Now, this may seem like a trivia mistake or some guy trying to generate a cheap laugh but it’s a great example how designers are constantly challenging the norm & thinking outside of the box. I know, he probably was thinking nothing of the sort when he made the off-hand comment but it really made me think about the opportunities within the mundane we can enrich though looking at a problem though a different lens & with fresh eyes.

Quote of the day, Xtra Medium…

I’ve been toying lately with the idea of humanised products & objects. As we move forward & in light of the changes I’ve experienced in the world of design over the past 2 years since starting this blog, I think it’s fair to say consumers are becoming more informed. This is prevalent in the boom of makers fairs & people caring about where products come from i.e. how they were made & where materials come from. Essentially this is nothing new & stems from the ideal of ‘looking back to look forward’…Slow food movement…Small run products etc. People are looking for real value in things far beyond functionality, they are expecting products & objects to tell stories & justify their time & place.

This got me to thinking…the approach now is for sustainability, used more renewable materials which mean waste is less of an issue when it’s finished with. Additionally, the need form longevity of products also has an importance into things basically lasting longer.

If we talk about ‘Humanised’ products & services surely we should be looking into the idea of how we act to our world throughout life stages?  Instead of a product that is at the peak of it’s value when opened from it’s box & is losing value from that period forward, think of the idea of our own childhood where we get better & more knowledgeable the older we get. Imagine, products that get better with age & more valuable over time. I’m not talking traditional antiques which is about the rarer the object the more valuable & is very isolated to the object itself, our own development is based on the foundation of interaction & support & could be applicable to the object world too. No longer designed obsolescence but with the aim of growing with use over time…Maybe I’ll sketch it out further to explain…

The iphone is a camera with the possibility of instant sharing across multiple networks, with this in mind the California based brothers at un design have developed a way to get it out of your pocket and in front of you where it should be. the UN01 is a simple 2.5mm protective plastic slide case with a neck strap that encourages the user to rotate the phone into a landscape orientation and places it at chest level, ready for use whenever needed.

to replicate the realism of using a camera, the body style and raised lens design are inspired by point and shoot cameras. the case is a two piece assembly that slides over the phone and is fastened secure by a center locking ring.

I initially thought from the image that it was a ceramic case however that would bode well for it’s durability. I think it’s often easy to either expect the case to be for protection or expression but now there are a many offerings for improvement of a single function of the device.

I particularly love the warm grey tonal treatment of the graphics onto the white housing although I don’t understand the stopping of the graphic short on one side.

Bertelli is the name given to the NY company (AKA Francesco) that produces very unique, hand-made riding machines. ”Every Bertelli bicycle is a unique design object that you won’t find in any store in New York City.Every part is assembled by hand, finished and fine-tuned personally.

What can I say…they’re just beautiful things. Apart from the cost (which I think is well deserved for such objects of desire) which puts these products into the realms of display pieces, I think to own one of these beauties would be like being the first kid on the block to get an iPad & becoming popular all of a sudden. I don’t think I’d feel safe leaving such a marvel double chained to a fence whilst at work or even in view if I went into a shop! People can be so envious…

Nika Zupanc’s 5 o’clock chair for Moooi, is a prime example of the fusion of classic design with a twist of nuance & romantic intent. There’s nothing particularly revolutionary about the design but the materials & contrast mixed with the embroidery style floral print has a strong mix of old & new…& at a time when retro is a Sony Walkman, this piece would have to be described as fresh heritage.

Elastic Wood from Bakery design however is a truly revolutionary product. combining the benefits of traditional wood with all it’s warmth & tactility with the mass produced technology of injection moulded elastic/polymers the elastic wood chair bridges the divide between the two production methodologies. The  project is aimed at joinery, seeking to explore the idea of flexible joints.  By employing the technique of over-molding (the use of two separate materials to form one cohesive component), they’re able to transform a single “sheet” into a 3-dimensional object, in this case, a functioning chair. 

Finally, Workshop Pfister is a initiative of the Swiss brand Pfister furniture manufacturer for over 125 years, and leader in the Swiss market.About a year ago, the company wants to renew and to reach a wider audience, offers the designer Alfredo Häberli coordinate the creation of an entirely new collection, contemporary, using the talents of young Swiss designers.  The first products, a total of sixty, were presented for the first time a few days ago.

Particularly love the chairs that look they were individually & painstakingly hacked out of a solid block of “blue foam” or upholstered in baby blue velour. Additionally the image below with the unusual take on a modular seating system also adds a sense of community or social awareness to the space, inviting interaction & discussion.

For work recently I was asked along with everyone else to sum up myself in a one page (Poster style) format. Seemed pretty pointless when we already know everyone else and you would hope we know most of everything you actually want to know about these people however, in retrospect…it was a pretty worthwhile activity allowing us to pit our creativity against each other, my own attempt is below.

Was actually fun to try and capture what’s most important to you in a visual way whilst breaking away from the usual use of pictures & sentences. The words are all colour coded & explained in key on the left. I was going for a more visual approach… I wanted people to be able to understand what I stand for at a glance with the weighting of the words whilst having layers that allowed more in depth information & more personal details still available & clearly communicated. Good fun!

… Wouldn’t it be great if this was applied to other products and not just craft based objects? In theory it’s done on a research level for all mass produced products as most products work from the failings of it’s predecessor as a foundation on what to improve. However this lamp is a celebration of these imperfections in the same way we argue over GM & foods Vs. organic. Can we apply these “celebrated individuality” to all products & should this even be a way to think about mass produced products? I’m fed up of Designing meaningless, throw away products with limited life-cycles. Talking of Cradle to Grave design, why can products be perceived as more “human” & emotionally connected? Is there a place for products that grow with a consumer throughout their life & become trusted members of the family?  

My favourites have to be the nesting bowls which just reminds me of some layered vegetable & has such juicy colours & the new pestle & morter for it’s shear comedy gold/tongue in cheek quirkiness.

The range is like the younger - more emotive version of the timeless & functionaly driven OXO good grip range…anyway, who wants to be reminded that their getting old!

Looking on the Art Syndicate website the other day I found this genius piece of work! the BUFA by MOWO studio is inspired by attire and tailoring detail: puff and pleat. An attempt to find furniture pattern and a search of the new solution to replace the traditional upholstery. With the pull of the string on both sides, the proper pattern makes it possible to transform the two-dimensional felt into a spacial shape. The pleated material creates a spatial ornament curving the shape in the most genuine way. 

The piece is not only beautiful but also has a real story to it…I like the way it kinda changes the usual acceptance of mass produce junk and take a ordinary day to day product and gives it back some workmanship & emotion. the fact that the adjust-ability of the chair is controlled by the strings again give a more “manual” feeling yet very simply offering intricate control to the user.

Now…when they start doing funky colours, I’m in!!! Black please!!!

From what I can establish 9h is a capsule hotel established in Tokyo, Japan in December 2009 & was conceived by Architect Kisho Kurokawa. The feature that most interests me about this in comparison to other capsule type hotels is the cross over use of Graphics i.e. Communication design down to the Product & Architectural elements. Clean, fresh & inviting…everything you want in a space you use for 9 hours & share with god knows how many other people throughout it’s live cycle!! wait, that’s just hotels in general…