Co.Design
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The Most Innovative Companies 2021 Summit & Awards Webinar
These emerging technologies are set to shape our future
Getting to know the MIC 2021 guests
Bill Gates vs The Pandemic: Inside the Gates Foundation fight against the Pandemic
Is instant messaging the new platform for mass marketing?
TikTok works to upskill black content creators in South Africa
This AI-powered backpack is designed to help the visually impaired
Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies nominations list 2021
Soon you could be able to watch YouTube videos directly on Twitter
One-on-one with Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer
This pay-as-you-go gas retailer has opened its first station in Soweto
All the new features coming to Google Maps
These South African legacy companies did not survive the lockdown
Meet the jury of the 2021 Most Innovative Companies Awards
Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies event nominated for global award
Join one of the first South African clubs on Clubhouse
There is a global computer chip shortage and it’s affecting every industry
Try this strategy to get your emails answered
Inside Amazon’s new “contactless” grocery store
Fast Company SA’s Most Productive People 2021
All Co.Design Stories
This AI-powered parking garage encourages the use of public transport
The smart city of the future is materialising in the parking garage of an office building in Munich. With a new test program powered by artificial intelligence, or AI, the parking garage can communicate with […]
See inside one of the world’s most beautiful bookstores
The very best books transport you to another world, and the most magical bookstores help make that a reality. Chinese bookseller Zhongshuge is renowned for its stunning bookstores, and its latest outpost, in Dujiangyan, Sichuan […]
Carol Bouwer Bags partners with artist Esther Mahlangu to celebrate luxury design
In a collaboration that celebrates the heritage of South Africa, Carol Bouwer Bags and national treasure Dr. Esther Mahlangu have come together to unveil 50 custom Carol Bouwer handbags, each featuring the acclaimed artworks of […]
adidas’ new Strung shoe is a piece of art on your feet
Every year, Adidas introduces an experimental new shoe technology dubbed “Futurecraft.” These aren’t just bouncier foams or sneakers loaded with fitness tracking inside. They fundamentally reimagine how performance footwear is made—from creating shoes from ocean plastic, […]
These carbon-negative, ocean-degradable straws and forks are made from greenhouse gases
At a new production facility in California, a 50-foot-tall stainless steel tank is filled with nearly 57 000 litres of salt water, and inside microbes are turning methane—a potent greenhouse gas—into a new material that […]
These running shoes are 100% recyclable
When a new running shoe from the French company Salomon wears out, every single part of it can be reused: The shoe’s upper, itself made from recycled polyester, can be recycled again into new thread […]
This South African-founded development company is converting vacant US hotels into affordable housing
A former Days Inn hotel chain in Branson, United States, sat vacant for eight years. Now, it has been transformed into affordable housing. The Los Angeles-based development company that completed the conversion thinks that this type […]
This sustainable neighbourhood has been designed to manage both climate change and pandemics
About 129 kilometers southwest of Beijing, the Chinese government is planning a new five-million person city as a model of sustainability—powered by clean energy, featuring huge green spaces, and unsullied by many cars. A new […]
Why FACEBOOK wants your Avatar
If you are on Facebook you probably have your own Avatar by now. If not, you will probably have one soon. If you are not familiar with them, they are a cartoon-like version of yourself […]
This spray may protect against COVID-19
A team of scientists led by University of California (UCSF) graduate student Michael Schoof, engineered a completely synthetic, production-ready molecule that straitjackets the crucial SARS-CoV-2 machinery that allows the virus to infect our cells. They believe that […]
These 3D printed tiles are helping restore devastated coral reefs
Terra-cotta ceramics have been used for thousands of years, but a particularly 21st-century application gives the material an entirely new purpose. Marine scientists and architects from the Swire Institute of Marine Science (SWIMS) of the […]
Why the car of the future is more like a Lego set than a flying vehicle
Some days I dream about driving a zippy two-seater. Others, I long for a camping-friendly family van. And every once in a while, I wish I had a pickup truck that could handle the freight […]
Tired being stuck at home? This website lets you peek out windows from different parts of the world
While parts of the world slowly reopen and day-to-day activities start to resume, foreign travel is still widely restricted. But you can get a delightful reminder of the world outside your door—er, window—with this new website. […]
New sustainably-built McDonald’s is 100% solar-powered
At a new McDonald’s restaurant that just opened at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, USA (with Covid-19 protection measures in place), solar panels covering the roof—and solar glass panels throughout the building—are designed to […]
First look: Kanye West’s new website turns shopping into an art form
Kanye West will soon unveil the newest iteration of Yeezy Supply, the website that features his collection of shoes, clothes, and accessories. When it debuts, you can expect a shopping experience unlike anything you’ve seen […]
This new technology turns billboards into air purifiers
Newly installed banners at the Guggenheim Bilbao and around its home city of Bilbao, Spain, have been treated with a special coating called Pureti Print, which turns them into air purifiers. The treatment is based on […]
This NASA-inspired perfume smells like outer space
Yes, to experience the sights and sounds of space, you could still nab one of the two remaining SpaceX tickets. But if you don’t have 55 million bucks to spare, you can now experience the smell of space. […]
This campaign puts compassion at the heart of business and design
Now more than ever, it’s important to have compassion, as people deal with unfamiliar and unprecedented circumstances. This filters down into the way we conduct business and the types of products and inventions we bring […]
