Quantcast
Channel: Core77
Viewing all 19070 articles
Browse latest View live

A Look at the Upcoming Biomaterials On Show at London Design Fair

0
0

I recently learned something pretty disturbing, told to me in confidence, and I'm trying to figure out how to describe it to you without getting anyone in trouble. So please forgive my vague language.

I know someone within or connected to a major corporation, a household brand name, that produces a popular product that contains a lot of an environmentally-unfriendly material. It is popularly believed that this material can be readily recycled. But when the company looked into the actual rates, they discovered far more of it is being disposed of in a damaging way and even worse, that they are producing more and more of it each year. In other words, they are making the problem far worse.

That part of it is not surprising. What I found distressing is that the company has concluded that the problem is intractable, and that no alternative material is viable; so, to avoid consumer backlash, they've chosen to purposefully distract us with publicity campaigns touting some positive (but statistically-insignificant) recycling initiative they've achieved. This achievement was selected for publicity because it contains some specific positive imagery that polls well with consumers. The campaign is not in itself a lie, but it's like saying "Look at these two delicious berries!" on a plate of food that you're eating that consists primarily of poison.

And I get it. The number one reason corporations exist is to generate profits, not save the planet. That recent mass pledge of CEOs on corporate responsibility aside, all corporate leadership is compelled to pursue profit above all else, and if they don't, they'll be deposed and replaced by someone who will. No corporation will social-responsibility their way out of existence.

People will never stop buying the product I'm so obliquely discussing here, and the company will never stop making it. The only viable course I can see is that we'll have to material-science our way out of the problem. This will be, in broad strokes, a two-step process. Step One, developing the stuff. Step Two, doing careful research to see if, long-term, the new stuff actually is better for the environment than the stuff it's replacing (more on that at the end).

On the Step One front: This year's London Design Fair kicks off on September 19th, and they've already announced their Material of the Year, which isn't a singular material at all, but all biomaterials in general. To highlight the category, at this year's exhibition the LDF "will show four brilliant examples of work by designers with a keen awareness of the environment. Using a range of by-products, these designers have created functional and aesthetically pleasing designs [that] will be presented at the Fair's Second Yield exhibition."

Here we'll give you an advance look.

Material: Corn husks

Fernando Laposse

Totomoxtle is a new veneer material made with the husks of heirloom Mexican corn. An important part of traditional Mexican gastronomy, the country's native corns range in colour, from wonderfully deep purples to soft yellow creams. Sadly, owing to globalisation, the number of native varieties of Mexican corn are under threat. The only real hope of saving the heirloom species lies with Mexico's indigenous people, who plant the corn in accordance with tradition. Working in partnership with the community of Tonahuixtla in the Mexican state of Puebla, Totomoxtle is helping to regenerate traditional agricultural practices and establish a new craft that generates income for impoverished farmers.





Since 2016, Fernando Laposse has been collaborating with a group of families in Tonahuixtla. A Mexican product and material designer, Fernando works between Mexico and London. His approach is to take a natural material that is often considered waste (such as corn husks), and with extensive research, transform it into a refined piece of design. As a designer, Fernando is concerned with sustainability, biodiversity, disenfranchised communities and the politics of food. His work is informed by a material's location, and encompasses both cultural and historical narratives.

Material: Potato waste

Chip[s] Board

Co-founded by Rowan Minkley and Rob Nicoll, Chip[s] Board is an innovative biomaterial company that turns food waste into high-value circular economy materials. By utilising those resources that are currently available, instead of continually processing virgin materials, Chip[s] Board can create a sustainable, circular economy model.

As the world's largest manufacturer of frozen potato products, McCain—a family-owned company with a number of sustainability projects—supplies Chip[s] Board with its raw materials. Chip[s] Board has produced several innovative and sustainable circular economy materials using potato waste, including Parblex™ Plastics: these translucent pure or fibre reinforced bioplastics can be used in fashion and interior design. With material waste deemed a global concern, Chip[s] Board has been successful in both national and international grants and competitions, as well as attracting attention from global brands. The company's next course of action is to scale up its production, moving a step closer to replacing toxic polluting plastics with responsible alternatives.

Material: Palm leaves

Studio Tjeerd Veenhoven

Based in the Netherlands, Studio Tjeerd Veenhoven is a product design studio with a difference: Tjeerd Veenhoven designs value chains, from initial production to the overall consumer experience.

The areca betel nut is a staple ingredient of Indian cuisine. The nut grows on the areca palm tree, found throughout southern India and other regions. Like most trees, these palms shed their large leaves every year, beginning in October. The areca palm tree produces an abundance of beautiful, unused palm leaves—around 80 million square meters yearly. Considering this natural waste, Tjeerd Veenhoven created a way of putting the leaves to use. Employing simple, natural ingredients and processes, Tjeerd was able to permanently soften the dry, hard and brittle palm leaf, giving it a leather-like quality. Known as PalmLeather, this project was established in 2010 and has been growing ever since.

During the past eight years, Tjeerd has set up several small producer-owned factories in India, the Dominican Republic and Sri Lanka, to manufacture PalmLeather and products made with the material. Both Tjeerd and others have designed various products that are locally produced and sold by craftspeople, under fair working conditions. One such product is the PalmLeather interior rug. Made with softened palm leaves that are cut into strips and placed vertically, the rugs have beautifully creative patterns. Owing to their natural state, each rug is unique. These rugs are produced on commission in the Dominican Republic, in various sizes and patterns.

Materials: Hemp, tobacco and pomace

High Society

Founded in 2015 by Johannes Kiniger and Giulia Farencena Casaro, High Society is a sustainable design company, located in the heart of the Dolomite Mountains in northern Italy. By employing a compression moulding technique, the brand creates plant-based lighting from post-industrial waste. This waste includes: hemp leftovers, pomace, the pulpy residue that remains after wine production, and the discarded leaves and stalks from tobacco cultivation. Each light sold by High Society supports initiatives against drug dependency, in collaboration with Forum Prävention in Bolzano, a city in north-east Italy.


