Category Archives: Design

Only connect: Charles Correa and the power of the empty centre

Posted on May 15, 2013 by samiraahmed

I interviewed Charles Correa, India’s Greatest living architect  at RIBA yesterday, which is holding a retrospective of his remarkable career till September 4th. He’s just given them his archive of papers which you can explore online below. His story is … Continue reading →

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Concorde: How a dead end can be a glorious high point of innovation

Posted on March 21, 2013 by samiraahmed

1976 Paris-Rio First commercial Concorde flight to Brazil Photo: Jean-Claude Deutsch Paris Match I chose Concorde out of a 100 Great British Innovations for a National Museum project to mark National Science and Engineering Week. You can vote for it … Continue reading →

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The Curse of the Typewriter

Posted on November 20, 2012 by samiraahmed

The last typewriter was made in Britain yesterday at a factory in Wales. But has the stigma of typing for women really been lost? This was originally written earlier this year to look at how far the QWERTY keyboard might … Continue reading →

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Broken clocks & zombie apocalypse

Posted on October 28, 2012 by samiraahmed

I have a thing about broken public clocks. I wrote a piece for The Big Issue about why I think they’re the first step on the way to social breakdown and chaos. Think Day of the Triffids when there’s no … Continue reading →

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No Mr Bond, I expect you to cry.

Posted on July 29, 2012 by samiraahmed

This column (updated since it appeared in The Big Issue last week) explores whether old James Bond films can still be enjoyed in a more feminist, more racially equal society. And then Danny Boyle put him at the heart of … Continue reading →

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In Hulme: a stately Hippodrome decree’d

Posted on July 1, 2012 by samiraahmed

There is a grand Victorian theatre house where Laurel and Hardy once performed, Nina Simone sang and the Beatles made their first radio recording. If it were in Stratford-Upon-Avon or central London, the rich paintwork and red plush seats and … Continue reading →

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The Curse of the Typing Pool

Posted on January 24, 2012 by samiraahmed

As new technology promises voice recognition typing software, and icon based texting, could the traditional QWERTY keyboard finally losing its dominance? Taken for granted, the keyboard has played a central role in the empancipation of women, but also in their … Continue reading →

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Kate’s State of the Nation Wedding Dress

Posted on October 19, 2011 by samiraahmed

I was  one of a number of designers and writers asked to contribute a piece on this image of Kate Middleton’s wedding dress for the first issue of a new pop culture  journal by student Xanthia Hallissey from the London … Continue reading →

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1951 then and now: Britain Mended, Britain on the Make

Posted on September 25, 2011 by samiraahmed

If you want to know what Britain was like before The Festival of Britain you should watch the masterful 1950 film noir, Night And The City. The clip is a bit of a spoiler, but features a chase around the … Continue reading →

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