A few days ago I stumbled upon a little gif on my newsfeed on Facebook showcasing a drawer that had a lovely personality. I know, it sounds crazy, but it's true: A drawer with personality. Who could have guessed that those words were ever going to form in my head. I looked into it and quickly found out that the designer behind the drawer is Juno Jeon, a Korean designer based in the Netherlands, and that this little .gif had been featured previously on Core77. 

I simply couldn't keep myself from tracking the designer down and asking him if he was up for an interview that delved more into his process then the object itself. To my great surprise (ok, no surprise at all, who doesn't want to be interviewed for Core77…) he said Yes.

The designer with his Peeking Chair

Core77: When did you start designing and why?

Juno Jeon: When I was young, I found a talent for drawing comics. I used to draw cartoon characters and give them to my friends. The drawings made my friends so happy and the drawings caused them to smile.

I also felt happiness by making my friends happy. That feeling was how I  began studying art/design. A few years later I went to art high school and then I went to design university in Korea. I choose design instead of art because I believed I could interact/communicate with more people through my work if I studied design.

It was when I was studying industrial design when I felt I was missing something. I could learn many practical skills, (very practical skills for working in a company like Samsung or LG), however most of the industrialized design processes were based on designing for 'others.' I had to design for a company, customers, or a specific situation. I knew these were important factors in design, but I couldn't see myself in my design works. Moreover, this way of designing didn't allow me to meet people and make them happy through my design. Most of my projects ended up with just show models and concepts. It was so disappointing.

Sketches for the Pull Me To Life side table

So I decided to study design in a different way. In a way, I could show myself through my works. In a way I can meet people through my works. That lead me to Design Academy Eindhoven in the Netherlands.

You talk about making people happy and connecting with people, as well as about your cartoon-drawing past. How do you fuse these elements together when working on a new project?

I think it is better to say the, "connection between me and people" rather than "making people happy." I like to make people happy in order to feel a connection. "I design to make people happy," sounds a bit social or a type of public design which is not what I am doing.

When I start a new project, I usually start from my personal story, inspiration and thinking. Sometimes it is just a joke, sometimes my private story, sometimes it's inspiration from all of the above.

The Peeking Chair by Juno Jeon.

By using these ideas and fusing them into my design, I can feel a connection between myself and others. However, I don't want to force people to read the story in my design. It would be enough for me if people can enjoy themselves while they interact with my design. Actually, that is why I incorporate humor or interaction in my work as a way of delivering my story. I believe humor is something anyone—from a child to an elderly person—can enjoy easily. Even when they don't know anything about minimalism or aesthetics. 

Sketches for the Peeking Chair

How do you translate a project from idea to object? And how do you make sure that the little twist you like to add doesn't get lost in the process?

When I have a concept for a project, I usually make a lot of drawings inspired by the idea. I call it drawing research. This drawing research is not only for shapes, style or color but also for how I will fuse the concept into an object. Drawing makes me break the boundary of my limitations. When I make drawings, I try not to think about all the realistic / practical issues and that gives a unique and abnormal character to my design.

I don't mean that I ignore all the practical issues in the design, However, if I consider it from the beginning, I will lose my character and story in the design. Whenever the drawing research is done, I make a book with the drawings. This book becomes a bible for the project.

When I start to think about the realistic issues—production, shape, function and so on—I often lose the character of my design. Whenever I feel I am losing my little twist, I open the drawing book again and remind myself of what I need to keep in my design project. Sometimes this way of designing, makes my design a bit inefficient.

Prototyping and Jeon's design process.

I often meet people who complain that my design is not practical. For example for "Pull Me to Life," they wonder how it will be cleaned up and mention that nothing can be put on the top of the drawer...

Of course I agree with these kinds of complaints. However, I hope people don't see the objects only with it's efficiency. In my opinion, we are living in the world which is already full of practical objects. Everything has been developed and designed in a way that makes the world efficient – fast, cheap, comfortable and so on. I think some designers can focus on the other roles of design as fun, beauty, emotion.

Seeing that some of the objects you design aren't functional according the general standpoint, who would you say is your customer?

As a designer who just started my career, I want to define my design first. I spend a lot of time, money and effort to make my design special. That effort makes my design playful, humorous and dramatic. And with this specialty, I have the chance to share my work with many people online and offline in exhibitions.

