ddp design fair

According to a recent article in the prestigious graphic design magazine PRINT, more and more freelance graphic designers are beginning to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) in their design process.Until recently, designers working in the creative sector have been resisting the mass deployment of generative AI technology, which began in earnest last fall, out of a vague fear and aversion to the idea that AI will take away creative jobs.However, a recent survey by German design agency platform '99 designs' found that across a wide range of creative businesses, from commercial logo design to extensive branding projects, freelance designers are becoming more open to AI as part of the creative process, suggesting that AI is becoming a working partner for creatives.In a survey of 10,000 freelance graphic designers in 135 countries around the world, more than half (52%) said they already use generative AI in their work. This means they are not just playing around with AI models, but applying them to real-world deliverables. Designers said that AI is particularly useful when brainstorming ideas, handling simple repetitive tasks, and streamlining graphic copying.AI-enabled work efficiency also helps reduce costs. Designers reported saving up to 45% on production costs compared to last year after using AI models. Therefore, for the time being, generative AI technology is seen as a tool that will bring new, creative inspiration at work as well as cost efficiencies in the creative sector.It is clear that AI is a disruptive innovation, one that will disrupt the job security of creative professionals and reshape the structure of the creative industry. However, it is encouraging to see that, in contrast to just a year ago, when designers were wary of AI as a disruptive and threatening competitor, this year, they see it as a creative collaborator, keeping pace with developments and advances in the technology and actively participating in its enhancement.Eighty percent of survey respondents believe AI will impact their future earnings, either positively or negatively. An overwhelming 88% say they need to learn new, innovative skills to stay competitive. A significant 33% of respondents are concerned about the possibility of losing income streams due to AI, while 47% expect AI to help them improve their income.*Source: PRINTArticle located at: https://www.printmag.com/ai/from-hesitancy-to-hope-how-freelancers-are-embracing-ai/*All infographics sourced from: /99 Designs/PRINT

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, a beacon of modern and contemporary art since 1937, has launched a cohesive visual identity crafted by Pentagram partner Harry Pearce. The new brand system brings unity across the Guggenheim's four locations: New York, Venice, Bilbao, and the soon-to-open Abu Dhabi.From Frank Lloyd Wright's spiral marvel in New York to Frank Gehry's bold Bilbao structure, the Guggenheim museums are celebrated as much for their architecture as for their art. This legacy now extends to the museum's brand, which has evolved from the original 1982 identity by Massimo Vignelli and later versions by Abbot Miller in 2013. The new visual language, created by Pearce and his team in collaboration with Guggenheim's in-house experts and Jane Wentworth's strategy, centres on the ethos: 'One brand, one constellation, one vision, many experiences'.The new logo might seem simple, but it carries an air of authority. It nods to its heritage geometric typography and a unifying 'G' symbol that is abstract and modular. This symbol encapsulates the constellation of Guggenheim locations, their global spirit, and their shared vision. The symbol also draws on the museums' architectural forms, evoking their common geometric design while providing strong brand recognition across digital and physical spaces.Typography plays a major role, too. Guggenheim Sans, a refined adaptation of the Open Source font Inter by Rasmus Andersson, is joined by a sophisticated secondary font, Playfair. Additionally, the identity includes a bespoke Arabic version by Debakir and TB.D Studios, broadening its accessibility to the global audience, presumably in time for its grand opening in the Middle East. A complementary set of icons adds extra weight and relevance to the identity with bold geometric forms.Guided by the principle of 'Amplification', motion is integral to the identity's design, connecting Guggenheim animations to its brand mission: 'We amplify the power of many imaginations'. Animated iterations of the logo bring an expressive edge that helps liven the identity across many channels.Looking at the colour palette and various layout systems, it's clear that Pearce and his team wanted the art to speak for itself. Every visual seems to prioritise the artists Guggenheim welcomes through its doors. There is nothing overwhelming about Pentagram's design. But as any talented designer will admit, crafting something "simple" that doesn't take centre stage is quite the challenge. As Pearce explains, "Following museum guidelines, artist imagery is never cropped without consent, and graphics and typography are always kept separate and never overlaid onto the artworks."It's a modern yet accessible design that not only pays homage to the Guggenheim's heritage but also aims to position it as a museum for everyone. And by visually linking each museum's architecture with a contemporary digital presence, Pearce's new identity celebrates the Guggenheim as 'a museum for the world'.*News source: Creative Boom

