Design
The Unbuilt High-rise Designs of Rem Koolhaas and OMA
The radical, unbuilt high-rises designed by Rem Koolhaas are witty, subversive, and surprisingly simple
August 23, 2012 |
By Jimmy Stamp
How Alphonse Mucha Designed the Nation State of Czechoslovakia
When the country gained its independence after World War I, artist Alphonse Mucha was called upon to help design an important part of any country's identity - its money
August 21, 2012 |
By Jimmy Stamp
Top 10 Chanelisms: Coco’s Wise Words to Mark Her Birthday
Today the French fashion designer's observations seem wise, clever or amusingly dated
August 20, 2012 |
By Emily Spivack
Through the Lens of Cosmo Covers: Remembering Helen Gurley Brown
With her magazine, the longtime editor sold sex as well as the latest, often provocative fashions
August 17, 2012 |
By Emily Spivack
Aircraft Design Inspired by Nature and Enabled by Tech
In 2050, Airbus hopes to fly you around in a see-through jet shaped like a bird skeleton, with morphing seats, spa treatments, and virtual entertainment
August 16, 2012 |
By Sarah C. Rich
Yesterday’s Tomorrows: How a Smithsonian Exhibit I Never Saw Changed My Life
Meet the historians who pioneered scholarship of retro-futurism
August 15, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
The Scene of Deduction: Drawing 221B Baker Street
From pen-and-ink sketches to digital renderings, generations of Sherlock Holmes fans have undertaken to draft a version of the detective's famous London flat
August 14, 2012 |
By Jimmy Stamp
Q&A: Jayson Musson Breaks Down Coogi Sweaters
With the '80s and '90s status-symbol clothing a bargain on eBay, the Brooklyn artist buys, disassembles and reconstructs them to make abstract "paintings"
August 13, 2012 |
By Emily Spivack
As the Olympic Games Conclude, a Look Back at U.S. Opening Ceremony Outfits
The photos tell the story here, as Team USA has always had an eccentric taste in its uniforms
August 10, 2012 |
By Emily Spivack
The LEGO-like Building Blocks of the Olympic Slalom Canoe
How a three-time Olympic competitor designed an innovative new whitewater system using underwater bricks
August 09, 2012 |
By Sarah C. Rich
The Swimsuit Series, Part 5: Olympic Athletes, Posing
Vintage styles cycle in and out of favor among medal-winning racers
August 08, 2012 |
By Emily Spivack
The Architecture of Memory
Memorization may seem like a brain-based skill, but it has as much to do with our bodies and our buildings
August 06, 2012 |
By Sarah C. Rich
A Modern Sherlock Holmes and the Technology of Deduction
A modern Sherlock Holmes requires a modern tool. Today, his iconic problem-solving magnifying glass has been replaced by the indispensable cell phone
August 02, 2012 |
By Jimmy Stamp
Packing List Series, Part 2: An Artist’s Illustrated Guide
With a watercolor sketchbook guide, Adolf Konrad drew on his talents to record his belongings
August 01, 2012 |
By Emily Spivack
Sherlock Holmes and the Tools of Deduction
Sherlock Holmes’s extraordinary deductions would be impossible without the optical technologies of the 19th century
July 31, 2012 |
By Jimmy Stamp
When LBJ Ordered Pants From the White House
Johnson liked his Haggar slacks slack—and colorfully described a special custom-cut
July 30, 2012 |
By Emily Spivack
The Deerstalker: Where Sherlock Holmes’ Popular Image Came From
The literary detective's hunting cap and cape came not so much from the books' author as from their illustrators
July 26, 2012 |
By Sarah C. Rich
The Long Journey of Chief Joseph’s War Shirt
Important Native American artifact seen in Smithsonian portrait fetches $877,500 at Nevada auction
July 25, 2012 |
By Emily Spivack
Q&A: Archaeologist Unearths 600-year-old Bra in Castle
Though in tatters, the undergarment looks thoroughly modern. But was it comfortable!?
July 23, 2012 |
By Emily Spivack
The History of the Olympic Pictograms: How Designers Hurdled the Language Barrier
Infographic design first appeared at the Olympics in 1948, when the games were last in London.
July 20, 2012 |
By Sarah C. Rich
