What will product design look like in 2024?
As part of our series on design in 2024, Rodd Industrial Design’s managing director Ben Davies offers his view on what product design might look like next year.
Product
News, views and analysis on the latest product and industrial design stories, covering transport, tech products and homewares.
The design business tips, thoughts and advice you needed this year
From navigating difficult client conversations to accessibility and sustainability, we look back on the best nuggets of wisdom Design Week offered over the last 12 months.
Design Week’s favourite product, print and packaging stories of 2023
From luxury spirit bottles to futuristic biomaterial solutions, here are our favourite product, print and packaging stories from this year.
Design Week’s most popular news stories of 2023
From firsts in football and festivals to Royal design stories that will go down in history, here are the ten news stories that got you reading this year.
Lexus signals move towards sensory experiences at Miami Art Week 2023
Toyota colour and sensory designer Viviana Hohenstein explains how autonomous cars of the future can seamlessly intertwine technology and natural materials.
Pantone reveals “youthful” but “timeless” 2024 colour of the year
In packaging and multimedia design, the colour of the year could be used to bring “a vintage vibe” to a project, according to Pantone.
Design Week’s most popular long reads of 2023
From Twitter’s rebrand to X, to the collaborative process of designing the UK’s first gallery of South Asian culture, here are our top long reads of 2023.
Sound design and ‘planting design’ honoured among new RDI recipients
The prestigious Royal Designers for Industry accolades announced as its head calls for designers to “accept the blame” for climate crisis
Breast cancer detection and safety devices: the Prototypes of Humanity shortlist
The annual global competition for projects designed to help people and planet reveals its shortlist with categories reflecting the COP28 agenda.
Tender launched to design the King’s Awards for Enterprise trophy
The new trophy design should be “distinctive” and reflect “the new modernised King’s Awards” while using sustainable materials and retaining the traditional crystal element.
How “small incremental gains” can make designs more sustainable
Pearlfisher materials and sustainability lead Suzy Shelley speaks on “the power of marginal gains” and how designers can encourage clients to make small but effective changes.
Blond devises “intuitive” design system for start-up Electric Air
Reconfigured internal components and labelled panels aim to make repairs easier for engineers, while a “stripped back, simplified” app and thermostat look to facilitate a smooth user experience.
Tangerine reveals super-fast express freight system designed for Hyperloop TT
The system involves “up and over sliding doors” in a staggered layout that aim to maximise space inside the capsule and allow for simultaneous loading and unloading.
Studio Elk devises modular closed-loop home-office furniture service
Designed to reduce the amount of office furniture waste in UK landfill, the Koru furniture system aims to position sustainability as “a strategic advantage rather than a corporate responsibility”.
A day in the life of a bike designer
Ian Surra, director of Cannondale industrial design talks through a day in the R&D office in Freiberg, Germany.
Government and industry-backed EV projects receive £89 million in funding
Winning design-led projects include an Aston Martin initiative, which is looking to reduce the weight of EV batteries, and a start-up’s plan to design and develop safer electric scooters.
Where is the design industry in terms of right to repair?
With right to repair rising on the agenda we spoke to the Restart Project, designers and the Design Council about barriers from understanding and skills to legislation.
Should we take the skateboard seriously as a design object?
Looking to put the skateboard on the same level “as a Dieter Rams clock” Jonathan Olivares – and other skateboarders – piece together its design history for the Design Museum.
Fairphone signals “cultural transition” in designing out e-waste
Speaking at Design for Planet festival, Fairphone founder Bas van Abel reflects on the origin story of Fairphone and how it is working to tackle e-waste and inequalities in the
Royal Mint reveals new set of coins inspired by UK flora and fauna
The designs feature a mix of endangered species and conservation success stories and are set for general circulation.
PlanetCare unveils version 2.0 of circular washing machine microfibre filter
The initial design has been completely overhauled with a new safety valve, bypass option and better use of materials.
Salt handles and microbe packaging: real-life applications for innovative biomaterials
At London Design Festival’s Global Design Forum Shellworks co-founder Insiya Jafferjee and Atelier Luma designer Henna Burney discuss why new biomaterials are struggling to cross into widespread use.
Helen Hamlyn Centre backs innovative inclusive design projects
A water filtration system for solid-fuel stoves and a physical toolkit to help disabled students navigate design education are among this year’s Helen Hamlyn Design Award Winners.
Tyre particle batteries and UV-sensing plastic: inside Materials Matters 2023
Practical examples of bio materials and reuse are everywhere this year as the trade show looks to inspire an optimistic future.