Also on display at the V&A in London this week, is a selection of design proposals for electricity pylons. Not the most glamourous of subjects, perhaps, but serious food for thought for industrial designers.

The design of the humble British pylon has barely changed from Sir Reginald Bloom's 1927 design. An icon of technological progress to some; an ugly scar on the countryside to others; the British National Grid predict—what with the development of technology, and perhaps even an eventual switch to electric cars—that we will need more pylons rather than less in the coming years.

Brooklyn-based designer and educator Daniel Michalik specializes in working with cork. Obsessed with finding new ways to shape the material, he spent a week traveling around Portugal to document how cork is made from the independent harvesting farms in Alentejo, to the factories of the countries largest cork manufacture Amorim where all the scrap material is used as biomass fuel to power the plants.

300,000 tons of cork is produced globally every year and 52.5% of this comes from Portugal. Harvesting a crop can only happen once every nine years. It's critical to peel the bark off carefully as damaging the new layer underneath will destroy the trees value, highly skilled workers use a special axe called the Machada and can strip a tree in about 10 minutes.

Checkout our gallery to see how wine bottle cork stoppers are made (representing about 60% of all cork based production), sheet material for flooring, and the molding of dark cork insulation blocks. And stay tuned for Daniels in depth look at cork manufacturing on the blog in the next few next weeks.

» View Gallery: How Cork is Made

Daniel Michalik pictured in his Bushwick studio demonstrating a technique he uses to create 3D forms from layers of sheet cork material.

Over the next months we will be highlighting award-winning projects and ideas from this year's Core77 Design Awards! For full details on the project, jury commenting and more information about the awards program, go to Core77DesignAwards.com

Designer: MINIMAL - Scott Wilson
Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Category: Products/Equipment
Award: Runner-Up

TikTok + LunaTik Watch Kits

TikTok+LunaTik simply transform the iPod nano into the world's coolest multi-touch watches. Obsessively designed and crafted from premium materials, TikTok+LunaTik complement the impeccable quality of Apple products.

TikTok+LunaTik were born out of a personal passion for watches and timepieces but quickly captured the imagination of thousands around the planet via viral awareness and the crowd-funding platform. We assumed that there were enough Apple fans and tech geeks out there that had been dreaming of the "Dick Tracy watch" that we could justify a small production run. And we wanted to create products for the discerning Apple consumer and not just create a cheap accessory product as an afterthought. This was the driving force behind choosing to make this an in-studio experimental project and one that would not require us to compromise on the quality of manufacturing, retail, distribution by taking on an investor.

Of course, we also had to think about how to manufacture LunaTik in precision aluminum and at a cost that was within reason. The design was intentionally constructed from two identical axially symmetric parts thus creating the two-part case from one part. And even though the user has to ultimately assemble the LunaTik around the nano, it is a rewarding and transformative experience in which we receive tremendous positive feedback. Our goal was never to enter traditional retail but with the success and awareness of the project, all the retailers and distributors came to us and we were able to turn the table and dictate terms.

Core77: What's the latest news or development with your project?

The LunaTik saga continues to unfold and we continue to challenge conventional business models and thinking. Over the last 9 months we have created a very successful and viral digital and e-commerce business and set up global distribution. Apple contacted us shortly after Kickstarter and we are now globally in the Apple Stores as well as online. There are some new products coming out this fall, including a metal + silicone hybrid strap called LunaTik Lynk and a few other products that grow the LunaTik brand into other categories. We are also looking at a new partnership that will turn our global LunaTik fans into viral sales reps.

In the end the project was impactful on so many levels and continues to open up new opportunities for both LunaTik and MINIMAL. It will be interesting to see what happens next. Stay tuned.

What is one quick anecdote about your project?

