Co.Design

The chatbot bubble has officially burst

Google Allo is the latest casualty of Silicon Valley’s course correction on conversational interfaces.

The hottest branding trend of the year is also the worst

Is your made-up name rendered in a sans-serif type, with thiiiiiiiis much white space? Congratulations! You are a bland.

Apple accidentally gave one of its emoji a buttface

Thankfully, the squid scientists of the world have finally spoken up about Cupertino’s faux pas.

3 things Facebook could do to fix itself (even if it won’t)

Facebook, Twitter, Google, and others are damaging society but reluctant to admit it, write Matthew Crain and Anthony M. Nadler.

This coworking space is the most elegant office I’ve ever seen

Gorgeous!

Sorry, your data can still be identified even if it’s anonymized

Urban planners and researchers at MIT found that it’s shockingly easy to “reidentify” the anonymous data that people generate all day, every day in cities.

From GV: 5 lessons to jump-start your design career

Designers have never been more in demand. But when you’re just starting out, how do you identify the right opportunity? GV partner Kate Aronowitz shares tips for designing the ultimate design career.

An ambitious plan to change how we build housing

The dream of modular architecture has been kicking around for decades. Has its time finally come?

Skip the gimmicky toys. Get kids these beautiful, durable gifts

I tested these toys on my toddler. Each gets an enthusiastic thumbs-up!

Pentagram designs a Harry Potter font, and it’s magical

It’s called “Crimes New Roman.”

Squarespace’s sleek redesign rejects cliché Silicon Valley branding

The company is ditching quiet friendliness for a very New York swagger.

Watch AI conjure up an entire city from scratch

One day, this software could create entire virtual worlds.

Every other industry has a safety label. Now tech does, too

Think of the Trustable Technology Mark as an “organic” sticker for connected devices.

Why is the right-wing obsessed with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s clothes?

Criticism of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s fashion choices echoes attacks against early female labor activists.

This M.C. Escher-inspired hotel is Instagram gold

The most innovative cold weather gear of 2018

Winters really are getting colder. A beautiful, high-tech coat could be just the right gift.

Why Japan is giving away free houses (and how to get one)

A rapidly aging population, plus a preference for new home, has created a glut of abandoned spaces available for free or next-to-nothing.

The home of the future is the one you’re already living in

A growing number of architects and advocates are promoting an ambitious vision of energy-efficient, data-driven homes–many of which have been around for decades.

Millennial Pink is dead, and Pantone’s Color of the Year killed it

Meet Living Coral. It’s the color of resistance, of tech company rebrands, and of 1960s Americana–a familiar and energizing hue that you’re about to see everywhere.