These are the 397 most inspiring, innovative designs of 2018

Honorable Mention:Experimental

Whole Foods 365 Shopping Enhanced by Augmented Reality (SEAR)

Fjord, Design and Innovation for Accenture Interactive

See Credits

Heather Hildebrand, Account Lead Greg Carley, Group Design and Innovation Director Eric Ray, Delivery Lead Hawkeye Thompson, Design Director Donald Dahle III, Lead Developer Z. Henry-Frazer, Project Manager Michelle Adams, Project Coordinator Erica Ochoa, Visual Designer Tony Matejek, Visual Designer Michael Sparks, QA Trevor Phillips, iOS Developer Briana Gray, iOS Developer Hunter Woodlee, Director XR John Miller, Project Manager Molly Gardner, Production Designer Manuel Gonzalez, Visual Designer Charles Price, 3D Designer Robert St. Aubin, 3D Designer

See past winners: 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012

All Stories In Innovation By Design

Co.Design

Design will kill marketing, says Ikea’s former design chief

Marcus Engman is leaving Ikea to run a consultancy that convinces companies to spend their marketing budget on what matters: design.

Co.Design

Dyson’s latest product is a $550 hair curler

After six years and $31 million in development, Dyson is launching the Airwrap, a device that creates ringlets using a bit of aerospace-inspired physics.

Innovation By Design

Meet Krewe, the eyewear brand that New Orleans (and Beyoncé) built

The five-year-old brand’s founder is focused on giving back to his native New Orleans and putting it on the map of fashion-forward cities.

Innovation By Design

There’s even a Warby Parker of towels now

Weezie wants to shake up a mundane industry with design.

Innovation By Design

What the healthcare industry could learn from Lyft and Airbnb

The sharing economy is built upon service and interaction designs that engender interpersonal trust. Healthcare organizations could learn from it.

Innovation By Design

The future of web design is less, not more

Low-Tech Magazine’s new website is solar-powered, which means it goes offline in cloudy weather.

Innovation By Design

This building’s giant sundial shows how much energy it’s making

It’s one of the most efficient buildings in the country–but its most unique design feature might be the 40-foot-tall installation in the atrium.

Innovation By Design

Dieter Rams wants Silicon Valley to stop

In Gary Hustwit’s highly anticipated new documentary “Rams,” the legendary industrial designer indicts the world he helped create.

Innovation By Design

This long-lost Eames design is being produced for the first time

In the 1940s, radio companies rejected the Eameses’ designs as being “too modern.” Not anymore.

Innovation By Design

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Honorable Mention:Experimental

Fjord, Design and Innovation for Accenture Interactive

All Stories In Innovation By Design

Design will kill marketing, says Ikea’s former design chief

Marcus Engman is leaving Ikea to run a consultancy that convinces companies to spend their marketing budget on what matters: design.

Dyson’s latest product is a $550 hair curler

After six years and $31 million in development, Dyson is launching the Airwrap, a device that creates ringlets using a bit of aerospace-inspired physics.

Meet Krewe, the eyewear brand that New Orleans (and Beyoncé) built

The five-year-old brand’s founder is focused on giving back to his native New Orleans and putting it on the map of fashion-forward cities.

There’s even a Warby Parker of towels now

Weezie wants to shake up a mundane industry with design.

What the healthcare industry could learn from Lyft and Airbnb

The sharing economy is built upon service and interaction designs that engender interpersonal trust. Healthcare organizations could learn from it.

The future of web design is less, not more

Low-Tech Magazine’s new website is solar-powered, which means it goes offline in cloudy weather.

This building’s giant sundial shows how much energy it’s making

It’s one of the most efficient buildings in the country–but its most unique design feature might be the 40-foot-tall installation in the atrium.

Dieter Rams wants Silicon Valley to stop

In Gary Hustwit’s highly anticipated new documentary “Rams,” the legendary industrial designer indicts the world he helped create.

This long-lost Eames design is being produced for the first time

In the 1940s, radio companies rejected the Eameses’ designs as being “too modern.” Not anymore.

Sick of midcentury modern? Here’s where to buy today’s best design

Skip the spindly leg sofas and knockoff Eames chairs, and try these shopping destinations instead.

Impact

In Arizona, Indigenous nations suffer more COVID-19 cases—and more blame

Strict voter ID laws directly reduce minority turnout

We are throwing away a record 53.6 million metric tons of electronics

Creativity

Let’s cancel the 4th of July this year

‘Hamilton’ on Disney Plus is a nostalgic tour de force—and that’s the problem

How to watch Hamilton for free on Disney Plus: You can’t, and here’s why

Co.Design

New Trump campaign tee says America First, but Nazi symbol is front and center

You can now smell like space, with this new NASA-inspired fragrance

This $2,500 ventilator is a master class in designing for the COVID-19 era

Work Life

“Business is not and should not be only about the bottom line”

The pandemic is a great time to start a business. Here are 3 things to do now

How this software company saw the opportunity—and went remote nearly overnight