This year was all about Brat Green, Pantone Peach Fuzz, andmustaaaaaaaard. Were hyped for a 2025 slathered in Pantone Mocha Mousse. But, with all due respect to Prince, I want to talk about a color that should never get a year: purple.Let me count the heinous hues: plum, lilac, orchid, lavender, violet, mauve.Barf.As Fast Companys creative director, I love color. My job is to use color to create meaning and evoke emotion. But I try* to steer clear of purpleits a confused color, unsure of what its trying to say.To analyze purples confusing nature, I spoke with Lee Eisenman, the executive director of the Pantone Institute. Purple has the excitement of red, but the calmingness of blue, she says, noting that while orange is also a secondary color, its red and yellow components share warm messaging. Fair. But in the world of branding, purple mumbles with indecision. Purple feels like a client that cant choose a direction and a designer eager to wrap up the project: Lets just pick purple and call it a day. And when brands settle for indecision, they miss out on making an emotional impact.Decisiveness drums up emotion. Red energizes a brand; blue soothes it. But purple makes a brand feel emotionally torn, perplexed, ambivalent.[Images: Roku]Consider Roku and its color battle with other streaming services. While Amazon Primes blue pours me onto the couch, Hulus green sprouts my interest in fresh content, and Netflixs red fires me up to watch the screen, Rokus purple leaves me feeling cloudy. What are they trying to say? While the top-tier streaming services snagged the good colors, it feels like Roku smashed the purple button as an easy way to stand out. Conversely, Roku comes across as second-rate due to its use of purple without clear messaging.Eisenman, who consulted with Roku on its purple hue, said the company wanted to grab a second look from a consumer by creating a sense of mystery.Ready for me to solve that mystery?Heres our collective experience: purple is the color of pop-culture psychopaths. In the Batman franchise, The Joker, fitted in a purple suit, constantly tries to blow up Gotham City. In Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, our purple festooned ferryman takes the Salt family on a dark tunnel ride, terrorizing their minds with creepy projections of crawling millipedes. In Avengers: Endgame, Thanos, the purple-skinned alien warlord, snapped his fingers and ended half of humanity. If only he couldve ended Barney, that furry purple dinosaur who haunted children with his song, I Love You.[Images: Warner Brothers, Disney, Getty Images]Oh, and that smiling purple devil emoji? Total asshole. Despite our villainous associations with purple, brands often use the color to communicate a contrived sense of luxury and pomp. Consider Cadbury and Hallmark. Cadbury slaps some purple on their wrapper, signaling their chocolate is of the highest distinction. Meanwhile, beneath the wrapper, the chocolate is overly sweet and creamy, which masks the subpar quality. And Hallmarkhave you ever watched one of its movies, especially around the holidays? In A Gingerbread Romance, an architect and a baker fall in love during a contest to produce a gingerbread house. It feels like the frenzied Hallmark writers chugged bottles of Robitussin and coughed out these stories, which are sticky-sweet, artificially flavored hallucinations of romance. Thats the real flavor of purple.To dive deeper into purples artificial luxury, I also spoke with Brian Collins, a branding expert and Chief Creative Officer of COLLINS. He pointed to Rolls-Royces recent rebrand as a poor use of purple. The rebrand uses a purple gown, mimicking Rolls-Royces iconic hood ornament. It falls flat as it deploys little new imagination, he says. By relying on the familiar purple symbol to convey luxury, Rolls-Royce comes across as cheap and easy.[Images: Rolls-Royce, Silk Cut]These aforementioned brands want us to associate purple with luxury, but associations require experienceand while weve experienced purple villains, most of us havent experienced purple luxury. Eisenman explained that purples luxurious associations date back to 1200 BC, when only the rich could afford the laborious process of extracting purple dye from the shells of Murex snails, creating the rare and coveted Tyrian purple. So, unless we can hop into a time machine, well never experience the true luxury of purple.So, can a brand successfully use purple to communicate luxury? Collins, though not a smoker, cited the cigarette brand Silk Cut as a success. In its classic advertisements, the brand repurposes a purple silk scarf in surprising ways. The scarf becomes a body of water traversed by a boater, a troop of leaves carried by ants, and even a veil of threads extruded from a meat grinder. This advertisement forced me to imagine their meat grinder as a precise machine, capable of extruding these purple fibers into the finest filigree. Ill give it to Mr. CollinsSilk Cut made purple feel high-end. Unlike Roku, Silk Cuts messaging was clear.But I still hate purple.Eisenman said its rare for a creative person to bear such a grudge towards purple, and Collins commented that I must have a deep-seeded hatred for the damn color. So join me on the therapists couch, wont you?