Disruption has become a popular brand strategy as start-ups, challengers and even established brands seek to stand out in crowded categories. Disruptive brand building subverts a consumer’s perceptions through narrative and tone. But, while disruption is often associated with boldness and audacity, its true power lies in challenging category norms in unexpected ways. This is achieved not only through striking visuals or provocative messaging, but by fundamentally redefining what a category can mean, and the experience a brand can deliver. One newly launched brand that’s aiming to defy its category conventions is mud, an emerging petcare company that is setting itself apart by embracing mess, mud and natural animal instincts. The brand’s Everyday Wash for Dirty Dogs is marketed for “dogs who were meant to get dirty”. The brand’s brown, grey and black colour palette is inspired by different shades of dirt, and its founders describe it as “a small act of rebellion against the sanitised world of modern pet care.” Angelina Pischikova and Karina Zhukovskaya’s identity for their mud pet care brand. While it’s too early to predict mud’s ability to disrupt its category, its mission is certainly thought-provoking. If successful, disruptor brands can not only capture market share from established competitors, they can shift industry dynamics and open up a new market for consumers seeking alternatives. Think Liquid Death, the US brand which made canned water cool with its irreverence and punk/heavy metal aesthetics. Or Oatly, which turned oat milk into a cultural statement with witty long copy and an anti-advertising aesthetic. “Being pioneering isn’t always about ripping it up and starting again.” When a disruptor brand is so successful that it brings about positive change, it’s often because that category is ripe for disruption. Prior to the arrival of disruptor brands like The Ordinary and Glossier, the beauty industry had thrived on creating a feeling of exclusivity, mystery and luxury, with glossy celebrity-fronted advertising and products making vague promises at inflated prices. The sector was entirely upended by the arrival of The Ordinary, which democratised skincare by championing science over celebrity and enabled a much wider group of consumers to access high-quality skincare. Stunts like selling “ordinarily-priced” eggs for $3.37 at the height of the American inflation crisis, or dumping a stack of dollar bills in a store window, cleverly highlighted its no-frills proposition and flew in the face of typical beauty marketing by taking swipes at influencer endorsement. Glossier was another hugely influential agent of change because it built its brand around user-generated content and real customer feedback, rather than top-down beauty ideals. But with disruption comes risk. A disruptor brand can seem inauthentic if its brash, bold branding doesn’t fully align with its ethos. WeWork’s tactics backfired massively when its “changing the world” narrative collapsed under scrutiny. Its demise also demonstrates that moving fast and breaking things isn’t necessarily the best approach to disruption. The company promised a variety of flexible office spaces catering to different needs, but ultimately failed to deliver because of its focus on global expansion at breakneck speed – a strategy that proved unsustainable. Also, disruption stops being disruptive when everyone’s doing it. When luxury fashion first shifted online and onto social media, many fashion houses pared back their logos, incorporating the clean, minimalist typefaces favoured by tech brands like Google and Microsoft. This minimalist branding style became so popular among brands, from Saint Laurent to Celine, they all started to look the same. Even Liquid Death’s success has had its limitations. Despite becoming a sensation in the US, it didn’t create any significant ripples in the UK water market and exited after less than two years – showing that disruptive brand activity can get lost in translation. What works in some markets and cultures, may fall flat in others. For legacy brands, the stakes are particularly high because a major identity shift can erode established brand equity. Old Spice successfully moved away from its “dad’s aftershave” image through ironic humour. By contrast, Aberdeen Group’s attempt to reach new audiences backfired dramatically after its rebrand to Abrdn in 2021 was met with a torrent of mockery. Earlier this year it announced it was reinstating the missing e’s. Being pioneering isn’t always about ripping it up and starting again. Brands don’t need to reinvent themselves or tear down the competition to make an impact. You can be just as innovative by quietly committing to long-term, incremental change. Sustainable fashion brands are a case in point here. Companies like Finisterre and Reformation are leading a slow fashion movement by committing to eco-friendly and ethical practices, offering consumers a high-quality alternative to fast fashion. To truly disrupt, a brand must have ambitions beyond being brash and attention-seeking. Disruptors need to stay true to their brand essence as well as strategically differentiated from rivals. Before adopting a disruptive stance, consider what consumers really want and analyse whether your rivals are delivering on that need. You must also ensure your branding resonates with your target audience and connects to a broader cultural shift. In this way, you can help ensure your disruption strategy gets people talking for all the right reasons. Polly Hopkins is managing director of FutureBrand London.