High Society produces three lamp variations: Highlight Hemp, Highlight Wine and Highlight Tobacco. To make the Highlight Hemp pendant, High Society uses industrial hemp leftovers, cultivated without pesticides. For the Highlight Wine pendant, pomace is collected from a local organic winery in South Tyrol. And to make the Highlight Tobacco pendant, leaves and stalks discarded during tobacco cultivation are collected from a supplier in the Venetian region of Italy. Each unique lamp variation is made using compression moulding with an added bio-based binder, followed by the application of a natural wax coating—this provides a shiny surface and protects the lamp from humidity. Minimal and elegant, the pendants are ideal for both commercial and residential use.

__________

As I wrote earlier, once the difficult Step One of developing a biomaterial is realized, the perhaps-even-more difficult Step Two of investigating its long-term effects should be pursued. By now you've probably read about those "eco-friendly, compostable" fiber bowls containing harmful chemicals, and as writer John P. Kazior pointed out, "with almost all bioplastics, if they end up in the ocean they will typically breakdown into microplastics and at that point are actually no better than fossil-fuel produced plastic." You can learn more about that here.



Design Job: Drill down to a new career as an Industrial Designer for Epiroc Rock Drills, in Örebro, Sweden

0
0

As a member of the creative, motivated and talented team you will be a vital part of the process to develop new products which are used in the global mining industry. We need our designers to be versatile and passionate and to take on new problems as we continue to push technology forward. We are looking for one multi-disciplinary individual who can work with new development and design, support continuous improvements activities within the Industrial Design team and collaborate with the Epiroc R&D development teams. One of your missions is to provide cutting edge product design with ergonomic focus and always striving to make our products better for our customers.

View the full design job here

Reader Submitted: R.A.S.P. Remote Access Surgical Pod

0
0

Basic surgical care is a luxury afforded by fewer than you would think. My project centers around the idea of giving those less fortunate a chance at life. This lack of surgical care often results in chronic disabilities that make productive employment impossible to almost certain death in other cases. In short, I believe the answer to this global medical epidemic lies within the realm of remotely accessible surgical technology.

Front
Labeled
Patient loading
Da Vinci SP
Context
Context 2
Context Covered
View the full project here

PowerUp Paper Airplanes Are Fun First, STEM Second

0
0

Shai Goitein has always loved airplanes. As a little boy he built hobby models; as a teenager he took up paragliding; and when he joined the Israeli military, he started a 15-year career as a pilot.

He missed that aeronautic rush when he went back to civilian life and became Kodak's lead designer, overseeing industrial design at six different R&D centers around the world. He started teaching STEM classes around aeronautics, and soon launched a runaway-success Kickstarter campaign that brought those models to kids and classrooms worldwide.

Now, he's getting ready to produce his fourth model, a smartphone-controlled rig that can make just about anything—a sloppily folded paper plane, a piece of lettuce—capable of autopiloting, tricks, and onboard analytics.

After going corporate, Goitein rerouted back to aeronautics

"My day job was fun, but at a certain point I got bored of it and started looking for something more meaningful," he says. "My wife, a social worker, convinced me to volunteer, and I created this STEM class. This was way back in 2006. I worked with underprivileged kids about 15 years old and taught them rocketry and aerodynamics."

He enjoyed the teaching, and he learned quite a bit himself: "I saw that there was a lot going on in this area of miniaturization and flight control." He started developing planes for the class, and they were so fun he wanted to share them more widely as a weekend product.

Goitein developed a product called PowerUp 3.0; it's an electrical add-on that turns folded paper airplanes into smart flying machines, offering a lesson on the interplay between yaw, thrust, and speed.

Goitein reviewing telemetry in the PowerUp app.

Scaling the idea up, up, and away

In 2013 Goitein launched a Kickstarter campaign to bring his idea to a wider audience. It drew in more than 21,000 backers, allowing him to quit his job and build his own family-owned business.

That business is taking off. Hundreds of teachers are now teaching aerodynamics with PowerUp planes and sharing their lessons on Workbench, alongside lesson plans for other esteemed STEM products like Sphero and Makey Makey. "Everybody's doing coding—we're a hands-on, really experimental platform," Goitein says. Still, he observes what works for those other products and what resonates with teachers, tweaking his offerings to emphasize features like the telemetry stats dashboard for quantified feedback: "Teachers love data."

All the while, his team purposefully plays down the educational element. "We market it as a fun toy," Goitein says. "Our mission is all about making things that are fun and inspiring. I think once you get kids inspired—adults as well—it empowers them."

The latest launch taking off

The latest model, the PowerUp 4.0, combines many of the elements that have been popular in previous iterations. Autopilot mode, tricks at the push of a button, a twin motor architecture, gyro and accelerometer sensors, and night flight mode with LED lighting make for dependably thrilling flights.

"We took the lessons, the pain points, and we learned the key areas that customers are really looking for. They're flying in windy conditions, they don't know how to fly, they don't know how to launch, they want a sturdier platform because they're making airplanes from more than paper—paper, foam, there are many different ideas."

The PowerUp 4.0's sensors smooth out flights in windy conditions, give you data to inform how you make and fly your planes, and create enough stability to get experimental materials off the ground—in their Kickstarter video, for instance, the team features an airplane made from a lettuce leaf.

As always, Goitein's top priority is making sure that the PowerUp 4.0 is infectiously fun to play with; all the high-tech features achieve that aim while also teaching increasingly complicated STEM lessons. "We're not going to solve the world's problems with paper planes," he says, "but maybe the next engineer for Mars exploration will be a kid who first made a paper plane with his grandfather as a weekend project. We're adding a whole new set of tools that turn it into something much more exciting, interesting, and educational."

PowerUp 4.0 is live on Kickstarter through November 1, 2019.


What's Up with Caning in Furniture Design, and Why is it All Over My Social Media Feed?

