Design Considered #19
Best designs of the year, worst developments and last-minute gifts...
#01 - Opening Thought
I hate to kick off this year’s last newsletter on a downer, but as many of its readers are shaping the built environment, it’s worth reflecting on where designers should draw the line as 2024 closes. Writing this from my hometown, Australia’s Gold Coast, I’m struck by how this once pastel-hued paradise—where mid-century low-rise apartments hugged pristine beaches, and the atmosphere was endlessly relaxed—has been transformed for the worse.
Developers chasing quick profits have bulldozed the city’s breezy charm, building bulky, soulless towers marked by black-tinted windows and cheap, quick-to-date materials. Around a decade ago, designer Andrew Suggit documented the Gold Coast’s spritely mid-century signage that clung to the city’s old hotels (like the highway-side Hi Ho, pictured ) through his ‘Golden Sans’ project. While the old Hi Ho stands strong, much of what he honoured has now met the wrecking ball. What was once a beachside idyll now stands as a cautionary tale—a reminder that design that doesn’t respect its place shouldn’t have a place at all.
#02 - Designs of the Year
As social media absorbs more of design companies' marketing budgets, the traditional media landscape has pivoted toward monetising awards programs. With advertising harder to sell, pay-to-play design competitions have become a key revenue driver. Recognition for good design now often comes at a cost. For entrants, it's yet another budget consideration alongside advertising, industry fairs, and social media campaigns. For design media, this revenue model comes at the expense of their independent voice, as judgment of good design is outsourced to appointed juries to maintain some sense of impartiality. In the process, these outlets risk losing the authority and trust of their in-house editorial perspective.
Against this backdrop, I want to celebrate the best designs I've encountered in 2024 using the simplest (and wholly biased) criteria: concepts I've personally experienced and genuinely enjoyed.
Best Film: Perfect Days
This enchanting and profoundly human story could only come from Japan, a country that treats public toilets as an art form. The film follows a quiet protagonist who navigates Tokyo while cleaning restrooms designed by Tadao Ando, Masamichi Katayama, and Shigeru Ban. Perfect Days captures the simplicity and depth of daily life, paying homage to design, dignity, and the small rituals that make life meaningful.
Best Design: Toyota Landcruiser (2024 Relaunch)
Japanese designers excel at more than just handsome toilets. The relaunch of the Toyota Landcruiser this year proves it's still possible to create a modern classic in the automotive space. To do this, the Japanese brand returned the 4WD to its rugged roots while crafting an approachable and versatile vehicle. Over the past few days, I've watched in envy as these boxy beauties cruise Australia's coastal roads. Whether tackling off-road adventures or the urban school run, it's design elegance for all terrains.
Best Concept: Caffè Rimowa
Nostalgia can be a powerful design tool when harnessed correctly. In this regard, Rimowa nailed it at Milan Design Week with Rimowa Caffè, a branded take on a classic Milanese cafe. From welcoming baristas proud and passionate about their craft to even warmer interiors, the luxury design studio Nuova Group handled the meticulous pop-up concept, design, and production in collaboration with Studio Temp and designer Annalisa Marchetti.
Best Magazine: Russh Home
Ilse Crawford's tenure as editor of Elle Decor—a title she launched from the fashion powerhouse Elle in the 1990s—paved the way for her industry-defining career as an interior designer. Taking the opposite path, acclaimed Australian interior designer Tamsin Johnson is thriving as editor of Russh Home, a spin-off of Australia's best fashion magazine, Russh. Johnson's deeply personal and intuitive perspective brings a fresh voice to an increasingly tired format. The result? A new magazine that's lushly art-directed, serious without pretension, and a tactile reading experience that's fastidiously crafted.
#03 - Design Selection
Of course, we’ve all done our Christmas shopping, and next week can be a relaxing one. But for those who haven’t (or those who have and can now just put their feet up), here’s a list of last-minute, recently released reading options to inspire tasteful loved ones.
For the last decade, essentially everything Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson has touched for the Spanish brand has turned to gold. (1) LOEWE, edited by Anderson and stylist Benjamin Bruno, unpacks this transformative period for the creative company in a lush, inspiring tome. Illustrator and graphic designer Christoph Niemann’s work doesn’t date, and (2) Away (published by German print master Steidl) offers an impeccably presented sense of wanderlust via brush and ink drawings created on the visionary’s extensive travels.
Japan appears to be a running theme in this week’s newsletter. Still, the following titles are must-haves - (3) Kyoto Serenity from Assouline projects Kyoto’s meditative elegance onto the printed page. At the same time, (4) Comme des Garçons Parfums is an ode to the Japanese fashion house’s groundbreaking fragrances. Charting the brand’s olfactory experimentation, it offers a visual deep dive into the minimalist, sculptural bottles and unconventional campaigns that have become as beloved as the scents.
Finally, we all need a bit of calm this time of year. Solace can be found in (5) Stillness, a Gestalten book by Norm Architects that explores the beauty of Japanese aesthetics. It juxtaposes the studio’s Copenhagen projects with evocative photography from the Asian nation. Through imagery and essays, it offers a blueprint for finding quiet and balance in design and life, harmonising Japanese and Scandinavian design principles.
#04 - For Your Consideration
A much more comprehensive design retrospective than mine above can be found over at Readymag, where its 2024 Websites of the Year highlight the finest concepts and art direction in the digital space.
In my biased opinion, the standout website of 2024 was a project I worked on with AKQA and Bureau Borsche via Birkenstock. It is a digital companion to The Book of Birkenstock, seamlessly showcasing the brand’s remarkable archive.
Recently featured on Design Considered, German photographer Robert Rieger continues to elevate architecture through his lens. His recent campaign work in sunny Brazil for a major hotel booking service is a vibrant antidote to winter blues.
Christmas time in London has been made all the more cosy with this week’s opening of Danish design house Georg Jensen’s Mayfair retail space. Champagne, a florist, and - most importantly - good gifting advice, are all on offer here over the next few days.
Finally, this week’s homage to Japanese design concludes with this brilliant piece from Logo Histories, exploring the cute yet massively impactful branding work of Okinawa’s Expo 75.
#05 - Through The Lens
A New Year’s resolution worth making, from Swedish photographer Felix Odell’s perspective, is to sort plans to see the world’s most beloved cities off-season. This year, he travelled to Venice in February to do just that, armed with two analogue cameras and advice from a friend that the mist that casts itself over the city’s waterways at this time of year is magical.
While initially annoyed that the place’s main arteries were still awash with tourists - even in the February chill - Odell persevered and made his way into Venice’s more hidden corners (in the earlier hours) to photograph a series of personal images that capture the city in a mesmerisingly moody manner. “Some people describe my work as melancholic, and I suppose that fits,” he says. “It’s not sad, but it’s not happy either—it’s somewhere in between, which is my favourite space to explore.”
Often working with film photography, Odell enjoys capturing a landscape or portrait with just one click. “You think before the photograph, not after it,” he notes of this process, which involves preserving precious film rather than snapping hundreds of shots and selecting afterward. Odell’s work reminds us that the best moments often come from patience and presence. Perhaps another fitting resolution for the year ahead is to slow down and spend more time looking at things properly.
What a refreshingly beautiful read Nolan. My work requires me to read a lot about design and architecture and your writing and observations are some of the best. And yes, if it’s not designed for place, it ain’t good design!