[Source Image: ume illus/iStock/Getty Images Plus]In college, I dated a girl whose mom hated me for no good reason. When Id knock on the front door, shed greet me with a purple laser-beam stare. The inside of her home was adorned with wall-to-wall purple carpeting. There were purple curtains. Purple pillows on all of the couches. Purple napkins on all of the tables. It was a puke-y purple palace of coldness, and it forever changed the way I saw the color.My distaste is a concept known as affective conditioning, where my emotional experience influences my attitude towards color. Or, as Collins said, purple scarred me for life. *Earlier this year, Taco Bell CEO Sean Tresvant wore a purple sweater to his cover shoot. Stuck with purple, I added other colors to lean into the weirdness of Taco Bells branding.Can affective conditioning apply to other colors? Of course. Color is an individualized experience. But purple is a tricky one. It straddles warmth and coolness. It can be easily confused as artificial. It carries so much mystery. Purple creates a blank slate, leaving too much space for the audience to apply their own affective conditioning, making it a volatile color choice.Prince owned purple because he played guitar like no one else. His artistry redefined purple. Designers who dare to use purple to make a brand look luxurious, romantic, or creative, must rise to a similar challenge. They have a responsibilityto themself, to their audience, and to Prince himselfto wield the color with decisiveness and to use it in surprising ways that challenge expectations.

As powerful as smartphones might be, they also have the potential to distract us from the more important things we need to do in life. Sometimes, that productivity does include plenty of reading on the go, which makes the smartphone convenient but also potentially harmful to ones eyes in the long run. These contradictory features and needs make the smartphone less than perfect with the common design it carries right now.With some tweaking and imagination, however, its certainly possible to transform the smartphone into a more productive mobile computer. This concept, for example, tries to offer the best of all worlds by slapping an E Ink screen on its back for more comfortable reading, and a sliding mechanism that completely hides the cameras so you can enjoy both screens in their full glory.Designer: Kii JiiThis isnt the first smartphone design to put a second screen on the back for double the productivity. Most notably, the Yota Phone even dared to use an E Ink display that offers a more eye-friendly experience that also helps save battery life. After all, if all you want is to show a mostly static image or information, an E Ink screen wont use up any battery until the content changes. It also happens to be a good way to read lots of text on the go, much like what the new breed of eReader phones are trying to do today.What makes the inkPhone duo concept different is that it makes those two screens stretch from edge to edge, or at least almost edge to edge. Theres still a sizeable amount of bezels around them, but it might be possible to squeeze those out even further. There are no cutouts that give the illusion of hidden cameras either. Instead, the screens slide out to reveal the two sets of cameras, one for selfies and another for regular photos, that quickly get out of your way when no longer needed.In theory, this would mean you get full-screen experiences both in color and in grayscale, depending on your need or preference. Need to do some work in full color? Use one side with the OLED display. Need a distraction-free reading experience that discourages social media scrolling because of its slow refresh rate and pixelated quality? The E Ink side is going to be your cup of tea. And when you do need to take pictures or jump on a video call, simply slide out the two halves and get the job done quickly.In practice, however, the design could have a few gotchas that could get in the way of that nearly perfect experience. A sliding mechanism is an open invitation to mechanical failure down the road, and the camera lenses could get scratched over time due to friction. Theres also the matter of the temptation of distractions still within easy reach, making you just as unproductive as before.The post Dual-screen slider smartphone concept tries to solve all your productivity problems first appeared on Yanko Design.