There have been so many. Before considering Kickstarter the design being rejected by industry experts and brands and said to be too expensive and niche. The moment it hit Gizmodo and went from $6,000 to $80,000 in 8 hours on the first day. Having the 100 limited edition $500 Spread the Love Party Packs sell out in 2 days and Steve Wozniak buying the 98th one. Going from 2 weeks worth of work and a $200 rapid prototype to $1m in 30 days and fulfilling over 20,000 products to over 50 countries in under 60 days. Running into Jonathan Ive in the Clift Hotel bar and giving him the LunaTik off my friend's wrist. Being on Fox News and being asked why I didn't run off to Mexico with the money. Getting a frivolous C&D from artist Ke$ha over the use of the word TikTok. Being stopped on Apple's campus in front of VPs to sign the back of LunaTiks. Being labeled a serial design entrepreneur by the VC community, business leaders and press. It has definitely been a wild ride and one of the most rewarding projects of my career. Not so much from a product standpoint but from aspect of how many people, designers and aspiring entrepreneurs it has inspired around the world.

Read on for full details on the project and jury comments.

You can pre-order the LunaTik Lynk metal band, MINIMAL's latest product, at LunaTik.com

Because of the way my 'fridge is configured, when I store a six-pack of beer in its vertical position, I can't pull out the back four bottles without hitting the bottom of the shelf above them. So I usually stack them horizontally, but the pyramid tends to slide apart when I remove a bottle. This is one of those minor life annoyances that I never gave much thought to—until I spotted the solution: ModeStudio's Fridge Monkey, a simple rubber mat that lets you securely stack both cans and bottles.

For the champagne and hard-liquor drinking set, a better way to keep that bottle icy without sticking it directly in a bottle of ice cubes is Drainscoop's Bottle Bucket, made from aluminum coated with acrylic.

Why do we give something so ubiquitous so little designerly love? "Scaffolding Brut" is an inspiring installation put together by Berlin-based BetaTank, asking this very question. The Germans offer a selection of playful "temporary scaffolding accessories" including birdhouses, plant pots and even a porcelain radio. More of a call to arms than a fully formed solution, the installation leaves you wondering, if most of our cities are covered in the stuff, why isn't scaffolding more of a feature of urban life, than the scourge of it. The project hopes to answer questions posed by BetaTank:

"If scaffolding systems are so impressive without design specifications, how utterly magnificent could they become if the need for beauty was attributed to construction?" And, "given the fact that they cover large sections of any given city, rather than getting in the way, could scaffolding assist accessibility and mobility?"

A beautiful trailer for the upcoming NOISIA VISION film, dedicated to the sport of Wakeskating. Although there are a small handful of options on the market, it'd be great to think about footwear/material innovations for the athletes.

We also noticed that the film was partially shot using GoPro—another cool application for this tiny, rugged camera. Check out our overview here or the Skateboard-view of Manhattan footage.

Biegert & Funk's beautiful QlockTwo Touch dispenses with hands and digits altogether, replacing them with words for a more cerebral time-telling experience.

We had to stop by Covent Garden to check out Sebastian Bergne's installation commissioned by Lego for the festival. Although perhaps a little smaller than we had let ourselves imagine, the spectacle was still certainly grabbing the attention of the hords of tourist ambling through the piazza—undeniably appealing to the child in all of us. The greenhouse seemed to be working surprisingly well—the sunflowers looking healthy despite having, apparently, brown lego bricks for soil. We'll be sure to stop by at the end of the week to see how they're getting on.

Over the next months we will be highlighting award-winning projects and ideas from this year's Core77 Design Awards! For full details on the project, jury commenting and more information about the awards program, go to Core77DesignAwards.com

Designer: Greg Katz and Tom Rim
Location: Deerfield, Illinois, USA
Category: Design for Social Impact
Award: Student Winner

Gobug

Gobug is an interactive toy designed to facilitate an inclusive social learning experience for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. However, individuals of all ages and abilities are welcome to join, play, and learn.

The initial stages of design provided us loads of ideas. We held brainstorming sessions where we "let concepts fly." Some ideas were worth further exploration while others were held back. During the same time period, we researched the user. It was important to have an understanding of who we were designing for. These activities were continued for a good portion of time to insure a solid platform to work from.

A lot of our user research was performed on an indirect level. We spoke with occupational therapists and read numerous blogs and articles from research databases. We also took advantage of the Core77 Design Arena for the Autism Connects competition. Through this web forum, designers were constantly given feedback for their work from experts in the field of ASD. We took note of these comments and applied bits of information accordingly.

