Beethoven composed an ode to it, Pixar made a movie about it, and exceptional design sparks it every day. We’re talking about joy (!), and we could all use more of it — at work, at home, in traffic (especially in traffic), and even in the quiet moments when we’re alone.

In the Spring issue of Perspective, we’re investigating and celebrating joyful design, giving you an inside look at exactly how interior designers infuse joy, awe, and surprise into their work and spread happiness through the built environment. Here are just a few of the delights you’ll find in this issue: a “joy diary,” in which two Argentinean product designers who are partners in work and life tell us about moments of professional and personal joy during a week in their lives; insights from Dr. Upali Nanda, Global Sector Director of Innovation at HKS, on the power of awe, and how to spark that emotion through design; and a highlight reel of our favorite joyful and unexpected moments from Milan Design Week and Salone del Mobile. That’s just a teaser — there’s so much more inside this issue.

5 Joyful Product Designs

We highlight five products from designers working around the world that both evoke, and are inspired by joy. Inspired by dancing cherry blossoms, cookies, and even cleaning brushes, these pieces draw from culture, regional tradition, and even whimsy through materiality, form, and function. Read more