A judge blocked Trump's plan to dismantle the Department of Education. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images 2025-05-22T16:50:19Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? A federal judge blocks Trump's plans to dismantle the Department of Education. The judge ruled that the department has to reinstate workers it fired and stop plans for more cuts It also halted plans to transfer student loans out of the Department of Education. President Donald Trump's plan to shut down the Department of Education is officially on pause.A federal judge on Thursday issued a ruling blocking Trump's administration from carrying out its executive order to dismantle the Department of Education. The ruling also blocked the department's plan to fire additional employees and its intent to transfer student loans out of the department to another agency.The judge also directed the department to "to restore the Department to the status quo such that it is able to carry out its statutory functions" by reinstating all federal employees who were terminated from the department in March.Shutting down a federal agency requires congressional approval. While Linda McMahon, Trump's education secretary, has repeatedly said that she intends to work with Congress to shut down the department and improve efficiency at the agency, the judge wrote that there is "nothing in the record" to back up those points."Not only is there no evidence that Defendants are pursuing a 'legislative goal' or otherwise working with Congress to reach a resolution, but there is also no evidence that the RIF has actually made the Department more efficient," the ruling said, referring to the formal name for the firings, reductions-in-force. "Rather, the record is replete with evidence of the opposite."Madi Biedermann, deputy assistant secretary for communications at the Department of Education, told Business Insider in a statement that "a far-left Judge has dramatically overstepped his authority, based on a complaint from biased plaintiffs, and issued an injunction against the obviously lawful efforts to make the Department of Education more efficient and functional for the American people.""This ruling is not in the best interest of American students or families," Biedermann said. "We will immediately challenge this on an emergency basis."Thursday's ruling is in response to a lawsuit filed by a group of professors and teachers' unions. The group argued that attempts to dismantle the Department of Education would harm students and families who rely on federal aid and grants.On March 11, the department announced it was terminating over 1,300 workers. McMahon said this was part of the department's "commitment to efficiency, accountability, and ensuring that resources are directed where they matter most: to students, parents, and teachers."The judge said that the cuts "paint a stark picture of the irreparable harm that will result from financial uncertainty and delay, impeded access to vital knowledge on which students and educators rely, and loss of essential services for America's most vulnerable student populations.""Indeed, prior to the RIF, the Department was already struggling to meet its goals, so it is only reasonable to expect that an RIF of this magnitude will likely cripple the Department," the judge said.Student loan borrowers are navigating a changing landscape. The Trump administration restarted collections on defaulted student loans on May 5 after a five-year pause. It is also looking into redefining eligibility for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Meanwhile, 2 million student-loan borrowers are still waiting for their income-driven repayment plan applications to be processed while the SAVE plan remains blocked.