People from all walks of life like my work simply because my works are enjoyable. Sadly, however, not everyone can be my customer since the time, money and effort I spend on the design makes my work too complicated to be sold for a low price. Sometimes the work can also be a bit too conceptual for some people.

Satellight Light by Juno Jeon

Some of my work has become a kind of art piece—the designs are of a gallery type at the moment. However, it is a kind of strategy for my future as a designer. I don't want to be defined as a designer who makes only expensive/high-end/art-like design.

As I mentioned in the beginning of the interview, my goal as a designer is to communicate with many people through my design. I want more people to use, touch and interact with my design. I don't like seeing 'design' in an exhibition with a 'Don't touch' tag on it. I do allow people to touch and play with my design in a exhibition.

If I have a strong identity as a designer, I hope that I will have opportunities to collaborate with companies or big studios which could make my design available at more affordable prices and be a bit more practical. Most of my designs have their own special twist – skills from "Pull me to life," the thread back from "Peeking Chair," the eclipse system from "Satellight" and so on—I am sure that I can use the twists to make something practical and suitable for mass production in the future.

Of course, I am already working on some projects which are for the 'common market' now.

Now we are curious to hear what sort of projects are you working on for the 'common market'?

The project is still in the research process. However, I can tell you that it will be small scale objects such as a lamp, clock, etc. For this project, I will try to make the design for mass manufacturing but still make sure to put my stories and character in it. I hope you can still see my character in the design when it is realized for the market.

As a young designer at the beginning of your career, what advice would you give other designers who are about to start, or who have just started, their studies?

I would recommend that they think about their future position as a designer. I believe every designer wants, and tries to, have their own style, process and strengths in their design. However, I think it is also important to think about 'How' or 'In which position' you will use your strength after you become a professional designer.

For example, let's say there is a designer whose talents lie in making something humorous (such as myself). This designer can use their talent with a toy company or maybe use those talents to make special and expensive object/art pieces for galleries. If the designer is interested in social design, use that ability for making interactive public spaces or nice events/workshops for children. 

When I was in school, I always tried to be a designer that makes something cool. I just focused on myself and my design. However, I am not so sure how and where I can use my talents now. Maybe I will find space as time goes by, but it would've been much better if I thought about it and if I understood my end goal while I was studying.

There are tons of fields which need designers and it's easy to forget that. It will be helpful to think about your future positioning as a designer instead of fighting so hard to be the coolest one in the small design scene.

This perspective will help you prepare for the life after graduation.

We are looking for highly qualified candidates to be part of our team in this design service division - Panasonic Appliances Asia Pacific Design Centre located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Conceptualize & design new home appliances such as air-conditioner, washer, refrigerator, TV, ceiling fan, kitchen appliances, hair dryer. - In charge of whole design development process as bellows: -Design research to get the clues and understand users more. -Conceptualization to propose

Jumpstart your week with our insider's guide to events in the design world. From must-see exhibitions to insightful lectures and the competitions you need to know about—here's the best of what's going on, right now.

Monday

Inspired by artists like Giacometti and Gustav Klimt as well as primitive and tribal arts, Art Deco and Art Nouveau—Ingrid Donat has developed a signature style in her sculptural bronze furniture pieces. In her latest solo show Origins, Donat unveils six new works, including dressers, tables, a bench and a floor lamp.

London, UK. On view through July 22, 2016. 

Tuesday

Richard Woods, an artist best known for his woodblock-printed furniture and installations, presents 20 new woodblock tables in his latest show. The pieces are installed throughout the gallery in a sequential manner, as if narrating a story through their colorful prints. 

New York, NY. On view through August 19, 2016.

Wednesday

If you're in the London area, don't miss Olivetti: Beyond Form and Function before it closes it's doors next week. The exhibition showcases archival ephemera that tell the story of Olivetti's boom during the post-war industrial era, focusing on the development of their iconic designs and shift toward computer technologies. 

London, UK. On view through July 17, 2016. 

Thursday

Tucked away in a Tribeca alley are two of NYC's hidden gems, Mmuseumm 1 and 2. Housed inside an old freight elevator and a storefront-window, respectively, the two micro-museums showcase collections of eccentric design objects. Future Aleppo—currently on view at Mmuseumm 2—is a model of the Syrian city made by resident Mohammed Qutaish. Rather than seeing it as a war-zone, Qutaish looks to the future, imagining what his home town might look like with helipads, gardens, solar panels, rooftop pools, bridges and a train system. "I am building the Syria of tomorrow. I hope that one day these paper buildings will become real buildings," Qutaish says.

