Gadgets we love...because of fine design

American industrial designers are the secret heroes of the marketplace, finessing products to make them easier to use and help them sell better. Here's how five top firms have been busy shaping our world.

8 concept cars that'll never see production

These prototypes may never go into production, but you'll find elements of their designs in the cars of the future.

Information Architecture for Audio: Doing It Right

Audio content is becoming increasingly prevalent. But do you know how to design it effectively? Jens Jacobsen combines information architecture, journalism, usability engineering and interface design to resolve some of the issues that arise from introducing audio. He shows us how he makes his magic..

Futuristic PCs

Review the fourth Microsoft-sponsored Next-Gen PC Design Competition, which this year encouraged entrants to dream up futuristic designs that not only feature eye-catching aesthetics, but also cater to people's passions

(Re)building a town

When a tornado leveled Greensburg, Kansas a class of college students took it on to help rebuild the town - with an eye on the environment.

Take on the urban with Beema

Beema is a inner city trick bike by Andreas Martin that allows you to take on any obstacle that the urban area throws up; chairs, banks, rails or just the street. It fills the gap between FMX, scooter and BMX.

Design for Social Impact

How can we unleash and leverage the power of the global design community on some of the world’s most intractable problems? How can we increase the collaboration between the design industry and the the social sector? And do so in a systematic and sustainable way? Read this great PDF article to find out.

5 Unusually Inventive Kitchen Furniture Concepts

When you think of interesting design in the home, the kitchen typically isn’t the first room that springs to mind.

Crazy: City-In-a-Pyramid Could House a Million Dubaians

A particularly optimistic design firm in Dubai called Timelinks has proposed designs for the Ziggurat, a complete city to be layered inside of a massive pyramid that could serve as home for a million people at a time.

Web Design: Black Layouts

Here are some beautiful designed black layouts.