The next stages involved a constant flow of sketching. We narrowed our concepts down to one and began to sketch again. We performed various iterations on the products function; mainly how the user would interact with product and the other users. We also produced loads of concept art dealing with aesthetics and forms.

In a similar time period, we mapped out scenarios in which the toy would be used. Specifically, we used storyboards to present outcomes. This helped us gain a grasp for what would work and what wouldn't. It also helped us refine our concept into a more tangible and purposeful idea.

From here, we took our concept into CAD and produced a design that best represented our sketch developments and concept art.

Core77: What's the latest news or development with your project?

We are always looking for new opportunities. Gobug has great potential to make a difference in many children's lives. We would love to see it go from concept to full development. There's much work to be done, but the positives that can arise are endless.

What is one quick anecdote about your project?

There was one particular "eureka moment." We spent time talking to and Occupational Therapist. She mentioned how children with ASD responded really well to a product called the Zoom Ball. This is super simple toy; a football shaped ball threaded with two ropes each with handles tethered to their ends. In short, users pick up the handles and guide them to make the ball move back and forth. Children with ASD have to work together and watch each others body language to play with the toy. We took the fundamental principles of the Zoom Ball and re-imagined them into something with a more modern, innovative and versatile twist. Gobug was the outcome.

Gobug is ultimately designed to be a fun experience, one where everyone is invited. Every individual is unique. We all have certain talents and certain challenges, and we all come in different shapes and sizes. One of the best ways to learn about and understand each other is through inclusive activity.

Read on for full details on the project and jury comments.

Materials Designer (Basketball)
Nike
Portland, OR

As our Material Designer II - Basketball, you'll plan and execute materials designs, collaborate with design, product marketing, development and material consultants to focus color solutions for market success, review all samples to achieve marketable solution review with design, marketing and development, clearly communicate all changes for final confirmation, and display advanced knowledge and practices in all phases of product execution. You'll maintain materials calendar/timelines/deadlines for category/division resulting in the timely completion of each product, develop line art, color design server, GPIN, merchandising line, cutting samples & working with material consultant to coordinate materials for products, and finalize product details and proactively follows through on execution of materials on each product. You'll create innovative, retailable materials solutions for category or gender-specific line.

» view

The best design jobs and portfolios hang out at Coroflot.

Taking a quick look at the artwork on show in the Jameel Prize exhibit—a selection of prize-winning Islamic art and design—we were immediately drawn to this little treasure.

"Negotiating the Space for Possible Coexistences" is an explorations of the contrasts in artist Babak Golkar's life in America and Persian heritage. If you look closely you'll notice that the ground plan of these fictional skyscrapers spring directly from the woven rug beneath them. Obviously then, when viewed from above the model disappears back into the pattern.

Singapore-based startup iTwin has been offering their secure solution for cloud computing for over a year now, but with their recently-added Mac support, they might just become a real contender in the file-sharing space. The company's eponymous flagship product consists of a Janus-like USB drive that acts as a physical key to unlock digital files: once the device has been set up, a second user takes half of the key—something like those kitschy broken heart necklaces—in order to access the files remotely, via cloud. The hardware itself contains the security, including Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) 256 bit encryption and the ability to disable access via web, among other features.

Essentially, iTwin offers Dropbox- (or AirDrop-) style cloud computing with a pocketable security barrier in the form of the USB key... and without the fees attached to it.

Remotely edit shared files

Remotely edit any shared file from any location. iTwin allows you to keep a single version on one computer, with you and your chosen iTwin partner collaborating directly on this version. Say goodbye to multiple versions of files flying around by email. Say goodbye to the headaches of needless re-work. Say hello to iTwin.

One-time cost. No fees, ever

Don't pay for cloud storage. Don't pay subscription fees for file access. Don't get locked in. You have all the storage you need on your computer and home hard drive. With iTwin, share it and access it from anywhere. Create your own personal cloud. Secured by hardware-grade encryption.

From left to right: Allan Chochinov (moderator), Margaret Gould Stewart, Kayne Burk, Aaron Zinman and Grant McCracken

This year's IDSA International conference, hosted in New Orleans, represents an incredible time for the design profession—a moment of true collaboration enabled by technology, new modes of media and communication, and a blurring of traditional lines between designer/user.

