These are the 397 most inspiring, innovative designs of 2018

Honorable Mention:Workplace

Turner Market

Rapt Studio

See Credits

David Galullo, CEO, Chief Creative Officer; Derrick Prodigalidad, Team Lead; Sam Gray, Creative Director; Daniela Covarrubias, Designer; Rosela Barraza, Designer; Sarah Devine, Account Director; Andrew Ashey, Senior Designer; Lucia Matioli, Creative Director; Alex Adamson, Senior 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

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.

Tech

Digital life insurance took off during COVID-19. Ladder wants to keep the momentum going

Tech

Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen on the secret sauce of ‘Clash of Clans,’ NFTs, and why Supercell kills so many games

Tech

The FCC shot down SpaceX’s bid for $866 million bid in subsidies to roll out Starlink in rural America

News

Gen Z has 86% less purchasing power than baby boomers did in their 20s

News

More layoffs at tech-adjacent brands: Peloton, Calm, Sweetgreen, and more

News

How to register for Fast Company’s Taste of Innovation dinner series

Co.Design

The UI of air-conditioning is hell on earth

Co.Design

How Cinnabon landed its starring role on ‘Better Call Saul’

Co.Design

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Honorable Mention:Workplace

Rapt Studio

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.

Tech

Digital life insurance took off during COVID-19. Ladder wants to keep the momentum going

Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen on the secret sauce of ‘Clash of Clans,’ NFTs, and why Supercell kills so many games

The FCC shot down SpaceX’s bid for $866 million bid in subsidies to roll out Starlink in rural America

News

Gen Z has 86% less purchasing power than baby boomers did in their 20s

More layoffs at tech-adjacent brands: Peloton, Calm, Sweetgreen, and more

How to register for Fast Company’s Taste of Innovation dinner series

Co.Design

The UI of air-conditioning is hell on earth

How Cinnabon landed its starring role on ‘Better Call Saul’

These sensors know when your office is underutilized—and when your grandma takes a fall

Work Life

4 signs your organization is too dependent on its leaders

5 strategies for impressing someone in a job interview

Cursing at work has become acceptable–for some people