Stories
On Behalf of the Invisible End-User
Destiny Thomas asks what the unequal rollout of e-scooters in major American cities tell us about technology and racial equity.
Aalto vs. Breuer
The 1930s legal wrangling over the plywood designs of Finnish architect Alvar Aalto and Bauhaus master Marcel Breuer shows that the control of intellectual property is not a new concern for designers.
Loose Strands
Material design studio Polyfloss is working with recyclers, artists and craftspeople in Antananarivo, Madagascar, to spin waste plastic into a soft and flexible textile.
The Electric Ribbon Trick
Peek behind the curtain of Plusminus, the lighting system toolkit designed by Stefan Diez for Vibia that has more than one magic trick up its sleeve.
Last Car to the Future
Tesla’s long-awaited futuristic Cybertruck has been spotted on a test track. What can future-concept car designs such as Back to the Future DeLorean Time Machine tell us about how to imagine tomorrow?
Boom! Everyone Joins In
Welcome to Malmö, where a new generation of designers are ripping up the Swedish minimalism rulebook and ushering in an era of colour and community.
Asks For a Hit of Your Juul
The FDA ban on Juul has stalled. From Disegno 25, Natalie Kane examines the design themes, memes, and appeal to teens of these slick flavoured e-cigarettes.
The Toggle Switch
Yuri Suzuki’s Ambient Machine reveals the analogue pleasures of a bank of toggle switches.
The Whole Tapestry
Mitzi Okou chairs a roundtable with contributors to The Met’s new Afrofuturist period room including curator Hannah Beachler, the costume designer of Blank Panther.
Whereof One Cannot Speak
The difference between direct experience versus written evocation comes up for debate as Jonathan Olivares opens his new showroom for Kvadrat in New York.
Design for the People
Danish architect Vilhelm Lauritzen’s midcentury designs for concertgoers and working people have been reissued by Carl Hansen & Son on the centennial of his practice’s founding.
To Sense is Human
From touch to time, craft takes on a sensory approach at this year’s Homo Faber: Living Treasures of Europe and Japan.
Traditional Futures
A rewilded crater where Japanese knotweed is being turned into paper, traditional mushroom hats, and firewood exhibition furniture feature at BIO27 in Ljubljana.
Milan Diaries: Day Three
Day three of Salone del Mobile includes the Disegno dispatch on Loewe’s luxe approach to refurbishment, Formafantasma’s contemporary take on Mario Bellini, and Konstantin Grcic’s new collection for Plank.
Milan Diaries: Day Two
A second day at the Salone del Mobile brings a trip to ECAL’s collaboration with Yamaha, Aldo Bakker’s objects for marijuana, and Front’s nature-infused installation with Moroso and Kvadrat.
Milan Diaries: Day One
This week the Disegno team is on the ground in Milan for the Salone del Mobile. Over the coming days we’ll be sharing our reflections from the festival and picking out some of the installations, exhibitions and launches that stood out.
Design for the Real World ᵥ
Lara Lesmes and Fredrik Hellberg of Space Popular zoom with David Chalmers to philosophise about virtual architecture and the challenge of designing civic spaces in a privatised metaverse.
Blocks, Each Exactly One Cubic Metre
Minecraft is raising a new generation of young gamers applying their design skills to real-world issues, but its first foray into mobile AR gaming raises questions about surveillance technology.