If you're looking for the latest in advertising and marketing, design related technology and lifestyle tips, and art or design highlights then you're in the right place. Find all this and more with the Design Block blog.
Back in 2014, creative agency Snøhetta and Metric Design won a competition to redesign Norway’s banknotes. Finally, all of the country’s paper currency has been redesigned and nearly all entered into circulation.
A couple days ago, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced that Yusaku Maezawa, will be the first private customer to ride around the Moon on the company’s Big Falcon Rocket (BFR) as early as 2023.
Pietro Cataudella is an Italian artist who takes urban sketching to the next level. He offers a new perspective of famous landmarks by using his talents to combine his architectural drawings with photos of their real-life surroundings.
Move over sushi doughnuts, the Donug is latest doughnut-shaped food trend to grip the globe. If you’re repulsed by the idea of a chicken-flavoured doughnut or, perhaps, have your interest piqued by a doughnut-encrusted chicken nugget, it’s not really either of those things.
Ancient ruins, like The Parthenon in Athens and Mexico’s Pyramid of the Sun, can teach us about the past, architectural building techniques and how civilization flourished. However, views of these ancient architectural wonders are firmly based in their current state of ruin, leaving it to visitors…
Home to the tallest skyscraper, the largest shopping mall and the longest driverless metro system in the world, Dubai is a city not shy about its architecture; their newest monument is the world’s largest picture frame, rising 150 meters above Dubai’s Zabeel Park.
Have you recently visited Madrid’s historic Plaza Mayor? If so, then you were probably greeted by a dazzling installation by artist Janet Echelman. She recently unveiled the latest sculpture to her Earth Time Series; a captivating suspended thread installation of tied knots.
It used to be that if you wanted to take photos when you went on vacation you had to carry around a clunky camera. Now, with cameras on every smartphone, people can take photos easier; and people love to take photos. In fact, the advent…
The landscape shapes our sense of place on Earth, yet it’s constantly changing. The forces of wind, water, sun, and, yes, humans, combine to transform the world around us. In fact, in the last 50 years alone, hundreds of scenic natural landmarks around the world have…
Fall is here, which means that it’s time for the harvest and the annual fairs that celebrate it. In Japanese culture waste is often minimized, especially in food. Sometimes, during the annual rice harvest, the leftover rice straw is transformed into straw animals.
Gone are the days of fair collectors asking to see your paper ticket on the train. One Swedish train company is offering passengers the option of being microchipped by having a biometric chip implanted into their hand.
From intermediate to expert skiers, Snowbird ski resort in Utah is renowned for its challenging slopes. However, one guest found the mountains to be a bit too challenging and wrote a 1-star review of his stay.
Oktoberfest, originally a Bavarian event, is now celebrated the world over; being loved for its endless flow of German beer, traditional food, and all-around good times. So, if you’re looking for the perfect shoes to match your lederhosen at Oktoberfest, Adidas has the pair for you.
The Sony World Photography Awards is an annual competition hosted by the World Photography Organization. Recently, the largest photo competition in the world announced the winners for 2017.
Airbnb and PANTONE have joined up to create a one-of-a-kind nature-filled space that brings the outdoors, inside. Inspired by the Pantone’s 2017 Colour of the Year, Greenery, the Outside In house in the heart of London, is designed to encourage visitors to embrace 2017 with fresh optimism.
Although the Siena International Photo Awards was only conceived last year, it’s already regarded as a prestigious award. Photographers from over 100 countries around the world have submitted their images for the 2016 awards. Results for this years submission of over 15,000 photos have just been announced.…
You can still visit Costa Rica, but you’ll never find a golden toad there. At least not any more. That’s because the species no longer exists. When thinking about your next vacation, it’s standard practice to flick through a guidebook or travel website to find out more…
In a world where cities are looking for eco-friendly infrastructure solutions, new bicycle lanes are constantly being added. Seeking to make the bicycle path safer and more accessible in the evening and at night, urban planners in Lidzbark Warminski, Poland just unveiled a new glow-in-the-dark bicycle…
The language barrier is the most common thing that many travellers can relate to. English may be an international language, but communicating with those who don’t speak it requires some skill. So when travelling to a country where your native language isn’t spoken, don’t expect to become fluent…
If commute on the subway, you either stare at your phone, the floor, or enjoy the pleasures of people watching. It can be interesting to observe people’s emotions and expressions. And the New York subway can be a pretty strange place, even at the best of times. Sometimes the expressions of these strange…
Don’t flush your toilet paper and never finish your food or you’ll seem rude. When traveling to other countries for the first time, some local practices might come as potential culture shocks to foreigners. This handy infographic reveals surprising habits and social faux pas from around the world.
For those who take public transit, playing games on your phone is probably how you pass the time. Parts of the world are going crazy trying to catch Pokémon through their phone with Pokémon Go. But that doesn’t mean you need to run around town chasing digital…
If you travel often you know there are strict regulations when crossing international borders. Despite these regulations, many people still try to smuggle strange, unusual and illegal items through customs.
While the average people takes up a hobby like playing sports, baking — or even stamp collecting — there are a handful of unique individuals that consider these common pass-times mundane. So what do these people do instead? According to British website Gifts.co.uk, they enjoy…
Language continues to be a barrier when travelling abroad. Travellers, however, can at least rely on the simplicity of universally designed signs to guide them on their adventures. And while most road signs will tell you the speed limit or point you in the right…
From beautifully prepared food to inspirational sunsets, travellers are passionate about documenting the world around them using Instagram. But have you ever wondered which are the most Instagrammed destinations?
You don’t need to be a religious person to appreciate the architectural designs of churches and mosques. However, the design of this church in Borgloon, Belgium, has baffled locals. The building appears whole from one angle, but appears to dissolve into thin air from another.
No matter how many monuments you visit while traveling, or works of art you pander over, you’ll never understand the people and their culture until you drink with them. But, before you clink glasses with your new friends, you might want to take a minute…
Do you enjoy having a comforting bowl of cereal with milk at any time of the day? The start-up scene provides us with an array of pop-up and niche shops and eateries that cater for all our wants. One that has recently captured many people’s imaginations is the Cereal…
Did you know that there’s a Cheese and Burger Society? I sure didn’t. But it’s not a silver spoon society that sits around in smoking jackets, sniffing cheeseburgers. They’re all about promoting recipes to delicious cheeseburgers that represent the unique flavours of America.
Whether it’s leaving a treat for Santa and his reindeer or simply decorating the tree, Christmas has many traditions. And no two families Christmas’s are quite the same. So, what kind of bizarre Christmas celebrations are there in countries around the globe?
Fall is here and people in Japan are not only enjoying the picturesque autumn view, but they’re also enjoying maple leaves; deep frying them in a sweet tempura batter and eating them.
Did you know that Mount Everest grows an estimated 4mm per year? Or that Pluto is smaller than Russia? There are even more crazy facts like that in this infographic created by travel website When On Earth. Check out more crazy facts below and impress your friends with…
These days people are captivated by their smartphones and connected devices; so much so that they have become oblivious to the world around them. This smartphone addiction is especially prevalent in Chinese youth. That’s why the city of Chongqing has created the first mobile phone sidewalk.
When you travel, do you like to stare at ancient manuscripts in museums? Or perhaps ogle the oil paintings at the art gallery? If getting fucked up is more your style, then here’s a book for you.