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Here is an innovative, quirkly little product that may make a big (lemon) splash. The UTILO, Lemon Squeezer designed by Nicole Schaffert. Just insert spout into your lemon and squeeze for quick and easy seed-free juice. Made of stainless steel.
Producer: Blomus was established in 2001 to innovatively manufacture stainless steel items utilizing modern design. Blomus [...]

Paris council has unveiled plans for a 50-story glass pyramid after voting to drop a ban on high-rise buildings. Proposals for the Project Triangle, designed by Swiss architecture practice Herzog & de Meuron who designed the Olympic stadium in Beijing. The tower will have offices, a conference center, 400-bedroom hotel and restaurants and cafes. It [...]

With cold weather just around the corner, tea anyone?
Gems Teastick
The Teastick GEMS bring new light to your cup of tea. Now with two brilliant colors so sparkling clear you can see the steeping tea bloom. With classic “scoop it, slide it, steep it” functionality The Teastick GEMS are as useful as they are beautiful in [...]

This cool coffee maker offers up a smart industrial design which cleanly integrates a ceramic mug in place of a carafe.
The WMF1 Coffee Pad takes a single portioned coffee filter and can brew up a fresh cup of Java in about 1 minute. The compact coffee maker features a clean white design, with a [...]

What is this? An electric toothbrush on a stand? Darn, the title gives this product away. It is the Dyno outdoor shower by MyYour.

The Dyno designer shower is totally waterproof and UV-ray resistant and will stay looking new for years. It’s made from self-colored polyethylene, which is strengthened inside, and Dyno is available in a [...]

Anyone wondering what gasoline will cost in 2010? Here is a car from the Sexy Green Car Show you should keep abreast of. It’s a four seater eco car built from lightweight materials and should be on the market by 2010.
The British-designed Axon uses a tiny 500cc engine to give a fantastic 100 miles per [...]

Our feature for and through the month of October will be to develop a story on the state of wind turbine design.
A wind farm catches our eye. White feathery structures against a dark sky. The motion mezmerizes the viewer. Our mind vaguely grasps the meaning of this source of energy generation.
(top two photos) The [...]

Chicago developer hits design button to bolster condo sales. The contemporary condos are in not-yet-arrived Edgewater. Units range from 1200 to 1538 square feet priced at $350K to $452K.
Yes, this is a design blog but we have a national election coming up in a few days featuring an economy button. Let’s continue.
Recently, Donald Trump was [...]

Registrations are still opened and reductions for groups are available! The international event Multiverso - Icograda Design Week will take place in Turin (Italy) from October 13th to 19th 2008 and is enterely dedicated to the new scenarios in the fields of communication design. The programme of this leading Italian and European event in terms [...]

Poster power. It’s real. And there doesn’t seem to be enough of them when you see really good ones. Really good ones are on display for a month in Chicago’s Daly Bicentenniial Park.
The poster exhibit runs until October 29 in Daley Bicentennial Park. See the 31 winners at Design Observer and Chicago International Poster [...]

Today’s front page Chicago Tribune headline reads: “Deal, then no deal.” The USA $770M bailout, an excellent example of how not to sell a concept has been bothersome all week. What immediately comes to mind? What would Saul Bass have done?

SB could present! He could fit the pitch for the occasion. Legend has it that [...]

Have been sitting on this post awhile getting into the mood for collapsable concepts and product. Though the “Jackknife” was created in 2006 it was worth posting as the styling and design was noteworthy.

The concept was designed by Philippe Holthuizen and Rodrigo Clavel for a contest sponsored by Cannondale Europe. Both are graduate students of [...]

Google offers up a new vision of computing and it isn’t about desktops or laptops. It’s mobile. The Google phone has arrived. The phone shots are T-Mobile’s G1. But this is a design resource and the phone is not our focus. It is the software named Android.

What is Android if you already haven’t heard?
On [...]

