Following yesterday's post on the spherical drive system, my fellow Pratt ID alumnus Jay G. wrote in with where those omniwheels may have come from. An Australian company called Rotacaster produces the crazy-looking wheels, sometimes called "Ezekiel Wheels," you see here. The wheels are used in the Rotatruck Stair Climbing Hand Truck:

Why are they called Ezekiel Wheels? Here's where it gets interesting: The wheels' designer, Henry Guile, claims their inspiration came from The Bible:

The first chapter of Ezekiel describes a vehicle with four wheels and "their appearance and their work was as if it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel." From this simple idea, the Ezekiel Wheel was born.

Guile reportedly worked on the design of the wheels for years but was never able to get it quite right. But his son Graham picked up where he left off and perfected the design. The father and the son, and I guess the Holy Ghost fits in there somewhere too.

At what point are you willing to sacrifice aesthetics for functionality? It's a question all of us need to answer for ourselves, as that intersection point between pure desire and pure need is too individual for any designer to map universally.

As a personal example, I find the aesthetics of Folditure's Leaf Chair, which we got a glimpse of back in June, a bit jarring. But as soon as I saw the video of how it worked, I got turned around on it:

Large sections of the British design industry will wearily greet the onset of London Design Festival today. The first LDF in 2003 felt like a coming of age, as London celebrated our profession with a pocket version of Milan's Furniture Fair. Do you remember when we got excited about Milan too? This year's frivolities are likely to leave most designers cold, although with a nagging sense that—what with so many parties going on—they should be having the time of their lives.

So what went awry? In short—benches, bloat and blogs.

Milan is unashamedly a furniture show, but at its best it showcased an array of design creativity that inspired the wider design community. While LDF doesn't feature furnishings in its title, it amounts to a straight down the line furniture and homeware trade show. Commerce trounces culture. Furniture designers make up a fraction of the profession, and most of us can only take so many of our four-legged friends. As Gadi Amit of NewDealDesign commented recently, "Why does every material innovation have to end in a chair?"

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School is back in full swing and as we prepare for a busy fall of international design weeks, conference coverage and some special Core77 programming (more to come!), we look forward to a new season of design inspiration and discovery.

This past month we took a moment to explore the landscape of intellectual property as it relates to designers. With the verdict of Apple v. Samsung still fresh on our minds, what does it mean for practicing designers? We ask two IP lawyers to weigh in on design patents and the the upcoming new gTLD systems.

In case you missed it, we took a look at roadbooks from a pre-GPS age. From the road atlas to pacenotes, motorcycle-mounted scrolls to the wrist-mounted originals, this four-part series is a part of Core77 editor Hipstomp's ongoing look at pre-Industrial ID. And bookmark our conversation with Mo Duffy, Red Hat Interaction Designer—it's a great designer must read.

Flotspotting

Andrew Mitchell, Warwick, United Kingdom

Philip Houiellebecq, Cardiff, United Kingdom

Hakmin Lee, New York, New York

Ian Wride, Newcastle, United Kingdom

Michael Bambino, Brooklyn, New York

» Check out our full
July Newsletter here

This post is sponsored by the sleek, stylish, lightweight HP Spectre XT Ultrabook™, inspired by Intel. Vote for your favorite bag design!

Phase One of HP Ultrabook's Bag Design Competition is over and the Contest Experts have spoken. There were plenty of great designs and we at Core77 would like to congratulate all of the entrants. However, in the end, 40 semi-finalists have been selected to move onto the next phase of this competition in pursuit of designing the ultimate HP Bag.

It's now time for YOU to determine which five of the top 40 semi-finalists are worthy of the potential grand prize. Voting will remain open until September 26th, with the top five vote-getters advancing to the final phase where the Contest Experts will choose one of those five as the Grand Prized Winner.

