The School of Visual Art's Design Criticism department is at it again: they're offering champagne, donuts and—most importantly—information about their esteemed MFA program to prospective students this Saturday, October 22. As in years past, they've lined up a stellar group of speakers, from current students and recent grads to faculty and guest speaker Massimo Vignelli.

You are invited to join the chair, faculty members, and students of the SVA MFA in Design Criticism for an afternoon of presentations and informal discussion about this exciting two-year graduate program. Current students will talk about their experiences so far, such as what it's like to produce a podcast for Kurt Andersen, to get behind-the-scenes access at the Brooklyn Navy Yards with architecture critic Karrie Jacobs, to lift up the hood and study the mechanics of industrial design history with Russell Flinchum, or to create their own blogs with New York Observer editor-in-chief Elizabeth Spiers. Faculty members Andrea Codrington Lippke, Steven Heller, and Karen Stein will share some highlights from their classes—Criticism Lab, Researching Design, and The Design Book Workshop, respectively. D-Crit chair Alice Twemlow will give an overview of the program, which trains students to research, analyze, and evaluate design and its social and environmental implications, to develop their writerly voices, and to explore a range of media for reaching their publics.

A selection of recent graduates of the program will talk about how they landed plum jobs and how they are deploying skills learned at D-Crit in their daily work as design writers, editors, educators, researchers, curators, and managers. And designer Massimo Vignelli will reflect on what has been achieved since he wrote the essay "Call for Criticism" in 1983, and what are the priorities for today's emerging design critics.

See more details & register here. Videos from past open houses:

Scott Amron, the man behind a whopping ten of our favorite recent designs, is back with another brilliant idea. His Vanishing "Fruitwash Labels" are literally so fresh and so clean: they "dissolve into an organic, fruit-cleansing produce wash that helps remove wax, pesticides, dirt and bacteria."

That's right, he's ingeniously engineered those pesky stickers into a practical, functional product for produce: like regular labels, they can display Price Look-Up (PLU) codes and be peeled off, but they also turn into soap, where "washing / rubbing with water triggers the turn" (the stickers are water resistant).

Where the keyrings may have seemed like low-hanging fruit, the "Fruitwash Labels" are perhaps the ultimate packaging design ever. We certainly hope that Amron's innovation sticks; in fact, he's looking for seed money, in a manner of speaking, "selling a 10% stake in the Fruitwash Label Intellectual Property (patents)."

More Amron:
» Carbiner Key
» Put Out Cigarette Magnet
» 3D Coffee Cup Sleeve
» Split Ring Key
» New Soap/Old Bottle
» Trash Can Disappear
» Cash Money Clip
» Dry (Droog) Vase
» Brush & Rinse
» Off Light Switch Hook
» Die Electric

Clockwise from top left: Benoit Vignot, Glynn Kerr, Arturo Arino, Daniele Pesaresi, Nikola Vargov

This edition of Flotspotting is largely inspired by two motorcycle designers who happen to have posted several incredible images to Coroflot during the past month or so, not to mention yesterday's post on Matt Machine. We're presenting their work here alongside a handful of up-and-comers, each of whom has their own ideas as to the future of the motorcycle...

Benoit Vignot of Andon, France, may be relatively new to Coroflot, but he's definitely got the experience when it comes to motorcycle design. According to his CV, he's got over a decade of experience and as of last week, he's seeking employment.

We'd like to extend a warm welcome to Benoit and wish him the best of luck in his search—his work certainly warrants a closer look.

Glynn Kerr (work pictured below and after the jump), on the other hand, is a veritable institution of motorcycle design who has been quite active on Coroflot lately, uploading several images that drew me into his impressive (and extensive) portfolio of professional and avocational work. According to his profile, he's an "internationally renowned designer who has collaborated with most of the major motorcycle manufacturers worldwide for over 25 years. Co-founder and President of the Motorcycle Design Association."

I truly hope that Steve Jobs is in heaven. In many ways, he certainly deserves it. For tech fans, I don't think anyone has brought more joy to the world than Mr. Jobs and his Apple Computer colleagues. However, he ruined my life.

