Magazin

Max Ernst: Laurels and strawberriesJohn Pawson: Photographic perspectivesGuggenheim: Being singular pluralMannheim: Competition Neue Kunsthalle

Design education at HfbK Hamburg has been reorganized, and we reported on the implications. In the highly diversified event entitled "Warum gestalten?" (Why design?) the Design department explored various perspectives from radical urban criticism through to multi-perspective developing.

The new underground extension at Frankfurt's Städel Museum is connected to the outside world by circular skylights. They provide the new hall built under the garden with daylight, which, however, does not quite reach all the exhibits in sufficient measure.

While Deutsche Bahn has long since given up trying to educate their passengers by naming their trains after artists, musicians or writers, in Austria such candid slogans are making their way across the country every single day, providing passengers with food for thought and a voice for social interest groups.

The Stockholm Furniture Fair was dominated by Scandinavian manufacturers offering products that combined high design quality with traditional production in their own special way. An overview of the trade fair that considers itself to be the largest marketplace for Scandinavian design.

TED: Spreading knowledgeSchirn: George CondoETH: Architecture Photography PositionsRoman Ondák: Within ReachJimenez Lai: Cartoonish ArchitectureBetahaus: Salon #4 Design Kritik

Maharam stands for exclusive upholstery fabrics from Eames’ “Dot Pattern” to Hella Jongerius’ “Repeat Classic Stripe”. The book “Maharam Agenda” published by Michael Maharam documents the US textile manufacturer’s development from the very beginnings to the present day. As accomplished as the treatment of the textile collections and multifarious company philosophy may be, the book does not offer us a real peak behind the scenes.

The oft-heard trope "never work with animals or children" may be somewhat extreme but it must be said that when animals are used in advertising, agencies do not always achieve the desired effect. The ploy not only leads to a great deal of speculation when it comes to the animals' emotions (which in turn results in an adherence to clichés) but at times such commercials can even become rather preachy; as evidenced not only by cheetahs, walruses and sharks but chimpanzees too.

"Is design becoming the auxiliary of art?" Thomas Edelmann asked in an article in the Stylepark Magazine where he debated the practice of design training at art academies. Among other things, he specifically addressed current changes at the Hamburg Academy of Fine Arts. Friedrich von Borries was prompted by the article to outline his ideas on design.

MoMA: Millennium MagazinesEins Extra: Finding forms through dialogIDD congress: Method to the madnessBerlin: Art from Los Angeles 1950 to 1980Herford: 5th Recycling Design Prize

Are elephants sporting? Hardly. Or have you ever seen a pachyderm out jogging? However, in our digital world they can be both big and very skillful. And contribute to the switch to regenerative energy sources. Believe it or not.

In a special exhibition the Bauhaus Archive in Berlin is presenting images of a 350-year-old imperial villa in Kyoto. Although this may sound somewhat contradictory at first, one look at Yasuhiro Ishimoto's austerely composed photographs and any such misgivings disappear into thin air.

Initially for one year DMY from Berlin is receiving the license to realize “Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany”. After a few initial problems the Federal Ministry of Economics and technology has now presented its new partner for the organization of this highly traditional award. Innovations include the fact that entries will be shown to a broad public during the DMY Festival in the hangar of the former Tempelhof Airport.

Socks for furniture, man-made big cats, glittering crystals or pink colored chandeliers – Maison&Objet in Paris always keeps visitors in suspense. But those who enjoy browsing will also come across a host of subtle beauties.

Ecology: Bundespreis EcodesignMunich: Long Night of ArchitectsStädel Art Academy: Annual exhibitionMesse Frankfurt: AmbienteSmart Interfaçades: Intelligent buildings

New trends in teaching and curricula are influencing future design. In Hamburg design is now only part of art courses. At other art academies, it is becoming a marginal subject. But there's no sign of designers putting up a fight.

Sometimes advertising is just advertising. But sometimes things get serious. At least when things get warlike. Or is it just fooling around? At any rate the commercials by VW and Greenpeace are funny and not to be taken too seriously. And there's even a surprise coming up for Game Day.

