Marcus Fairs: 1967–2022

It was with shock and deep sadness that Architonic learnt of the untimely passing of Marcus Fairs, founder of Dezeen, earlier this week. He was a pioneer, whose personal passion – not only for curating relevant architecture and design content, but also for its democratic dissemination – helped shape the way the industry sees, and questions, itself. As a fellow digital-publishing heavyweight, he will be missed.

‘Marcus’s sudden passing touches me very deeply, as it feels like losing a companion on the hillwalk to digitisation in architecture and design. I’m grateful I had the chance to meet him several times and was always impressed by the many facets of his determined character and vision. My sincerest thoughts are with the whole Dezeen family.’
– Tobias Lutz, Architonic Co-Founder & Managing Director

‘Marcus will leave a big gap in the architecture and design world. He was one of the first to understand the digital transformation and turned Dezeen into a global brand in just 15 years. I had so many good moments and conversations with him, and will miss him as a friend, an entrepreneur and an innovator of the industry.’
– Nils Becker, Architonic Co-Founder

‘My heart goes out to Marcus’s partner, Rupinder, and to his family, as well as his professional family at Dezeen. He had a singular vision and was committed to it, which, in turn, helped challenge the rest of the A&D digital-publishing industry. And for this, we will be forever grateful.’
– Stephan Bachmann, CEO DAAily platforms

‘The first time I met Marcus was over a decade ago in, rather prosaically, a toilet in Germany. We were at a bathroom-product manufacturer and he was about to take to the stage to moderate a panel discussion, which he did with dexterity and aplomb. He was a true thought leader. From his time as editor-in-chief at ICON magazine to the phenomenon that became Dezeen, you always knew he knew what he was talking about. The community will miss him greatly.’
– Simon Keane-Cowell, Architonic Editor-in-Chief

© Architonic