Is it time to go back to human-centred design? TF Chan on Collect 2026

Monocle on Design

6 DAYS AGO

Overview Shownote Highlights Transcript Chapters Pins

Shownote

As London craft-and-design fair Collect gets under way, Nic Monisse chats with director TF Chan about the philosophy of “fewer, better things”. Plus: buttons and handles are coming back to our vehicles but will Nic and Grace Charlton give them the green li...

Highlights

In a world increasingly dominated by touchscreens and algorithmic convenience, this episode explores a quiet but powerful counter-movement: the return of intentionality, tactility, and human craft to the objects we live with—and drive.

07:29

Collect 2026 showcases 80% of works produced in the past five years, emphasizing material intelligence and the human hand

13:22

Crafted objects can have a long useful life, offer sustainability, and carry personal meaning

22:05

Choosing craft over mass industrial design is a political act supporting human well-being and sustaining artisanal ecosystems

25:03

Craft infrastructure is an antidote to fast-paced consumption

Chapters

Why are buttons and handles making a comeback in our cars—and what does that say about us?

00:00

What does it really mean to call something 'craft' in 2026?

10:19

How do the objects we choose to live with shape who we are—and who we want to become?

16:23

What happens when a tree from a friend’s farm becomes a side table? (And why does it matter?)

25:03

Transcript

Nic Monisse: Craft, a luxury or a necessity? In an age of rapid manufacturing, AI and instant gratification, craft is a refreshing counterpoint. It's the creation of objects whose physical form or means of making reflect the human hand and human intelligen...