Heads-up displays keep your eyes on the windshield, which is a lot safer than constantly glancing down to check your speed or your phone. They're also expensive. But inventor Ivan Kablukov made the clever observation that everything required to power a heads-up display exists in the modern-day smartphones many of us already have, meaning it could be quite simple—and cheap—for all smartphone owners to install heads-up technology in their cars.

Check out the HUDWAY Glass device he came up with:

Assuming it works as advertised, the ridiculously inexpensive $49 device would serve as a great example of using simple design to neatly solve a problem using what's already available to the end user. I also like that the set-up requires you to keep your phone on the dashboard, eliminating the urge to glance down and check it.

The HUDWAY Glass is up on Kickstarter, but this one doesn't need your help; at press time it was at $482,421 on a $100,000 goal. If you want one, you'd better hurry—there's only four days left to pledge.

Most objects we design and interact with, whether blenders, cars or computers, are enclosed. Meaning we can't see the mechanically marvelous operations happening inside them. That's why cutaway drawings, functional steampunk contraptions and Toyota's KIKAI concept are so fun to look at. So, too, are the "case mods" performed by the subculture of tinkerers who rig their computers up with robust liquid-cooling solutions, the better to deal with the high temperatures generated by the heavy processor use of intense gaming.

Denmark-based Hans Peder Sahl is one such case modder, and with his background—he studied "engineering specialized in Integrated Design," according to his bio—he's able to skillfully combine what works well with what looks darned purty. Check out his liquid-cooled R40 Engineering Workstation project, where the simple act of adding liquid dye adds visual pop to his elaborate plumbing set-up:

Sahl's earlier Project N.V. build introduced hard angles into the tubing and utilized milky-colored fluid, giving the piece a colder, more Tron-like aesthetic:

It's amazing how much difference the color and the geometry of the plumbing has on the overall aesthetic. And if his color mixing experiments, below, are any indication, hopefully we'll see more variants from Sahl in the future.

Check out the rest of his work here.

In his sprawling underground NYC shop, Jimmy DiResta has what seems like every tool and material known to man, all tucked away somewhere in the labyrinth. In this episode of DiResta's Cut, Jimmy whips out a tool and material we haven't seen yet in this series: A desktop CNC mill and a sheet of Corian. Watch as he turns it into an adjustable LED lamp:

Hosted in downtown Los Angeles, the second annual Core77 Conference celebrated many facets of design with the theme, Designing Here/Now. An exploration of the spaces between design disciplines where today's most impactful work is taking place, this year's speakers are changing the very definition of designer. Organized around four central ideas—collaboration now, making now, business now and the future now—the conference was a deep dive into what it means to be creating impactful work in today's competitive landscape. 

The speakers presented groundbreaking projects and incredible ideas over the course of the day (check our #Core77Con15) in the dramatic setting of the Vibiana, a former catholic cathedral in the heart of downtown LA. Even if you weren't able to join us for this year's event, here are five transformative lessons designers can put into practice today. 

Storytelling 101: Bring Candy!

Storytelling will become even more critical in the age of co-creation and interdisciplinary practice. 

 Jessie Kawata of NASA JPL working on prototypes for mission design.

In Jessie Kawata's presentation about design thinking for space exploration, the creative strategist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory shared how fundamental tools of design like asking the "what and why" can help engineers and scientists connect ideas and problem solve. In one example, Kawata led a workshop with NASA scientists asking them to prototype ideas for space missions using materials from the 99 cent store. Besides the wonders of pasta propulsion and coffee filter parachutes, the biggest learning from the exercise was that these storytelling opportunities provided a venue for new ideas to be born. Prototyping with mundane objects meant that the scientists weren't as attached to their ideas spurring a brainstorm of far out ideas that could just lead to the next mission innovation. (How did she get these rocket scientists to participate? "Candy helps.")

[Editors Note: For more on design thinking and science, read Jessie Kawata's post, "Is Design Thinking Rocket Science?"]

Sly Lee, a marine scientist, shared the value of the world's coral reefs as well as the challenges facing ocean ecologies. Communicating the urgency of these challenges continues to be a huge hurdle for the scientific community. The Hydrous was founded to, "Make scientific data sexy!" Lee declares. Through 3D imaging tools, The Hydrous is now able to map and 3D print models of coral reef, creating better data sets for scientists to chart growth and development while providing better storytelling tools for the public. By engaging technology, citizen scientists and the scientific community, The Hydrous is working to create open access oceans and storytelling is a key component in accomplishing this mission.

