Co.Design

Ikea debuts its least Ikea-like collection yet

“Pretty, ugly, lovely.” That’s how the Swedish furniture giant describes its new collection with artist Per B Sundberg.

Your jeans are sexist

A data viz investigation.

The real reason your company switched to an open plan office

Sick of Facebook’s creepy ad targeting? Try this new tool

“You as a Facebook user taking action to [deny] advertisers access to information is a political move.”

This $2,995 home gym is like Peloton for weight-lifting

Can sleek design and engineering innovation make the home gym into a chic conversation piece?

Designers are hilariously mocking Trump’s Space Force logos

It’s a space farce.

How houseplants could save us from toxic buildings

Scientists think that plants could help us monitor our buildings for everything from mold and radon to volatile organic compounds.

Our first look at Alphabet’s smart city

Timber towers and smart pavement: Alphabet’s Sidewalk Labs is sharing an early glimpse of its Toronto development.

Dealing with creative failure? Here’s what to do next

Seven artists talk about dealing with disappointment–and how to turn failure into a creative force.

Building Burning Man looks way more fun than attending

Long before the festival starts, surveyors and builders conjure Black Rock City out of the forbidding desert. It looks like a blast.

This foot surgeon invented killer heels that won’t kill your feet

A podiatrist launches a glamorous shoe startup, making the case that the ultimate luxury is being able to walk without pain.

Design is never neutral

Designers can’t simply make digital products easier to use. They have to think about what’s in the best interests of the user, writes Adobe’s Khoi Vinh.

What American inequality looks like from above

Homeless encampments, glassy offices, RVs, and tech buses.

An architect’s defense of open plan offices

A recent study of how employees communicate in open plan offices seemed to be the final nail in the coffin of this popular workplace design. But the study had an essential flaw, writes architect Ashley L. Dunn.

How gambling distorts reality and hooks your brain

Slot machines are designed to deceive. Here’s how.

All the ways you’re making bad data viz choices

Tumblr is killing off its dot

The brand is dropping the period from its logo, more proof that quirky tech branding is over.

Trulia is building the Netflix for neighborhoods

Trulia is launching a new editorial initiative that takes you into communities where you’re considering buying. Eventually, it wants to recommend your next neighborhood.

Motherhood is changing. Why isn’t the fertility process, too?

More women than ever are undergoing fertility treatment on their own. Yet the process is designed almost exclusively for couples. Smart Design’s Stephanie Yung explores a better way in this three-part series called Project Junior.