New Layers, Coexisting Mentze Ottenstein enhances the 1885 Dinesen Country Home with scenic components while converting the residence to a guest house By Paige Davidson • May 19, 2025 • Interiors, International (Monica Grue Steffensen) SHARE At the southern end of Denmark’s Jutland peninsula lies the small town of Jels. There a quiet, white thatched-roof home built in 1885 is tucked in a meadow, located at the end of a long gravel road. The Dinesen Country Home, a former residence for the family of the esteemed wooden floor company Dinesen now acts as a guest house for friends and select clients of the brand—and may even be open for public bookings. The new era is ushered in by Copenhagen-based architecture firm Mentze Ottenstein. The refreshed Dinesen Country Home proudly holds true to its original bones, while also embracing new Scandinavian notes to create a hygge atmosphere. The 2-story, 3,636-square-foot abode was first acquired by the Dinesen family in 2004. Shortly after purchase, it commissioned family friend and architect, Jørgen Overby, to restore the house to its roots. Overby highlighted original elements to the home by reinstating them, such as the thatched roof, fireplaces, historic windows, and custom kitchen carpentry. For the cofounders of Mentze Ottenstein, Mathias Mentze and Alexander Ottenstein, the task then became adding to this initial groundwork by converting the private residence into a contemporary showroom and guesthouse for the Dinesen company and adding new material ornamentation. Read more on aninteriormag.com. Denmark

Pine Heath Townhouse / Studio Hagen HallSave this picture!© Felix Speller•London, United Kingdom Architects: Studio Hagen Hall Area Area of this architecture project Area:  284 m² Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2023 Photographs Photographs:Felix Speller Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers:  Fritz Hansen, panoramah!®, Bette, Haxch , A.J. Brett & Co Ltd, Anthony, Archie Shine, Artemide, Baina, Balsan, Bertazzoni, Cassina, Cavendish Equipment, Cielo, Crosswater, Elliots of Newbury, F&E Joinery, FLOS, Frama, Guzzini, +22 More SpecsLess Specs Save this picture! Text description provided by the architects. Set within a leafy enclave of the Hampstead Conservation Area in North London, a modernist townhouse now stands confidently refurbished for a young couple and their daughter, expertly designed by emerging architecture and interiors practice, Studio Hagen Hall. The home is part of a handsome cluster of nine properties, including five townhouses originally designed by South African architect Ted Levy, Benjamin & Partners in the late 1960s, representing a key part of progressive post-war design thinking in London's built history. Externally, each of the neighboring homes appears uniformly designed with subtle reference to Cape Town coastal developments in the 50s and 60s, but interiors have since been sporadically renovated, and the majority of them stripped of their modernist character. 'Pine Heath' is one of the last remaining houses to retain many original features still intact throughout.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Drawn to the original, mid-century charm and interiors of the home, the clients briefed Studio Hagen Hall to revive the tired terraced house into a warm, broken plan, polished home for their growing family, with a keen focus on upgrading its overall energy efficiency and performance. As long-time followers of the practice and admirers of previous completed projects, including Canyon House, the clients appointed Studio Hagen Hall in 2021 for its approachability, extensive experience in modernist restorations, and ability to deliver technically challenging architecture with warm, sensitive, and timelessly crafted interiors. Studio Hagen Hall was initially appointed to lightly refurbish the home, involving only the kitchen, bathrooms, and windows, but on careful inspection, realized that the home's true potential lay in much wider renovation. Studio Hagen Hall proposed a bespoke restoration encompassing the whole house that would improve operational efficiency and reduce overall project costs in the long term, and ultimately introduce a more sophisticated and pragmatic series of living spaces to suit a functional, life-long home.Save this picture!Alongside the aesthetic and energy-improvement brief for Pine Heath, spatial planning needed much consideration throughout the property. The new arrangement lays out a defined relationship between indoor and outdoor zones. A more logical connection is re-established between the entrance, kitchen, and living areas, and large amounts of storage and multi-purpose functionality are introduced into these communal spaces. Previously a three-bedroom home, Studio Hagen Hall has utilized the property's five stories to deliver a cleverly and subtly zoned floor plan, balancing social family space with distinct areas for rest, utility, work, and play. It now comprises an additional fourth guest bedroom suite-cum-gym in the basement, plus a new office and guest sleeping pod in the eaves of the property. The original central stairwell and timber-clad ceilings acted as a cue to reinstating the modernist characteristics of Pine Heath. The aged Paraná