Lee Schneider

Why does design matter and how can it help solve the world's biggest problems?

Design is everywhere, so ubiquitous that you might not even notice it. But if you're left-handed and trying to use scissors or a camera made for righties, you see how design changes your world in even...

Detroit neighborhoods are blooming. We know this from films like Urbanized, and Urban Roots, both of which celebrate community gardens in Detroit and recently screened at the San Francisco Green Film Festival. But neighborhoods in Detroit are also blooming with an urban art renaissance. Just look...

You've heard about the "99%," but there's a "90%" you should also know about. They are the 90% of people on Earth who usually do not have access to design services, because designers mostly have focused on just 10% of the world's population. Now that's changing, as powerfully illustrated in...

Have you made a nasty slasher film recently, or do you know somebody who has? Have you wondered whether it's time to turn your creative output toward good instead of something with the word "Kardashian" in it? I'd like to offer some karma repair. Even if you are already a...

You wouldn't think that a single brick would change the course of human events. Or a single block of concrete. But if you're thinking about how to make homes safer from earthquakes, a single brick or block can be the difference between...

Think about the ingredients of this story: A classroom stacked with backpacks sewn by students. A ton and a half of donated shoes. A schoolhouse loaded into a plane and then flown to Haiti. A 5-year-old who saves food for his parents and in so doing, sacrifices his own life....

When I think of design I think of structures like Disney Hall and Grand Central Station. Things, like iPads. Objects, like cars. But ideas are also designed. Ideas powerfully shape neighborhoods. People can be rescued by concepts. The Curry Stone Design Prize was created to recognize that designers can be...

How do you turn a garden on its side and grow it up a wall? And why would you want to?

Going sideways with your greenery might be a way to provide healthy food in densely-populated urban areas. According to a recent study conducted by the University of North...

Occupy Wall Street has been called a triumph of digital activism. Our idealized picture of it is fostered by equally idealized notions of the Arab Spring. Organizers issue directives on Twitter and protestors move fast. One perfect blog post might just take...

If you are an activist, now is the time to make a film to let more people know about your cause, and if you're a filmmaker, especially a documentary filmmaker, now is the time to become an activist. Why?

Many of us working in the visual/vision business have seen something...

Japan has been on everyone's mind, and some of the discussions I've heard have surprised me. Or, more accurately, what I haven't heard has surprised me. When the talk turned toward Japan in my morning meetings this week, it was about the loss of life, the tremendous cost, and the...

Just got back from a panel discussion tonight about the power of pro bono design and architecture and I can tell you that the pro bono movement of designing for good is gathering power. Around this time last year, Emily Pilloton of Project H Design appeared on The Colbert...

I thought this week I would put my head in the lion's mouth -- or more accurately, into the tiger's mouth -- and add my voice to the chorus of cheers and jeers directed toward the Tiger Mother. For those of you who have been busy raising your children and...

It's that time of year. You're sending cards, shopping for gifts, holiday music is ringing in your ear, and you're feeling a bit of compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue is what happens...

It might not make sense why it works. You don't have to "believe" in it. But it works anyway. This is one of the great mysteries of medicine and probably of life. Oh, you want examples?

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese medical practice. I've tried it. Friends have tried it....

It's an odd story in a way. One day a Texas gal from a ranching family falls in love with the ocean. She loves being in the water and the underwater world, and she has a life-changing 45-minute underwater encounter with a Cephalopod about the size of her thumb. Octopi...

Maybe it's because I live in the yoga capital of the world, Santa Monica, Calif., but I hear people saying the word "sacred" every couple of minutes. They even say "holy" a lot. Pretty much, I hate that kind of talk. "Holy" makes me...

What are you really looking for? People are searching Google for "oil spill in gulf of mexico." St. Louis, Missouri is the world's epicenter for people typing in "how to find a boyfriend." The number one city searching for "sex" is Delhi, India. The number one city searching for "peace"...

How do you become an activist? You become a parent of a child with challenges. You become homeless. You become inspired by your students. Or maybe something just smacks you between the eyes -- not a 2x4 necessarily, but something...

It's better to work for free than for cheap. How's that? Here are some examples that seem stranger than fiction.

Had an argument with your spouse? Whip out your iPhone and launch "Fix a Fight," available for $9.99 from the iTunes store. No...