New York, NY. On view through June 30, 2016. 

Friday

Within our own homes, we're all curators. We are constantly collecting objects that speak to our identities and remind us of our experiences. But what lies behind this impulse and what does it say about us and our society? In High Esteem: A Guided Game of Curation is an interactive workshop that will explore these questions while taking participants on a guided tour of Studio Job's MAD HOUSE. 

New York, NY. July 8, 2016 at 6:30 PM.  

Saturday/Sunday

Opening this weekend in Socrates Sculpture Park, Folly 2016: Sticks is an immersive pavilion designed by NYC-based design studio Hou de Sousa in response to the Architecture League's annual design competition. The innovative space-frame structure is made using scrap materials found throughout the park. 

New York, NY. On view through August 30, 2016. 

Check out the Core77 Calendar for more design world events, competitions and exhibitions, or submit your own to be considered for our next Week in Design.

A versatile countertop cooking appliance you can monitor and control with your phone - from anywhere with an internet connection. With the Cooc companion smartphone app, you can do more than simply set this pot to cook at low, medium or high. Cooc marries laboratory-grade precision heating, an intuitive smartphone-based interface, and sophisticated kitchenware design. Whether you’re a fan of meats cooked slow n’ low, a maven of molecular gastronomy, or just feeling too busy to orchestrate a worthy weeknight dinner, Cooc offers everyone an improved, immersive cooking experience.

If you're the type of yellowbelly that jumps at loud noises, yeah, maybe stock Jenga is exciting enough for you. I mean nothing gets the adrenaline going like the sound of small wooden blocks clattering on a tabletop, amirite? But for those of you interested in introducing some real stakes—like physical pain—what you need to do is make little tiny Jenga blocks, followed by a trip to the hardware store. Then you can make a real game.

Now presenting: Mousetrap Jenga!

Who knew Gandalf's younger brother was such a goddamned coward? 

Man up, Randalf!

Senior Interaction Designer Your team At Philips Design we believe that good design is about creating solutions that satisfy people's needs, empower them and make them happier, all of this without destroying the world in which we live. The Philips global creative force

As I sit on my couch writing what's sure to be another titillating session of In the Details, I can't help but turn my neck every time I catch—or even think I catch—the flicker of my glowing rectangle.

I turned off vibration mode because I began to sense its familiar pulse at all hours, in what has now been identified as 'phantom vibration syndrome.' But still, my focus is broken by anything, really, and I know I'm not alone. Studies have found that smartphones are among the 10 biggest workplace productivity killers. In this newfound environment of incessant notifications and hyperconnectivity, I find myself asking less how to make it stop, and instead look for new ways to exist in this brave new world.

So, needless to say, I find some solace in products like Tranquillo, a desk lamp that only works when you relinquish your phone to its dock.

"The brief was to come up with a new way for switching on the light," says Avid Kadam, a designer from Wellington, New Zealand. Working with fellow students Ruya Akyol, Jules McGannon, and Yong-Ming Wang while enrolled at Domus Academy, the group was tasked with exploring the switch as an interface through which to control a variety of user needs, behaviors and wishes. Part of a collaboration with lighting brand Fontana Arte in May 2015, the project brought together the students, who focused on creating a new gesture for activating a light.

The output of that project was Tranquillo, a lamp that works solely when you surrender your phone to its base and set the device to 'Do Not Disturb' mode—allowing its user to focus in more ways than one.

"We started of by looking into daily problems, like finding switches when you enter rooms, not being able to focus on work because of smartphones and having too many lights in one single room for different activities," Kadam says. "The idea of using your smartphone as a switch came from the Offline Bar Glass, which we used as a starting point."

Early concept sketches and form studies

The team began with a trend analysis focused on the ever topical issue of connectivity and cellphones, then zoomed in to integrated charging, connectivity between lights and phones and portable lighting. As the lamp is still a concept, the team still has a few—erm—kinks to work out. "The biggest challenge for the lamp right now is that the near-field communication (NFC) support needed to switch the phone to 'Do Not Disturb' mode is not advanced enough yet, and wireless charging is still rare and only works on iPhones with a special case," Kadam says. "Even though most major players in the phone market support wireless charging, iPhones don't, so they need to get an extra external case." Even with that case, shares Kadam, alignment of the phone on the base has to be just right, and inductive charging is still much slower than just direct cable charging. (That all being said, the technology has already grown leaps and bounds since the team first started the project, and will continue to advance as they work to tackle these barriers before looking for investors.)

