-mortar shops are finding new ways to entice customers.
What to look out for at Design Indaba 2019
Ann Crabtree, Alice Rawsthorn, David Droga and John Pawson are among the international speakers at this year’s Design Indaba festival, which takes place next month in South Africa.