A behind-the-scenes look at the redesign process of the new, diverse lineup of Ken Dolls.
Design
The ‘Smashing Things Together’ Approach to Editorial Illustration
Art Director Kjell Reigstad’s insights on editorial illustration.
How ‘International Airbnb Style’ Became the Dominant Aesthetic of Our Time
From Beijing to Helsinki, quirkiness never looked more identical.
Welcome to Airspace
How the same design language — “the neutered Scandinavianism of HGTV” — took over coffee shops and Airbnbs from Brooklyn to Osaka.
The Inner Tiny House Journey: Jay Shafer on Finding Meaning in Things
Mark Sundeen, writing for Outside, traveled to the National Tiny House Jamboree in 2016 and talked to some of the tiny house movement’s pioneers, including its “godfather” Jay Shafer. Over a cigarette break in the woods — away from all the tiny space swooners, wannabe-minimalists, and sales reps — Shafer tells him a bit about his design philosophy and the purpose of material objects.
The Tiny-House Revolution Goes Huge
To understand the tiny house movement, Mark Sundeen attends its big annual gathering—the National Tiny House Jamboree in Colorado Springs—to learn from its luminaries.
The Forgotten History of Japanese-American Designers’ World War II Internment
Revisiting the link between detention and design history, 75 years after FDR’s executive order.
‘Not Too Much, Not Too Little’: Programming Luck Into Video Games
At Nautilis, Simon Parkin examines the responsibilities and challenges of engineering luck into video games.
How Designers Engineer Luck Into Video Games
“Humans have taken the reins from the gods, and luck has become a design tool capable of changing players’ experiences and expectations.” A look at how game developers strike a balance between luck and fairness.
When a YouTube Video Almost Made the Modular Smartphone Happen
The story of Google’s groundbreaking, buzz-generating modular smartphone — aka Project Ara — from bang to whimper.