Fontana Arte set the stakes high for the project, sharing their own design philosophy with the students by encouraging them to create objects which are technologically advanced, beautiful and practical with a human-centered approach.

"We wanted to maintain the Fontana Arte design language: clean, simple and minimal," Kadam says of the lamp. "We did a series of mock-up models from basic materials to get the feel and size of the lamp. We were mentored by Philippe Tablet and Irene Sartor whose experience in the lighting field helped us a lot. Also, we had valuable input from Giorgio Biscaro, the art director for Fontana Arte." The final prototype for Tranquillo was made from wood and clear plastic tube, turned on the lathe. The frame is another hollow plastic tube, heated and bent into shape, then adhered to a wooden base and coated in every industrial designer's favorite "looks-like" medium: spray paint.

"For the materials, we really wanted to maintain the Fontana Arte design philosophy and pick materials used in their existing products." The final Tranquillo shade is two parts: a white polycarbonate base and translucent opal polycarbonate shell, which sits atop a metal frame attached to the base. For manufacturing, the team imagines the lamp would be produced through a rotational moulding process for the shade with a CNC-cut base and frame.

Tranquillo uses a 10 Watt Led line voltage Light color, warm white (3000 Kelvin) Consumption, 400 lumen, which is similar to the Philips Hue bulb's color shifting abilities. Inside that base, there are induction charging pads similar to the technology used in IKEA lamps. One clever design feature is that the light shade can be slipped out of its frame to become a transportable ambient light.

Those with low self-control will have to exercise some restraint all on their own. Tranquillo is only a prototype at the moment until its inventors can find the means to bring it to production. "At this point, the project is still in its conceptual stage, but we are looking into making some design changes and approaching some manufacturers," Kadam says. Since the prototype was first created as part of a school project, the concept is owned by the school, and Kadam and his team are currently looking at a variety of routes to bring this product to life.

This week we bring you our pressing topic of the moment straight from our reader-driven discussion boards! Recently, Core77 reader mirk asked a loaded question regarding user interfaces and how designers can sensitively improve on user experience of the past while also keeping it as universally intuitive as is possible. mirk asks, 

"Wondering your thoughts on the trade-off between immediate understanding vs long term ease of use. Any examples that come to mind that illustrate the advantages of one over the other?
I'm thinking about the door of my new car. For me, it has great long-term UX, but it's not great immediately. You walk up to it and touch the handle and it unlocks if your keys are within a certain distance. I love the experience of it, but it totally confused my mom who expected a keyhole. I'm curious if she would like it after spending more time with it.

My initial feeling is that long-term [UI] feels more futuristic, but blocks adoption (if someone tries your product and it takes some explaining, it creates a barrier to purchasing).

I'm sure that the answer in general is "both" (my key fob has an unlock button for example, which has become an accepted method after combining it with the analog key), but I'm curious where and how you would make the trade-off if necessary."

Although this question was posted in May, the topic eerily brings to mind Rain's recent article regarding the tragic death of Star Trek actor Anton Yelchin, who died after being pinned between his car (that was supposedly in park) and his house gate. We proposed that the shift lever of his Jeep Grand Cherokee, which had recently been recalled by the car company because of the death, demonstrated less than intuitive UI and could have been to blame for the accident. Could this accident been avoided if the car incorporated a classic, familiar example of shift lever design?

2015 Jeep Cherokee's less-than-intuitive shift lever (above) vs. a more standard example (below)

What are your thoughts about how to design something that improves on past interfaces while also keeping it familiar enough that it won't confuse consumers? Do you have any examples of UI nightmares, products proving to either be too progressive for consumers to understand or simply designed poorly? 

We want to hear your thoughts. 

(Also feel free to check out the original post and contribute on our discussion board!)

This is the latest installment of our Designing Women series. Previously: A Friendly Reminder of Eva Zeisel's Enduring Excellence

Beauty in utility was the slogan of the Ecole de l'Union Centrale des Arts Décoratifs, in Paris, where Charlotte Perriand began her formal design training as a 17-year-old student. By the time she completed her studies in 1925, she had fully embraced the school's motto, and as architect Roger Aujame points out, "it became the axiom of her professional life." Although she is probably best known for her collaborations with Le Corbusier and Jean Prouvé, Perriand was a singular talent—her long career spanned more than 75 years and crossed many of design's boundaries, with creations ranging from furniture and industrial objects to interiors and architecture commissions. Throughout her long life (she passed away in 1999 at the age of 96) Perriand was concerned with two entwined principles that she called "the art of dwelling" and "the art of living." Here are six ways she realized them both.