Remember, there's a lot on the line for these forty potential winners—the five finalists will receive a new HP Spectre XT Ultrabook, undoubtedly a nice prize, but nothing compared to the $10,000 cash prize for first place (plus the laptop!). So make your voice heard and VOTE TODAY to let us know who you think truly deserves to win.

A few blocks east of Core77 headquarters, they're setting up the annual Feast of San Gennaro. Aside from the standard carnival and food booths, one block of Mulberry Street is being used to set up some temporary street event requiring counters. This morning we spotted the freshly-built counter you see above, and noticed a clever design solution. Let's take a closer look:

Why is the front cut that way? Because if you take a standard 4’×8’ sheet of plywood, use a circ saw to bisect it with a single 45-degree cut, then flip one of the pieces and put it together, you can increase the length of your counter. Just now I knocked it up quickly in CAD to see how it works out:

Now you've got ten feet of length rather than eight. By ganging these together in threes, whomever built this thing now has a series of continuous thirty-foot-long counters although the fascias of each use only standard 4’×8’ sheets.

While the other carnival booths you'll see at San Gennaro are built balloon-style—2’×3’ and 2’×4’ frames shod in construction-grade 3/4"” ply—these units are made from nothing but the ply. On the inside, we see that the supports are also made from trapezoids, i.e., they used one rectangle of wood to make two supports.

A secure loop that doubles as a charging cable.

We all know that it takes more than 24-hours to create a fully realized product, but in what might be the world's fastest product launch, Quirky teamed up with Fab.com to host a 24-hour iPhone 5 Accessory Design-a-Thon. Although some of these ideas could use an extra 24-hours or more, the suite of accessories will go from concept to market in less than a week with the winning designs available to consumers beginning on Wednesday, September 19th on Fab.com.

Things kicked off last night as 53 potential products (culled from an initial batch of 1,750 ideas from the Quirky community) went through a rapid-fire evaluation at Quirky's New York City offices. Panelists included Ben Kaufman (Quirky Founder and CEO), members of the Quirky team, Lucas Thomas and Devin Guinn (both buyers from Fab.com).

With the clock ticking, the panelists quickly narrowed the accessory options down to 18 products and set varying design teams to hammer down the design details and packaging options to ready the products for manufacturing. By 2AM, the teams presented their sketches to the broader Quirky community via livestream to narrow the feature set and details for the final products. See the Quirky blog for more info about the 24-hour Design-a-Thon! We've always been a cheerleader of prototyping fast and early so to go from concept to the factory in 24-hours is pretty remarkable. If only all our products were manufacturer-ready after the first prototype!

As of press time, the design teams were busy prepping the final CAD files for manufacturing. Here's a snapshot of some of the accessories we're most excited about seeing in their fully realized state (click the image to go to the product page):

For anyone who was old enough to understand irony in the 90's, Seinfeld was one of those cultural touchstones that has arguably jumped the shark: the infamous Kramer print wasn't quite as ubiquitous as the Tarantino film poster as a dorm room decoration, but its one of the countless ur-memes from the seminal sitcom.

Designer and illustrator Rinee Shah has paid tribute in a series of rather more understated prints that's recently gone viral. Where Nathan Manire's homage featured an assortment of iconic props in vector form, Shah's distributed food-related quotes and images across nine different graphics, including a confectionary roundup and an expletive-worthy treat—hence, Seinfood.

via UrbanDaddy

Your average car is designed to drive on a paved road, and your average wheelchair is designed to roll across smooth surfaces. But just as 4x4 manufacturers design vehicles for alternate terrains, a host of inventors have begun wondering why wheelchairs oughtn't do the same. Handicapped folks, after all, do not live only in cities; and those in rural areas may not even have paved driveways.

A company called TC Mobility produces the Tank Chair, an off-road, all-weather wheelchair that "conquers streams, mud, snow, sand, and gravel, allowing you to get back to nature. Using rubber tracks and high-torque electric motors, TankChair will take you anywhere and back."

