For makers of products & seekers of meaning →

A new editorial platform that documents meaning in the world of design.

A brief history of the numeric keypad

Picture the keypad of a telephone and calculator side by side. Can you see the subtle difference between the two without resorting to your smartphone?

Numeric keypads arranged in an unusual pattern

The aesthetics of our new fictions

Visual symbols are powerful ways to make social constructs – from fashion to government, feel legitimate, trustworthy, and familiar. What's the role that design play in reshaping our society?

The designer’s gaze

The unintended consequences of our designs also have the same effect on the world as the intended consequences.

Can a bridge be unethical?

Designs have ethical consequences, but ethics are not always part of the design process.

The vanishing designer

The rise of customer-obsession mantra and data-driven culture cultivated a generation of designers who only take risk-free and success-guaranteed steps towards the inevitable local maxima of design monotony. Where do we go from here?

Designer sitting in front of a computer but their face is glitchy and you can't see their identity

REF

This series investigates the personal journeys and the unexpected design references from contemporary designers — encouraging readers to expand their creative repertoire beyond what’s popular or trendy.

Designer Julia Custódio holding her braided hair while looking to the side and smiling

For makers of
products & seekers
of meaning.

For makers of products & seekers of meaning.

Documenting the world of design through the lens of curiosity and awe.

Stories on past, present, and future

Beyond form and function: Design is poetry →

“Elevating designs above just form and function.”

Genderless design is a myth →

“How to deconstruct the gender binary in design and make space for genderfluidity”

Sebastião Rodrigues wearing thick glasses

Portugal by Sebastião Rodrigues’ pencil →

“Among the many historical readings that can be made of graphic design in Portugal, one of them will undoubtedly be based on the personal journey of Sebastião Rodrigues....”

music notation in spiral format

Graphic notation: a brief history of visualising music →

“Design and music intersect in many areas; Yet one relatively obscure but staggeringly creative area is in the design of graphic notation used by composers. What can we learn from it?...”