Like sophisticated Transformers, these products fold to save space and to reveal a new function. The Flatterware cup body is molded out of a single piece of flexible plastic, with a helical structure allowing it to spring open and close with ease.
Just give it a simple twist, the bright plastic disc turns into an [...]

This summer something caught my eye on top of a neighbor’s SUV. It looked like a lighter - than - air aircraft wing but found out it was a collapsable boat. It looks much better in vitro than in these photos.
Adding collapsability into the design criteria can be a bit of a challenge. Here is [...]

The Mies Van Der Rohe’s Farnsworth House sets on five - foot - high risers. On 9/14 it was under water. The Fox River near Chicago has risen two feet above that.
The director of the historic site says “It’s gut - wrenching. You have to come to terms with the fact that Mother Nature will [...]

As with many of the concepts shown this year of the Renault Megane Coupe foreshadows a production version that’s set to be released at a later date. Of course, don’t expect the gullwing doors or the futuristic interior to find their way into production, but you can get a general idea of what Renault has [...]

Electric/pedal power hybrid bicycles make a lot of sense as commuters. With a small amount of battery power to augment your pedaling efforts, you can achieve extra speed and distance while leaving a minimal environmental footprint and paying next to nothing per kilometer. The Electrobike Pi is a fine example of the state of the [...]

source = http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/autos_content_landing_pages/469/top-10-2008-hybrids (show cars.com though!!)
Hybrid rankings have often been simplistic: Most are little more than lists of the highest-mileage models on the market. Here, we ranked hybrids based on how much fuel savings they get when compared to their non-hybrid version, as well as how much all that saved gas is going to cost [...]

Robots. A very interesting topic. DA recently showcased a sewer inspector, the world’s most powerful per the manufacturer, a very practical solution. But what about robotics that inspire art? An example: Christopher Conte. By day posing as a designer of prosthetics and making artificial limbs for amputees in New York. At night and on weekends(?) [...]

On May 2, 2008, Nau announced that it was closing shop. The reason? They could not get financing to continue operations. If you don’t know who Nau is, they’re a uniquely new business—selling eco-friendly clothes with a unique business model: brick and mortar stores that displayed examples of their product but the purchases were online.
Ironically [...]

8 crazy experiments bold enough to change the world. Beginning August 22. Fridays, 9PM EP. (-0500)
They rounded up every scientist, inventor, engineer, and designer with the best sot at pulling off some of the biggest, boldest ideas about cooling the planet, gave them whatever they needed and turned ‘em loose. They told the naysayers to [...]

“A sewer worker is like a brain surgeon. We’re both specialists.” —Ed Norton, The Honeymooners.
Ed’s fingernails would be a lot cleaner if this robotic sewer “crawler” existed. Though not an object of beauty this robot is designed to go where you would rather not. It’s estimated that 850 billion gallons of sewer and storm water [...]

Phillipe Starck’s latest — a plastic chair — earned it’s name on the first sketch. Mr. Impossible. The designer said it couldn’t be made. The challenge being the weld. Using existing methods to weld the seat and the legs would create an unsightly seam. Kartell’s engineers had to go the blue water route. The [...]

This Spring PUMA® introduces the PUMA GLOW RIDER, the third edition of the PUMA bike. Possessing the quintessential PUMA characteristics of fun and functionality, the new model distinguishes itself through the unique glow in the dark frame. The bike is part of PUMA Urban Mobility, a collection created with the needs of a city [...]

Less about breaking news and more about affirmation: The Zeppelin iPod dock from Bowers and Wilkins not only looks good from across the room and CU, but the music is consistent with the manufacturer’s reputable sound.
First seen almost a year ago but did not mess with it until killing time in an Apple store last [...]

It’s summer in our hemisphere. Long days. Warm weather. Spending more time outdoors. Here is a innovative product that you make yourself at the beach or on a picnic — the cutlery! What fun!
The cutlery (Do!) and an extension cord (Thrush-In) that stores nicely in its own felt container is designed by Arihiro Miyake. The [...]

