Last week we had a community discussion about trends. I wanted to talk about why my thoughts on them had changed and what that shift taught me about judgement in design. More so than any other post in the past few years, people joined in the conversation in a big way and the viewpoints and […]

Last week we had a community discussion about trends. I wanted to talk about why my thoughts on them had changed and what that shift taught me about judgement in design. More so than any other post in the past few years, people joined in the conversation in a big way and the viewpoints and feedback you all shared (both in the post and on social) opened my mind and renewed my faith in talking about deeper issues here. Hearing everyone share their thoughts in such open, vulnerable, and constructive ways was powerful. Several important issues arose in those conversations that we’ll be addressing in posts over the next few weeks, but one in particular stayed with me because it’s a conversation we’ve been having internally here at Design*Sponge for a long time: can we ethically support handmade/independent work and big box stores at the same time"
For me, the answer is complex. And it’s one that’s still evolving because we are always discussing this issue amongst ourselves at Design*Sponge. Whether it’s related to ad campaigns with large retailers, sourcing shopping posts, choosing where to host events, or finding new and better ways to sup...