Here is how the design process works at the magazine.

The web is buzzing, and rightly so, about Wilson Miner’s incredibly inspiring talk from the 2011 Build Conference in Belfast. You may recognize Miner’s name from his role in developing Django, as part of the team that built Apple.com or as one of the founders of Everyblock.

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After you’re done be sure to visit Miner’s website, which has links to all the material used in the talk, including books, videos, music and images for anyone who would like to learn more.

[Found via Webmonkey]

After the publication of Envisioning Information, Tufte decided, he told me, “to be indifferent to culture or history or time.” He became increasingly consumed with what he calls “forever knowledge,” or the idea that design is meant to guide fundamental cognitive tasks and therefore is rooted in principles that apply regardless of the material being displayed and the technology used to produce it. As Tufte explains it, basic human cognitive questions are universal, which means that design questions should be universal too. “I purposely don’t write books with names like How to Design a Web Site or How to Make a Presentation,” he told me.

Via the Washington Post:

The new design, called MyPlate, was conceived as a crucial part of Mrs. Obama’s campaign against obesity, designed to remind consumers about the basics of a healthful diet.

The plate is split into four sections, for fruit, vegetables, grains and protein. A smaller circle sits beside it for dairy products.

I don’t take my lunch to work anymore, you know cause I work out of my house. But if I did, I’d buy one of these sandwich containers in a heartbeat.

[Found via Design*Sponge]

[Found via Design*Sponge]

[Found via Design*Sponge]

Today, most of the soap we use is liquid soap, which contains a lot of water. Block soap instead is more concentrated and therefore has some ecological benefits: You don’t transport unnecessary water around. In place of plastic bottles you can simply use paper for packaging. The solid blocks can easily be piled and allow a greater space efficiency in a truck.

But what about the usage of soap bars? I don’t like the weird slippery feeling when I use them. It gives me goose bumps. And under the shower, it always slides out of your fingers. Hand soap also often gets dirty and accumulates bacteria when more than one person is using it.

[Found via Lifehacker]