Perriand resting on the chaise longue that she designed with Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret in 1928

With Jean Prouvé, she designed furniture and shelving systems for dormitories and institutional buildings that were later adapted into stand-alone pieces for serial production. Above: a 1952 shelving unit for the dormitories at the Maison du Mexique, Cité Universitaire, Paris. Image via the Vitra Design Museum

1. She turned her attic apartment into a bar

Perriand made a name for herself in 1927 with her installation "Bar in the Attic," which she designed first for her rented apartment on Place Saint-Sulpice, and then exhibited later that year as part of the Salon d'Automne. Her choice of streamlined materials—shiny chromed-steel for the stools, tables and countertop—and the inclusion of a built-in gramophone were technologically advanced for the era and considered the height of chic. One critic wrote in praise of her design, "One cannot imagine anything fresher or more youthful." More importantly, "Bar in the Attic" gave Perriand a chance to experiment with tubular steel, which would play an important role in her future creations.

Perriand was greeted with great acclaim in 1927 for her first project—a chic bar and seating area that she installed in her own apartment and later exhibited at the Salon d'Automne in Paris.

2. She made Le Corbusier eat his words

When Perriand knocked on Le Corbusier's door in 1927 to ask for a job, he famously turned her away with the withering put-down, "We don't embroider cushions here." Undeterred, she invited him to view her "Bar in the Attic" exhibition, where he became convinced of her talent. Not only did he offer her a job on the spot, he immediately put her in charge of furniture and interior fittings, which they collaborated on for ten prolific years. In an interview with The Architectural Review, she recalled Le Corbusier's abrupt change of heart:

I think the reason Le Corbusier took me on was because he thought I could carry through ideas; I was familiar with current technology, I knew how to use it and, what is more, I had ideas about the uses it could be put to. Le Corbusier had no time for what he called 'le blah blah blah'; he detested it. So when I arrived, he set me to work straight away on his theme of casiers (storage systems), metal chairs and tables…

Originally designed by Perriand in 1927 for her own apartment, this tubular-steel chair was exhibited in 1928 at the Salon des Artistes Decorateurs. The next year it was put into production by Thonet as the B302, in association with Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret. Image via the Victoria and Albert Museum

3. Along with Pierre Jeanneret, she influenced some of Le Corbusier's most famous designs

Perriand's specialized knowledge of metal technologies and tubular steel helped Le Corbusier develop some of the most recognizable furniture of the 20th century, including the B306 chaise longue, the Grand Confort series of chairs and sofas, and the "chair with a swinging back." However, like many of the women we have profiled in this series, her collaborative efforts were mostly forgotten until recently. Perhaps, then, it's a small consolation that she wasn't the only one overshadowed by Le Corbusier—his cousin and collaborator since 1922, Pierre Jeanneret, was also denied co-authorship of the designs. Cassina, having reissued much of the furniture, now properly credits all three collaborators, including their signatures in tandem as a mark of authenticity.

Easy chair from the Grand Confort series, which was designed in 1928 by Perriand, Le Corbusier and Jeanneret and which capitalized on Perriand's previous experience working with tubular steel. Image via the Museum of Modern Art

The "chair with a swinging back" was also designed by Perriand, Le Corbusier and Jeanneret in 1928. It reflected Le Corbusier's desire to create a comfortable chair for socializing, instead of an "instrument of torture that keeps you admirably awake," as he referred to other seating. Image via the Museum of Modern Art

One of the most famous furniture objects of the 20th century is the adjustable B306 chaise longue designed in 1928 by Perriand, Le Corbusier and Jeanneret and produced under Perriand's supervision. Above: an early prototype of the chair. Image via the Vitra Design Museum

4. She was marooned in the Far East for six years

In 1940, Perriand was invited by the Japanese government to travel to their country and advise on products for export. But when Perriand left France she did not realize that World War II would make it impossible for her to return home. Instead, she stayed on in Japan until 1943 and then decamped for Vietnam (then part of French Indochina), where she stayed until 1946. During her time in Japan she studied local materials, visited craftsmen and manufacturers, and tried her hand at designs that were influenced by the Eastern vernacular. If Perriand's earlier modernist work was concerned with, as she put it, "things that gleamed," then this phase was defined by her interest in more natural materials. This was very much evidenced in her 1941 chaise longue made of thin bamboo strips and in the rustic mountain retreats she began designing in the post-war years.