0
0

In terms of interiors, we are living out the halcyon days of caning and wicker. The rattan-based weaves are in the limelight and the hotspot: blogs, Instagrams, and Pinterests are flooded with the straw-like seat covers, headboards, ottomans, decor and objet galore. Despite its clear maneuvering into the mercurial throes of "trend," perhaps this surge in visibility for the classic furniture material is creditable to two main factors:

- The age of the image

- The accessibility of its interiors products through (more) mass market retail designs from the likes of CB2, Industry West, and even Ikea

Of course, explaining the relationship between these factors and "trendiness" could leave us toggling for days between chicken and egg. Regardless of the origin of its mass resurgence in popularity, what's important to acknowledge is the "re" aspect of the -surgence: caning as a technique and an aesthetic preference has been around a lot longer than our glorified-boho-chic interiors social feeds may let on.

Image courtesy @mrcigar, featuring Marcel Breuer's Cesca chairs (1928)

Image courtesy Loko Loko, a Spanish design team and inspiration blog

Image courtesy @viktoria.dahlberg, featuring pieces from Urban Outfitters' home collection

Materiality

The actual material used in caning comes from rattan, a slender-stemmed, vine-like palm that's native to Southeast Asia (namely Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia, as Wikipedia graciously reveals). To retrieve the weavable material that we recognize today in furniture caning, the vines are stripped of their bark. It's this malleable bark that then becomes material for seatbacks, headboards, and the like.

Depiction of a cane chair weaver, illustrated by Paul Sandby (1759) [source]

Image courtesy The Chair Repair, a custom chair restoration company based in Seattle. This design is a "hand-caned Scandinavian Captain's chair from the late 18th/early 19th century," with a ruptured seat in need of urgent TLC! [source]

Design History

The actual design process was pioneered before the turn of the first century. As interior design website Apartment Therapy has reported, Tutankhamun was buried c.1323 BC beside a caned furniture artifact; and hundreds of years later, a Peruvian princess was disinterred in a caned coffin, dated c. 750 AD. Additional decorative artifacts, tools, and more have been cataloged from thousands of years ago, helping illustrate the ways that people related to their land, its natural materials, their vocations and their home spaces. Likely evolved from basketry techniques developed across Africa and Asia, it wasn't until about a thousand years passed that caning reached Europe, and then finally the Americas. This was, of course, due to the complicated grasp of colonialism on places, people, practices, and products.

A caned look decorates the exterior seatback of this lush swivel chair, which Marie Antoinette would sit in on the grounds of Versailles for her beauty team to work their magic on her hair and makeup (c 1787). Image courtesy Getty.edu.

Excuse the drastic elision of time here, but moving into the 16th through 18th centuries, the Dutch and British were firmly establishing their trade routes and colonial control around and across Africa and Southeast Asia (complete with childlike pushes-and-pulls for colonial and maritime ownership, in part creditable to the respective, volley-like spoils of the Anglo-Dutch Wars). This is when caning's process, material, and aesthetic began trickling into the design work of Europeans and their schools – and it continued to infiltrate the looks attributed to some of their other colonized countries. As researcher and writer Sneha Mehta and collaborator Mallika Chandra note in their book Play Fareon Indian colonialism through food and food spaces – to this day, private social and sports clubs "seem to have frozen in time in 1947 [when the British left India]: the cane furniture, the wood panelling, the archaic rules of a civilised people and the scent of elitism."

Photograph by Mallika Chandra of a caned chair at Bombay Gymkhana, a private club in Mumbai, India. Featured in Play Fare (2019).

Contemporary Design

Insanely popularized by the Thonet Bistro chair in the mid-1900s, this casual caned design migrated its way into commercial and hospitality centers across Europe and America. Not too long after, Bauhaus and other midcentury design entities and players concretized caning into the modern aesthetic, yielding master makers like Marcel Breuer and his Cesca cane chair, or Hans Wegner and his fleet of woven, woodworked chair designs.

The No. 14 Chair, or the Bistro Chair, was designed by Michael Thonet and introduced to market in 1859.

Hans Wegner Armchair, 1949. Image courtesy MoMA. As the Dutch master designer once stated: "A chair is only finished when someone sits in it."

It's from these modern articles of furniture caning that today's saturated aesthetic has primarily derived. Whether it's a fleeting, interior design flight of fancy, whether it's because of a market run by knock-offs, or whether it's simply due to the inherent, wildly reiterative nature of our current image-driven age, the caning trend is present. And it's harmless. And, you know what, it's pretty, so let's enjoy it while we appreciate its history and predecessors alongside it.

Furniture retailer Industry West recently presented its new Cane Collection, which it distinguishes as a "contemporary reinvention of a well loved midcentury design." [source]

Currently Crowdfunding: A Watch Inspired by the Moon, a Game to Shift Our Ideas About Failure, and More

0
0

Brought to you by MAKO Design + Invent, North America's leading design firm for taking your product idea from a sketch on a napkin to store shelves. Download Mako's Invention Guide for free here.

Navigating the world of crowdfunding can be overwhelming, to put it lightly. Which projects are worth backing? Where's the filter to weed out the hundreds of useless smart devices? To make the process less frustrating, we scour the various online crowdfunding platforms to put together a weekly roundup of our favorite campaigns for your viewing (and spending!) pleasure. Go ahead, free your disposable income:

Featuring a 3D topographic map of the Apollo 11 landing site as its face, the SVPER11 watch was designed to remind you that the impossible can be achieved every time you glance at it. But it's the precise machining and attention to detail that really gets us excited about this timepiece.

If you prefer a desk clock, this one also has the potential of becoming your next favorite distraction. The Ferrofluid Clock has magnetic "liquid arms" made from a prototype rocket fuel, so you can play around with them using a magnet, then watch the mesmerizing liquid fall back into time-telling position.

