The promises – and perils – of AI have been gripping the world of architecture and design in recent months, but few have grasped that the revolution is already under way. Image-making tools such as […]
arketyp. News Feed
Digital, tech & innovation narratives curated from across the web
Category: Design
Crows and Magpies Are Building Nests with Anti-Bird Spikes
“Even for me as a nest researcher, these are the craziest bird nests I’ve ever seen.” Hostile architecture is a design strategy that restricts access to public space. Spikes protruding from doorways, fences under stairs, […]
Why So Many Brands Use Sound To Make You Buy Stuff
Netflix made sonic logos — the new version of jingles — trendy. But its success is hard to replicate. Netflix has “ta-dum.” Liberty Mutual has “Liberty, Liberty, Liiiberty.” Other insurance companies have a bevy of […]
Meditation Training Improves Brain–Computer Interface Performance
Researchers are looking for ways to improve brain-computer interface performance, and one potential method is through meditation. “I am developing noninvasive brain-computer interface techniques that can ‘read’ humans’ mind and control a device. For such […]
Playfulness Abounds in the Activity Zone
In Chorzów, Poland, a vibrant, multi-use public park highlights the possibilities of play. Designed by architecture firm SLAS, “Activity Zone” perforates a large concrete expanse with myriad shapes and structures, each with its own function. […]
The Alternative Limb Project and the Nexus of Art and Medicine
Grace Ebert of “This Is Colossal” speaks with Sophie de Oliveira Barata of The Alternative Limb Project, a Lewes-based studio that makes custom prosthetics for people with amputated or missing appendages. About sixteen percent of […]
AI: The Next Chapter in Design
Just as Adobe acquired Figma, Figma has acquired Diagram, a startup using AI to create design. Noah Levin, VP of product design at Figma, talks about its vision for the future of design. Somewhat paradoxically, […]
Design Systems in The Time of AI
How will AI impact the world of UI design and development? How will AI impact how design systems are created and used? “Why should you invest in a design system?” The answer in a bajillion […]
Design Thinking Was Supposed to Fix The World. Where Did It Go Wrong?
An approach that promised to democratise design may have done the opposite. In recent years, for a number of reasons, the shine of design thinking has been wearing off. Critics have argued that its short-term […]
3D-Printed Houses are the Suburbs of the Future
3D-printed houses are sustainable, affordable, and quick to build. But could all that efficiency lead to a new kind of cookie-cutter suburban housing? Perched in the rocky, rolling, cactus-filled foothills of Desert Hot Springs, California, […]
Navigating the AI revolution: How Designers Can Stay Competitive
Artificial intelligence is changing how we design and the skills required to succeed in the design industry. 34% of businesses in the U.S., Europe, and China have already adopted AI, according to Global AI Survey […]
We Were Promised Smart Cities. What Happened?
These days, while large-scale smart city projects are continuing around the world, the focus has largely shifted toward incorporating smart technology into existing cities as opposed to just building brand new cities on virgin land. […]
An Architecture of Optimism
The time to define the architecture of optimism is now. The future of our cities depends on it. Optimistic architecture isn’t architecture for the sake of architecture and doesn’t seek to glorify form. Rather, it’s […]
‘Bioconstruction’ Will Build Homes Out of Flowering, 3D-Printed Dirt
The walls of your home usually need to be spruced up with paint or some art, but one day they may be teeming with life instead. Through a new approach to 3D printing, soil implanted […]
New Smart Cities Can’t Escape the Same Old Problems
It takes more than garbage-collecting robots to build a great place to live. The idea of wiping the slate clean and building a community from scratch is so appealing that around 150 of them are […]
Hilton hotels Will Design Astronaut Suites on Private Starlab Space Station
Hilton wants to ‘reimagine the human experience in space, making extended stays more comfortable.’ Hilton is ready to take its hospitality off-planet. The hotel giant will move into a future Earth-orbiting space station called Starlab […]
3 Steps to Build ‘Adaptive’ Smart Cities of the Future
Cities represent perhaps the most important opportunity for innovation and digital transformation for our entire society and the planet. While the concept of the smart city has long been the future vision for cities, even […]
A Primer on Presence, Immersive Storytelling, & Experiential Design
Voices of VR Podcast host Kent Bye traces the evolution of storytelling through the lens of how virtual and augmented reality provides a direct, embodied experience and environmental context that is difficult to achieve in […]
Is There Such a Thing As an Ethical Smart City?
Josh O’Kane’s new book on Sidewalk Labs’ failed city of the future says there’s potential. In October 2017, an Alphabet subsidiary named Sidewalk Labs announced that it was going to build a brand-new neighborhood, “mixing […]
Digital Banking Is Moving Beyond Mobile Screen ‘Taps and Swipes’
Building beyond today’s level of digital banking channel acceptance demands better use of customer data and increasing comfort with technologies beyond basic mobile features. Derek White spends a lot of his time contemplating what he […]
Why Japan is Building Smart Cities from Scratch
Purpose-built sustainable communities can boost energy efficiency and support an ageing population. Smart cities can improve quality of life for older people while also increasing energy efficiency and climate resiliency. Japan has a long history […]
Saudi Arabia to Build Two Parallel 120km-Long Skyscrapers in Neom
Kingdom plans to spend up to a trillion dollars to build world’s largest structure, according to report. Saudi Arabia is planning to build two parallel, mirrored buildings that are nearly 500 metres tall and 120km […]
This Hospital of the Future Gives a Glimpse of Healthcare Transformed
The plan for the 1.3-million-square-metre site near Doha is ambitious, but designers suggest it could become a regional standard in the future. There are no tower blocks, medicinal plants are grown on-site and the facility […]
We Need Smarter Cities, Not “Smart Cities”
A singular focus on high-tech will dilute the vibrancy of our cities and limit their potential. The term “smart cities” originated as a marketing strategy for large IT vendors. It has now become synonymous with […]
Why Are We Building Woven City?
Daisuke Toyoda, Head of Woven City Management shares his thoughts on why they are taking on this ambitious project and welcomes you to help them create the future fabric of life together. Toyota are building […]
Ending the Reign of Nihilistic Design
We fail to take tech seriously when we do not grasp its full impact on humans. The widespread adoption of new technologies always has unintended consequences. Through the natural course of innovation, many technologies co-evolve […]
Cosmic ADU is a “Self-Powered Home” That Uses No Fossil Fuels
US startup Cosmic has created a solar-powered accessory dwelling unit that is built using a special construction process and generates far more electricity than it needs. Based in San Francisco, Cosmic was founded by Sasha […]
Nike and RTFKT’s First Digital Sneakers Have Landed
Cryptokicks is expected to be the first of many digital launches from Nike and RTFKT. Earlier this year, virtual fashion start-up RTFKT dropped a mysterious NFT titled “MNLTH”, a metallic cube that was decorated with […]
Neubrutalism is Taking Over the Web
Neubrutalism, or Neobrutalism as some people call it, is a mix of regular brutalism in web design and more modern typography, illustration and animation standards. Brutalism is a 1950’s architectural trend that was abandoning all […]
World View Unveils Balloon Spacecraft
Space tourism company World View has unveiled designs for a capsule that will fly passengers to the edge of the Earth’s atmosphere under a giant balloon in two years’ time. World View is already taking […]