Architects and designers from top firms along with influencers and experts will examine strengths and weaknesses of current design thinking and practices, exploring issues like research, technology, and wellness.

15 Must-Reads to Help You Prepare for 2022

With insightful analysis, critical perspectives, and in-depth reporting, Metropolis contributors give you the tools you need for the year ahead.

Metropolis associate editor Jaxson Stone has been feeding architectural styles and keywords to Midjourney bots. The results highlight the complicated relationship between design, technology, and image-making.

If you’re on Twitter, you’re well aware of the recent influx of AI image generators­—those addictingly entertaining systems that allow anyone anywhere to translate the wildest fantasies of the mind into surprisingly detailed digital images. In the past few weeks, a host of platforms have been trending—Craiyon, NightCafe, DALL-E—and they all create images within seconds using user-generated text-based prompts. All you have to do is think it and put it into words.

The folks behind the independent research lab, Midjourney, describe their beta platform as encouraging “new mediums of thought and expanding the imaginative powers of the human species.” Sure, a good chunk of images generated are the work of memelords and shitposters, but isn’t it also kind of nice that everyone has the ability to feel like, well, an artist?

Over the past week, I’ve been combining architectural keywords, contemporary design clichés, references to pop culture, and various art historical styles, and plugging them into Midjourney’s Discord server. In a way, the resulting renderings reflect the ever-changing relationship between architecture, interiors, and image-making while also highlighting the fleeting nature of design trends and technology.

Sign up for newsletters and updates to keep your finger on the pulse of what’s next in design.

In the age of NFTs, dreamscapes, and the metaverse, tools like this further complicate the notion that good design is rooted in form rather than fantasy or image, while at the same time opening up anyone’s mind to the playful experimentation and iterative nature of art and design processes. I’m not saying architecture students should go input their final thesis concept into an AI generator prior to pin-up. (But hey, I’m also not not saying that.)

Want to submit your own architectural fantasy? DM us on Instagram @metropolismag. We’ll choose the best prompts and showcase the results on our account.

Would you like to comment on this article? Send your thoughts to: [email protected]

Grain Design Studio leverages its involvement in collectives to share resources and help it succeed as an ethical, sustainable company.

In Salem, Oregon, designers and residents came together to save the Salem Public Library, a concrete and glass structure designed by George Rockrise and Donald Richardson in 1970.

In the third and final part of “Work from Home Changes Both,” designer and educator Scott Klinker unpacks how the pandemic has changed where we work and the tools we use.

Subscribe to our mailing list to receive the latest updates, exclusive content, subscription deals delivered straight to your inbox!

© 2022 SANDOW All Rights Reserved.