Designed by Yevheniia Nahorna, the Whisperwood Home intertwines serenity and sophistication. There is an intentional blend of minimalism and warmthsomething we dont see often in homescreating an atmosphere that invites you to slow down, breathe deeply, and savor the beauty of thoughtful design. Stepping inside will give you a better look.The living room is anchored by a plush sectional sofa. The centerpiece, a wooden coffee table, adds natural warmth. This perfectly complements the rich wood-paneled walls that frame the room. Simultaneously, a textured area rug makes the ambiance inviting. A large projector allows residents to curl up in front of their favorite TV show.The houndstooth pattern is the tying element in the open floor plan. We see this used for the cushions as well as the dining table chairs. The dining area also features a large, wooden table. Floor-to-ceiling curtains in creamy beige diffuse natural light throughout the space; this creates a soft, ambient glow during the day.At the far end, the open kitchen has a unique marble backsplash. The cabinetry is sleekcombining hues of beige and wooden elements. There is also shelving to display wine glasses!The master bedroom in the Whisperwood Home sticks to a minimalist bedallowing wooden panels to act as the headboard. There is a vanity with a round mirror and a houndstooth-patterned chair. You can easily use this as a reading station, too. A wooden console table is paired with a statement, ceramic-framed mirror. This provides extra storage while doubling as decor.In the kids room, an illustration of animals incorporates a whimsical touch. The yellow scalloped-edge mirror adds a soft shape to the room. Additionally, the single bed provides ample room for a child to lie down, while the playful nightstand adds color. Theres also a study area with red shelving and a table lamp.The bathrooms in the Whisperwood Home use the same marble patterns we saw in the kitchen. Wooden cabinetry and vanities add warmth to the interior, while shower cubicles segregate functionality. The master bathroom also features a marble-tiled bathtub. And the toilets in both bathrooms are wall-mounted, adding a sleek vibe.

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As we wrap up our 2024 highlights on Archinect and Bustler, we present a countdown of the year's most popular competitions.From hundreds of architecture and design contests listed here, thesewere the top 10 competitions based on reader popularity.

Look below for Archinect's latest curated selection of architecture and design firms currently hiring onArchinect Jobs. This week'sfeatured employer highlightincludes openings inNew York City/Brooklyn and Los Angeles.For even more opportunities, visit theArchinect job boardand explore our active community ofjob seekers,firms, andschools.In New York City,Shigeru Ban Architectshas two exciting roles available: an Architect / Designer with five to eight years of experience and anArchitect / Designer with one to three years of experience. Applicants should be experienced with AutoCAD, Rhino, and Adobe Creative Suite. One should also be able to organize sets of presentation and construction documents. The Architect /Designer with more experience must have experience working on cultural, community, or residential projects, along with supervising a project team.Imai Hospital Daycare Center by Shigeru Ban Architects.Montalba Architectsis hiring for a Job Captain with five-p...

Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work throughArchitizerand sign up for ourinspirational newsletters.Municipal buildings are more than functional spaces they are the cornerstones of civic identity, places where communities come together to engage, deliberate and celebrate. In the 21st century, these structures are transforming into symbols of inclusivity and innovation, embodying the values of the societies they serve. From city halls and libraries to community centers, todays municipal architecture represents a profound commitment to addressing social, environmental and cultural challenges through design.Around the globe, architects are reimagining what it means to design for the public. Beyond creating beautiful landmarks, these projects focus on fostering connection and accessibility. They engage with their surrounding context, utilizing local materials and responding to community needs, while often incorporating sustainable technologies that mitigate their environmental footprint. The following buildings spotlight design that explores the possibilities of civic projects. Diverse in scale and location, they share a common ethos: the belief that design can enhance everyday life and empower communities.Parliament SquareBy fjcstudio, Hobart, AustraliaParliament Square in Hobart transforms a historic city block into a vibrant municipal and community hub overlooking Sullivans Cove. Combining government offices, retail spaces, cafes, restaurants, and a luxury hotel, the development centers around an open public square that invites civic engagement and celebrates the sites heritage.The design skillfully integrates restored sandstone and masonry buildings with a contemporary 5-Star Green Star office building for the State Public Service, which features dramatic Y-shaped columns and a sunken light well that floods lower levels with natural light. This landmark project revitalizes a once-congested precinct into an active and inclusive space for public and private use.Rural Municipality Building in SaueBy molumba, Saue, EstoniaLocated at the southern edge of Saues central park, this rural municipal building serves as both an administrative hub and a community gathering place. Its double-skin faade resolves the balance between privacy and public accessibility, while the covered archway offers a sheltered space for locals and enhances its presence in the park.The buildings triangular layout integrates open public areas along its perimeter and private meeting spaces at its core, ensuring functionality and connection to the community. Constructed entirely of sustainable timber, with exposed CLT panels and Class A energy efficiency, the design reflects a commitment to environmental responsibility and innovative public architecture.Transformation of the Town Hall Borsele in HeinkenszandBy Atelier Kempe Thill, Heinkenszand, NetherlandsThe renovated town hall of Borsele in Heinkenszand serves as a vital municipal center for the 13 villages of the Dutch municipality, offering modern offices and public spaces that foster community engagement. Designed by Atelier Kempe Thill, the transformation preserved the buildings original geometry while introducing a monumental faade of glass mosaic tiles to emphasize its civic identity. The interior was reimagined with a streamlined octagonal entrance hall, glass balustrades, and panoramic office spaces with views of the Zeeland landscape, creating a brighter and more welcoming environment for both employees and residents.Regional Chamber of Commerce and IndustryBy Chartier Corbasson, Amiens, FranceThe Bouctot-Vagniez Town Hall extension in Amiens marvelously integrates with its historic Art Nouveau architecture, serving as a municipal and community hub for the Picardy Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry. A green plinth connects the new wing to the existing building and gardens, while offices above are divided by a light-filled atrium that enhances natural ventilation. The design incorporates sustainable features like a double skin of metal mesh for shading and a panoramic bay window that opens the hall to the gardens, creating a bright and welcoming space for public and administrative use.Laure-Conan Library and City Hall of Ville de La MalbaieBy CIRCUM.ARCHITECTURE and ACDF Architecture, La Malbaie, CanadaPerched on the edge of the St. Lawrence River, the Laure Conan Library and City Hall in La Malbaie serves as a dynamic municipal and community center, blending contemporary architecture with the areas rich historical and natural narrative. The design contrasts materials like wood, stone, and glass, while integrating eco-friendly principles and supporting local industry through the use of locally sourced materials. Split across two levels to accommodate the sloping site, the stone-clad base houses the city hall, and the wood-clad library volume cantilevers above, framing views of the river. With flexible interiors, spaces for reading and community events, and outdoor gathering areas, the building offers a harmonious and multifunctional connection between city and landscape.Minjiang Village Courier StationBy MUDA-Architects, Wenjiang District, Chengdu, ChinaLocated in Wenjiang District near a greenway, the Courier Station is a key element of a rural revitalization project, serving as both a resting spot for tourists and a vibrant community hub for local residents. Inspired by the traditional Sichuan veranda, the design reinterprets its form with contemporary aesthetics, creating a striking, multifunctional space. Its semi-enclosed double-height structure balances natural light, local character and site context, offering a flexible and iconic communal area.Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work throughArchitizerand sign up for ourinspirational newsletters.The post Civic Pride: 6 Municipal Buildings Built to Bring People Together appeared first on Journal.