It's not surprising that Shhtickers were developed by two, work-from-home parents. Fed up by the piercing sounds of their kids' electronic toys, they created these transparent, food-safe adhesive disks that make playtime a little more peaceful. Once applied over a toy's audio port, they measurably decrease the volume of the sound—and the parents' stress levels.

For slightly older kids (6 and up), The Failure Toy caught our eye for its ability to spark a challenging yet vital dialogue about the concept of failure—something even adults can benefit from. Designed around two player roles—builders and supporters—this game asks teams to work together as they strive to build balanced structures. It's pretty straightforward at first but has some twists along the way that are intended to progressively shift our relationship with failure in a more productive direction.

Made through a combination of CNC milling and hand finishing, this wavy knife rack is simple yet modern enough to look good in any kitchen.

Do you need help designing, developing, patenting, manufacturing, and/or selling YOUR product idea? MAKO Design + Invent is a one-stop-shop specifically for inventors / startups / small businesses. Click HERE for a free confidential product consultation.



Reader Submitted: Design to Empower the Female Farmers of India

0
0

Designing products for multinational corporations and their alluring target markets, and designing products for low-income, rural consumers are two very different worlds. Jordan Westerberg, industrial designer with social venture development firm Factor[e], has worked in both. Through a recent project to re-imagine a solar conduction dryer for Indian farmers to better preserve and profit from their produce, Westerberg cautions against being drawn to the simplistic, feel-good product solutions – especially when designing for social impact.

View the full project here

The Weekly Design Roast, #16

0
0


"Yes, it is a little difficult to install. But trying to get the bike in and out will make that seem easy in comparison."


"I wanted to design a bottle opener that could possibly kill you if you tripped and fell while carrying it."

This is one of those things that a policeman sees in your apartment and it instantly gets you added to a SUSPECTS list. "I'm telling you, Chief, I got a feeling about this guy...."

I am impressed. By how many different people had to be on cocaine in order for this to go into production.

"It's part of my 'Mid-level Eastern European Crime Boss' collection."


"I wanted to create arbitrarily asymmetrical flatware featuring a difficult-to-clean crevice. Also, removing material from the knife blade makes the act of spreading butter delightfully challenging."

"Traditional tape dispensers are too easy to handle. I wanted mine to be smaller and fiddly, with no obvious way to grasp it while dispensing. I also curved the cutting blade, because I think most people hate it when tape has straight edges."

"New trend we're starting: 'High Plants.'"

"I wanted to combine my passion for Taoism with my love of inefficient storage space."

"Our new glass rectangle now comes with three glass circles!"


Design Job: Stop Phoning It in at Your Current Job—Be a Designer at ROOM in New York, NY

0
0

We’re here to make room for people in the modern workplace. We create thoughtful designs that inspire new ideas, fresh perspectives, and a better way to work. Our first product is a soundproof phone booth for the open office. We deliver directly from factory to business and keep prices low so that our clients can invest in bigger ideas down the road. We rethink and refine every step of the customer experience to offer thoughtful, modular solutions that grow with the business, leading the way to better Mondays and a brighter future. As we begin to expand our product offering, we are looking for a rockstar product designer who lives and breathes user-centric design, is passionate about sustainability, and has the skill to ensure our products remain the most attractive ones on the market. The ideal candidate is a Product Designer with experience driving consumer and furniture products from concept through production on time while championing the voice of the customer.

View the full design job here

A New Design Concept Store From Artist-Led Fort Makers

0
0

To celebrate its tenth anniversary, artist-run design studio Fort Makers opens its first store and exhibition space in Manhattan today. The shop at 38 Orchard Street will feature a wide range of objets d'art, furniture, home goods, jewelry, and exclusive collaborations that exemplify the Fort Makers aesthetic: "colorful and bold, and often ingeniously tactile, inspired by a nostalgia for American crafts."

"We created Fort Makers under the Bauhaus model—a core group of artists focusing on crafts and useable art," said founder and creative director Nana Spears. "After ten successful years of studio practice, we're excited to open a store downtown, and join the creative community around the Lower East Side."

Artist Noah Spencer's process he calls "beaver gnawing" is particularly apt in this riff on the classic Adirondack Chair. He chisels, saws and scrapes away at the wood to create furniture "that looks like it could be found in a forest or in a prehistoric bedroom."

The various elements in Spencer's shelving unit can be recomposed.

The 2,000 square-foot space will transform every couple of months with new installations curated by Spears. The inaugural exhibition is called The Blue Room and features a debut collection comprised of seating, lighting, glassware, ceramics, and painterly textiles inspired by Yves Klein's International Yves Blue. There's Naomi S. Clark's hand-painted sofas and chairs, ceramic vases by Shino Takeda, and playful ceramic cars made by Keith Simpson. The standouts for us are the furniture pieces by Noah James Spencer: an interchangeable stack shelving unit, a glass coffee table with geometric oak legs, and a sculptural take on the Adirondack Chair.

Design Job: This Ain't Your Standard Design Job—Apply for This Production Designer Role at Standard Issue Design

0
0

Standard Issue is seeking a contract Production Designer to assist us with some large-scale print production work throughout the fall. We are an interdisciplinary design studio based in Gowanus and we work in the fields of graphic, industrial and architectural design. Our clients include large brands, niche cultural producers and everything in between.

View the full design job here

frog's Francois Nguyen Is Actively Helping Shape What the Future Looks Like

0
0

This interview is part of a series featuring the presenters participating in this year's Core77 Conference, "The Third Wave", a one-day event that will explore the future of the design industry and the role designers will play in it.

Even when he's not working, Francois Nguyen never really stops envisioning what the world might look like. More than a decade into his industrial design career, Nguyen knows a thing or two about staying resilient and nimble as the discipline changes.

Following his studies at Wesleyan and San Jose State University, Nguyen started out at Pentagram, where he worked with clients like Microsoft, Coca-Cola, and Dell. From there he went on to join Ammunition, where he was the lead designer for the original "Beats Studio" headphones for Dr. Dre. For the past seven years and counting, Nguyen has been at frog. He currently serves as creative director in the New York studio, shaping the company's vision for ID while "provoking, coaxing, antagonizing and often bribing his team to craft compelling narratives and create captivating user experiences that balance form and functionality with materials and metaphor."