The Danish toy maker LEGO is launching a special botanical set for 2025 to celebrate the upcoming New Year.This is not the first time LEGO has introduced products inspired by plants and flora. The company first launched The LEGO® Botanical Collection series in 2021, introducing LEGO bouquets and bonsai pots, and has since released new products to coincide with holidays such as Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and Christmas, when flowers are a popular gift.The four LEGO Botanicals sets, which will officially launch on New Year's Day, January 1, 2025, at toy retailers and online stores worldwide, bring the phytotherapeutic benefits of realistic plants and floral arrangements to modern homes.The first in the series is LEGO Botanicals Pretty Pink Flower Bouquet ($59.99 USD), which comes in a box with 15 flower stems with different species of flowers and leaves in different shapes. Consumers can attach, detach, and adjust the prefabricated plastic flowers and leaves as desired to create a unique bouquet.At a lower price point ($29.99 retail), the LEGO Botanicals Mini Orchid, modeled after a Japanese bonsai plant, is shaped like an orchid with five full blooms and a bud about to open in a lightweight terracotta pot. A similar wooden base is also included in the sale.The LEGO Botanicals 'Lucky Bamboo' planter is aimed at consumers who want to create a tranquil, meditative atmosphere in their homes, reflecting the growing fascination with Eastern feng shui and its direct application to interior decoration. The set includes a circular planter in the box, three bonsai green bamboo stems of different heights, a buildable stem and leaves, and white decorative pebbles for creative composition.Finally, the highlight of this LEGO Botanicals floral creation series and the most expensive set in the range is the Flower Arrangement ($199,99), a colorful arrangement of different flower species in full bloom in a vase reminiscent of a Western floral still life. LEGO's unique, customizable flower arrangement, used in all LEGO Botanicals sets, allows kids to unleash their expert floral arrangement creativity.*Article source: CreativeBoom

For the first time in his career, Jony Ive has teamed up with renowned outerwear fashion house Moncler to design apparel. The result is an experimental collection that combines Moncler's garment manufacturing know-how with Jony Ive's industrial design approach.Since leaving Apple on June 28, 2019, former Apple chief designer Jony Ive, who spent nearly 30 years at the company and was instrumental in helping Apple become the world's leading consumer electronics company, has started his own design agency, LoveFrom, where he works with a wide range of clients, seeking “enjoyable and rewarding collaborations that focus more on who you design for than what you design."The simple, versatile, and practical 'Ive Design' jacket is made up of three layers - a down jacket, a field jacket, and a parka. The down jacket, which can be worn underneath the two top layers or on its own, is available in light yellow and off-white. The collared field jacket, which can be worn on top, is available in light blue and green.The poncho-style hooded parka can be worn over the previous two garments and is designed with magnetic duo buttons that have Moncler branding and snap on and off with a distinctive 'click.' As the outermost layer, the parka comes in a pale coral color.To faithfully translate Ive's design vision into reality, Moncler used a special technique where each garment is seamlessly cut from a single length of fabric that was woven specially for the collaboration. Furthermore, the garments were also sewn using a specialized Taslan machine to create a natural flow.Ive's collaborations do not end there. He also collaborated with his colleague and renowned industrial designer Marc Newson to design a giant barrel diamond ring. The ring was purchased by an anonymous bidder at a Sotheby's auction at the Design Miami fair for US$256,250 (about KRW 350,000,000), with proceeds going to the RED AIDS charity. The barrel diamond served as a publicity stunt to promote a new beginning for the diamond industry, one that is more sustainable through the use of artificial diamonds.In early 2023, the British royal family commissioned Ive to design a commemorative royal logo for the coronation of King Charles III. To convey a message of gentle British royal rule, Ive used the blue-red-white-tri-color design of the Union Jack with two-dimensional modern typefaces and graphics to embody the new era of the Carolingian Empire.Then, in July 2023, Ive celebrated the 50th anniversary of audio brand Linn's 1972 Sondek LP12 turntable with the Sondek LP12-50, a 21st-century upgrade that incorporates appliances from Germany's Braun and the stainless steel, laser-polished aesthetic of the Apple iPod he designed.Recently, Ive is reportedly collaborating with OpenAI, the tech company behind ChatGTP, to develop hardware designs that will allow generative AI models to become consumer electronics.Courtesy: Moncler, Courtesy: LoveFrom

