core77.com

What It Is

Core77 is an American industrial design media platform founded in 1995, headquartered in New York. Positioned as an information magazine and resource community for industrial designers worldwide — from students to seasoned professionals — it has long been regarded as one of the most influential English-language media outlets in the industrial design space.

Core Features

The website has very rich content, which is primarily divided into five main sections:

1. Design news and feature articles, covering multiple niches including automotive design (e.g. the BMW Neue Klasse concept car), outdoor gear, tools, and home goods. The editorial team provides in-depth analysis of the design thinking behind products;
2. Core77 Design Awards, which selects winning entries across categories like home goods and built environment, with strong industry recognition;
3. Design Firm Directory, which lists renowned design practices including Pentagram, Whipsaw, and Ammunition, and can be filtered by specialty such as motion design, architecture, UX/UI, and packaging;
4. Design Jobs board;
5. Forums and reader project galleries, where designers can upload portfolios and join discussions.

Pricing

The vast majority of content is free to access, and the platform generates revenue primarily through advertising and sponsorship. Design firms pay a fee to be listed in the directory via the "Get Listed" option, and employers are also charged to post job openings through the "Post A Job" feature. Regular users can register an account and subscribe to the platform's weekly e-newsletter (which has 240,000 subscribers) completely free of charge.

Pros & Cons

Its strengths lie in its nearly 30 years of industry experience, authority, and wide-ranging high-quality content; both the awards program and directory are well-regarded within the industry. Its drawbacks are that the page interface is somewhat outdated, pop-ups for login, registration, and subscription appear repeatedly, and the information density is very high. The entire site is in English with no Chinese interface, creating a language barrier for readers based in China.

Who It's For

It is suitable for industrial designers, product designers, design students, and anyone looking to learn about global design trends, find partner design firms, or search for job opportunities. It is also a highly valuable resource for design educators and design enthusiasts.

Access From China

As a content-focused media site, Core77 can usually be accessed directly without noticeable blocks. However, since its servers are hosted overseas, loading speeds may be affected.