During the 2019 Core77 Conference, Francois will give a talk titled "The Cost of Comfort," questioning design's focus on eliminating pain points and shedding new light on the value of stress. Ahead of his talk, we caught up with the designer to learn more about his background and experiences in the design world.

Core77: What are some of your favorite projects or companies that you've worked with during your time so far at frog?

Francois: Some of the most memorable projects were the TouchTunes Jukebox, Sustainable Laptop Packaging, a solid-state microwave, a motorcycle store, a beer enhancement system and audio products ranging from headphones to Bluetooth speakers. Clients I enjoyed working with include Amazon, CocaCola, Google, Disney, and others I can't name.

In the future, consumers will need headphones that support long augmented audio experiences, but frog designers believe the design of typical personal headphones "will be too isolating of a social experience." Unum headphones were designed to channel sound into your ear while allowing users to remain present in the real-world. People around you will immediately know that, even though you're tuned in, you can still interact with them—the sign of a "new social etiquette" around audio.

One of your recent projects, the Unum headphones, was designed without a client, in your spare time. Could you briefly describe the idea behind it? Was your process different from how you would approach a client project?

During our bench time at frog, we keep our thinking and design skills sharp by challenging ourselves with interesting provocations expressed through product concepts. The provocation for Unum was: How do we reverse the anti-social behavior resulting from the constant use of headphones?

We regard our bench time as sacred space to explore and develop our own ideas of what the world should look like. This has given rise to designs such as the LQD Palo which was purchased by Verizon, the Tetra Dishwasher which was blessed by Kanye and declared genius by Jon Legere and now, the Unum concept.

What is exciting you in design right now?

Prosthetic designs and bionic enhancements. Companies and platforms like Terracycle and Loop that are concerned about the environment and attempting to diminish the disposable culture we live in.

Mobility and personal transportation such as the eScooter, eBikes, and Onewheels. Engineering driven products that are breaking from traditional paradigms. Smart connected home products that raise awareness around consumption habits and sustainability.

To what extent do you consider the future when designing?

I am always thinking of the future when I design. Every designer should be thinking of the future as they design because when their designs finally reach users, it will be in the future. Particularly in the case of physical product design where the timeline from concept to production can be 12-18 months. In designing for fast-moving categories like consumer electronics, designs should consider its desirability and relevance that many months out.

Two years ago in your Reddit AMA you were asked about the essential skills a product designer would need in 6-7 years. Would you revise your answer, looking 6-7 years into the future from today?

The ID discipline is perpetually evolving with the development of new technologies, tools, interactive possibilities, trends, and global concerns but it will always remain rooted in the physical plane and human factors. I would revise my answers 7 years from today based on these new developments. How do we learn now, what tools do professionals have access to, what is the language of form and paradigm of use in the future? What do consumers expect from their products and how do we communicate now?

There was a time when there were more specialized roles such as a CAD expert or a design researcher but today, every industrial designer is expected to know the fundamentals of design research and be proficient in CAD. New roles may arise and others may disappear, it all depends. There is no replacing hard work and exposure, however. Design is a language and deep exposure and practice is the only path to excelling in it.

Without revealing too much, what can you tell us about your presentation during the upcoming Core77 conference?

The cost of comfort will be one of several related themes in my presentation. I'd like to also discuss how design paradigms constrain our thinking, moving from human-centered to earth-centered, how the delivery medium is still everything, and how people won't really remember a damn thing I've said a week from now.

Hear Francois Nguyen and other design industry leaders speak at this years Core77 Conference, "The Third Wave"! Tickets are available now.


Where Do SVA's Products of Design Graduates Get Hired?

0
0

"It's really common for prospective students looking at the program to ask what happens to our students AFTER they leave the program," offers SVA's Products of Design chair Allan Chochinov. "It's funny, because we'd love to tell them about what we actually do HERE for the two years that they're with us! But we totally understand that people want to know how the education and the networking we offer them will help launch their professional careers."

To have some fun addressing the question, the department reached out to recent alumni—asking them to record themselves in their places of work, talking about what they're up to. And wow, the list of companies, consultancies, and brands is super-impressive. Check out the video below:

If you want to learn more about the program, for sure hit the website. And don't forget about their Open House and Info Session taking place on Wednesday, November 13th, starting right at 6pm. It'll be livestreamed for those not in NYC.

(Another wonky but notable feature of the program: It's now a STEM-Certified MFA Program, meaning that international students are able to apply for a 24-month extension to their 12-month Optional Practical Training student visas post-graduation. A big boon to international applicants!)




Straw: The Original Straw

0
0


In recent years, public perception of the drinking straw has morphed from a seemingly innocuous plastic tube, into a poison-tipped, politicalarrow. While it is refreshing to see that such a simple physical object can still stir up some social discord in this digital age, it is also humbling to realize that even as we've created space shuttles, smart-phones, and artificial hearts, we've yet to even master this simple little device. Since the winds of culture and politics have determined that the battle over some of our worst, and most wasteful tendencies, should be waged through this ubiquitous little product, it is worth examining the origins of its design.

As is so often the case with design, nature itself can claim ownership over the original idea. The first form of drinking straw manifested as the proboscis of insects like the butterfly, for drinking up liquid from wet soil and rotting fruit, as well as sucking up nectar from flowers.

So far as human design goes, the earliest recorded usage of a drinking straw dates back to the Sumerians and Babylonians. It is surmised that use of drinking straws goes back even further but the true origins are unknown. Dating back to 3000BC, the oldest known drinking straw was found in the tomb of Pu-abi, Sumerian Queen of Ur, in modern day Iraq. The regal straw is made of gold, measures over a meter long, features a silver mouth-piece, and is ornamented with segments of the vibrant blue stone, lapiz lazuli. As humans had not yet developed plastic, the Sumerians had to seal the straw of precious metal and stone in a tomb to ensure it would last as long as it has.

