Hi friends! We’re planning to go quiet for the next several months while we work on designing a few things behind the scenes. Stay tuned for big news coming this fall.

RT @ohrachelsmith: THANK YOU @design_vanguard😭. "Another action platform that continues to inspire us is Design to Combat COVID19, the brai….

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"I actually believe that once this crisis has passed, we will celebrate and value community more than ever." @benvanberkel discusses the changing role of the architect in a post-pandemic world:

What if your disposable face mask could help make the world a prettier place? Check out this unique, flower-growing mask concept that demonstrates a more sustainable approach to PPE:

How will we memorialize the pandemic – and not just by resurrecting a tall, dark slab? "It will be a long time before we can distill an understanding of a calamity that hasn’t abated yet into an idea for a permanent monument," @JDavidsonNYC writes:

More than a few companies have rebranded during the pandemic, as customers are shifting their loyalties and lifestyles. But these changes can easily backfire. Deborah Schroeder-Saulnier shares guidelines for how to rebrand these days:

ICYMI – We looked back on one year of the Covid-19 Design Directory:

Designer Tobia Zambotti stuffed an entire couch with disposable face masks to call attention to the plastic waste from PPE. "My goal with this project was to transform something that is considered trash into something meaningful."

On the one year anniversary of the pandemic, we reflect on the Covid-19 Design Directory and the impact it had:

Graphic design has become a crucial tool for keeping people safe under Covid-19, and student Charlotte Walker is collecting them in a pandemic graphic archive. "It will be a representation of these ‘survival graphics’ globally," she says:

If you've tried to schedule a Covid-19 vaccine appointment for yourself or a loved one, you already know it's anything but easy. Learn how designers and re-thinking the sign up process, like making it easier to view appointment options on a map:

“Part of how design can drive people back into the office is by really reflecting on what has become sacred to individuals as they’ve worked from home for a year." Explore how the pandemic is changing workplace design, both in—and out of—the office:

For most of us, wearing a mask is something that took getting used to—but that process can be nearly impossible for people with sensory sensitivities. Learn how @Rafinova_go designed a mask specifically for these users in mind: #MaskDesign

Can't get access to the recommended #N95 masks? You can improve the protection of your surgical mask with a few small design tweaks — learn how: #DesignForCovid19.

How should we memorialize those who’ve died from #Covid19? For some, it may seem too soon to create a memorial – but designing a communal way to honor those who have passed can collectively help us grieve and move forward, without forgetting the past:

It's incredible how simple changes to #UI can make a design more COVID-safe. Check out this checkout screen concept from @special_proj that prevents people from touching the same spot twice: #DesignForCOVID19 #DesignForGood.

With remote work now a given following the pandemic, people need a better reason to show up somewhere in person. Take a peek into the offices and the healthcare spaces of the future according to a report from @gensler_design:

"The pandemic has presented @RGA with unprecedented opportunity to rethink the importance of presence, proximity, and place in workspace planning." Insight into how COVID is changing our relationship to office design, and what the future might hold:

"Churches often need to have something scientifically broken down for them by someone who also believes in God. It’s not about what you’re saying, it’s about how you relate to the people you’re saying it to." – Immunologist @KizzyPhD

Single-use face masks generate significant waste. What if there was a way to give them a second life instead? Research teams are looking into new ways to extend their use—such as by turning them into material for bricks or roads: #DesignForGood.