Northern Design Festival, Newcastle

Highlights from metalwork to textiles at this year's event

Visiting the latest edition of the Northern Design Festival in Newcastle, in the northeast of England, makes it clear how much exciting design is being produced across the country right now—and much of it in the northern regions. Artist and designer Dominic Wilcox, who CH met earlier this year is from nearby Sunderland, and at the Northern Design Festival, most of the other participants were …

The Surprising History Behind Typographic Symbols

It’s fascinating to think that younger generations will grow up only knowing “pound signs” as “hashtags”—yet, before that, did you know they were actually referred to as “octothorpes”? This continuous evolution of language affects all of us, and it’s the focal point of Adriana Caneva and Shiro Nishimoto’s new book “Glyph.” From ampersands to slashes, interrobangs and manicules, there’s a wide world of typographic symbols …

Seven Skulls For Halloween and Beyond

From jewelry to home decor, spooky items that last long after October 31

For those hosting a grown-up Halloween get-together or who want to get into the spooky spirit without ending up at a giant party store sifting through tacky disposable decorations, “sexy” costumes and fake pumpkin-scented candles, we’ve tracked down seven sinister but ultimately fun items. Nothing speaks to the macabre like a skull, and while they are seasonally relevant, there’s staying power. Set the scary season …