A bamboo chaise longue designed by Perriand during her trip to Japan in 1941

Perriand's 1960 design for a mountain chalet in Meribel-les-Allues, France, included strong Japanese influences.

5. Her design thinking was highly influenced by The Book of Tea

On her the long journey between the ports of Marseille and Kobe, Perriand read The Book of Tea, a 1906 treatise on tea culture by Kakuzo Okakura that introduced Western readers to Japanese thinking and tradition. Between Okakura's musings ("Teaism is a cult founded on the adoration of the beautiful among the sordid facts of everyday existence"), Perriand found a framework for infusing her own designs with what she extolls as "the virtues of an integrated approach—architecture-furniture-environment—creating a harmonious interior space."

In 2013, Louis Vuitton realized an unbuilt 1934 project by Perriand called "La Maison au Bord de l'Eau" which perfectly encapsulates her integrated approach to design.

6. She was interested in designs that liberated

Perriand rejoined Corbusier and Jeanneret in 1950 to design a modular kitchen unit for the Unité d'Habitation, a post-war housing project in Marseille. Here she introduced a kitchen that was integrated into the living room—separated only by a high counter—which, she noted in her autobiography, was revolutionary because it "allowed the mistress of the house to be with her family and friends while she was cooking. Gone were the days when a woman was completely isolated like a slave at the northern end of a corridor. Women could really capitalize on the harmonious layout."

The modular kitchen unit Perriand designed in 1950 (and realized in 1952) for the Unité d'Habitation, shown installed in a gallery at the Museum of Modern Art in 2013. Image via Architizer

Perriand's design included a high counter with a pass-through door for easy access and communication with the living room beyond.

As consumer activities are occurring even more frequently on digital platforms, most goods stay in transportation longer than they used to traditionally.

"The Journey" is a concept meant to turn the shipping process into a part of the manufacturing stage, which also replaces the traditional physical role of craft men with passive devices.

The journey is a series of specially designed tools that encourage random movements within packaging to produce unique marks on objects while in shipping. The marks illustrate the impact, condition and distance of the travel, visualizing the journey of geographically distributed objects. Each object will be adorned with unique and unpredictable patterns as their shipping and handling history are recorded using the shipping contraptions they are encased in, and every vase will be uniquely marked even if they were all shipped through the same route and method.

"Damaged"

The Seismometer

Those of us in the United States saw a lot of American flags today, most of them fabric, which require maintenance. But an Ohio-based gent named Brooks Hazelbaker produces no-maintenance flags that are meant to hang on a wall, and won't be flapping in the breeze. That's because they're constructed out of the key piece of equipment from America's favorite pastime.

Hazelbaker's HomeRun American Flags are made with full-sized baseball bats that have been halved and painted. Buyers can choose from a spanking paint job or a "rustic" variant...

...and if the 32-inch width is too large for your wall, a smaller 20-inch version can be had.

Prices range from $80 to $280. Hazelbaker will also do custom work, and for those who want to paint and assemble their own, he'll also sell you just the halved bats (for $130 on Etsy) and you can DIY it.

Will parallel parking and three-point-turns one day be a thing of the past? We've seen Mecanum wheels, the omnidirectional wheels that allow vehicles to move sideways and rotate in place. But the fact that Airtrax has stopped producing them on their forklifts indicates they're either not practical or not profitable.

Now another inventor has produced an omnidirectional wheel, which appears to operate on a different principle than the Mecanums. Observe:

Canada-based inventor William Liddiard calls them Liddiard Wheels, and that's his own car that he's added them to in the video. "Unlike other omni capable wheels, my wheels do not require the vehicle to be built around them," Liddiard writes. "This is a world first bolt-on application for anything with wheels." We're not sure either of those statements are true, as Airtrax's Mecanum wheels appeared to be retrofitted to existing forklifts.

In fact, in his description Liddiard, who's seeking a partner to bring the invention to market, makes a lot of bold claims, without backing up a single one of them with any kind of demonstration or deeper explanation:

Designed to be used in all weather and road conditions. They are stronger, faster, and more accurately controlled than prior art [sic]. They can take a beating. The tires "can" have the same build characteristics (siping, grooves, rubber compounds etc.) as regular tires.

