How to measure twitter influence.
Clever graphic depicting a person’s impact on twitter. Illustration by la Tigre. [ full story ]
Ink table. Andere monjo.
Andere Monjo’s table is a contemplation of water in its multiple states, so this Ink Table serves as a reflection of the path of ink through wood. The staining of the table is evidence to the anomalous wanderings of water when a variety of natural materials have absorbed it. The patterns on this table are done by absorption and handmade prints.
The ink is absorbed half way up the branch. The table top also absorbs ink, which are combined with the utilization of illustration. Monjo works with water in it’s different states, in celebration of one of our earths most important resources.
designer: andere monjo
materials: wood and ink
period: 2010s
The domino clock.
repurposing an icon with the introduction of the domino clock.
The Domino Clock takes a simple, iconic object and transforms it into a new way to tell time.
designer: carbon design group
DIY panton chair.
the original panton chair
Some designers are crying fowl at Peter Jakubik’s “Arbor Chair.” Also called the DIY Panton Chair, Jakubik’s project includes an instructional video showing people how to make their very own “original fake” of Verner Panton’s iconic chair. Copycat or not, he intends to produce and sell the chairs to people with a love of modern design and a yen for something more homey than Panton’s original injection-molded plastic.
But the design world needn’t be so shocked. This isn’t the first time someone has ‘borrowed,’ ‘copied,’ or ‘ripped off,’ (whichever you prefer) Panton. In fact, United Nude released their “Pixelated Verner Panton Chair” not too long ago. Are these chairs two examples of stealing a famous design or paying homage to a well-loved designer?
mit media lab identity. a sui generis logo concept.
The new Media Lab logo really represents a vast galaxy of ideas generated past and future. This is an algorithmic generated logo that can create 40,000 logo shapes in 12 different color combinations, providing the Media Lab an estimated 25 years’ worth of personalized business cards.
designers: e roon kang & richard the
Last Spring in my Corporate Branding class, design student Seth Hoekstra created a similar sui generis concept for his mythical Center for Design, Chicago. Seth’s concept behind each mark variation begins with each museum staff member. Each individual would be prompted with an assignment to contribute a unique shape they feel represents the museum. Here are several pages from his CDC manual of style to guide the way.
Starbucks in-progress packaging studies.
The Starbucks internal design team in partnership with Lippincott showing work-in-progress, implementing new rebrand on several core items.
[ Starbucks new logo ] [ thedieline ]
Van gogh and the pie chart.
“color extraction”
The pies represent 28 famous paintings, portraying the five most prominent colors in each as a percentage. Which one is
la chambre?
artist: arthur buxton
3-in-1 folding furniture.
with its 3-in-1 construction that allows a chair to fold out into a table and back down again into a diminutive, space-saving side table, “grand central” earns its name.
Designed by Sanna Lindstrom and Sigrid Stromgren, “Grand Central” is yet another inspired piece of furniture to come out of the recent slew of design shows happening all over the world. Lindstrom and Stromgren’s work is currently on display in the “Ung 8” exhibition of 22 young Swedish designers at the Stockholm Furniture Fair. Much of their previous work isn’t as strong conceptually as “Grand Central,” but that’s not a negative thing to say. It’s exciting to watch new designers on the brink of finding their own niche in the great big world of design. With “Grand Central,” Lindstrom and Stromgren are finally there.
designer: sanna lindstrom and sigrid stromgren
A less stressful clock.
there are no numbers, no chimes or clicks and no bright colors.
Perhaps the Norwegian designers at SHE Studio were feeling the stress of a time crunch and, like any good designers, decided to create a solution. The result isn’t another nifty planner or nicely bound to-do list, but a remake of the problem itself: time, or, rather, a clock. However,”Myk” isn’t like any clock we’ve ever seen. The face is wrapped up with a fabric stretched taught over the surface, making the minute and hour hands mere indentations behind the surface. There are no numbers, no chimes or clicks and no bright colors. Everything is minimized, and hopefully your stress level will be too.
There is one little hangup, though. The clock runs incredibly slow (which some might prefer) because of the hands struggle to tick against the tight fabric. The designers are still working on a motor powerful enough to move the hands forward at the proper pace, because we can’t imagine anything more stressful than thinking you have an extra six hours before a deadline only to find out you’re behind. But when they get it right, we think this just might find its way on our office wall.
designer: she studio
Ego, the personal submarine.
If you’ve ever wanted to explore the ocean for hours at your leisure without anyone but yourself manning the controls, the “Ego” may just be your chance. Designed by Korean company Raonhaje, Ego is the first compact semi-submarine. It’s technically a semi-submarine because it doesn’t actually dive down into the ocean. Instead, it’s designed to float, so to speak, just under the surface of the water. The deck of the Ego acts as a buoy, keeping it at sea-level. Sure, this may not be as exciting as plummeting deep down under water and exploring, but that would also require a special license. The Ego, which operates much like a car with a foot pedal and steering wheel, can be used by anyone – no special certification required. And while it’s technically compact, the two-seater model provides more than enough room to comfortably cruise around on a battery charge that lasts between four and eight hours, depending on the speed. Moreover, Ego’s specialized electric design allows it to enter protected marine environments. So forget picnicking seaside, take your next afternoon jaunt underwater.
design: raonhaje