Muse is a monthly e-newsletter that I art direct and edit for Skyline, focusing on sources of inspiration for designers. Normally, Scott Roschi, Skyline's creative director, writes the introduction, but this month the task fell to me. Here, then, is that introduction. A link to the entire issue can be found at the bottom of the post. One of the biggest complaints about many design competitions is that the winners are almost always projects that are more “art” than “design.” In architecture, these are the museums and concert halls; in graphic design, these are the rock gig posters. Often, the complaint goes, these projects aren’t representative of the majority of the work that most in the field do on a daily basis. That is to say that these projects don’t represent design in the real world. With that in mind, we at Muse have decided to take a look at some of the less “sexy” design projects out there in the “real world.” We highlight some incredible looking charts and graphs, designed by some of the world’s best information designers. We also examine some of those simple, yet amazingly well designed products that you use every single day. And, as long as we’re talking about the real world, we examine some of the myths (and some of the truths) about design in China, and what it means to all of us. There’s even more, but I don’t want to spoil the whole issue, so I’ll close and let you get to it. Muse Vol. 2, No. 10