smashLAB—located in Vancouver, B.C.—is one busy studio. Besides the regular client work, they run the blog ideasonideas, publishing articles about design once or more a week. And just recently they launched MakeFive, a social networking site. The premise is a simple one: Share your opinions by making top-five lists on any topic you'd like and meet like-minded people in the process. While it's not a design site—not exactly, anyway—seeing as the site's creators are designers, there are plenty of design rankings already up, from most-influential designers to the worst five typefaces of all time.
http://www.makefive.com

With the rise in popularity of urban living—lofts, condos, townhouses, what have you—stylish people are finding themselves short of space. Turns out there are even fewer options for good-looking, square-footage-efficient furniture. Welcome Wickes Urban, a collection of smaller-proportioned, space-saving furnishings that don't sacrifice anything for style. With solutions like low-back sofas and tables fitted with rolling casters, stackability and lots of hidden storage, Wickes provides smart options for the design-savvy who have dedicated themselves to a vertical lifestyle.
http://www.wickesurban.com

Among the best design conferences anywhere, biennial gatherings at Art Center College of Design bring big names, good vibes and great parties to the snazzy former-wind-tunnel campus in Pasadena, Calif., every other spring. The lineup has just been released for the 2008 event, and as expected, it's exciting, diverse and star-studded: Speakers include Michael Bierut, John Maeda and Paula Scher among the designers drawn from many disciplines, all moderated by the wonderful John Hockenberry. May 6-8, 2008.
http://artcenter.edu/designconference/