I'm an industrial designer who has been working since 2002. For people who measure time by Apple products, that's right when the 2nd generation iPod was launched. As a designer, you might think that I would be inspired by Apple. Maybe even in awe of their awesome design might. I am, but they've also made my job so much harder. Unfortunately, I don't mean in terms of raising the standard of design.

Talk to any design consultant in the world and they will all have a story about the client(s) who walked in the door and said, "I want to make the iPod/iPhone/iPad of my industry." The first time they heard this, their eyes widened. Their pulse quickened. Finally, could clients have come to realize how industrial design adds real value to their products? Could 100 years of design history finally lead to this? Would we actually be left to concentrate on the core design abilities, like creativity and form development instead of fighting clients to let us actually give their customers what they wanted?

"Yeah, I want my widget just like an iPod. Well, in plastic because we have six injection presses in the factory. Oh, and the finish has to be matte, because we don't have time to adjust the mold to eject quality glossy parts. Oh, and we need huge draft on the parts and huge part lines, because, again, we don't have time or budget to work out high tolerances. Other than that though, just like an iPod."

So, no, the design world didn't change. A new golden age didn't begin. In fact, I think it was retarded. Remember the gay ’90s? When Rubbermaid was on the cover of Business Week as an example of a brave American company letting designers find new market opportunities? When a struggling Iomega company listened to designers to create the Zip drive? Herman-Miller had the guts to launch the radical Aeron chair? Business has really started to listen to designers. Then Steve Jobs returned to Apple.

Somewhere in storage I've got a plaque with my name on a design patent. As part of a design team I was only given partial credit, and the object—a structural package design for a bottle—was something once commonplace on supermarket shelves, but now it sadly seems to be obsolete as I haven't spied one in a while.

The corporation I was working for at the time handled all of the patent stuff; I just remember signing a bunch of documents on a floor full of lawyers. But maybe some of you independent designers or inventors are thinking about patenting something of your own? If so, don't let the complicated procedure scare you off; get a start by watching this video of John J. Doll, the former Commissioner of the United States Patent & Trademark Office, explaining the basics. (Warning: At no point will you mistake this five-minute video for a Michael Bay trailer.)

A couple of years ago we asked "What do contractors do when you're not around to supervise?" and showed you this video:

Now construction tool "skillz" videos seem to be all the rage, with window engineering company Integrity Windows soliciting them for its "Stamp the Champ" Skills Throwdown. As a tool fan I was highly interested in this competition until I saw the following entry, "Guy makes art with semiauto nail gun:"

Earlier this year Asus showed a prototype of the Padfone, which is sort of like an iPad that ate an iPhone, and now (as reported by Engadget) it looks like it will see production. The Android-based device, essentially a tablet with an attendant smartphone that docks inside of it, will be released in early 2012.

My first reaction upon seeing the Padfone was "Cool," followed by "Wait—why?" In trying to think of actual applications for the docking trick, beyond perhaps using one device to charge the other, I'm drawing a blank. As an iPhone and iPad user, to me they are two different devices that have some overlap, but I rarely find myself carrying both of them around and performing a task on one that I suddenly feel the urge to complete on the other.

Then again, perhaps I'm not the typical user. What do you think? If you have scenarios in mind where this smartphone-nested-in-a-tablet configuration would be useful, please let us know in the comments; we're genuinely curious.

New York-based architecture and design firm 0 to 1 recently completed a project called "Artist Retreat." Located in Fiskars, Finland—an artist-centric village of scissors fame—the private guest house was commissioned by a Finnish fine artist as a live/work space for a guest artist.

The sectional shape [the yellow quadrilateral at the end] is a quarter of an octagon. It increases in size from building front to back creating a utility cube with sleeping loft above at the higher end, a work space in the middle and an outdoor terrace at the lower end.

According to 0 to 1, "the form was generated from local climate, Finnish culture, and functions / guidelines provided by the Artist."