Here's Tank Chair inventor Brad Soden buzzing around on his other creation, the Speedster, which is made for less challenging terrain yet, as the name suggests, higher speeds:

This week Axor unveiled their latest line of faucets, the Starck Organic collection. Designed by you-know-who, the curvy, branch-like forms were nature inspired and include faucets for sinks, tubs and showers.

You're probably wondering how the heck they work. The top knob controls the temperature, while the spout is actually a second knob that controls the water flow. The assymetrical design seems to favor righties, and splitting up those tasks will seem strange to some of us (including your correspondent), but both Axor and Starck have put heavy philosophy-time into the line (whether or not we think they need it). "The innovative control concept allows us to experience our approach to water more consciously," the company writes--italics theirs.

To build hype for the Organic's launch this week, Axor shot and earlier released some rather...mysterious videos of Starck making abstract references to the product. Here's one of them that had me scratching my head:

If asked to name a long-lasting light source, you'd probably name LEDs. But as artist and fabricator David Ablon reminds us, you can find functioning neon signage that is eighty years old and still manning its post in front of some NYC storefront.

Ablon teaches courses in neon light fabrication at Brooklyn Glass, a studio and teaching facility in you-know-which borough that brings together artists, students and professionals. Check out what he does:

For those visiting or local to NYC, Let There Be Neon, the store where Ablon learned his craft, is still up and running down in TriBeCa. They have modernized a bit in that they've branched out into LEDs as well; I feel like lately I'm seeing more and more signs around New York featuring halo/backlit 3D letters like the one below, which they produced.

It's obviously easier to nail a company's logo via CNC or laser-cutting rather than bending it out of tubes, but I kind of miss seeing the "penmanship" of a good neon artist.

Earlier this year, we saw Tyson Atwell's work in Milan, as one of the nine RISD Furniture Design students in "Transformations" at Ventura Lambrate. At a total of 75 lbs—the steel skeleton surrounded by 190 teacup-sized flower pots—the "Terra Lamp" might not be a particularly practical lighting fixture, but that wasn't the point: the designer elegantly responded to the brief to reimagine the banal.

Upon earning his MFA in May, Atwell set up shop in Los Angeles, which might explain why his latest work reflects a laid back, distinctly West Coast vibe. Constrained only by technology, the "Ocean's Edge" table is a striking combination of form and materials: the undulating center of the tapered sugar maple tabletop contrasts nicely with the hard lines of the black maple legs.

The 'Ocean's Edge' dining table is part of an ongoing body of work utilizing a CNC router to digitally sculpt oceanic waveforms moving across planar wood surfaces. The undulating surface that rises out of and dips into the center of the table was developed in CAD by 'lofting' a sequence of tide curves sourced from the entrance of the San Francisco Bay.

As with Brooke Davis's "Tablescape No. 1," the "Ocean's Edge" table is an uncannily organic application of the digitally-enhanced fabrication process.

This morning we passed the mob scene at the Apple Store SoHo, where hundreds are already queued up to buy the iPhone 5. Chances are none of them yet have a MakerBot Replicator 2, but for those of you with other 3D printers who plan on making your own case for the 5, the blueprints are now available online.

To download the large version of the 2D CAD file you see above, click here.

MakerBot user Hisashikun can get you a step further, as he's already taken the time to input the dimensions into an STL file and uploaded it to Thingiverse. Print out your own iPhone 5 dummy, which you could then use, for example, as a plug to make a leather case around.

[Ed. Note: Updated on 9/24]

No longer allowed!

Up above is Scott Wilson's rendering for the LunaTik, which we consider iconic because it kickstarted Kickstarter for an entire generation of industrial designers. It was the first ID project that really put KS on the map for us, and once the final pledge tally came in--$942,578 over an initial target of $15,000--Wilson had to make some adjustments. As the principal of design firm MNML, Wilson knew what those adjustments were and how to deliver the finished product.

