Co.Design

A eulogy for every product Google has ruthlessly killed (145 and counting)

“This project was born as an act of criticism toward a culture of software product churn,” says the creator of Killed By Google, an archive of products lost to the sands of time.

The We Company is getting into urban design

The company formerly known as WeWork is hiring designer Dror Benshetrit to lead its future cities initiatives.

Who was Garamond, anyway? The history behind 5 classic typefaces

The author of a new dictionary of typefaces explains the origins of some of the best-known type–and their lesser-known namesakes.

Finally, dog gear for design snobs

The Brooklyn-based company Wild One promises pet products designed to human standards. Here’s what my dog Elvis thought of it.

Roman walls are a 3,000-year-old argument against Trump’s border wall

Nour Halabi studies how border walls negatively transformed society for centuries–and writes that the U.S.’s wall plans would similarly dehumanize people and incite violence.

Amazon could soon force you to go on a diet, according to one futurist

Tech giants will overtake our homes–and once you’re locked into one ecosystem, you won’t be able to escape, says Amy Webb.

4 ways AI is already making designers’ lives easier

Amid plenty of debate over whether AI and other emerging technologies will change design forever, it’s easy to overlook the ways these technologies are already helping creatives work today.

Dyson’s $600 task lamp is the closest you’ll get to natural light indoors

The algorithmically controlled lamp can also adjust how much light you need based on your age.

McDonald’s new HQ makes it look more like a wellness startup

Hopefully it signals the way McDonald’s is thinking about its actual product, too.

This new startup makes affordable outdoor furniture–out of ocean plastic

Garden furniture is expensive and wasteful. Yardbird wants to change that, using the direct-to-consumer revolution as a model for its brand of eco-friendly design.

You can paint like Van Gogh using MoMA’s wild new crayons

Created by Todd Oldham’s toy company Kid Made Modern, these Smush Crayons are based on masterworks by Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, and Alma Thomas.

I tried to understand location tracking. It’s nearly impossible

I discovered that even when it’s collected in a way that protects privacy, location data ultimately helps companies more than people.

Beware of this new dark pattern popping up in ads and packaging

Intentionally or not, e-cig maker Blu desensitized users about the dangers of nicotine with perfectly placed fake warnings.

The new frontier for ultra-wealthy tourists? Underwater hotels and restaurants

“It’s like riding in a first-class cabin on Emirates airline,” says the interior architect behind one $50,000-per-night hotel suite beneath the Indian Ocean.

Of course Ikea is selling flat-pack chocolate Easter Bunnies

Moleskine and Adobe debut a digital tablet and paper sketchbook hybrid

After years of dabbling with apps and other digital products, Moleskine is launching a tool that lets you sketch in real-life and digital space simultaneously.

Prepare to fall in love with the portable schools of Sweden

Come for the giant wave library. Stay for the funhouse mirror slide.

Readers respond: Is design as important as we think it is?

Last week, John Maeda told Fast Company that “in reality, design is not that important.” Here’s how readers responded.

The world’s first genderless AI voice is here. Listen now

Siri, Cortana, Alexa, and Google all default as women. But what if AI assistants thought beyond gender norms?