Design Directions

Translating consumer trends into actionable designs, colour palettes and materials.

Biofabricated Futures

A revolutionary sustainability breakthrough, biofabrication is the engineering of biological products. This report explores its market evolution and future potential in transforming materials to drive commercial success

Design Directions

Design Directions

POSTroma

A digital installation in Diesel’s new flagship store in Rome embodies the living, changing nature of the city.

Living Architecture : POSTroma : Digital Installation

Design Directions

Occult Enchantment

As fantastical fables and tales of escapism continue to dominate popular culture, designers are harnessing the power of magic and myth in 21st-cent...

Fantasy : Folklore : Magic

Design Directions

Paintbox

The New York nail salon Paintbox takes its lead from the fashion world by offering seasonal manicures inspired by runway trends.

Paintbox : New York : Nail Bar

Design Directions

London Design Festival 2014

Channelling the spirit of The Polarity Paradox, the London Design Festival 2014 embraced the extremes. Tongue-in-cheek, playful aesthetics and ex...

Anti-Materials : Neo-Kitsch : Painterly Primitive

Design Directions

Tincan

A pop-up restaurant in London makes tinned seafood the star of the show.

Tincan : AL_A : Fish

Design Directions

Milan Fashion Week spring/summer 2015

Organic forms and textile experimentation were on show during Milan Fashion Week, while a familiar friend was repackaged, but managed to maintain i...

Fay : Fendi : Iceberg

Design Directions

The POOL Aoyama

A derelict swimming pool has been transformed into a minimalist boutique in Tokyo’s trendy Aoyama district.

The POOL : Aoyama : Temporary

Design Directions

London Fashion Week spring/summer 2015

Art and artists were a recurring theme for UK designers at London Fashion Week this season, providing a springboard and a creative catalyst for som...

Fauna Fetish : Vectorism : Bora Aksu

Design Directions

Lucy McRae: Body Architect

Combining elements of biotechnology, beauty, life sciences and innovation, McRae crafts speculative narratives that imagine the future of our bod...

Beauty Futures : Biotech : Aesop

Design Directions

VIK Winery

A newly built vineyard in the Chilean plains is using a holistic ethos to produce wine.

VIK Winery : Smiljan Radić : Millau

Design Directions

New York Fashion Week spring/summer 2015

It was all or nothing for designers at New York Fashion Week this season, with some using highly decorative hand-crafted techniques, whi...

Fauna Fetish : Meaningless Marks : Edun

Design Directions

G-Star RAW For The Oceans

In a world increasingly concerned about ecological collapse, many luxury brands tout their sustainable credentials. Often, however, this feels like...

G-Star Raw : RAW For The Oceans : Pharrell Williams

Design Directions

Glasfurd & Walker: Branding and art direction

From a bold neon light designed to guide visitors from the main street in Vancouver to a monochrome sticker that neatly seals a takeaway lunch orde...

Glasfurd And Walker : Vancouver : Brand Identity

Design Directions

Our/Vodka

Let’s be clear about one thing. Our/Vodka is not a small, family-owned start-up. It has one of the biggest drinks names in the world behind it, Per...

Our/Vodka : Pernod Ricard : Micro-distillery

Design Directions

Techno-animism

Inspired by 1970s science fiction, designers are imagining sentient objects that come to life and are endowed with naive, robot-like features.

Techno-animism : Retro-Futurism : Missoni

Design Directions

Living Symphonies

Living Symphonies is a series of four musical sound installations in four English forests which grow and morph in the same way as a woodland ecos...

Fauna Fetish : Forest : Living Symphonies

Design Directions

Anti-Materials

Conventions are shifting. A group of designers is starting new conversations and questioning the value of materials, creating a new hierarchy.

Value Redefined : Luxury : Ephemeral Materials

Design Directions

L’Isolé

Parisian bar due to open in time for Paris Fashion Week is taking steps to make its space more social and less social media.

L'isole : Nightclub : Social Media

Design Directions

No 74

Consultancy Mr Buckingham has created an experiential marketing space to accompany Australian developer QIC’s new mixed-use tower on Melbourne...

No. 74 : Melbourne : Retail

Design Directions

Anna Lomax: Set design

Anna Lomax redefines the use of low-cost materials for high-end brands from Vogue to Kenzo.

Set Design : Neo Kitsch : Iconoclash