Design | Fast Company

How To Escape PR Hell

BY David BrierWed Feb 8, 2012

With 2,000 press releases distributed every day, there’s never been a better time for great PR or a worse time for bad PR. Brand identity expert David Brier teams up with cartoonist Tom Fishburne to expose why PR has gotten such a bad name--and what you can do to avoid it.READ»

LEADERSHIP | Comment

Is Your Company About To Be Knocked From Its Perch?

BY Josh LinknerMon Feb 6, 2012

In today's competitive environment, staying the course is the kiss of death. Nest disrupted thermostats; what will you choose to do in your industry?READ»

CO.EXIST

The 6 Questions That Lead To New Innovations

BY Sarah KrasleyFri Feb 3, 2012

Autodesk's Innovation Genome Project tried to quantify what worked about the 1,000 greatest innovations of all time. With that data in hand, the company then turned to what needs innovation today: building with sustainable materials. READ»

BUSINESS | Comment

Would President Romney Be Good For Tech, Science, And Space Innovation In The U.S.?

BY Kit EatonTue Jan 31, 2012

What would President Mitt do for science, technology, and startups in America? And would he use his missionary zeal to drive policy in these directions?READ»

LEADERSHIP | Comment

3 Design Essentials For Early Adopters

BY Seth PriebatschTue Jan 31, 2012

Design can make or break a company, especially in the case of early adopter tech that asks users to step outside their comfort zones. But one benefit of being early to a market is creating what a new experience means. Master these design essentials to define your brand, foster an atmosphere where people feel comfortable using your product, and ultimately win, says LevelUp's Seth Priebatsch.READ»

LEADERSHIP | Comment

Disruptive Innovation, Dog-Food Edition

BY Shawn ParrFri Jan 13, 2012

Disruptive innovation is creating something that consumers didn’t realize they needed, developing a product that makes the old options (which consumers previously thought were fine) suddenly seem dull or flawed. Here's how the founder of pet-food maker The Honest Kitchen shook up her industry. READ»

LEADERSHIP | Comment

10 Steps To Turn Your Passion Into Your Business

BY Shawn ParrWed Jan 11, 2012

Matthew Larson is the chief of product design for one of the surf industry's most exciting new brands, Matuse, which designs incredible, high-end wetsuits. Through following these 10 ideas that helped Matuse build its brand, you'll learn how to turn your passion--whether it's for surfing or something else--into a successful business.READ»

LAPTOPS | Comment

Is The Laptop Dead? Yup

BY Kit EatonTue Jan 3, 2012

2012 is thought to be the year of the Ultrabook, but though these slim machines may prove successful they can't disguise one odd fact: The laptop is a dead design. When will it actually pass away and leave room for a future device?READ»

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS | Comment

10 Resolute Ideas To Start Your New Year

BY Shawn ParrThu Dec 29, 2011

Wake up stupid every day. And nine other ways to get smart.READ»

CO.EXIST

Architecture At Zero: Making The Ultimate Net-Zero-Energy Building

BY Ariel SchwartzThu Dec 22, 2011

Buildings that produce more energy than they use may be a necessity in the future. A new design competition asked architects to design these net-zero buildings for a site in California, with impressive results. READ»

APPLE | Comment

How Much Can Asus, HP, And Others Rip Off Apple's Designs?

BY Austin CarrWed Dec 14, 2011

Apple's competitors are mimicking the company's designs on everything from tablets to laptops. There's short-term benefit here for consumers looking for inexpensive Apple alternatives this holiday season. But more significantly, it demonstrates how much Steve Jobs's legacy has impacted device makers--and how lost they'd likely be without Jobs's vision.READ»

INNOVATION | Comment

The Click Clique: Apple, Microsoft, And Others Don't Care About Your New TV Remote

BY Kit EatonWed Dec 14, 2011

Television remote controls are evolving more than they have at any time in the past 60 years--but where we're going, we may not need them.READ»

WORK SMART | Comment

Unpredictable Rewards: Twitter's "Activity" Stream And Our Dwindling Attention Reservoir

BY Kevin PurdySun Nov 20, 2011

Do Twitter's Activity area and Facebook's Ticker give you anything you really need to know? With features like these, says Mike Monteiro, design director at Mule Design Studio, "you’re sniffing the exhaust fumes of activity.” That doesn't sound good.READ»

SPAM | Comment

Product Spam Is Out Of Control And Must Be Stopped

BY Kit EatonWed Nov 16, 2011

Hundreds of nearly identical laptops, MP3 players, smartphones, and TVs--many from the same manufacturers--clutter the shelves of our stores and our lives. Enough already.READ»

LEADERSHIP | Comment

Brand Early, Not Often

BY Emily HeywardMon Nov 14, 2011

Branding, done right, is a rigorous process, and shortcuts almost always end up costing more in the end. For startups, investing in branding early on is no different than taking the time and money to set up a proper operating agreement or invest in efficient machinery that won’t break down. READ»

WALTER ISAACSON

The 6 Pillars Of Steve Jobs's Design Philosophy

BY Cliff KuangTue Nov 8, 2011

[This is the second installment in a series of posts that we're doing as we read Walter Isaacson's Steve Jobs biography. Click here to read the first.--Ed.] Everyone who cares, even modestly, about design can name a few decisive ... READ»

TECHNOLOGY | Comment

Microsoft's Envisioning Lab Reveals The Future Of Productivity

BY Kevin PurdySun Oct 30, 2011

Microsoft's Envisioning Lab has a vision of the future, and you can watch it in HD. Learn how the lab sees the future of contextual data, smarter interfaces, and a "five-minute mode" on your phone.READ»

DESIGN | Comment

Kitschy Light Switches That Double As Decoration, Key Hooks, And Mail Holders

BY Margaret RhodesWed Oct 19, 2011

.caption a {color:#666;font-weight:bold;} Clockwise from top left: Light Switch Rack, by Paul Koh ($25, pkohnyc.com); Peacock ($16, decorativehardwarestore.com); Magnetic Switch Cover ($25, jakefrey.com); Hoot, Hoot ($18, ...READ»

DESIGN | Comment

Colorful Boucherouite Rugs Pieced From Moroccan Hand-Me-Downs

BY Margaret RhodesWed Oct 19, 2011

Photo by Dan Saelinger When a scarcity of wool in 1960s Morocco left women bereft of weaving material, they reached for unwanted Red Cross clothing donations from Great Britain and used the hand-me-downs to create contemporary tribal ...READ»

BRANDING | Comment

9 Steps To Building A Brand That Breaks Through The Noise

BY David BrierMon Oct 17, 2011

Brands have more challenges today yet, in the right hands and minds, greater opportunities. A guide to the rules you should be breaking in branding. READ»