Chaired by Teague Creative Director and Core77 columnist Tad Toulis, the focus of this year's event is community and what better city to host these conversations than New Orleans. Residents who call this beautiful city home showed the world the power of creative collaboration to rebuild, rethink and reshape their shared history. This year's IDSA conference attempted to tap into that innovation with a series of offsite events, fieldtrips and a keynote on New Orleans' new generation of social entrepreneurs.

On Wednesday night Clay Shirky, writer and educator, set the tone for the conference with an insightful opening keynote on the current networked landscape—for the first time in history we work in a large connective network of people sharing information almost instantaneously and at a very low cost. What results from this connected network and an increase of free time is what Shirky identifies as a cognitive surplus. And what results from this new economy of cognitive surplus is something for designers to get excited about. Consumers are actively reshaping the landscape of design—surfacing once "invisible" demands through networks, co-creating objects for purchase (think about customization trend—sneakers, mobile device cases, apparel) and participating in feedback loops. Another big idea is the expanding universe around a designed object is the invention of services. Now, successful design solutions create platforms that separate a recipe for creation. Great examples of this new trend include makerbot's Thingaverse site, Local Motors' user-generated car platform, and Lego's recognition of a successful business opportunity in selling individual parts. Cognitive surplus means that customers have become co-creators and users.

The following day, Margaret Gould Stewart, Director of User Experience at YouTube, continued this exploration with a focus on designers as facilitators. Stewart asks: How do designers tap into the larger creativity of the masses? Using a series of delightful examples and, of course, YouTube clips, she argues that designers should think of consumers as active participants by giving them the tools to create. A small sampling of the joy of open-ended creation found on YouTube includes:

On trips to Ikea, as a designer I can't help but be impressed with how flat they're able to render certain pieces of furniture. But industrial designer Jy Yeon Suh, a recent graduate of Central Saint Martins, aims to do them one better with his Bojaki line of inflatable housewares: Lamps, tableware and seating, constructed from what looks to be some sort of canvas held together by stitches and rivets. Absent its gaseous contents, this stuff will fold really flat.

Over the past year I've read and participated in discussions about design school and the quality of education students currently receive, and thought it would be valuable to share some of my own experiences and what they've taught. The design program I attended in the '70s was a new start-up, with 30-to-1 student-teacher ratios until my senior year. We quickly learned that our instructors weren't equipped to teach everything we needed to know—quite the opposite. Our program's lead professor, in particular, was really behind the times and set in his ways. Disconnected from industry, he had little appetite for embracing new techniques, approaches and technological innovation.

Out of our collective dilemma, we pushed ourselves into new collaborations and individual inquiry, discovering how our profession was led and changing. The understanding and perspective gained has served us well throughout our careers and taught an important lesson—you can't be taught design in the traditional sense of lectures and labs, but you can learn it! We also learned that our design instructors functioned more like coaches—able to provide direction and strategy, offer the voice of experience and inspiration. However, developing and honing the skill set required a commitment to lifelong learning as an individual process.

As students, you must take every opportunity to enrich and optimize your education through inquiry. Having taught design courses myself, I know your instructors will appreciate you even more as they are introduced to new technologies, approaches, insights and experiences you bring to the classroom through this process...nearly as much as they'll take pride in your career achievements. Perhaps you'll even challenge them and they will have to respond in kind.

Pre-iPad, I never could find a good solution for using a laptop in bed; my MacBook Pro's underside seems designed to fry your thighs, and putting a blanket beneath it seemed to make it even hotter.

Etsy seller Dniceboater manufactures these Cantilevered Laptop Desks seemingly perfect for the purpose.

To mark the tenth anniversary of graphic design legend Alan Fletcher's groundbreaking The Art of Looking Sideways, a small exhibit of the preparatory notes for the book have gone on display at the Kemistry Gallery in Shoreditch.

Illustrating beautifully the fine line between genius and insanity, the poly-pocket lined walls are perhaps the most fitting tribute to a man infatuated with creativity. Well worth a look if you're doing the rounds at LDF'11.

