Memphis, Postmodernism, Deconstructivism, New Urbanism. When Azure was founded in 1985, design may not have been as globally celebrated as it is today, but the design scene was afire with bold manifestos and turf-marking isms. In the first part of our 35th anniversary journal, we chart the reign of Italian and Japanese aesthetics, the first sparks of Zaha Hadid’s genius and other memorable moments from a time before the internet.

What a difference a decade makes. We were living in the communication dark ages, but didn’t know it. But all that changed in 1993 when the World Wide Web, invented in 1989, became public domain – and the world as we knew it would never be the same. The computer was also driving architecture and design innovation, with new 3-D software allowing practitioners to create never-before-seen forms. Frank Gehry was an early proponent; his Guggenheim Bilbao, completed in 1997, set off the Bilbao effect and the starchitecture craze that would dominate the 2000s.

The new millennium was barely underway when the 9/11 attacks took place, launching the war on terror. But in design and architecture, a spirit of generosity prevailed. Shigeru Ban deployed his traveling museum around the world, OMA reminded us that libraries are vital, Cradle to Cradle established the rules of circular design and social good became a motivator for transformative products. Most game-changing: the technological innovations that reshaped everything.

The past 10 years show how much can change in an instant. In 2010, we were living in the relatively placid Obama era. Hearts and minds were in the right place: the 9/11 memorial was completed, incremental housing offered a new approach to affordability, resilient landscapes were being planned. Over the past five years, we have witnessed the erratic presidency of Donald Trump, the #MeToo movement, uncontrollable wildfires and the onset of a novel coronavirus pandemic – in short, a whole new set of briefs for those who believe in design’s fundamental role in shaping the world for the better.

As we move into the next decade, there is an understanding that, if design really can save the world, it’s time to re-evaluate our tools, change our methods and shift our practices to meet each new challenge, whether it’s climate change or a lack of affordable housing. We need to build more robust and resilient systems to weather what may come. As Azure looks forward to the trends that are shaping the future, we’re also asking, “What kind of future do we want to create together?”