It's certainly a compelling structure—almost furniture-like in form, constructed from impeccable materials—yet I can't help but wonder about how much of the interior actually functions as a studio—i.e. there's a reason why artists prefer warehouses and lofts.

As airlines, like the auto industry, have seized upon lightweighting in order to combat rising fuel costs, design can play a concrete role in reducing their bottom lines. They'll increasingly turn to companies like TIMCO Aerosystems, a North-Carolina-based supplier that produces lightweight airplane components. Up above is TIMCO's lightweight Crew Rest Module, which can be swapped in and out of planes depending on whether they're doing long- or short-haul flights.

The first of its kind, this lightweight, fully contained and highly mobile crew rest unit was designed and built for Austrian Airlines for use aboard multiple 767 aircraft with flight times exceeding 11 hours. Consisting of two parts, a vestibule in the cabin with an integral ladder assembly and a mobile crew rest unit that resides in the cargo area, the system allows the operator to maximize use of space while providing enhanced rest facilities for its pilots and crew.

...The final unit, which sleeps six comfortably and utilizes quick connects for all electrical and other environmental and safety components, can be positioned in the aircraft in under 30 minutes. The units are exceptionally strong and soundproof, yet they are light weight, utilizing advanced composites manufactured and fitted in the company's integral composites facility.

It would be kind of neat if they made consumer-ready versions of these that, say, families or groups could rent for long-haul flights. There's no windows, but it would be cool to travel in your own cabin with a bunch of friends rather than dealing with the crying babies and seatback-tray-slammers filling the main cabin above.

User Interface / User Experience Designer
Rockstar Games
New York, New York

Rockstar Games is seeking a talented and dedicated UI/UX Designer who is well-versed in Graphic Design to join their New Media department at their NYC office. The ideal candidate will have very strong design skills, great attention to detail and possess excellent team-work and communication skills. The candidate must be able to handle projects ranging in size and complexity, from small and simple to large and complex, while maintaining design simplicity and efficiency for a large and technologically-sophisticated user base.

» view

The best design jobs and portfolios hang out at Coroflot.

Artist and communication designer Nils Völker's latest site-specific installation "Thirty Six" isn't a huge departure from his previous work, but it definitely has enough charm to warrant at least a minute or three of online video distraction. As with "CAPTURED: An Homage to Light and Air," a collaboration between the self-proclaimed "machine artist" and his brother, a graphic designer, Nils' recent solo piece consists mostly of large, inflatable bags that are "choreographed," so to speak, to evoke respiration.

This time around, the translucent plastic is suspended from the ceiling like a living, breathing chandelier, such that the cells' organization around a central axis, their gauzy constitution and the yellow light itself make for a stark contrast to the shimmering, alien balloon-field of "CAPTURED." Where the previous work took on a distinctly space-age—even Olafur Eliasson-esque—look and feel, "Thirty Six" feels far more organic, short of biomimicry; it's something like an uncanny, larger-than-life alveoli.

The installation is made of "plastic bags, fans, aluminum, halogen light, steel," brought to life by "custom electronics and programming."

We are now face to face with wicked problems. Childhood obesity, climate change, aging population, literacy—the scope, implications and rate of change of today's critical problems make them unlike anything we have faced before. Solutions to these wicked problems have the potential to change the way we live in the world.

To even begin to address such issues, we need people and organizations with the ability to innovate. Expertise in health care, education, and energy are not enough. Neither are superb analytical and creative thinking skills. Motivation, informed by beliefs in ability, is the critical ingredient we often ignore. Without believing in our ability to develop and implement innovative solutions that can address the world's challenges, we will not even act.

The ability to act is tied to a belief that it is possible to do so. Without a firm belief in our potential to develop and implement innovative solutions that can address these wicked challenges, what we call innovation self-efficacy, good or even great ideas are of no use at all.

What is innovation self-efficacy? And how do we develop these beliefs?