The world’s first eco car show opened at the Eden Project in the UK last week. Let’s discover which type of green motor we’re most likely to be driving in the future.
Love them or hate them, cars are not going away. But road transport accounts for a fifth of our carbon dioxide emissions in [...]

A home that makes the Smart car, standing side-by-side, look like a SUV. No, an 18-wheeler. “Micro-Compact Home” [m-ch] was inspired by Japanese tea houses, yes, the Smart car and first class air travel. They are lightweight, modular, mobile and very minimal 2.65m (roughly 77 sq ft). That equates into a 266 x 266 [...]

High-design. Electric. 50-state approved (USA).
After quite a bit of tweaks, good and bad press the FDA finally blessed the Tesla in January 2008 and this red (green) car can go on sale. The car won’t solve the world problems, at least not this particular car — $100K — but it is a start.
Tesla is [...]

Eton makes serious radios. Sound 140 Concerto (top) is a loaded clock radio with amazing audio that was specially crafted for your iPod. Martha Stewart would say put one in each room, being cheaper than wiring the mansion for sound. FR1000-VoiceLink (bottom) belongs in your survivor kit. AM-FM, emergency-band, cell-phone charger, walkie-talkie, with a nearly [...]

Worried about space? The Dyson DP24 is for you. This version of the top-shelf Ball, measures only 29.6 inches tall and weighs 11.6 pounds. And its sucks the color off the carpet. Visit Dyson DP24
Home Depot was surprised by the fire-safety statistics. Their new design lab creates Home Hero. The goal was to create a [...]

“The brain is a category buster.”
-Elizabeth Phelps, American Cognitive Scientist, 2007
GRAVITY FREE is a truly unique multidiscipline design conference. Each year we pick a theme. Then we select 22 of the most passionate designers, design thinkers and innovators on the planet from 20 different design disciplines to help [...]

It’s been a week since Earth Hour 2008. So we looked around to see what happened then, and if
anything since…

A student told us Google went black! Good for them. This is how we envisioned a black Google.

The normal Chicago skyline at bottom.
This taken from the Chicagoist…
Earth Hour officials indicate last year there were 2.2 million [...]

The bad news: $77,000 USD and Peraves will only make 100 units a year. The good news: This unusual vehicle is manufactured by the Swiss company Peraves. The Ecomobile is essentially an enclosed motorcycle. The power for the Ecomobile originates from a rear mounted liquid cooled 4 cylinder BMW K series motorcycle engine.
When in [...]

Tata Nano. A car christened “the peoples car” debuted in 2007 amid a lot of controversy. Its an unremarkable car if you don’t take into account that it’s sticker price is $2,500 USD. The negative is it is manufactured in India as an easy-entry into owning an automobile. Many feel that India’s densely populated cities, [...]

The biennial Art Center Design Conference is a three-day international gathering of entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and innovators from many fields and disciplines. The 2008 Conference, Serious Play, will explore the essential role of play in business, the arts, science, storytelling, technology, and more.
May 7-9, 2008 Art Center College of Design, South Campus, Pasedena, California, [...]

Earth Hour 2007 was a Sydney, Australia event to fight global warming by saving energy and raising awareness. On March 29, 2008, Earth Hour goes global.

Just a few days left before Earth Hour—March 29, 2008. 8-9pm. Between now and then send a reminder to your blogosphere connections to participate. You can continue to remind people [...]

When does form and function equal art? Here is an example. A recent reviewer said “If Apple did housewares, this might be the iPot.

Here’s one electric vehicle where limited range no longer seems unpalatable. Designed and built in China by a company called Axle Corporation, the EV-X7 is driven by an electric wheel hub motor and has a top speed of 93 mph. This, of course, is a snail’s pace compared to modern motorcycles, but then again, this [...]

Here is a product to help your house go green. As you know, even when your giant plasma screen is dark it is not turned off. It’s never off but on standby silently sucking energy. Many other products to the same: the phone, phone charger, the stereo. A neat feature with this surge protector is [...]