pine, a highly sought-after endangered species, formed the foundation for the project's material palette and further references Studio Hagen Hall's sensitive design choices to work around and preserve original, indelible detail throughout the home.Save this picture!Save this picture!Other intentional devices are employed by Studio Hagen Hall to improve sightlines and accentuate spatial flow between each room. In the bedrooms, old doors and openings have been replaced with floor-to-ceiling pocket doors maintained at 2.5 meters high, and subtly re-aligned to allow perfect views all the way from the front to the back of the house. Storage spaces in the bedrooms, once running laterally, now run perpendicular so that windows and views are completely unfettered and viewed through deep timber-lined portals. On entry, visitors are greeted by a generous hallway and a built-in cloak area complete with a bench, with direct vistas reaching the terraced patio and communal gardens to the rear of the home. Navigating this visual journey, occupants are carried along acute horizontal datum lines, and a tile grid that continues throughout the whole house; window sills, joinery, and spaces with angular changes cut at 45-degree angles, highlight Studio Hagen Hall's meticulous and exceedingly satisfying approach to spatial design.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!The new bespoke kitchen nods to the client and Studio Hagen Hall's shared interest in quality craftsmanship, showcased in dynamic, yet sensitive, material detailing. Brushed stainless steel worktops sit deftly atop the bespoke cabinetry, individually fitted to mask all domestic appliances such as the fridge, dishwasher, and bespoke extractor fan hood. Custom-designed and milled sapele handles mirror existing mahogany accents throughout the house. Period details of the original modernist kitchen have been accentuated for contemporary use; textured, stippolyte glass cabinetry together with a sweeping curved timber fascia now envelopes the kitchen, aligning with the original horizontal window datum and framing the serving hatch to the dining area. Custom mechanical louvre window shutters are installed above the sink, providing privacy from the street when required. A warm yet refined palette forms the basis for the interior mood of Pine Heath. The joinery has been expertly crafted in a complementary veneer, subtly stained to match the original Paraná pine strip ceiling and stair cladding within the home. Studio Hagen Hall added textures and colors to elevate the atmosphere, with rich greens tying the house together, displayed in the raised living area, stairwell, and covering all of the bespoke upholstered furnishings in the living, dining, and sleeping spaces.Save this picture!Save this picture!Earthen colors come together to create dramatic interior focal points, in the color-drenched tiled bathrooms punctuated by browns, greens, and blues, selectively chosen to complement the cherry wood joinery, seamless mirror glazing, and bespoke barisol lighting. Microcement flooring flows through the upper floors, deepening the relationship between materiality and ambience. In numerical terms, Pine Heath now reads at a much higher thermal performance. Studio Hagen Hall retained the appearance of the original fenestration by replacing the original single-glazed aluminum windows with a custom hybrid solution, comprising timber frames with aluminum and vacuum glazing inserts.Save this picture!Beyond the upgrade to the glazing, insulation was added internally to key areas of the concrete and brick structure to drastically reduce cold-bridging. Trickle and adjustable air vents in each room provide fresh airflow via the new centralized mechanical extract ventilation system. The property also features integrated solar panels, an air-source heat pump, underfloor heating, and full roof insulation to meet and more than exceed standard energy efficiency requirements. An exemplar in sensitively considered architecture and interior design, Pine Heath demonstrates a deep understanding of how toLondon modernist house transformation.Save this picture! Project gallerySee allShow less About this officeStudio Hagen HallOffice••• Published on May 15, 2025Cite: "Pine Heath Townhouse / Studio Hagen Hall" 15 May 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1029797/pine-heath-townhouse-studio-hagen-hall&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save世界上最受欢迎的建筑网站现已推出你的母语版本!想浏览ArchDaily中国吗?是否 You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

