Hasta La Ideas

Off with a bang: One third of the flashy little numbers featured in “Purse Pistols” by Chee Pearlman in The New York Times Magazine‘s new “Nine of a Kind” column.

Good news, design fans: two of our favorite publications have launched fresh design columns. Over at The New York Times Magazine, reimagined under the editorial helm of Hugo Lindgren, there is “Nine of a Kind.” The new visual design column will explore cultural trends through nine specimens. Chee Pearlman inaugurated Nine of a Kind in the magazine’s March 20 issue with “Purse Pistols,” a look at the more feminine and handbag-friendly guns appearing on the market as more states allow citizens to carry concealed weapons (the $3,000 Dark Hello Kitty Sig Sauer is one of a kind, as Sanrio was none too happy to see its star feline make a cameo on the handle of a 9mm). Pearlman tells us that the new column will have a variety of contributors. Meanwhile, over at Fast Company, senior editor Linda Tischler is also off with a bang. Her new column, “Big Bang Design,” debuts in the April issue with a look at what creativity might erupt if design were taught in middle school—and the potential payoffs for kids and businesses. The ongoing series will focus on the potential of design to create big impacts.

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