These are the 397 most inspiring, innovative designs of 2018

Finalist:Workplace

IDEO Creative Difference

IDEO

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David Aycan - Managing Director; Sean Tang - Quantitative Organization Designer; Joshua Lavra - Product Lead; Lauren Carter - Product Manager; Sophie Chow - UX Designer; Josh Schwartzman - Software Developer; Dave Kaplan - Software Developer; Marco Segreto - Software Developer; Diana Lyman - Sales and Marketing Director; Anthony Stimola - Senior Designer

Honorable Mention:Products

SOG Multi-tools

IDEO

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Teams from SOG Specialty Knives and Tools and IDEO

Honorable Mention:Timeless Design

Heartstream Forerunner Defibrillator

IDEO

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Teams from Heartstream and IDEO

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

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

The pandemic recovery needs to be measured in well-being—not just GDP

Impact

Electric car company Polestar is designing a car that can be manufactured with zero emissions

Impact

Of course, there are now carbon offsets for NFTs

News

Want a best-selling book or hit movie? You need this 1 key ingredient, says research

News

Bad news: Late-night snacking leads to lower work performance the next day

News

Do I still have to pay taxes on April 15? Maybe. Here’s what to know

Co.Design

Did Target steal this Black creator’s branding?

Co.Design

These shapeshifting streetlights are slow tech at its finest

Co.Design

How this year’s Pritzker Prize winners could spark an architectural revolution

Work Life

The secret strategy that will finally help you spend less time looking at your phone

Work Life

Try these 3 things to get noticed by a potential employer where you have no connections

Work Life

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Finalist:Workplace

Honorable Mention:Products

Honorable Mention:Timeless 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.

The pandemic recovery needs to be measured in well-being—not just GDP

Electric car company Polestar is designing a car that can be manufactured with zero emissions

Of course, there are now carbon offsets for NFTs

Want a best-selling book or hit movie? You need this 1 key ingredient, says research

Bad news: Late-night snacking leads to lower work performance the next day

Do I still have to pay taxes on April 15? Maybe. Here’s what to know

Did Target steal this Black creator’s branding?

These shapeshifting streetlights are slow tech at its finest

How this year’s Pritzker Prize winners could spark an architectural revolution

The secret strategy that will finally help you spend less time looking at your phone

Try these 3 things to get noticed by a potential employer where you have no connections

3 steps to start tackling your ‘productivity fatigue’