These are the 397 most inspiring, innovative designs of 2018

Honorable Mention:Health

PLAYR

Layer

See Credits

Benjamin Hubert, Creative Director and Founder of LAYER; Elliott Koehler, Lead Industrial designer

Honorable Mention:Products

Axyl

Layer

See Credits

Benjamin Hubert, Creative Director and Founder of LAYER; Paulo Fonseca, Mid-Weight Industrial Designer

Honorable Mention:Products

Nolii

Layer

See Credits

Benjamin Hubert, Creative Director and Founder of LAYER; Emi Runnquist, Lead Strategist

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 ingestible beauty boom: How Vital Proteins made collagen cool

Impact

How to design a Green New Deal that really works, for every industry in the U.S.

Impact

Milan is embarking on a bold plan to plant 3 million trees

Creativity

Someone made a choose-your-own adventure Twitter game where you play Beyoncé’s assistant—and it’s amazing

Creativity

Honorable Mention:Health

Honorable Mention:Products

Honorable Mention:Products

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 ingestible beauty boom: How Vital Proteins made collagen cool

How to design a Green New Deal that really works, for every industry in the U.S.

Milan is embarking on a bold plan to plant 3 million trees

Someone made a choose-your-own adventure Twitter game where you play Beyoncé’s assistant—and it’s amazing

The wild, improbable history of the phrase ‘If we can put a man on the Moon . . .’

Lost to history: The convergence of the first Moon landing and Chappaquiddick

Google double downs on its project to teach kids how to spot fake news

Tesla’s ‘Autopilot’ mode shows how branding can become a UX risk

The art of selling scent in the digital age

This is an non-obnoxious way to follow up on a cold email

How to be mentally tough without sacrificing emotional intelligence

This is what optimists can teach you about dealing with stress