Simple idea that seems so obvious after it becomes available. A portable power source for your mobile devices.
Charge the Powerstick from any USB port anywhere, anytime; free yourself from wall sockets, converters, adapters and chargers. Travel overseas without converters or need for a power outlet.
Handy handy handy!
“Simplicity drives the purpose and form of the Ecosol [...]

Just about the time we should be thinking about 86ing our plastic bottled water habits we have a bottle story. We came across this art and artist via trespluscool The artist is Martine Camillieri, a french artist who works with colorful plastics. Trying to think of an adequate bumper sticker here. —No to trash. Make [...]

animating water bottle recycling rates 2005

If you like Eames, a collectors item, a childs toy resurfaces.
During the early 1940s Charles and Ray Eames developed a successful technique for molding plywood into three-dimensional shapes, which led to the creation of a variety of furnishings and sculptures. The Plywood Elephant, in particular, has attained legendary status among collectors. Designed in 1945, this [...]

Today at MoMA
February 24–May 12, 2008
The International Council of The Museum of Modern Art Exhibition Gallery, sixth floor
In the past few decades, individuals have experienced dramatic changes in some of the most established dimensions of human life: time, space, matter, and individuality. Working across several time zones, traveling with relative ease between satellite maps and [...]

All you need is water, money, a Darth Vadar fetish. One you burn calories. One you burn 951 gallons an hour. Both burn holes in pockets.
There is little info on the Tu-fin save a link to their site. “TU_FiN Walking on Water—das Fun und Fitnessboot.” But here is a story on Wally…

the problem and the solution
These stairs are beautiful. An artform. No 5 inch stilettos or alcohol allowed. This is a very clever solution. You have to wonder who conceived of the problem in the first place…
Title: Stair
Object: Stair
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Client: Private Residence
Design: Gabriella Gustafson & Mattias Ståhlbom
Date: 2006
via TAF

What do these two bikes have in common? Two wheels? We can feel the love.
Designer Roland Kaufmann has gone and built a bicycle out of wood. He calls this cycle Jano, and says it’s a dual bike, equally at home trekking cross-country or taking its rider to and from work every day. This project [...]

Italdesign Ggiugiao Quaranta concept powered by Toyota Hybrid Synergy drive
Uncompromising innovation in Giugiaro tradition
An ‘extreme’, clean-technology project embodying 40 years of styling research and engineering celebrated by Italdesign Giugiaro in Geneva
The ‘Quaranta’ project is a concept car designed to celebrate Italdesign Giugiaro’s forty years of business in styling and technological research at the service of [...]

The entire Yahoo Design Innovation Team, aka yHaus, has been axed en masse, Portfolio.com has confirmed with one of the team’s former members.
“Yahoo Design Innovation team has been shut down completely,” wrote Doug Fritz, a former full-time staffer for the team, in an email.
The team had been working on next generation design projects. This week, [...]

Apparently, the Macbook Air is selling well enough to be unavailable in many stores and require a 5-7 day wait for online orders. Despite the high price, the super-thin laptop is often selling out the day a shipment arrives at an Apple Store according to research done by Ars Technica. Of course, without knowing just [...]

Simplehuman’s handsome new Steel Frame Dishrack makes years of mildew-prone materials and leaky drip trays a thing of the past: It features a bamboo knife block, an under-the-drip-tray spout that pivots to drain excess water into the sink, and a fingerprint-proof coating that will keep the thing as pristine as the stainless-steel appliances it’s meant [...]

The 78th International Motor Show will be held from the 6th to 16th of March. Over 130 worldwide and European premieres have been announced, coming from every sector of the industry. The trend towards new technologies and alternative fuels is continuing. Visitors will discover three new manufacturers and many attractions both inside and outside the [...]

If you see an exceptional product, an innovative revelation, let us know. Visit the FORUM - our “twitter lounge” to ask questions or share your thoughts. What is your passion?

DesignApplause hit the world-wide-web on 3/1/08.