Redesign with a difference – Episode II There are moments when one is tempted to give the advertising industry credit for particular imagination. Yet when things actually pan out, one stands corrected. One realizes that advertising frequently draws on art, and the result reflects this.

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Toy of the Century It’s to be found in every child’s room, it is 9.6mm high and 8mm wide: the Lego block. Today, everyone of us owns on average 62 Lego stones. On Jan. 28, 2008, the Lego block celebrated the 50th anniversary of its patent being registered. And 30 years ago saw the birth of the Lego figure as we know it today. It is as high as three Lego blocks stacked on top of one another.

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456 Megajoules for a chair Eco-management systems, eco-labels, sustainability certificates – the need for information on ecological aspects of production is growing by the day. Some companies, such as Italian manufacturer Arper, have already pinned proof of the eco-friendliness of their products to their masts.

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Another face to redesign – Episode I All designers know the problem of redesign all too well or that of lending new meaning to an old but successful product. And we all know George Lucas’ Star Wars trilogy. A series of amusing films are now combining the two, in a surprising and enlightening manner.

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How much design can the climate support? The issue of eco-friendliness and product sustainability is not only becoming increasingly important but there is a growing debate about how designers can help ensure this type of product is developed. Consequently, the 1st Starnberg discussion round, which ended with the agreement of an agenda, revolved around this subject. Unfortunately it is riddled with platitudes.

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Vitra presents the "Ampelphase 3: raumrot" exhibition The "Ampelphase 3: raumrot" (Traffic-light phase 3: room red) was opened in the Vitra showroom in Frankfurt on Wednesday 13 August 2008. Five firms of architects and the architecture class of the Städelschule art academy present their personal installation showing their associations with room red.

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The protection of wings In the beginning there was the wing chair. Today it is available in many materials and versions, and it certainly looks as though they are exponentially increasing: Sofas and armchairs with high backrests. A little hideaway from the cold and the noise of the outside world, which more and more people are beginning to appreciate.

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Edited by Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin The “SZ-Magazin Designedition” campaign was launched at The Design Annual in Frankfurt in early July. Since then, each month the editorial team has presented one of seven selected items of furniture which designers have created exclusively for the Edition.

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Viktor & Rolf or a doll's house In 'The House of Viktor & Rolf', the Dutch designer duo present a review of the fashions they have created over the last 15 years. Once again, they have come up with a big surprise: instead of presenting their work on a catwalk, their creations are to be seen in a huge doll's house.

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Designers don't drink from paper cups Achille Castiglioni, Andrea Branzi, Alessandro Mendini, Ettore Sottsass and Richard Sapper talk in these short "Design Interviews", which are now out on DVD, about their paths to what was still, at that time, a new discipline, about their own development and careers, about their search for design solutions, which, for the most part, still owed greater allegiance to society than to industry.

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Eye Specialist with Motorway Courier Six automobiles and some model – you don't need any more to set the pulse of design aficionados racing. It is only important that the cars be the right ones. For example, six made by Mercedes-Benz - and a host of legends.

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