How TikTok’s near-death experience actually boosted the brand
TikTok going dark for less than 24 hours rose to the level of a national emergency. And it came roaring back with more daily users than ever.
Where business and design collide
Elon Musk’s DOGE loses its logo, Tumblr dupes TikTok, and Crocs collabs with the Beatles
Here’s the branding news we're following this week.
Lego’s new brick set is a science class in a box
Lego Education Science is a new brick sets for schools that's designed to help kids see themselves as scientists.
This giant iPod Nano is actually a mirror
Gen Z’s obsession with ‘retro’ tech takes a turn toward home decor.
What’s the Roman salute? Here’s the history of Musk’s controversial hand gesture
The straight-arm gesture was first popularized by the Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini. There’s no evidence of a ‘Roman salute’ in antiquity.
Why small acts of care matter now, more than ever
Model and activist Cameron Russell on caregiving as a radical act.
Inside the design of ‘Skeleton Crew,’ Lucasfilm’s bid to recapture the joy of old ‘Star Wars’
How the designers behind the charming Disney+ TV series ‘Skeleton Crew’ built an immersive world to make ‘Star Wars’ feel new again.
Instagram is about to look a lot more like TikTok
The changes Instagram says it's implementing, including a vertical grid, will be familiar to users of the vulnerable video app.
Trump’s chaotic new border policy, in the rise and fall of two apps
The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol's CBP One app has shut down. Mexico launched an app of its own, called ConsulApp, to fill a resource void.
Trump can’t shake the real estate developer inside him
From his fixation on making Federal buildings 'beautiful' to his comments on rebuilding Gaza, Trump can't help but try to remake the built environment in his image.
L.A. homeowners seeking to rebuild might shift to these natural materials. Here’s why
L.A. fires are still burning, but some are thinking of rebuilding homes with humble adobe and cob, materials that won't burn easily.
Velveeta just made nacho cheese you can stick in your pocket
Velveeta just launched Vel2Go, a pocket-sized packet of nacho cheese.
Eileen Fisher’s new $348 sweater is made of old sweaters
The clothing brand offers an encouraging glimpse into a what a fully circular fashion industry could look like.
Trump knows the fastest way to dismantle America is to just delete it
What’s even faster than the swipe of a pen? The stroke of a key. Trump’s new empire is thriving online, instantly.
This doc about Brian Eno changes with each viewing—and is already altering how movies are made
How ‘Eno,’ Gary Hustwit’s documentary about music legend Brian Eno, is changing filmmaking with its new generative technology.
Trump just rebranded the U.S. Digital Service as ‘DOGE’
The U.S. Digital Service gets a new name. Will it get a new mission, too?
The Donald Trump show is back
Trump signed his first executive orders at Capital One Arena, using flashy PR optics to turn presidential power into presidential spectacle.
The White House has a new logo. See what’s changed
The updated logo, which adds new classical architectural details, is a direct reflection of the Trump agenda.
How this oddly shaped couch became the ‘it’ sofa of the music industry, 50 years after it was designed
Famous fans like Frank Ocean and Travis Scott put Pierre Paulin’s Dune sofa back on the map. But its rise to furniture fame really happened behind the scenes.
‘I won the Pulitzer Prize and I’m busking on a corner’: 3 top artists on the uncertain future of political cartooning
Barry Blitt, Jack Ohman, and Jen Sorensen discuss the promise and many perils of their chosen artform.
Forget shapewear. Spanx just created sculpting jeans
Spanx is adjusting to a post-shapewear world with normal clothes that are embedded with compression technology.
Walmart designed its new Bentonville headquarters to be a bikeable extension of the city
Covering 350-acres and more than a dozen buildings in Bentonville, Arkansas, Walmart's new campus reinvents the corporate headquarters.
‘We’ve got a lot of land with no one around, and so if it blows up, it’s cool.’ How Musk’s Starbase’s rocket testing facility in Texas impacts the land and local communities
The area around Starbase is a unique and delicate ecosystem that includes estuaries and coastal grasslands, mud flats, and more.
How David Lynch exposed America’s bizarre underbelly
Lynch’s images of corruption, violence, and toxic masculinity ring all too familiar in America today.
Milan Fashion Week: Simon Cracker showcases upcycled collection as luxury sector slumps
The Simon Cracker runway critique hits the fashion sector when it's down, and analysts say, in need of reform.