From 2014 onwards, the London Design Museum will be at home in the former Commonwealth Institute on Kensington High Street. No less an architect than John Pawson has been commissioned to redesign the building, which has stood empty for a decade, to fit its new purpose. The plans have just been presented in London.

With around 1,300 exhibitors and more than 115,000 visitors, this year's "Swissbau" in Basle was an innovative and highly successful trade fair that satisfied exhibitors and visitors alike. In 2014 "Swissbau" will be held in the architects Herzog & de Meuron's new extension to the complex. In a series of images we present you with the highlights of this year's fair.

Design Museum: Sound DesignJuan Herreros: Dialogue ArchitectureMuseum der Dinge: Istanbul AlphabetBraun Preis 2012: A Better Everyday

Trade fair: Object RotterdamKunsthaus Zürich: Winter TalesDe Singel: Andrea BranziGuggenheim Museum: John ChamberlainMAK: Chinese Stuff

With sustainability and energy efficiency as its topics, the "Swissbau" trade fair in Basle has impressively positioned itself as a smaller Swiss alternative to "Bau" in Munich.

On January 23 to great song and dance, and of course fireworks China welcomed in the Year of the Dragon. We can expect profound changes and plenty of luck. But only those who know the dress code.

Trade fairs thrive on good products and interesting novelties. Only then will the trade fair be attractive in the long term. At the imm in Cologne in 2012 there was quite a lot waiting to be discovered. The Italian big-hitters were back, but the eye-catching designs were to be found at other booths.

What would be more fitting than to show contemporary industrial design in former industrial buildings? Between factory halls, parking lots and graffiti the organizers of Passagen at the Cologne Furniture Fair put on a great show, with high-grade design and local oddities.

What is "Pure Village" in Hall 3.2 at imm cologne? A new trade fair format with a strange name? A self-perpetuating village? However we interpret the "village of purists", it enables the trade fair to present both young companies and brands and established labels in one place.

Something is going on in flooring, be it parquet or carpets. But in the traditional craft of carpet weaving little has changed in the techniques that have been in use for centuries now. Yet today colors, materials and patterns are also determined by designers – the reason that this year's Domotex in Hanover sought to unite artisanship and technology.

Not only the imm cologne is on track for consolidation in 2012. An increasing number of important manufacturers in the furniture trade is remembering their traditional strengths. And these are not rarely based on an ability to fuse tradition and innovation.

CHAIRity: Swapping chairsMunich: Creative businessDesign Museum: Designs of 2012Los Angeles: Design Bloggers ConferenceMMK: Andy Warhol

Going by the name of "Neue Tische", Berlin-based Mathis Burandt and Frank Skupin design furniture that is at once simple and sophisticated. The two architects do not consider items of furniture objects that stand in the space, but as physical extensions of the space itself.

Shortly before imm cologne opens its doors, the magazine A&W has elected its "Designer of the Year". A quite extraordinary designer has been chosen this year in the person of Patricia Urquiola who has changed the face of middle-class interiors to a greater extent than almost anyone else in the field.

There's no point beating about the bush – instruction manuals don't enjoy a good reputation. All the better that more and more products can be assembled using our intuition alone, iPhones no longer even come with a manual. So perhaps this is the opportune moment for a more extensive consideration of the instruction manual, a retrospective if you will. The book "Read Me!" by Jasmin Meerhoff offers a surprisingly entertaining insight into an otherwise ignored genre of the printed word.

Even bears enjoy a surprising level of popularity when it comes to advertising. At times they can be pretty fierce, but most of the time they are made as human as possible.

KIT: Authenticity in architectureUdK Berlin: Coop Himmelb(l)auIschgl: Skiing and ACF-conferenceAedes: Schmidt Hammer Lassen

Designers are continually designing and developing new chairs. So is it really necessary for architects to also try their hand at furniture design? And are the objects possibly merely miniatures of their architecture? “Von Aalto bis Zumthor: Architektenmöbel” (From Aalto to Zumthor: Furniture by architects) in the Cologne Museum of Applied Art is a show that proves this is definitely not the case.