These are the 397 most inspiring, innovative designs of 2018

Honorable Mention:Apps and Games

The Darwin Challenge

Universal Favourite

See Credits

Design and UI: Universal Favourite App engineers: Work in Progress Branding agency: Principals Behavioural economics: The Behavioural Architects Illustrator: Janine Rewell Copywriting: John Kerswell (White Label Words)

Honorable Mention:Products

Complements modular chocolates

Universal Favourite

See Credits

Product, design & art direction: Universal Favourite. Chocolate Production: Bakedown Cakery. Photography: Christopher Morris. Styling: Jessica Johnson

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

How going to the Moon really did change the world—back on Earth

Impact

This “virtual power plant” made of solar and batteries means Oakland can stop burning jet fuel

Impact

Inside the effort to map the world’s dying coral reefs from space

Creativity

Sports media is going direct to consumer—and Copa90 wants to be the Glossier of soccer

Creativity

The original ‘Lion King’ had a racist hyena problem. The new film fixes that, with mixed results.

Creativity

This fan-made, stop-motion ‘The Shining’ took 60 hours and 10,000 LEGOs to create

Co.Design

This fascinating graph shows how life in America has changed since 2003

Co.Design

The quest to bring urinal culture to women

Co.Design

Sorry Wall-E, this is now the world’s cutest robot

Work Life

Why team-building exercises are useless (and what you should do instead)

Work Life

What companies should do with the office mansplainer

Work Life

Honorable Mention:Apps and Games

Universal Favourite

Honorable Mention:Products

Universal Favourite

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

How going to the Moon really did change the world—back on Earth

This “virtual power plant” made of solar and batteries means Oakland can stop burning jet fuel

Inside the effort to map the world’s dying coral reefs from space

Creativity

Sports media is going direct to consumer—and Copa90 wants to be the Glossier of soccer

The original ‘Lion King’ had a racist hyena problem. The new film fixes that, with mixed results.

This fan-made, stop-motion ‘The Shining’ took 60 hours and 10,000 LEGOs to create

Co.Design

This fascinating graph shows how life in America has changed since 2003

The quest to bring urinal culture to women

Sorry Wall-E, this is now the world’s cutest robot

Work Life

Why team-building exercises are useless (and what you should do instead)

What companies should do with the office mansplainer

This Lyft executive shares their secret recipe for keeping customers and drivers happy