Some wooden structures by The Art Office have been surfing the net lately. I thought I’d take this opportunity to share how similar this project is to a lamp project I created way back in high school and my early years at RISD. I guess when you have a real studio, you stop buying popsicle sticks and use 2 x 4’s. Anyhow, all great stuff!
materials
Here’s a slick jacket by IDIOM. Then again, I’m a sucker for products with an “apple affect”. In the design world, the “apple affect” is where the outside is one color, but the insides a burst of another. There are tons of great products with this design element. I’ll list a few:
A nice slideshow on materials and manufacturing methods used in products by industrial designer Arik Levy.
John Huber has a fascinating method in creating a pretty slick ring from a half-dollar coin using a hammer. The tools are simple, the process is easy, and the end product is plain cool!
via Make
John Huber (picture process)
The 2005 Solar Decathlon competition has an amazing assortment of incredible designs based on sustainable energy-efficient living. The competition introduces a variety of innovative methods to use solar energy and high-tech materials. If you dig deep into some of the submissions, you’ll be blown away by the student concepts. I recently saw a special on TV about this competition and became hooked. They recently announced the roundup of schools invited to compete in 2007.
Sounds been a hot topic in the past few years. Pictured right are “Glas Platz”, glass speakers, an elegant solution to those large ugly looking speakers. This technology also works by using the SoundBug, which is a device you slap onto to any hard surface, and whala, that surface projects sounds. Below are a few more sound based inventions I’ve come across. Enjoy!
SoundBug -surface speaker device
Feonic Tech products– a bunch of sound concepts
Glas Platz -glass speakers
HyperSonicSound(HSS) -directed sound
AudioSpotlight -directed sound
Herman Miller Babble -White noise for your cubicle
Litracon made the blogsphere last year, but it’s making second rounds. Litracon is concrete reinforced with fiber optic strands, hence creating a semi-translucent material with some magical results. As for a new material, great, but what are the new and valuable applications? I haven’t seen any great application yet, but I’m sure there are some in the works. Anyhow, check out their site, think up some great applications, and post them here.
Talk about sustainability in design. These cute bears are made out of, well, Tofu!
“SOYSILK® is a fabulous, cutting edge fiber made from soy. – it’s earth-friendly and from renewable resources. No petroleum products are used. “
Tofu Bear
SoySilk (the creators of silk, bamboo, tofu, and other such innovative fabrics)
“Royal College of Art grads Michael Cross and Julie Mathias joined together as London-based design studio Wok Media in 2004. Wok Media’s Sprinkle Carpet consists of hundreds of individual “poofs” that congregate to form a larger mass, with the shape and size left to the user’s discretion. Each part is weighted with silicone disc bases, providing a non-slip walking surface. The Sprinkle Carpet pieces are conveniently machine washable and can be easily gathered for compact storage.”Wokmedia
via core77
Oryon technologies introduces Elastolite, the crushable, washable, moldable, and irresistable cool EL sheets. Elastolite can be printed directly on fabric and most other substrates.
I received a sample of this material at the TED conference from the Inventables crew. I can’t wait to see applications for this magical and tangible material.Oryon Technologies
Who says food can’t be cute. Creator Shawn Smith at Shawnimals offers these delightful plush porks along with other cute creations.via coolhunting
shawnimals
myplasticheart
Stefano Giovannoni brings us a beautiful gem like vacuum. It’s about time someone made one that I don’t hide in the closet!!! The pricetag is a bit scary but it’s ooo sooo pretty! Very much the ipod of hand vacs.MOMA Store