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“More is more,” was the motto of Deborah Sussman, the graphic designer behind this brilliant visual riot, who died last week at the age of 82. Trained in the office of Charles and Ray Eames, she took their love of colour and pattern to new heights, establishing a studio with her husband, Paul Prejza, that would tackle everything from shop fit-outs to city wayfinding, sprinkling her distinctive brand, like sugary confetti, from Philadelphia to Santa Monica. — theguardian.com
One week ago: Deborah Sussman, designer, has died at age 83 View full entry
In late May of 2012, my friends and I travelled up to Montreal from upstate New York for the first time, only vaguely aware of the escalating student demonstrations there. When we arrived, we found ourselves in a sea of red. The students we stayed with all had little red felt squares pinned to... View full entry
Herman Miller, the manufacturer of classic midcentury designs, will buy the contemporary retailer Design Within Reach (DWR) for $154 million in a bid to establish itself as a “premier lifestyle brand.” — businessweek.com
Magnets might hold mysterious appeal for some, but for Jolan Van der Wiel, they’re just another tool. For the past few years, the Dutch designer has been experimenting with magnetism to shape and create objects like violent looking stools and futuristic couture dresses [...] He envisions that someday—with a big enough magnet, of course—we could use this same principle to shape larger architectural pieces. — Wired
Following Apple's success, many companies are finally starting to recognize the crucial role design plays in building a desirable (and profitable) product. Yet very few companies are actually founded and led by designers. Here to change that is 30 Weeks, a new program by a powerhouse team of New York design schools--Parsons, Pratt, School of Visual Arts, and The Cooper Union--in collaboration with the education company Hyper Island and Google. — fastcodesign.com
The 30-week program will operate out of a coworking space in Dumbo, Brooklyn. Twenty students will be invited to participate. The only requirements are that they’re designers 18 or older and have an idea for a product.Interested? Apply here. View full entry
[...] Zaha Hadid took to Milan Design Week’s Salone del Mobile to unveil a series of brand new series of furniture. Created for Italian interior design firm CITCO, the series consists of three distinct pieces: a shelving unit, table, and fireplace. — emag.co.uk
Pottery Road Bicycle and Pedestrian Crossing in Toronto recognized by CSLA as preeminent example of Canadian landscape architecture.Ottawa, 6 March 2014 — The Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA) announced the national and regional winners of its annual Awards of Excellence. ... View full entry
For a Modernist house designed and built by his firm Tonic Design + Tonic ConstructionFebruary 17, 2014 (Raleigh, NC) -- Vincent Petrarca, an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Architecture at North Carolina State University’s College of Design and a founding partner of... View full entry
Announcing good news is a splendid way to kick off a Wednesday morning: our respected friend, long-time Archinect contributor and founder of DSGN AGNC, Quilian Riano, has been named today as one of three winners of the 2014 Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise in the Arts, this year focusing on... View full entry
While the projects had wildly different end products, they both had a similar starting point: focusing on how to ease people’s lives. And that is a central lesson at the school, which is pushing students to rethink the boundaries for many industries.
At the heart of the school’s courses is developing what David Kelley, one of the school’s founders, calls an empathy muscle.
— New York Times
For help designing the College of Human Ecology's newest community space at Cornell, college leaders turned to a team of in-house experts: 10 senior interior design students in its Department of Design and Environmental Analysis. The 5,000-plus square foot Human Ecology Commons, which connects Martha Van Rensselaer Hall and the new Human Ecology Building opened . . . and has quickly become the hub of the college. — Cornell University
Design and Environmental Analysis at Cornell University is doing some amazing things that bring architecture, engineering and the sciences together through the lens of Human Ecology. The DEA department is a very impressive program at the College of Human Ecology, an... View full entry
In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles. (Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles!)... View full entry
“It is amazing to realize you could walk around the site not knowing if there is a body underneath you,” Nelson said. “How do you commemorate that?” — The Seattle Times
Of the approximately 200 people buried at Saar Pioneer Cemetery, there are 89 unmarked graves, each unable to inform visitors of their presence and the role they played in Kent history. Collaborative artists Frances Nelson and Bradly Gunn seek to mark the unmarked by creating a series... View full entry
A new project, “Walking Shelter,” explores what on-the-go housing might just look like. Here, a portable dwelling is packed right into a pair of sneakers. Essentially a tent without a pole (that’s the clever part), the mobile home can be deployed anywhere you’d like it to pop up.
Rather than relying on the old pole standard, the shelter’s frame is provided by the person(s) occupying it, explains Amelia Borg, one-eighth of Sibling, the Australian architectural collective behind the project.
— fastcodesign.com
Taipei has high hopes of becoming the next World Design Capital (WDC) designated city in 2016, and so far, it's looking pretty good: The International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid) announced from its Montreal headquarters today that "members of the selection committee identified the City of Taipei as the only municipality to move on to the next phase in the process towards becoming the WDC 2016." — bustler.net
Past cities to hold the designation include Torino (Italy) in 2008, Seoul (South Korea) in 2010 and Helsinki (Finland) in 2102 whilst preparations for Cape Town (South Africa) are underway for 2014. UPDATE: City of Taipei announced as World Design Capital 2016 View full entry