However, for those Sumerians who were not of the royal class but still wanted to enjoy beer without ingesting all the excess gunk produced in the fermentation process, the typical straw was made from hollow reed, i.e. straw. With that, innovation halted. Millennia passed before anyone began to think that this initially eco-friendly design would need an update.

In the meantime, a different drinking device with nearly the same functionality came into use among native peoples of modern day Argentina. The bombilla, is a drinking straw that has the added utility of acting as a sieve for Mate and other teas. It isn't clear when the bombilla was first invented, while it definitely has been in use for the past few centuries, it is said to have been around for thousands of years. Original iterations of the device were carved from wood, but the modern bombilla is most often made from metal.

In western culture, popularization of the drinking straw did not emerge until the 19th century. At that time the most commonly used grain for the production of drinking straws was rye grass. In his 1920 book The Small Grains, Mark Alfred Carleton recorded the process of producing rye grass drinking straws:"After bleaching, the straws are assorted by hand, each individual stalk being examined, and the the imperfect ones removed. They are then cut, the five lower joints only being utilized for drinking purposes. The sheaths are then removed, and the straw washed and bound into bundles ready for the market."

Carleton goes on to note that, were it not for the use of rye in the production of straw braids, it would actually not be profitable to produce the rye straws at all, as it is only a small part of the rye stalk that is used for the drinking straw.

While people made do with rye grass, various inventors tried their hand at popularizing new designs for drinking straws. In one fraudulent attempt, W.H. Brown simply patented the South American bombilla in an effort to capitalize on the ancient design in the US. However things only really began to change when one man could not abide the hint of rye grass he tasted in his mint julep (or so the story goes). Amid his frustration, journalist and inventor, Marvin Stone wrapped sheets of of paper around a pencil, glued them together, and thus "artificial straw" technology came into being. In no time, the paper drinking straws became a massive success.

Other iterations of the straw followed, including, but not limited to, the bendy straw, the crazy straw, and the meat straw. The now infamous plastic drinking straw, only came into regular production in the 1960s and by the 1980's it had become the standard.

As they had become ubiquitous in restaurant chains around the world, it didn't take long for people to see the environmental toll of the plastic material. By 2015, the plastic straw began to endure serious scrutiny, as more and more people had come to realize that all the plastic straws we've produced haven't been degrading and are scarcely recycled. Now 8.3 billion of them can be found on beaches around the world. Today, as plastic straw bans continue to spread, designers have begun to experiment with reusable straw designs, and the paper straw has made a controversial comeback (even Marvin Stone's company has profited from the revival). Only now it has been branded as the environmentally-friendly alternative.

Which begs the question, why not return to the all-natural, eponymous straw that humanity had only recently decided was worth material modification? Better yet, since we have mastered the ability to filter our beer in the last 5000 years, why use a straw at all? While there are vital reasons as to why many people need access to a drinking straw, for designers, these questions require renewed consideration. And really, is it better design to have a straw that lasts 400 years for 15 minutes of use? Or one that degrades naturally, but adds a slight grassy-taste to your mint julep?

Design Job: Jack Morton Is Looking For a 3D Designer For An Upcoming Project In Chicago

0
0

We’re looking for a 3D Designer to assist with an upcoming project for one of our largest B2C clients. The ideal candidate has a background in exhibition, tradeshow and environmental design and will help the design process by generating ideas and visual executions. Experience in stadium and bar environments is

View the full design job here

Ivy Ross, VP of Design for Hardware at Google, discusses how to translate brand essence into product

0
0

This post is presented by the K-Show, the world's No.1 trade fair for the plastics and rubber industry. Visionary developments and groundbreaking innovations will again lead the industry into new dimensions at K 2019 in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Ivy Ross is the Vice President of Design for Hardware at Google. Over the past three years, she and her team have launched 30+ products winning over 90+ global design awards. This collection of hardware established a new Google design aesthetic that is tactile, colorful and bold.

A winner of the National Endowment for the Arts grant, Ivy's innovative metal work in jewelry is in the permanent collections of 12 international museums including the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. Ivy has also held executive positions at Calvin Klein, Coach, Gap and Mattel among others.

Ninth on Fast Company's 2019 list of the 100 Most Creative People in Business, Ivy's passion is human potential and relationships and she believes the intersection of arts and science is where the most engaging and creative ideas are found.

Chris Lefteri: When you started to define Google hardware and its completely new design language from scratch, were you totally free to do that or did you receive any input from the founders?

Ivy Ross: We began the definition of Google Hardware with various sessions across our divisions, from marketing to engineering, software, UX and more. We truly wanted to express and identify what it should and look and feel like to hold Google in your hand. We identified core attributes that felt the most applicable and that we could draft off of as we built this new initiative within Google. Then we developed our design principles from there. The words 'human', 'optimistic' and 'bold' rang true to us and felt like a pure translation of what Google stands for. Then our job was to translate those three principles and the core of Google into the design of physical products.

CL: At what point did the materials come into that story? Was it at the beginning?

IR: We started with the word human which implied certain forms and it meant the shapes were rounded and more natural. For example, the Google Home Mini feels like you're holding a river stone in your hand (and people have actually mentioned this to me). These forms then influenced us in terms of how we incorporated both soft and hard materials and textures. There are so many ways that you can create speakers, i.e., you can just have perforated holes in plastic, but we said no, we want that materiality and that softness to shine through. That's when we said let's start exploring fabric. And the use of color really came from our optimistic point of view of surprising people, both in the product itself and in the little details. For example, when you shift the mute button on the Home Mini and that reveals a pop of color. Thinking about materials and colors was a way for us to express and deliver on our attributes.

CL: The use of textiles feels like it was very intuitive in terms of what you've just been saying. Was there anything else you want to add about that idea of using textiles, because you've used it in a very bold and CMF-defining way that really communicates the value of the products?