Chicago-based creative Josh Harker spent over ten years as a designer before committing to fine art, which explains his interest in the ever-evolving domain of prototyping technology. He's been drawing for his whole life, exploring highly-detailed "tangles" in two dimensions for some two decades. A few years ago, "a perfect storm of software, technology, & materials engineering all came together" to allow him to explore his ideas in three dimensions.

While much of his existing work consists of organic abstractions, executed in bronze as well as more traditional 3D-printable mediums such as polyamide nylon, he's pleased to present "Crania Anatomica Filigre," an intricately-patterned skull, on Kickstarter.

Over the next months we will be highlighting award-winning projects and ideas from this year's Core77 Design Awards! For full details on the project, jury commenting and more information about the awards program, go to Core77DesignAwards.com

Designer: Karen Cheng and Kristine Matthews
Location: Seattle, Washington, USA
Category: Graphics/Branding/Identity
Award: Professional Notable

Change Elevators, Paccar Hall, University of Washington

This installation reflects upon the dynamic relationship between business and change. The word 'CHANGE' appears inside two elevators, along with 18 synonyms. Each synonym is highlighted with actual loose change (an international coin). On each floor, the word CHANGE is modified by an exterior word, creating six unique word pairs.

We thought that the donor's intent (to celebrate business and its impact on society) would be best served by an installation that would say something significant about the nature of business. We wanted to find a concept would endure over time (throughout the life of the new building), but we were afraid of "preachy" and obvious ideas and themes (i.e., concepts about business leadership, the importance of innovation, etc.). Given the large student audience, we also wanted the installation to be playful -- to be something that people of all ages and cultures would relate to and enjoy seeing every day.

The "CHANGE" concept actually grew out of our desire to incorporate actual "loose change" (coins) into the fabric of the installation. During the design phase, the bankruptcy of General Motors was very much in the news, and several business school faculty members commented on the radical changes facing this iconic American company. We realized that the theme of "CHANGE" allowed us to pair the physical material of coins with a universal business concept -- the need for companies and corporations of all kinds to adapt, transform and embrace change in order to survive.

Core77: What's the latest news or development with your project?

There isn't any latest news or development on this particular project (it is pretty much finished), but we may do another design installation in another UW Business School building that is currently under construction. The CHANGE elevator installation has been very well received.

"Everyone is really identifying with the CHANGE piece. The words outside each floor are being memorized. Thus, when one is inside the cab and the door opens, a glance outside the door tells you what floor you are on! More important, my colleagues are delighted with it. I think it makes a wonderful statement for the School, presented in a witty and humorous way. Very well done to you and Kristine. And the execution is excellent." - Roland E. (Pete) Dukes, Durwood L. Alkire Endowed Professor of Accounting, and Project Manager, New Foster Facilities, Foster School of Business, University of Washington

What is 1 quick anecdote about your project?

There was a lot of debate and discussion about what word pairs to use, featuring "CHANGE". We were quite fond of "CHUMP CHANGE", but it didn't make the final cut!
Also, initially we were a little stumped by what to do on the library floor, because it is entirely covered with carpet and the stone tiles only extended a few feet beyond the elevator doors. Then Mark Reddington (the LMN architect who designed the building) came up with the idea of simply using a question mark and an exclamation mark for that floor. So it reads: CHANGE? and CHANGE!

Read on for full details on the project and jury comments.

The most hurtful thing you can call me is a hoarder. I currently have 29 vintage sewing machines in my apartment in various states, but my aim is to restore them all to perfect mechanical condition and then get them back out the door. (I just happen to be in the Collecting & Repairing phase and have not yet advanced to the Selling phase.)

Collecting objects is a peculiar affliction, and while I'm primarily interested in an object's function, other collectors wish merely to display the things. Apartment Therapy Los Angeles' got a post on how to display five types of collectible objects, from vintage typewriters to what I thought were wooden chess pieces, but which are actually teak pepper grinders. People can and do collect everything, it seems, and a key difference between a hoarder and a collector is curation and artful display.

Want to see collections of various objects from around the world? Click here and see what the Flickrverse considers display-worthy.