When How&How was commissioned to rebrand e-commerce platform Big Cartel, one thing was made crystal clear – the logo had to stay the same. “The idea of changing the logo was categorically vetoed in the original scope,” co-founder Cat How explains. “It’s a designer’s nightmare,” How&How creative...
Florida’s Forgotten Vaqueros: The Real O.G.s of the Wild West
When you hear the word “cowboy,” what comes to mind? Probably some rugged guy in a ten-gallon hat riding across the dusty plains of Texas or Montana. Maybe he’s chewing on a piece of hay, tipping his hat to a tumbleweed. But what if I told you that the original American cowboys weren’t in Texas, Montana, or even...
Design Solutions for Beachside Umbrella-Wind Wars
Unless running their own firm, industrial designers don't get to choose the problems they solve. The client's problem, no matter how small, becomes your Manhattan Project. So while this may seem frivolous, let's say your client supplies beach resorts, and this is their problem: All this time, we've been so worried about...
Intense energy to inevitable risks – Designing for a start-up
“Culturally, working with founders is intense, in the best possible way,” says Kelly Mackenzie, founder and creative director of White Bear. The London and Dublin based branding agency has form working with founder-led companies, including Tom Parker Creamery and chocolate brand Luvli. “The business isn’t just...
The ‘Limpia de Huevo’ Explained: Latino Reiki, Placebo Effect, and Abuela’s Touch
If you’ve ever had a bad day, a bad vibe, or just the misfortune of receiving someone’s mal de ojo, then chances are your Abuela has performed a “limpia de huevo” on you. The sacred ritual, popular in Mexico, and throughout Latin America, involves waving/rubbing an egg all over your body and cracking it into a...
Google looks to level up craftsmanship in new AI Search tools
Google announced a host of AI-powered updates to its Search products yesterday, with a major focus on “richer and more vivid” designs. “We’ve been working really hard to up the level of craftsmanship within Google search,” said Rhiannon Bell, Google’s VP of Search UX. At its annual I/O developer conference in...
Who Put the ‘Miranda’ in Miranda Rights?
If you’re a fan of crime shows or movies, you definitely know Miranda Rights: “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can, and will, be used against you in court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you.” But, have you ever wondered who put...
Sir Jony Ive to lead design and make new products for OpenAI
Sir Jony Ive will “assume deep design and creative responsibilities” to build new products for OpenAI, the company that makes ChatGPT. It comes after the company bought io, a hardware start-up Ive founded with fellow Apple alumni Scott Cannon, Evans Hankey and Tang Tan in 2024. The long-term plan was seemingly always...
A New Umbrella Shape from Japan
I'm always interested when people re-think old objects. So when I saw this new shape for an umbrella from Japan, I thought "Cool. I wonder what UX improvement this offers?" The marketing photo featuring a model holding it had me puzzled. We've all been in those drenching sideways storms, is that what this new shape is...
Wait, Cameron Diaz Is Cuban?! And Her Family Helped Build Tampa’s Ybor City With Cigars?
When you think of Cuban-American culture, your brain probably jumps to Miami and its internationally-known beaches and always-booming salsa music. But way before the Castro Revolution made Miami the unofficial Cuban capital in the United States, there was another Florida city full of the island’s flavors. That place?...