IR: Absolutely. One of the biggest aspects to our textiles is that they were all completely custom made and designed. We had to research, develop and innovate in this space to meet all of our needs. There were textiles that existed that were good for audio, but they didn't necessarily look or feel good when you touched them or held them in your hand. Then there were textiles that looked or felt good but weren't acceptable for the high audio quality that we needed to achieve. So all of those fabrics we had to create from scratch. I'll never forget at one of our all-hands meetings we announced that we had looked at over 150 different shades of gray fabric to find the perfect color and texture and the rest of the company was blown away by this attention to detail. Google had never worked with fabric before and it was fascinating for the company to realize how much effort goes into each and every one of these decisions. After we had an idea of what Google Hardware should look and feel like, we dedicated ourselves to making sure each and every element was exactly right.

CL: Previously you've talked a lot about how users feel. How do you want users to feel when they're using your hardware?

IR: We developed our own design language for Google to express the company and its mission in a physical form. And the good thing about coming a bit late to the game with hardware compared to some of our competitors is that we had a clear differentiation out of the gate. Our products feel approachable and human and blend in perfectly in your living room. A lot of our competitors have one slick surface but for us the meaning of human was making things a little more tactile. So in the early days, dividing the product surfaces, even the back of our phones, with some new processes where you can have matte and shiny living together and where the matte has a real grip to it. Really pushing on the sensation of touch and feeling. I think we're craving to ignite our senses a bit more as we've all flatlined in this space. We've been surrounded by black plastic and harsh edges for too long. As a design team we're always looking at how we give the material some new sense of tactility because when you introduce that element it makes you feel and sense differently. So that's something we look to do across all products and materials - whether it's on soft touch glass with the Pixel 3 or on the fabric on our speakers, the mixture of this texture invites a warmth to the touch.

CL: That's interesting as you've got the Google software interaction at the heart of the brand, which is very screen-based and somewhat detached from the physical world. So in a way you're balancing that out with very tactile, emotive and sensorial hardware.

IR: Yes, you're absolutely right. You're often interacting with screens which are flat, slick surfaces which are great because they're very efficient and helpful to us. But to add the warmth and tactility around it is really something we're very thoughtful about, wherever and whenever we can be.

CL: With the domestication of technology and making it more human, you could've gone down the route of natural woods or metals, but like you described that combination of different surfaces, textiles and plastics also feels very human. Can you talk anymore about the use of plastics and that combination with textiles?

IR: Well you know, design is about solving problems, but we also have the challenge of staying within specific production and price parameters. We would love to utilize wood or other materials in place of plastic but it's just not practical in production at this stage. For example, getting the form factor of Google Home Mini where the plastic and the fabric combine almost seamlessly in a beautiful shape was not the path of least resistance. It was incredibly challenging. But we really looked at every possible option and design and we arrived at the best solution that also fit within various requirements. We are always researching new materials and would love to develop something beyond the traditional plastic, but until such time, that's why we continue to evolve the traditional approach to plastics and we combine it with other techniques. One of the most inspiring parts of my job is using design to solve problems within boundaries like these.

CL: You have talked about being an orchestra conductor and your products look effortlessly put together and conceived. So, as a conductor what's your style and how do you manage the different teams to work together in what looks like such a harmonious way?

IR: The great thing about Google Hardware is that the engineering and marketing teams have great respect for our design language and principles. But it's always a dance of trade-offs. Engineering and design are constantly going back and forth to solve problems, but the great thing is, because of the respect we've earned, we give a little bit, engineering gives a little bit. Like I mentioned, the form of the Home Mini was not the path of least resistance. I mean it's certainly easier to make a square plastic box. But the rest of the company saw the consumer reaction from doing something a little bit different. Something that was softer, more beautiful. They're on our side to achieve these things.

I'm so lucky to have such an incredibly talented team ranging from industrial designers to material engineers and I love the fact that they have come from many disciplines. Not just electronics, but from fashion to furniture and even bicycle design. I really do believe that diversity is what fosters creativity. Because of the different points of view we were able to push our design principles to be as strong and unique as possible.

Every week we have a Joint Product Review where individuals bring in products and perspectives to discuss and challenge each other on. I have used the analogy as an orchestra conductor as part of my responsibilities are to hold the vision or maintain the synergy that we've agreed to. And just like an orchestra, sometimes we might need a bit more percussion or need a little bit more violin to really stay true to that vision and make sure the team is working together in harmony so we maintain our consistency. I am very grateful for this opportunity and it's not often you get to develop a brand within a brand, especially at a company like Google.

Our work crosses so many different product categories and the idea is that we can make them all feel like a family through these aligned design principles. I think it's a matter of coherence. Coherence between the vision of the team and the continuing dialogue with open and honest communication. Over time, identifying which of these design principles need to evolve and which ones are really the soul of the aesthetic that we shouldn't change? It's an evolving process and we always challenge ourselves and challenge each other to make sure we can tell if "this feels right" or "this isn't working".

CL: In many of the videos I've seen you're playing with materials. There are always material samples and there is a video that shows a materials library. Can you say something about the role of materials?

IR: The great thing is the company let me work with an architect to design and construct our studio. That was such a gift because buildings at Google have been designed for other disciplines in the past such as computer engineering and coding so to have our space designed for visual and industrial designers was a fantastic opportunity. We talked about what was important and two very big things that were not part of the architecture of other Google buildings was the materials library and the color studio, which are the of pillars of the space. I think for me, creativity is looking at everything holistically, taking it all in and then putting it through your own filter and perspective on the world. So it's really important that we try and inspire each other with new materials, new forms, new shapes and new colors all the time. These two rooms are actually designed with shelving facing outwards towards the rest of the studio so when you walk in every day you see an exhibit of elements that our designers have collected from all over the world. Even a bar of soap that happens to be a beautiful color or we liked the touch or feel.