Innovation is the intentional implementation of novel and useful processes, products, or procedures designed to benefit society. Despite anticipated benefits, innovation work can be unpredictable, controversial, and in competition with current courses of action. Innovators must develop, modify, and implement ideas while navigating ambiguous problem contexts, overcoming setbacks, and persisting through uncertainty. Innovation self-efficacy is our belief in our ability to take part in these types of actions. Innovation self-efficacy and innovative action are mutually reinforcing. Positive feedback from innovative action builds confidence, which leads to more innovation behavior.

Innovation Self-efficacy ↔ Innovation Action

Building on Stanford psychologist Albert Bandura's framework, innovation self-efficacy develops in three primary ways: Social persuasion (being told you can do it), Vicarious learning (watching others do it), and Mastery experience (doing it).

I like cutting two-by's with a chop saw. Or slicing tubes with a pipe cutter, or trimming veneer with a router. Because all of those materials are rigid and you get nice, clean cuts that are exactly what you intended. But as someone who's new to fabrics—I just re-upholstered the stool above for my studio—I absolutely hate cutting soft materials by hand. The required steps of making and tracing patterns seems like an inefficient expenditure of time and paper; I'm also clumsy with shears and the fact that the material moves when you're trying to cut a precise curve drives me nuts.

So admittedly I may be more excited than you'd be to come across this PT-72 CNC cutter, designed to carve intricate patterns in marine canvas, upholstery vinyl and the polyethylene you see in the video below. It's an interesting variant on a CNC tool in that it uses a directional blade that drags across the surface to make a cut, rather than using a bit that rotates at high speeds (which of course would not work with fabric). And I kind of like the THUMP noise the device makes when engaging the fabric, as it seems more soothingly analog than the banshee-like wail of a CNC cutting through hard stuff.

Remember the Bento Book amalgamation of mobile devices designed by Rene Lee? We've been eagerly watching the onetime RISD ID student's website since last July, when he scored a coveted internship with Apple's Human Interface Team. Unsurprisingly he's kept mum about what he's worked on at Cupertino, but a glance at Lee's well-designed website reveals a strong Apple influence in more ways than one.

The Tecnológico de Monterrey's SLP campus

Last week I was down in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, to speak at the Design Addict Congress, a series of lectures and workshops focused on industrial design at the The Tecnológico de Monterrey's SLP campus. In attendence were over 300 designers and design students from all over Mexico. The Tecnológico de Monterrey was founded in 1943 by Eugenio Garza Sada. Along with a group of Mexican businessmen, Sada envisioned a cutting-edge educational institution for Mexico. Today the Tecnológico has more than 30 campuses throughout Mexico and nearly 50,000 undergraduate students.

At this year's Design Addict Congress, speakers were invited to give a lecture to the entire audience, as well as a workshop to smaller groups. Speakers included Karim Rashid, Don Lehman of More/Real, Matali Crasset, Alberto Villarreal, Antonio Aguilar of Electrolux, and myself, Michael DiTullo from frog. The San Luis Potosi campus has one of the younger design programs in the Tecnológico system of schools, and in my experience those younger design programs tend to be a little more open, hungrier for reality, and full of eager students. That was certainly the case here. Everywhere we went we encountered eager, bright, and very passionate design students.

Using beer bottles and plumbing fixtures, Chicago-based Etsy seller ZAL Creations produces beautiful steampunk-y lamps in desktop, wall-mounted and hanging varieties. (A variation on a theme, perhaps.)

NFL quarterbacks and Army Rangers wear "wrist coaches" to keep track of things like "Blue 42 Twist Right" and the full names of people you're supposed to shoot on sight. But what about us civilians? You could argue that we don't need such devices; since it's not 4th down in your office and no one's shooting at you, you can take the time to dig a smartphone out of your pocket and mash buttons until you get the information you're seeking.

Still, French designer Doriane Favre has come up with the Montre Post-It, a wristwatch-shaped sticky meant to give you a quick reminder:

Beats writing on the back of your hand, and if you want a little extra space on the subway, leave one on and write REMEMBER TO TAKE ANTI-PSYCHOTIC MEDS on it in red Sharpie.

via gadgetlab

Hirosaki is a city in northern Japan responsible for the bulk of that country's apple production, meaning they've got a lot of apple trees. In homage to the region, designer Keiji Ashizawa incorporated apple wood in his Hirosaki Knife Box, produced for Wallpaper's Handmade collection of objects.