This year marks the centenary anniversary of the birth of the Surrealist movement, which formed an important strand of European art history in the early 20th century. Since the beginning of 2024, the two cities that simultaneously declared themselves Surrealist in 1924 - Paris, France, and Brussels, Belgium - have opened a number of special exhibitions that revisit the movement and bring together works by Surrealist master painters from major museums and private collections around the world.In France, the Pompidou Center will temporarily close after the conclusion of the Olympic Games in Paris this August and will undergo a major renovation and remodeling over the next five years, starting in 2025. The former Pompidou Center, which boasted an avant-garde postmodern architecture designed by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers in 1977, will be redesigned and renovated by French architectural firm Moreau Kusunoki Architectes and Mexican Frida Escobedo Studio starting next year.In the second half of 2024, the Pompidou Center's temporary exhibition space will host an extension of the exhibition “Salvador Dalí's Furniture,” curated by Galerie Poggi during the recent Paris Design Week (September 5-14), and will open to the public a selection of surrealist-inspired interior designs by designers who were either designed by the supreme rock star of surrealist painting himself or inspired by his art form. The exhibition is a collaboration between renowned Spanish furniture maker BD Barcelona Design, which has produced furniture for Salvador Dalí, Antoni Gaudí and Oscar Dusquets, and interior architect and curator Joan Madera.The signature piece of the exhibition, and one of the most recognizable, is the Saliva sofa. Shaped like a red lip, the Bocca Sofa, also known as the May West sofa after the actress May West's lips in one of Dalí's paintings, is an icon in the history of 20th-century design.Designed to order by Dalí in 1938 for the Englishman Edward James, a Surrealist collector and patron, the red modernist furniture, which he named Bocca, was originally an upholstery sculpture designed by Dalí to show off the triumph of Surrealist expression. Since 1972, it has been produced and sold by BD Barcelona Design in a synthetic polystyrene material.Dalí also designed several chairs. For example, the Invisible Personage (1935) armchair, handmade in the shape of a seated person, with sheepskin upholstery and a lamp on the backrest, is a replica of the chair depicted in his painting, Singularities. Other sculptures include Leda, an armchair with stiletto shoes, and the Muletas (red cloth tied to a bullfighter's rod), which is handmade to look like a lamp post connected by discolored bone.Dalí didn't just design expensive, rare handmade sculptures and interior works of art. He was also a popular high-end artist who had a profound influence on the pop art of the 1960s. It was Salvador Dalí who designed the Chupa Chups wrappers that we still see today near the checkout lanes of supermarkets and convenience stores, or in the candy aisle.An archetype of the 20th-century artist who proved that high art can be mass appealing, and that a unique look, persona, and self-promotion are as essential to success as creating great works of art, Dalí's designs have since been carried on by Andrée Putman, Shiro Kuramata, and Philippe Starck.

Volkswagen (VW), the German automaker reknowned for its iconic Beetle and Golf models, has ventured into the American lifestyle brand with the launch of its branded ketchup in the U.S. grocery market this fall.  This year marks the 75th anniversary of Volkswagen's entry into the U.S. automobile market. To celebrate, Volkswagen America introduced the Gewürz Ketchup through ‘DriverGear’, the company’s lifestyle shop and merchandise platform. Released on September 23 in limited quantities, the ketchup was met with overwhelming enthusiasm, selling out almost immediately thanks to passionate Volkswagen fans.Volkswagen’s in-house food production dates back to 1973, supplying its 29 employee cafeterias with food items. One example is Volkswagen’s famed Currywurst sausage, which marked its 70th anniversary in 2023. Initially removed from cafeteria menus in 2021 as part of a vegetarian initiative, the Currywurst made a triumphant return following strong public demand. This beloved dish is so ingrained in Volkswagen’s culture that it is also sold in German supermarkets.A signature accompaniment to the Currywurst is Volkswagen’s Gewürz Ketchup, introduced in 1996. Designed specifically to pair with the Currywurst, the ketchup has a distinctive sweet and spicy flavor, setting it apart from typical American ketchup.  Volkswagen’s marketing and consumer experience department describes the Gewürz Ketchup’s U.S. market launch as a successful PR initiative. It captures the joy of Volkswagen ownership in an everyday culinary staple, further reinforcing the brand’s emotional connection with its customers.

