He was the first digital journalist to receive an Honorary Fellowship from the Royal Institute of British Architects, an award given to him in 2017 for the great contribution made to the world of architecture. In 2018 the Evening Standard named him one of the thousand most influential people in London, so important was his role in strategically positioning the English capital in the world of design.

That role often brought him in contrast with the Milanese community, who was firmly against his announcement, in March 2020, of a Virtual Milan, the launch - then withdrawn - of a virtual exhibition conceived with great timing in the same days, in April, in which Salone and FuoriSalone, sub judice for the pandemic, should have been held. A wound then healed, as reflected in the pain of Luca Nichetto, who greets his friend with emotion: “Goodbye Marcus, we will miss you greatly! You were tough and determined, you changed the world of design as it was known, you created debates, positions, different visions, but always and in any case you managed them with irony and lightness. The global design community is now more alone without your voice. I am grateful to you, we are all grateful  for what you have done and for the legacy you have left us”.

In digital journalism, Fairs had brought that injection of quality typical of those arriving from the printed word. He had worked as a freelancer for Blueprint and the Guardian. In 2003 he founded Icon, which soon became a reference in the sector.

Dezeen was born in 2006, and already carries in the name - the crasis of the words design and magazine - the idea of ​​ widening the as much as possible the audience of the design world, to make it a real community. His leadership has made the magazine a proactive editorial reality, which does not limit itself to recording news and events, but becomes an actor and promoter of them. A magazine that promotes awards, scouts, encourages talents. Merits that have been recognized several times: in 2012, The Independent named it the best architecture blog in the world, the year after The Times included it in the list of the “50 sites you can't live without”, in 2018 Fairs becomes digital director of the year for the British Society of Magazine Editors.