Remember NAU's "Immersive Cocoon"? Conceptual artist and designer Diddo has extended—or inverted, perhaps—that concept for posterity's sake with "Project Womb," an inquiry into the "Aesthetics of the After Life." It's essentially an Information Age overhaul of the casket, a sort of Sarcophagus 2.0 (tomb-point-oh, perhaps), bringing the symbolism of the womb to bear on the ultimate unknown by recasting fetal position as a fatal position.

After birth, the second biggest event in life is death. And, yet, across cultures, our relationship with it seems based on avoidance and denial. We asked ourselves, why isn't death treated as naturally and gracefully as birth? Why can't we perceive it in a more positive way? And redesign its rituals to reveal, rather than conceal, who we really are? That's how Project Womb was born.

We believe the only true legacy anybody leaves behind is the story of his or her life. Usually, the telling of this story is left to friends and family. The more celebrated ones amongst us are at the mercy of media. That's a lot of different versions of our life story. And we don't have a say in any one of them.

Project Womb provides the comfort of knowing that your story is told in your own words, pictures and videos. And shared with the world. It's a container for impressions and memories you can record and update over your lifetime. A collection of personal insights and experiences that can inspire future generations for many years to come.

We want to change how the story is told. And how it's presented. We find rectangular caskets unnatural and unfriendly. To us, the womb offers a design that's in harmony with life and nature.

And yes, there's an app for it...

Executive Director
Interaction Design Association (IxDA)
Anywhere, USA (Remote)

The Interaction Design Association (IxDA) is an international professional organization whose mission is to advance the discipline of interaction design, through a variety of online and offline platforms. In addition to the IxDA.org website and discussion forum, the IxDA oversees 100+ local groups around the world, bringing the global IxD community together for its annual Interaction Awards and conference. Dublin, Ireland, will host the fifth annual IxDA conference in February ’12.

Since forming in 2003 and incorporating in the United States as a not-for-profit 501(c)(6) professional organization in 2005, the IxDA has operated almost entirely on the shoulders of a volunteer Board of Directors, Initiative leads, local leaders and hundreds of volunteers from around the world. The community has grown exponentially, with now over 22,000 list members, growing business interest and expanded community desire and need for more support.

The IxDA has grown to the point that they need a motivated and driven individual to take on the first Executive Director position within the organization. The Executive Director will serve as an external face of the organization, leading the organization operationally in order to ensure that they continue to support our mission day-to-day and our financial and community objectives. This is a new role that requires an individual who is willing to work with the leadership of the organization to build and shape it.

His or her duties will range from administration and development to communications and operations. Key responsibilities include:
- Oversee the day-to-day operations and administration of the organization, including recruitment, employment, and management of all personnel, both paid staff and volunteers.
- Assure that IxDA has a long-term strategy (as guided by the Board of Directors) that achieves and furthers its mission. The director will also ensure the organization makes consistent and timely progress in the short- and medium-term.
- Provide leadership in developing initiative, organizational, and financial plans with the Board of Directors and staff, as well as carry out plans and policies that the board authorizes.
- Maintain official records and documents, and ensure compliance with US federal and state regulations. Conduct official correspondence of the organization, and jointly, with designated officers, execute legal documents.
-Build relationships and cooperative arrangements with community members and other organizations; represent the IxDA to agencies, organizations, and the general public.
-Work with the treasurer and the board in preparing a budget; see that the organization operates within budget guidelines. Ensure that adequate funds are available to permit the organization to carry out its work.

Additionally, since IxDA has no physical office space, this position will be taken on remotely. The IxDA is a community of global members, therefore the Executive Director must be comfortable with communicating across time zones sometimes outside of normal office hours.

Click through for a full list of the Executive Director's responsibilities, as well as the ideal candidate's skills and experience.

The best design jobs and portfolios hang out at Coroflot.