Among the highlights of this year’s Milan Fashion Week (September 17–23, 2024), which set the stage for 2025 Spring/Summer trends, was the enchanting animal-themed Bean Bag Chair exhibition curated by Bottega Veneta.The bean bag chair traces its origin back to 1968 with the Sacco Armchair, a classic design by Piero Gatti, Cesare Paolini, and Franco Teodoro for the renowned Italian furniture maker Zanotta. What could be more universally appealing than the shared sense of nostalgia and whimsical imagination that transcends age? 15 unique bean bag chairs inspired by animals debuted at Milan Fashion Week in partnership between Bottega Veneta x Zanotta. Using animals as the central theme, they reinterpreted modern classic piece as playful and emotive 21st century furniture, tailored to contemporary sensibilities.Matthieu Blazy, Bottega Veneta’s Creative Director and the mastermind behind  the Bottega Veneta x Zanotta Bean Bag Chair exhibition, drew inspiration from the deep integration of companion animals in modern and social life. The designs feature beloved pets and farm animals like dogs, cats, rabbits, and chickens, alongside anthropomorphized creatures from fairytales like dinosaurs, whales, foxes, and beetles. Each design celebrate the joy and warmth animals bring to our lives, transforming them into cozy, inviting furniture that reflects their role as humanity’s closest companions.This collaboration successfully aligned Bottega Veneta, a premier Italian luxury fashion brand, with the 20th century Italian design icon, reinforcing its reputation in the broader context of global design history and tradition. At the same time, it solidified its image as a playful and innovative brand, leaving a lasting impression on consumers.Crafted with premium Italian leather and adorned with the brand’s signature Intrecciato handles for easy movement, these bean bags are as functional as they are luxurious. At the Milan Fashion Week exhibition, each design was released in a limited edition of just two pieces per animal, which was sold out almost instantly. Riding the wave of their success, the collection was subsequently made available on Bottega Veneta’s website. The animal-themed Bottega Veneta x Zanotta Bean Bags are priced between €6,000 and €8,000 (approximately KRW 9–12 million won).

On September 25, 2024, the Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky Center (MSL Zentrum) in Vienna unveiled the restored Frankfurter Küche—a pioneering achievement of 20th-century modern design. Faithfully reconstructed within the architect's former apartment, the kitchen offers a rare glimpse into Schütte-Lihotzky’s vision for functional, efficient urban living.Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky (1897–2000) was a trailblazing architect whose career spanned over eight decades. A key figure in the Bauhaus-inspired modernist movement, her contributions include designs for Vienna’s public housing, communal spaces for working women, and educational facilities and kindergartens. Throughout her life, she was a dedicated social activist, improving domestic spaces for lower-income families.Her former home at Franzensgasse 16 in Vienna’s 5th District, where she lived until her passing at the age of 103, has been transformed into the MSL Zentrum, a public museum. Following an extensive two-year restoration led by architects Christine Zwingl (MSL Center Director) and Renate Allmayer-Beck, the apartment has been returned to its original state, preserving its historical and architectural significance.Schütte-Lihotzky was among the first women to enter the male-dominated field of architecture in early 20th-century Europe. Her work in the 1920s Vienna Settlers Movement (Wiener Siedlerbewegung) reflected her commitment to improving housing and kitchen designs for low-income families. A committed social activist, she also endured imprisonment during World War II under the Nazi regime for her communist affiliations. After the war, Schütte-Lihotzky spent the latter half of the 20th century building her legacy. She contributed to architectural and design education, advised on public construction projects, and mentored future generations, particularly in countries like Russia, China, and Turkey, leaving an enduring impact on the global architecture and design landscape.Born into a wealthy family and leading a busy life as an architect, Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky was famously unfamiliar with cooking—a fact well-documented in architectural history. Despite this, Schütte-Lihotzky’s work on the Frankfurter Küche exemplifies her innovative approach to architecture and design. Created in the late 1920s as part of the Römerstadt Siedlung public housing project in Frankfurt, Germany, the kitchen was designed to maximize efficiency in small spaces. Measuring just 6.5 square meters, the design minimized movement while offering ample storage and practical layout solutions tailored to the lives and needs of urban women.The restored Frankfurter Küche at the MSL Zentrum features many of the original elements Schütte-Lihotzky conceived, including green wallpapers, vibrant orange tiles, large two-tier wooden-framed windows, and meticulously recreated storage cabinets. Unique to this restoration is the inclusion of a pull-out worktable modified in her later years to accommodate her petite stature and mobility.The Frankfurt Kitchen, restored in its original form within the apartment where its creator, Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, once lived, offers visitors to the MSL Center more than a visual exhibition. Christine Zwingl, the center's director, and Renate Allmayer-Beck, the restoration architect, emphasize that the kitchen is a fully functional space. From the refrigerator to the sink and electric stove, every appliance and fixture has been meticulously restored to working order, making the Frankfurter Küche both a historical artifact and a living demonstration of its groundbreaking design.