Smart Design’s Proto-iPad

The results of an Apple-commissioned tablet project from 1989

Always ahead of the curve, even 20 years ago Apple envisioned computers as a source of personal entertainment—a mobile device that could capture images, play music, and serve as a platform for viewing catalogs and magazines. In a recent Fast Company article, Smart Design co-founder Tom Dair takes a look back to 1989 when Apple challenged his company and a couple others to develop concepts …

Big-Ass Message

The backstory of digital designer Björn Johansson's giant shout-out generator

As an inspiration to all creative types toiling in anonymity, Björn Johansson serves as a beacon of hope. Creator of Internet sensation Big-Ass Message, Johansson attributes his success as a graphic designer to this project and other impassioned (though seemingly dead-end) side projects. Now he freelances full-time for Ogilvy & Mather, one of eight largest advertising networks in the world. Johansson got the gig after …

Cool Hunting Video Presents: Less and More

Our doc on the exhibit celebrating the "Design Ethos of Dieter Rams"

by Michael Tyburski This video visits a traveling exhibit celebrating the work of Dieter Rams during its stop at the Design Museum London. Director Deyan Sudjic and Michael Czerwinski, who heads up the institution’s public programs, both chime in on what made Rams such an important designer and the show’s scope. The next stop for the exhibition is Frankfurt’s Museum of Applied Art, where you …