This seems like a pretty sweet execution of a much sought after product: a portable solar powered charger. Ray is a development by the design staff at website Quirky of Brandon Craven’s initial concept. The website enables users to participate by giving positive and constructive feedback, developing the design together.
It will take time and a lot of engineering to test how conceivable the design is, however in essence it seems like a fantastic solution. The large sucker can be applied to any window to seek maximum sunlight, or sit upright on its kickstand. Anyone can log on to the website and add their influence - there is a host of inspiring projects worth keeping an eye on.
MaKey MaKey by Jay Silver and Eric Rosenbaum, final year PhD students at MIT. This Kickstarter project has already received over 13 times the desired funding, in giving users the ability to make anything into computer keys. This universal invention kit uses only a USB port and some alligator clips, allowing the user’s imagination to be their only constraint.
Ed Chew’s Tetrabox Light, transforming drinks packaging into unusual geometric lampshades. The combination of triangles, pentagons and hexagons throws the light into the wonderful shapes, creating an amazing luxury product from something extremely ordinary.
Chew’s design aims to make consumers more aware of the wonderful objects we can produce from everyday throwaway items. His website explains how to fabricate the shapes using only origami and no adhesive or glues. A thought provoking conceptual design.
Redesign for London buses by Heatherwick Studio and TFL. The design had been introduced since February following two years of research, development and testing. This number is set to rise to eight models in circulation by the summer.
The new bus incorporates more windows, both for the driver’s visibility and passenger views. These windows flank the seats and staircases, offering more light and a continuity throughout the vehicle. Two staircases are included, with the one at the rear reintroducing the classic ‘hop on, hop off’ feature. The new bus is 40% more efficient than existing double deckers, and even beats current hybrid models in fuel efficiency.
A modern reflection of a British classic - it will be interesting to see how this design is greeted by the public. I can’t wait to see them in full circulation.
LiquiGlide may just be the future of ketchup bottles worldwide: a food safe coating that allows the contents of the glass to slide out with ease. This amazing material was developed by Dave Smith at MIT with a team of mechanical engineers.
It’s funny: Everyone is always like, ‘Why bottles? What’s the big deal?’ But then you tell them the market for bottles—just the sauces alone is a $17 billion market. And if all those bottles had our coating, we estimate that we could save about one million tons of food from being thrown out every year.
Along with minimising food waste, the bottles can be recycled when empty without having to wash them out. The material can be applied to plastic too - check out more demos of existing packaging versus ‘LiquiGlide’. If only they had thought of a better name.
Edible survival guide for Land Rover by Y&R Dubai. Also the designers behind the Gulf news coffee sleeve, the company were thrown into the spotlight last fortnight with their unusual product.
The survival guide was created to assist Land Rover users in an emergency, detailing the plants, animals ands conditions of the Arabain Desert. Practical skills such as building a shelter and starting a fire were explored too.
The book itself is created from reflective paper that can be used to signal for help, whose eye catching title and appearance ‘cuts through the clutter’ and will remain in the car. Unbelievably, as a last resort the guide can even be eaten by the user.
It is made out of edible ink and paper, and it had a nutritional value close to that of a cheeseburger.
The book is being given away as a supplement to the car’s manual. A potentially life saving product executed a very cool way.
Another innovative use of a QR code: Headline News coffee sleeves by Y&R Dubai. The design consultancy were set a brief of improving traffic to the English newspaper’s twitter feed and increasing their website hits by 25%.
Their solution came in the form of updating the classic cardboard sleeve through a printer that was updated hourly from the newspaper’s twitter feed. Whilst enjoying their morning coffee the user can scan the code to access the story, directing them to the newspaper’s website.
Created in partnership with Tim Horton’s coffee, rolling out through chains in the UAE.
Innovative Magnetic Bike Lights by Copenhagen Parts. The company is focused on producing modern, relevant cycling gear that adapts to the consumer’s modern lifestyle. This focus lead them to develop the technology for the bike lights over 18 months, which will switch the light on as it snaps to the frame.
Using magnets allows the consumer to easily attach and remove the product, taking it with them as they chain up their bike. However don’t get too excited - they’ll only work for steel frames. To quote the company: ‘For other materials, you’ll have to look elsewhere. Sorry, but that’s physics for you.’
The clever technology and minimal aesthetic combine to make a stand out product in a very saturated market.
An incredible resource for upcycling. Search by material and find visual guides explaining how to fabricate new products from things you would have thrown away.
Here’s another smart packaging solution - Paper Dish by Yu Kyung Ha, Won Min Jung and Kwon Young Hee. The polystyrene insert acts as a divider and convenient plate simultaneously, minimising mess and allowing the customer to devour their pizza quicker. You can imagine big name brands adopting the concept, providing a simple function with a super cheap, intuitive design.
Poster for Coca-Cola by Jonathan Mak, a graphic design student from Hong Kong. The poster was created as part of their Open Happiness campaign, embodying the brand through its recognisable colour, shape and associations. The posters are currently only being used in Shanghai, however it would be great to see these rolled out worldwide. Pretty unbelievable corporate work by a student who created the iconic Steve Jobs tribute poster - he’s playing with the big names now.
Awesome concept for Guinness, using the dark beer to display a QR code on the glass. The user can update their various social networks through the interface, promoting the brand and drink simultaneously. A interesting development on this under utilised technology.
Damien Hirst is the richest living artist to date, whose twenty years of controversial work merited a solo exhibition at the Tate Modern. With very little previous knowledge I kept my expectations relatively low - conceptual art for the sake of money is really not my thing. Saying that, Hirst’s work can’t help but intrigue and interest the viewer whatever their background, and is an experience to all those who see it.
Repetition, order and series are apparent throughout: Hirst admits each project he would be happy to continue for the rest of his career. Like a silent, eerie zoo, animals in formaldehyde dominated the rooms. Shocking and perhaps upsetting at first, Hirst’s eternal preservation of the animals confronts the viewer with the idea of mortality right from the beginning.
Despite this, the theme of his work did not appear to be death: it was about a life cycle, bringing a touchy subject to the forefront of society. Whether you liked it or not, it was hard not to be fascinated by the open mouthed tiger shark, entitled ‘The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living’. Hirst’s orderely fish in formaldehyde, ‘Isolated Elements Swimming in the Same Direction For The Purpose of Understanding’ resonates with the viewer, each animal with a fixed destiny and end point, no matter how difference their appearance, glossy eyes or fins.
The exhibition guides the viewer through Hirst’s train of thought over the years. His two glass boxes entitled ‘A Thousand Years’, has to be one of his most recognisable works, with the viewer surveying the flies’ life cycle, struggle for survival and eventual decay. I found similar themes were explored within his butterfly canvases, monochrome colour tarnished with the beautiful but dead insects. This room was directly juxtaposed with one of the most amazing installations I have seen, together creating the ‘In and Out of Love’ series. Butterflies hatch from their larvae embedded in the canvas paint and live in the humid plant and fruit filled room, their beauty contrasted with their confinement and fragility.
Whatever controversy surrounds the artist it seems his presence is as strong as it ever was in the art world, bringing to life the crazy ideas no one else can.
With a product as recognisable as Chair_One in their portfolio, Magis set a precedent for their subsequent design collections. The design studio showcased their Tom & Jerry stools at Milan Design week: a set of quirky, adjustable seats in two different sizes.
Adjusting the seat height is easy for adults and children alike using the intuitive plastic screw. The polypropylene mechanism is self lubricating and resistant to wear, drawing attention to the feature with colour. The use of solid beech alongside the plastic wonderfully balances aesthetic with function, resulting in the inclusive, easily adjustable two piece set.
