June 2026 Issue: Design 50 (Print Edition)

PRESALE Design 50 2026 The Architects and Fashion, Graphic and Furniture Designers Who Shape Chicago "Design in Chicago moves between disciplines, neighborhoods, communities and scales—shaping everything from the spaces we inhabit and the objects we live with to the systems, stories and experiences that connect us to one another. The people on this list are not simply making things. They are building platforms, preserving histories, challenging conventions, creating access and rethinking what design can do—and who it’s for." (Vasia Rigou) The Rewrite Stuff Starting life and finding deaths in journalism's legendary boot camp "It’s been thirty-six years, but I still have nightmares about City News. The nightmare is always in some impossible urban landscape—an M. C. Escher vision of Chicago where streets loop back on each other so I never get to my assignment. And I can’t find a payphone. And the mayor will be done talking by the time I get to 3200 South Halsted. Or was it north? Help!" (Mary Wisniewski) Designing the Decade Notes on ten years of art direction at Newcity "The magazine’s identity has shifted over the last half-decade to become more of an arts journal, highlighting longform features, deep historical dives and cultural guides alongside contemporary reviews, profiles and cultural analysis, with the average page count almost doubling in the past couple years. It’s the sort of content that, frankly, you don’t see in print much anymore. As art director, I’ve worked to build a visual identity for Newcity that’s as dynamic, progressive, versatile and striking as the work we feature, built on a foundation of type design and classic magazine layout." (Dan Streeting) Arts & Culture Art: At the deep end of a bottomless pool: “Willem de Kooning: Drawing” opens at the Art Institute + How Hugo França turns abandoned wood into magnificent art Dance: A riotous journey with Physical Theater Festival Design: Chicago, 2126 Film: Bleak moments in cinema Lit : Barrovian Books is finding the somewhat lost art of bookbinding to be a fine business Music: Alynda Segarra is the rail-riding folk hero Reviews Just a taste of what we've reviewed lately Poetry "Morning Commute": A new poem by Mike Puican 100 pages Shipping within the United States is included in the price. To subscribe to our print edition and never miss an issue, click here. Cover design: Tanner Woodford