Illustration by Kelsey Dake for Core77.

With the January rush of CES and NAIAS behind us and SxSWi just a few weeks away, this is the time to reflect on the state of design and technology. Oftentimes, these types of events raise more questions than they resolve, sometimes they are more underwhelming than enlightening. Nonetheless, these industry gatherings always give us the pulse of the now and a glimpse into the future.

At Core77, we’re taking this moment to celebrate the now with a new site design, take stock of the past as we mark our 20 year anniversary as the premier online resource for industrial designers and look to the future with the first ever Core77 Tech-tacular! Over the next few weeks we explore the myriad ways that new technologies are shaping the future of design: the ways we ideate, create and relate to design objects. 

For our first Core77 Tech-tacular, we explore the range of possibilities that lie in the next 20 years with a deep dive into the tools of making—3D printers to sketching apps, design school workshops to game-changing power tools that can transform the way we design and build things. In our Tech Specs series we talk to ten designers who work on a variety of different products—from consumer electronics to experimental architecture, home furnishings to some very large pickup trucks. We mine the vast archives of the Core77 Discussion Boards and compile some of the questions, advice and insights that the Core77 community (that’s you!) have shared over the past few years; don’t hesitate to join in on the conversation. And finally, we ask a few experts to weigh-in on the wider implications of wearables, autonomous automobiles and so-called Smart Cities for a glimpse at what the future might hold for designers and the business of design.

So sit-back, bookmark our Core77 Tech-tacular channel and share your thoughts in our comments section as we roll out the Core77 Tech-tacular, celebrating 20 years of Core77.