In the early days of President Donald Trump's second administration, federal agencies including the US Department of Agriculture were ordered to remove information about climate change from their websites. Now, the USDA has committed to reinstating the deleted content following a lawsuit on behalf of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York, the National Resources Defense Council and the Environmental Working Group. According to a letter sent yesterday to a district court judge, the agency has already begun the restoration process and expects to "substantially complete" the effort in about two weeks. The material removed from USDA sites in February included content about climate-smart agriculture, forest conservation, climate change adaptation and clean energy project investments in rural areas. The trio of plaintiffs sued on the basis that removing that information violated the Freedom of Information Act that allows public access to important federal records, as well as failing to provide advanced notice required by the Paperwork Reduction Act and without the reasoned decision-making of the Administrative Procedure act. The USDA said that it "will restore the climate-change-related web content that was removed post-Inauguration, including all USDA webpages and interactive tools enumerated in plaintiffs' complaint."  "This is a major victory and an important first step. Members of the public, including our clients, rely on information from USDA to understand how climate change is affecting our nation’s forests, food supply, and energy systems," said Stephanie Krent, staff attorney with Knight First Amendment Institute, which helped file the lawsuit. "USDA was wrong to remove these webpages in the first place, and it must comply with federal law going forward."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/the-usda-will-republish-climate-change-information-online-following-farmer-lawsuit-211907357.html?src=rss

Comments from NISTA’s Matthew Vickerstaff come as ministers weigh up benefits of relaunching initiative next monthThe government’s new infrastructure advisory body has said ministers would need to “learn from the mistakes” of the past if a new generation of PFI contracts are launched as part of the upcoming infrastructure strategy. Matthew Vickerstaff, deputy chief executive of the The National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA), said there was still a “constant drumbeat” of construction issues on schools built through private finance initiatives (PFI). Matthew Vickerstaff speaking at the Public Accounts Committee yesterday afternoon Chancellor Rachel Reeves is understood to be considering reinstating a form of private financing to pay for public projects, including social infrastructure schemes such as schools, ahead of the launch of its 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy next month. It would be the first major rollout of PFI in England since 2018, when then chancellor Philip Hammond declared the successor scheme to the original PFI programme as “inflexible and overly complex”. >> See also: PFI: Do the numbers add up? Speaking at a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee in Parliament yesterday, Vickerstaff highlighted issues that had blighted historic PFI schemes where construction risk had been transferred to the private sector. “Just what we’re seeing on school projects, leaking roofs is a consistent, constant drum beat, fire door stopping, acoustics, lighting levels, the ability of classrooms to be operable in a white board environment, problems around leisure centres or sports facilities, contamination of land, latent defects of refurbishments on old buildings creating real problems,” he said. “The dash to get the schools ready for September, I cannot tell you how many PFI schools have that problem, and we need to get the private sector to fix it.” But while Vickerstaff said he was “ambivalent” about a new generation of PFI contracts, he argued contractual arrangements on new schemes could contain less risk for the public purse if the government did decide to opt for this route in its infrastructure strategy. “I would say that compared with 25 years ago, the asset management, the building information systems and computer aided facilities management has vastly improved so we’re dealing with a generation of contracts that would certainly by improved whether it’s public sector or private sector,” he said. “I’m ambivalent but what we need to make sure is that we learn from the mistakes and definitely get them to fix what we’re experiencing in some situations.” Vickerstaff added: “In terms of lessons learned, making sure construction is monitored by a clerk of works and independently certified would be a really important factor moving forward, because construction defects have been a problem because the construction contracts whether it be public sector or private sector have not been well monitored or controlled.” Meanwhile, a new report by PwC has called on the government to explore a new generation of public-private finance in order to address the deficit in infrastructure including schools and healthcare. The research, published today, found “strong market appetite” for a new model of public-private partnerships which could be based on the Mutual Investment Model developed in Wales. PwC corporate finance associate director Dan Whittle said: “There is a strong view that public-private finance has a valuable role to play as a strategic tool to close the UK’s infrastructure gap, particularly at a time when we are constrained by fiscal rules. “There is no need to reinvent the fundamentals of the PPP model. What must continue to evolve is how we implement this model with refined risk allocation to reflect the current appetite of the market, smarter contract management, and a genuine partnership approach.” The government is expected to unveil its infrastructure strategy alongside its spending review in June.