Designboom acquired by rival architecture websites Architonic and ArchDaily
The group comprising products database Architonic and architecture news website ArchDaily has acquired rival design website Designboom.
Designboom announced today that it had "joined forces" with ArchDaily and Architonic to create an organisation that will be known as DAAily Platforms.
The acquisition follows Architonic’s purchase of ArchDaily in 2020.
"We are united by our shared values"
Designboom, which was founded in 1999 by Birgit Lohmann and Massimo Mini, was one of the world's first design websites.
The three websites said they will continue to operate "as separate and distinctively branded channels" in a statement.
"We're delighted to welcome Designboom into our newly launched DAAily Platforms group, the ultimate destination for premium architecture and design content," said CEO of Architonic ArchDaily Stephan Bachmann.
"While architonic.com, archdaily.com, and designboom.com each address the needs of architecture and design professionals in a particular way – product content, project content, and news content respectively – we are united by our shared values of curation, inspiration, and relevance."
Designboom founder Lohmann explained that the move will allow the design website to take advantage of "strategic synergies" as part of the larger group.
"We've partnered with Architonic for many years, and are delighted to take the next step and become one organisation," she said.
"There is much potential for significant strategic synergies. We'll be able to make a difference, to amplify stories, to multiply visibility, and to generate a leading pool of business opportunities."
DesignBoom, ArchDaily and Architonic owned by NZZ
DAAily Platforms comprises DesignBoom, Architonic and ArchDaily, which was founded in 2008 by architects David Assael and David Basulto.
The group of websites are all owned by Swiss media group NZZ, which purchased a majority stake in Architonic in 2015 and the remaining stake in 2020.
According to ArchDaily founder Basulto, the move will allow the group to expand its coverage of design news.
"When we decided to join Architonic, we saw a big opportunity to combine our expertise," he said.
"As complementary platforms we look at this big challenge from each one's lenses: project inspiration, materials knowledge, product research and specification," he continued.
"Under this perspective it was natural to have a fit with Designboom, a reference for news and trends in the expanded world of design."
The purchase is the latest example of an independent design website being acquired by a larger media group. Last year, Dezeen was acquired by Danish company JP/Politiken Media Group.
"I'm proud of what Dezeen has achieved over the past 15 years and I'm convinced that JP/Politiken Media Group is the best possible partner for the brand's future," said Dezeen founder and editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs at the time.