What and how are we consuming in the spaces where we socialise, relax, play and shop?

Competition in the hotel industry is at an all-time high, and the consumer’s desire for affecting experiences is equally strong. Meanwhile, F&B and retail spaces are in flux as the digital economy reshapes traditional modes of consumption. So how are brand, experience and social interaction colliding in new ways?

By Store by Spacemen. Photo by Min Chen Xuan, courtesy of Spacemen

This issue we take a broad look at encounters of consumption – from the selfie settings within a clothing store (By store by Spacemen) to the ‘reflective nostalgia’ etched out in the reclaimed brick walls of a hotel (Tsingpu Yangzhou Retreat by Neri&Hu), to the nationally significant garden narrative celebrated at Singapore’s newest infrastructural destination (Jewel Changi Airport by Safdie Architects, RSP Architects Planners & Engineers and consultants).

Tsingpu Yangzhou Retreat by Neri&Hu. Photo by Pedro Pegenaute

We talk to leaders in brand and experience creation and hear their views on how markets are shifting and meaning is finding new commercial pathways.

The threads of discussion in this issue include:

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What is considered wise and worthwhile consumption? Whose authority is it to judge?

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How can design harness nostalgia in a meaningful way?

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What relevance do brick-and-mortar stores have when online retail dominates?

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Who (or what) are the design players in e-commerce environments?

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How radically could we re-think the nature of a ‘holiday’?

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And, of course, we consider all the developments from Milan Design Week.  New territories of design found focus in a spectrum of installations in Milan this year. A summary of our Milan In Review night packages the crisscrossing web of major themes we identified, and notes the roles that designers must engage with as participants in new global dialogues.

Milan in Review. Photo by Mark Lee

Best of all, this issue we are eminently proud to present the Shortlist and Winners in our INDE.Awards 2019, which were celebrated in Melbourne on 21 June.

INDE.Awards 2019 Gala. Photo by Einwick

This year, 13 category winners were announced alongside 11 honourable mentions, a Best of the Best award, and the Editors’ Gold Mark – an accolade awarded by Indesign Media’s Regional Editorial Board for progressiveness in design.

Produce and SUPERSTRUCTURE SG team with INDE Juror Stephen Burks. Photo by Einwick

Our warmest congratulations to all – not least Singapore’s very own Produce studio, which topped the entire competition by winning the Best of the Best award for its redefinition of design practice.

Join us for the INDE.Awards 2020, and let’s continue to show why ours is a region the world must watch. Entries open in November.