"We far surpassed our minimum order quantities from the factory," Wilson told us in an interview at the time, "so I have had to place a much bigger purchase order. After the Kickstarter period ends we will have an eCommerce site set up for additional online orders and from there we will probably offload the fulfillment and distribution to a 3PL (third party logistics) partner."

I consider the TikTok/LunaTik project as something that should go down in the ID History books. But while Wilson and MNML knew what to do, not everyone has their experience, which has resulted in the news we're delivering here.

It seems more than a few Kickstarter backers have been disappointed by their recipients' inability to deliver (which is perhaps why some Core77 readers have been critical of the LIFX, to name one project). Product design is no cakewalk, but it's turning out to be a lot easier to come up with a great idea than it is to have it manufactured and delivered.

To circumvent this, Kickstarter has instituted new rules sure to be a blow to many a would-be designer: Renderings and simulations are now banned!

Product simulations are prohibited. Projects cannot simulate events to demonstrate what a product might do in the future. Products can only be shown performing actions that they're able to perform in their current state of development.

Product renderings are prohibited. Product images must be photos of the prototype as it currently exists.

Yup, y'all are going to have to go back to physically prototyping things.

I'm not sure the rules are a step in the right direction. It's true that there's plenty of Kickstartees who can't deliver, but isn't this more about backers not understanding the role that renderings play in the industrial design process? Any thoughts?

You can read Kickstarter's full statement here.

A few weeks ago, I idly wondered whether the FLIZ concept bike was a solution looking for a problem: the slick homage to the draisine struck me as the sort of oddball prototype that surely has some imaginable practical purpose beyond its origin as a thought experiment. Commenters were less sympathetic, ridiculing the contraption—often cast as a deathtrap—as an ill-advised project, possibly on par with the tongue-in-cheek treadmill bike.

As such, I felt a little sheepish about throwing the Dyson Award entry under the bus (metaphorically, of course)... but not so bad as to pass on another recent concept called the Bicymple. The designers at Bellingham, WA's Scalyfish Designs sought to "evolve the established bicycle design while adhering to the basic principles of simplicity, functionality and excitement?" The result looks something like an iteration of Joey Ruiter's City Bike, with a rear-steering option for "crab riding."

By removing the chain, the number of moving parts and overall complexity is significantly reduced. A direct-drive, freewheeling hub joins the crank arm axis with the rear-wheel axis, shortening the wheelbase and minimizing the design.

More than just a stylish concept bike, the bicymple is comfortable, easy to ride, and brilliantly simple to maintain. The lightweight design and short wheelbase make for a nimble ride. The optional rear-steer mode is remniscent of custom "swing bikes" and allows tighter turns and "crab-riding."

As far as I know, Thomas Porter has no connection to Bicymple

For reference, this well-produced short documentary about Brooklyn-based 'mutant bike' builder Thomas Porter opens with a solid minute-and-a-half of "custom 'swing bike'" tomfoolery (before venturing into rather less SFW territory). In lieu of the promised video, the Bicymple team has included some action shots:

The role of European design should be enhanced on the global stage, and top expertise in design should be supported. Cooperation between strong design competencies, companies and the public sector should be developed to produce better services. Design should be embedded in innovation programmes and business incubators across Europe. Harnessing design as a tool for innovation processes will boost prosperity and wellbeing across the continent.

These views were included in the Design for Growth and Prosperity report (pdf) by the European Design Leadership Board. The report contains 21 concrete policy recommendations to the European Commission on how to make better use of design as a driver of growth and a tool for competitiveness. [Ed Note: How should European countries leverage this report in local/national policy?]

> Press release

Architecture Manager
James Perse
Los Angeles, California

The Architecture Manager reports to the Director of Real Estate. Working hand-in-hand with the Director of Real Estate, the Architecture Manager is responsible for managing all activities related to real estate re-models whether for retail stores or other real estate development projects. It is the Architecture Manager's responsibility to provide solutions and strategies on all assigned projects to ensure the desired JP quality level is achieved while using strong business sense to provide the best cost solutions. The Architecture Manager will be challenged to provide innovative solutions that meet the specific needs of James Perse Enterprises growing business initiatives.

Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci via Wikimedia Commons

Utopia or Oblivion?
Buckminster Fuller framed this question in his 1993 book of the same name, warning that mankind's prospects would go decisively one way, or the other. Twenty years on, it is clear that nobody could have answered his question with any certainty. This is because we are all entangled in it. Fortunately, most of us have heard of the butterfly effect, so we are slowly realising that each one of us has some responsibility for what happens. What does this mean for 'UCD' (User-Centered Design)?

Putting The User at the Center
In 1966, Joseph Weizenbaum created ELIZA, a computer program for diagnosing medical conditions. It conversed with patients directly, via screen-based questions in everyday language. But it did it so cunningly that most correspondents thought they were talking to a human being. The question and answer routine was based on the psychotherapeutic approach of Carl Rogers, best-known for developing an extremely patient-centered approach. Technologically speaking, the program was very simple. First, it addressed the respondent using her first name, asked open-ended questions about their state of health and incorporated some of their own words in its answer. The strategy worked so well that users were convinced they were talking to a sympathetic doctor, rather than a machine.

How Useful is Humanism?
One of the things we might deduce from Weizenbaum's experiment is that educated people become very susceptible to suggestion, once they are placed at the center of their emotional universe. The idea of user-centered design grew out of 'humanism', which can be traced to ancient Greece and the early Christians, who came to value the differences between individuals. However, while humanism has many admirable qualities, it is a dangerously incomplete basis from which understand things.

If we were to make a caricature of the humanistic world in picture-book terms, Nature would be depicted as a faint grey backdrop, with people standing out in bright colours. The growth of humanism gave us a strong belief in free will. More recently, in the era of consumption, it has tended to make us restless and unsatisfied. This is a paradox. In the 21st century, never have so many people had so much access to so much information. Yet, our species has become increasingly disconnected from the complex ecosystem that nourishes and sustains it. This is because, for the sake of convenience, we have manipulated, or dumbed-down our perceptions of what is immediately around us. What should worry designers, in particular, is that they played a major part in creating this artificial, user-centered world.

The Times brings us the story of Watermark Designs, a Brooklyn-based company illuminating the path to success for future American design and production ventures.

The relatively small (45 employee) business once supplied plumbing fixtures to local businesses, moving into upscale markets as its local competition began to get murdered by overseas imports. Six years ago they invested $60,000 in a 3D printer and that, along with a lot of business savvy, help propel them into successful exporting.

These days people use the term "Rapid Prototyping" less than they say "Digital Manufacturing," but it is the former definition that benefits Watermark. They or local clients design high-end luxury fixtures that they can quickly print prototypes of, and once the design is locked in, they start cranking out the product in their East New York factory. With less than 50 employees they couldn't supply Wal-Mart; but what they can do is produce thousands of units that are snapped up by luxury condos and hotels in Shanghai, Hong Kong and wealthy Macau.

While China can clearly outproduce outfits like Watermark, the company has succeeded in part by out-designing Chinese competition.

"The days of mass producing in New York City are gone," [Company President] Mr. Abel said. "If you were producing nuts and bolts by the tens of thousands 50 years ago, you're not going to do it today. But creativity, or uniqueness or design is definitely something that can flourish in New York."

Check out their promo vid:

Up-and-coming London-based design star Lee Broom has been joining in the LDF12 festivities this week with a beautifully crafted pop-up shop in Shoreditch, taking his charming handcut crystal pendant lightbulbs to the streets—perfect for festival goers hoping to take home a piece of the designerly action.

The bulbs themselves are hardly groundbreaking but arranged in the store like this the 90 GBP price tag begins to seem a little more reasonable. Lee has been racking up some major interior design awards over the last couple of years, so it is, perhaps, no surprise to see such characterful interior and displays—the floor even strewn with sawdust—essentially just to flog a few lightbulbs.