The Story of Emoji

Gavin Lucas explores the history of the tiny picture phenomenon

As a former senior writer at Creative Review and the co-founder of London-based illustration agency Outline Artists (and CH contributor), Gavin Lucas’ professional career bridges communication and illustration. That combination makes him well-suited for his latest project: the new book “The Story of Emoji.” The thoroughly-researched, entertaining tome traces the history of everyone’s favorite communication enhancer, looking at early predecessors, like typeset ornaments, through to …

The Darkest Pigment in the World

British artist Anish Kapoor is currently the only person in the world with the rights to use Vantablack—a pigment so dark, it traps 99.96% of incoming light. Vantablack was first created by British company NanoSystems and is made up of microscopic tubes that capture light and bounce it around internally—allowing just a fraction to escape. It was originally developed for military use, but Kapoor plans …

The Benefits of a Leesa Mattress

From contouring and coolness to an easy delivery and 100-day trial

There’s only one real way of testing out a mattress: spend a lot of time on it. For roughly 100 days now, we’ve been spending our nights on a Leesa. The made-in-the-USA brand joins a crowded market in mattress developments, but there are specific benefits that set it apart. You’ll find no springs inside, but three distinct foam layers. Leesa believes in the one-mattress-fits-all policy, …