If all of this is true, why is there no footage of the thing driving on the highway in the rain, or plowing through potholes? And if you watch the video very closely, you'll notice something peculiar: In the rotating scenes Liddiard, who is apparently working the controls from the passenger seat, inexplicably flickers. It appears that the video is missing frames and/or that some editing has been done.

Yesterday in Core77's hometown of NYC, Macy's put on their traditional Fourth of July fireworks extravaganza. As always it was held after sundown. But having seen this show countless times, it would be nice to see a daylight fireworks show for a change.

That requires different sorts of fireworks, of course. Here's one way that fireworks designers have rendered their creations visible in direct sunlight:

Here's another, with a less colorful palette:

But the best we've seen has got to be Chinese gunpowder artist Cai Guo-Qiang's opening at the Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha several years ago:

Given that Cai lives in New York City, we need to talk Macy's into hiring him for next year.

P.S. Do yourself a favor and don't do what I did this morning, which was to sit through multiple videos of "Top Ten Fireworks Fails" on YouTube. Not only are none suitable for posting here, but they will make you lose your faith in human intellect. 

The Oakland Museum of California values are fundamental to our institutional culture and guide our work together. Excellence: We are committed to excellence and working at the highest standards of integrity and professionalism. Community: We believe everyone should feel welcome and part of our community, both within the Museum and with our visitors and neighbors.

The curse of many a designer is that they're too right-brain, unwilling to let the realities of business interfere with their creativity. Online education platform The Skool is attempting to counter this by teaching business skills to creatives. (Insert joke here about proper spelling.) As part of their mission, The Skool has a YouTube channel where they, well, school creatives on skills they should be practicing in order to further their careers.

A recent episode is "What Do I Need to Learn in Design School?" where award-winning designer Chris Do, the founder of UX and business design consultancy Blind, Inc., imparts several important principles to a group of Art Center students. While this is not industrial-design specific, Do's advice still applies, and it's sound:

While Jimmy DiResta always makes his builds look easy, this is one that we might actually be able to do. This month Jimmy builds a massive, eleven-foot-plus farmhouse dining table, using a very limited amount of tools, reminding us that you don't need a fully-outfitted shop in order to build something as huge and sturdy as this.

Jimmy shows us how he handles one of the most important parts on a table of this size—the corner bracing, which needs to be both sturdy and in this case knock-down. And as always the video is sprinkled with helpful tips, including the easiest way in the world to make boards look weathered. (Hint: Get an assist from Mother Nature.)

Paired with the uniVERSE case, this battery lets you pack along some extra juice when heading off the grid for extended periods. Features: + Designed just for the uniVERSE Case System + 2100-mAh battery delivers 100% battery life for iPhone 6 (75% for iPhone 6 Plus) + Elegant styling attaches and blends seamlessly with the uniVERSE case + Thin, lightweight design ensures carrying comfort in hand, pocket or purse + Simple on/off switch lets the power flow or holds in reserve + White LED power indicators keep tabs on how much juice is remaining

This post is really for beginner furniture makers. If you're already happy with what you're accomplishing, skip this entry and come back next week. But if you're the person who reads the blogs and maybe has some tools, but finds the road to furnitureville insurmountable, this blog entry might be a little energizing.

A short digression relating cooking to furniture making: When I'm not pontificating about tools, I'm usually trying to get three squares on the table for my family. In the past four years my cooking has been greatly influenced by the following two books and a website.

Cheater BBQ: Barbecue Anytime, Anywhere, in Any Weather by Mindy Merrell and R. B. Quinn. This book gave me a great solution for how to get that great BBQ flavor in a NYC apartment.

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Dayby Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois enabled me to make homemade rye bread, better than I can buy, for almost no work. (The book has tons of great recipes but if I can make rye bread why bother with anything else?)

The website www.vahrehvah.com. I not only learned how to cook Indian food, I learned a basic casual attitude towards recipes that really liberated my cooking and cut down on the time I spent making stuff. His videos are great and really encouraging and he has the simplest, least expensive kitchen setup of any chef I have ever seen on TV.

That being said, finding the Cheater BBQ book made me want to make cheater pastrami—pastrami being one of my favorite foods and that was a fun adventure you can read about here.

Now the impetus for writing this blog entry was the publication of my recipe for cheater pastrami, but as I thought about this I realized there is a woodworking lesson to learn from this.

