Surprising Materials at London Design Festival 2018

From sisal beasts to printed bacteria and salmon skins, all at this year's magnificent event

At this year’s London Design Festival (LDF), designers worked with surprising materials to showcase projects employing everything from high-tech solutions to unexpected but traditional fibers. Plastics were repurposed, as were the skins of fish. As-yet-unseen materials were printed. And so much more came to light. Here are some of our favorite projects and pieces from the festival’s King’s Cross Design Route, the London Design Biennale …

Replicating ’50s Design Inside a Care Center for Alzheimer’s Patients

Featuring 11 storefronts replicating the design of the ’50s, Glenner Town Square in Chula Vista, California isn’t a film set—it’s a care center for dementia patients. From Rosie’s Diner to Alois’ Newsstand, each build-out aims to represent a portion of life during the prime years of patients—activating a type of a reminiscence therapy. Altogether, the goal is to initiate engagement and trigger conversation. The partners—non-profit George G. …

Interview: Dana Gleason of Mystery Ranch

"When what you do actually matters for a large group of people you respect, it's so addictive."

Dana Gleason, the designer behind self-titled backpack label Dana Design—a brand that ruled the outdoor pack market during the ’90s—has always found solid ground in individuality. Mystery Ranch, founded in 2000, is his second label alongside long-time business partner Renee Sippel-Baker. Though the brand was founded nearly two decades ago, its more recently-acquired popularity in the mainstream market seemed to unfurl quite suddenly. Mystery Ranch began …