On the other side of the atrium is the materials library where there are all different kinds of fabrics, textures, resins, etc. I'm a big believer that things from outside your industry can and should inspire you. Having a dynamic range of materials in the library, from mushroom leathers to 3D printed objects, is incredibly inspiring to have around us. I believe part of creativity is playfulness and having these materials to play with is incredibly important to the team.

CL: Google started as a software company and all of their software products are very easily accessible and approachable. Did the software part of Google influence the material choices for the hardware?

IR: We started as a software company so our core design principles evolved from our mission of creating products and services for everyone. And 'For everyone' is what we translate into being human - if you're 'for everyone' then you're inclusive, you're optimistic, you dare to solve problems that will benefit the whole. And we were certainly informed and inspired by Google's DNA and all the amazing applications that came before Hardware.


This post is presented by the K-Show, the world's No.1 trade fair for the plastics and rubber industry. Visionary developments and groundbreaking innovations will again lead the industry into new dimensions at K 2019 in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Future Plastics Could Be Made from Spider Silk and Wood Fibers 

0
0

While the debate on whether bioplastics are thwarting global dependence of single-use plastics or simply a greenwashing scam, a new study released by Aalto University shows promise for burgeoning material discoveries that could potentially replace petroleum-based plastics.

Aalto University and VTT researchers have developed a new biopolymer by gluing cellulose fibers from wood with the silk protein found in spider webs. This new materials rivals the strength of typical plastics, and could be used in place of plastic for future products. In addition to unparalleled strength, the advantage of this material is that it would be entirely biodegradable.

For those aware of the arguably unethical process of silk harvesting need not worry as the silk proteins used in development are synthetic. Aalto University professor Markus Linder reports in a recent press release, "'Because we know the structure of the [spider web silk's] DNA, we can copy it and use this to manufacture silk protein molecules which are chemically similar to those found in spider web threads. The DNA has all this information contained in it'."

This study is just one of many demonstrating the potential for new materials to take the place of their more harmful counterparts in the future. Only time will tell which materials ultimately win out.


Design Job: Use Your Head to Get a New Job as a Helmet Designer at Western Power Sports in Boise, ID

0
0

WPS is seeking a creative, motivated, business focused Helmet Development/Production Manager who will be responsible for helping to establish the strategic direction for helmet designs and coordinating approvals for designs and production needs with Management and other stakeholders. The Helmet Development/Production Manager will effectively coordinate and manage helmet projects and all processes from concept through to delivery to market. The ideal candidate will have the ability to communicate effectively with global sales management, internal departmental partners, other Design team members, and all vendor partners. This position will assist in leading the process within a multi-functional team to develop and execute product development initiatives that deliver on key sales and business objectives.

View the full design job here

Currently Crowdfunding: Upgrade Your Workflow With a Modular Console, Make Elaborate DIY City Landscapes, and More

0
0

Brought to you by MAKO Design + Invent, North America's leading design firm for taking your product idea from a sketch on a napkin to store shelves. Download Mako's Invention Guide for free here.

Navigating the world of crowdfunding can be overwhelming, to put it lightly. Which projects are worth backing? Where's the filter to weed out the hundreds of useless smart devices? To make the process less frustrating, we scour the various online crowdfunding platforms to put together a weekly roundup of our favorite campaigns for your viewing (and spending!) pleasure. Go ahead, free your disposable income:

The team formerly known as Palette Gear has rebranded as Monogram and released an upgraded version of their modular, creative console. Designed to work with a wide range of creative workflows, the system is made up of magnetic sliders, dials, and keys that can be customized for your needs. The new release features an innovative Orbiter Disc module for color grading.

About the size of a remote, this portable, WiFi-enabled printer boasts the ability to print on almost any surface. We're most intrigued by its potential to become a valuable tool for fast prototyping.

This timeless ceramic dinnerware collection comes with a twist: the glazes are made entirely out of common factory waste materials (think: clay remains, crushed glass, marble dust) that are carefully calibrated into a range of great colors.

Combining the hands-on appeal of traditional DIY toys with the allure of creative world-building, Cardkits are visually stunning paper toys that allow kids to form interactive miniature cityscapes that are worth getting lost in.

This wooden balance bike will help young kids find their equilibrium in style. The lightweight frame is made of beechwood and impressively detailed, including an adjustable seat.

Do you need help designing, developing, patenting, manufacturing, and/or selling YOUR product idea? MAKO Design + Invent is a one-stop-shop specifically for inventors / startups / small businesses. Click HERE for a free confidential product consultation.

The Weekly Design Roast, #17

0
0

"My seating design philosophy is simple: You can have a self-supporting fastener-free structure that no one asked for, or you can have comfort. You cannot have both."



"If you've ever seen a cat eating in the wild, then you know that their food needs to be elevated and angled towards them. And my Mr. Pibbles is pretty finicky about ergonomics."

"Typical rocking chairs requires the user's feet to be on the ground, to provide the leverage to rock. My design requires the user to put their whole body into it instead. It's a fun workout, and you look really cool pumping back and forth."

"My design professors always said 'Form Follows Seashell.'"

"If the toxic chemicals in memory foam are giving us cancer, shouldn't our dogs enjoy the same privilege?"

"I've always wondered, 'How can I make a common game less ergonomic and more difficult to visually absorb?'"

"Sure, it's more convenient to shred cheese into a bowl that you can easily empty and clean, but I wanted to use something with sharp interior corners that must be scraped out. Also, the drawer housing itself gives me another item to reach inside of and clean. Fun!"

"No, I don't really need any of this crap, but I wanted to see how much stuff I could get HR to buy for my office if I kept complaining."

"Drink coasters should definitely have sloppily-applied brass stickers on the corners for protection."

"Yes, flat roofs are terrible at shedding rainwater. Yes, the concrete roofs do not have enough structural support. Yes, I ignored the engineers who urged me to reinforce the steel supporting structures. But the building didn't almost collapse until a few years after I died, so it wasn't my problem."

Viewing all 19070 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images