It's easy to be paralyzed by perfection. A lot of people feel that unless they have the perfect tool they can't do anything. Instead of working with what they have and practicing technique, they agonize and stay in a state of paralysis waiting until they have cut the perfect dovetail in a practice piece with the perfect saw, set up a dedicated sharpening center, and built the perfect shop.

It's paralyzing and discouraging. Also I bet you get a lot of comments from your family about when you will finish anything.

To start building furniture you need the following things:

1. A place to work
2. Some sort of table to use as a workbench
3. A half dozen tools
4. A way to sharpen them
5. An idea of what you want to make
6. Wood.

Everything else is frosting. Now I admit I'm part of the problem—I want to sell you the perfect dovetail saw or mortise chisel and now a veneer saw. Hey, it's my job—I'm more to be pitied than judged. My tools will make making things easier, and as your work gets better, better tools make the job less frustrating and more productive. So yes, you might want to buy some nice tools in the future.

But for now, don't let the lack of tools paralyze you. The trick when you are beginning is to figure out what you want to make, design the item to work within the range of what skills and tools you have and then go for it. The big secret of woodworking is that anyone, even rankest beginner, who manages to bring anything out of the workshop into the light of day is hailed as a craftsman by people who have never tried to make stuff. They won't see the flaws you see. They will complain about the color and the size, but they won't notice the gaps in joinery (especially after you fill them with wax). They will cheer you on to the next project. I promise. And practice will make it perfect.

The way to learn to saw straight, the way to plane accurately, sharpen, and etc. is to practice it, and pay attention to what you are practicing so you learn from your mistakes. Complicated projects can be broken down into manageable pieces, and with each project, you will get better. Here's just one idea to get you making sawdust: The first project in The Joiner and Cabinetmaker is a nailed together packing crate. You don't need many tools to make it. It's only marginally useful when it's done, but if you are learning to use tools I can't imagine a better use of your time than cutting up and nailing together a box. Go for it. It's easier than you think and it will push you forward.

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This new "Tools & Craft" section is provided courtesy of Joel Moskowitz, founder of Tools for Working Wood, the Brooklyn-based catalog retailer of everything from hand tools to Festool; check out their online shop here. Joel also founded Gramercy Tools, the award-winning boutique manufacturer of hand tools made the old-fashioned way: Built to work and built to last.

The community has spoken.

After countless Tweets, Facebook posts, and who knows what else to promote the honored projects, the final votes for the 2016 Community Choice Prize have been tallied and all 15 Winners - 1 Grand Prize Winner and 14 Category Winners - have been set.

Before the big reveal, keep in mind that our Grand Prize Winner not only gets to bask in the glow of being the top overall vote getter - they also receive a free ticket, round trip airfare, and two nights accommodation to attend the 2016 Core77 Conference in Los Angeles, CA from September 29-30! Each Category Winner will receive one free ticket to the conference as well.

The 2016 Core77 Conference, Designing Here/Now, is a two day exploration and celebration of the technologies, ideas, and forces shaping contemporary design. Throughout the first day, attendees will engage with panels and enjoy provocative presentations by industry leading designers, scientists, entrepreneurs, and business leaders. The second day offers six professionally led design workshops, as well as four exclusive tours through downtown LA's most innovative design studios and public projects. Catered meals will be provided throughout both days, and each night will end with fabulous evening receptions. We hope to see all 15 Community Choice Prize Winners there!

Even if you didn't take home a Community Choice Prize, there is still time to grab your own ticket to the 2016 Core77 Conference at the discounted Early Bird price.

Without further ado, here are your 2016 Community Choice Winners!

Grand Prize Winner: miku - a breast pump system to empower the working mom

miku - a breast pump system to empower the working mom by Sabina Pareja

This effective, convenient, and intuitive and breast pump system, designed by Sabina Pareja, received the most votes of any project honored in the 2016 Core77 Design Awards. Comprising a breast pump, milk bags, and a photo recognition app, miku "aims to fulfill modern mom's needs" by reducing the time and invasiveness of the pumping and storage process.

This Community Choice Grand Prize is Sabina's third (!) honor in the 2016 Core77 Design Awards, coming in alongside a Notable honor in both the Consumer Product and Strategy & Research categories. Congratulations Sabina!

Category Winners:

Congratulations to all the Community Choice Prize Winners in the 2016 Core77 Design Awards!