People First

Whether through a community-driven design practice or working on your most important design project (yourself), putting people first in the age of technology can sound pretty radical. 

Attendees sketching their heroes as part of Ayse Birsel's first exercise for designing the life you love.

The award-winning product designer Ayse Birsel introduced her newest work, a book and workshop that applies her human-centered design practice to life's biggest project—the Self. Design the Life You Love is about creating meaning and purpose through a series of exercises that form the basis of Birsel's client work. Birsel's book and workshop shift the familiar tenets of human-centered design to a self-centered design practice which can be both empowering and transformative.

Brendan Ravenhill gave the audience a glimpse at what it means to be a designer-manufacturer in Los Angeles. The lighting and furniture designer often works with local manufacturers to produce his work and he argues that the link between the two is more important than a passing trend. "The new designer-maker movement is helping to fill the void of manufacturing jobs going overseas," Ravenhill explains. By putting people first, designers working with local manufacturing in turn supports local economies and allows for a type of co-creation that is beneficial for both parties. Ravenhill's Grain pendant is a prime example of how manufacturing locally can allow for a complexity that wouldn't be able to be achieved by working remotely.

[Editor's Note: Read the Core77 Questionnaire with Brendan Ravenhill on switching from boat building to industrial design, working in Los Angeles and how his bottle opener jump-started his business.]

Whereas Ravenhill's community is driven by production and economics, the fiber artist and designer Tanya Aguiñiga defines community in a broader sense, placing it at the center of her work. Whether its in her woven installations and the relationship with a viewing public (see "Crossing the Line" where she transforms a gallery space into a loom) or in the physical interactions of her felting interventions, Aguiñiga's work explores her own identity and a connection to a broader community—mothers, outsiders, multinationals, women. Designers of all disciplines can learn much from her "craft-centered, local problem solving," approach and the ways that it has not only transformed her work but also the people around her.

[Editor's Note: Read the Core77 Questionnaire with Tanya Aguiñiga on designing outside your own reality and using craft as a way to diversify conversations in society.]

Models of Impact workshop led  by Matthew Manos and verynice.

"What if everyone in the world lived to create a model of impact?" Matthew Manos of the global design consultancy verynice, asks the audience. "What if the $8 billion nonprofits spend on design services could be spent on serving the cause?" Manos has inspired a movement with #GiveHalf, his business case for giving away half your work away for free by taking on probono nonprofit clients. By building in a probono strategy into a consultancy's workflow, "your capacity for projects can grow while your fixed costs stay low," Manos explains. If the success of verynice is any indication, putting people first can be transformative not only for the client, but for the consultancy as well. 

[Editor's Note: Read the Core77 Questionnaire with Matthew Manos on Giving Away Half Your Work for Free.]

Mickey McManus rang the alarm in his first book, Trillions, where he described a state of, "unbounded, often malignant, complexity." In his talk, he argued for a "people first" approach as we design the future. Instead of designing an Internet of Things, McManus argues for a "community of things" that can be agile in a rapidly shifting environment. "How does design need to change?" in an age where the intersection of machine learning, digital manufacturing and feedback loops from the Internet of Things demands new and dynamic systems.

Design ecosystems, not products.

As technology and design merge to create complex, more connected and adaptive products, it is more critical to design ecosystems that enable users to create new interactions.

The market is flooded with smart, connected devices that rely on what Mickey McManus, also an Autodesk fellow, identifies as a sea of information. "We'll have to try to create symbiosis between [products]…this will be more like growing a garden or raising children rather than like building products, houses and factories." Being a designer will mean co-creating ecosystems where machine intelligence, data and connectivity must be harnessed.

Google's Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) group and Levi's are a great example of the potential for co-creation. The two American companies have partnered to develop Project Jacquard, a system for weaving connected, touch-sensitive textiles, into a commercially-viable denim garment. "Project Jacquard creates a new ecosystem of open source garments," Paul Dillinger, Vice President of Global Product Innovation at Levi's underlined in his talk. "It is not a gadget, it is a platform that adds value in a world of fast fashion."

NewDealDesign's Project Underskin.

Gadi Amit's presentation on technology design took a more concrete approach to designing ecosystems. In his work with wearables, Amit is already creating customized technologies that draw from complex systems of information. Project Underskin, is a new kind of "wearable"—a sensor embedded under the skin that is designed to interface between the body and external cues from the environment or other people.

[Editor's Note: Read the Core77 Questionnaire with Gadi Amit on assimilating technology into society, being 'a very actionable guy,' and his favorite productivity trick.]

Sochi Olympic fountain designed by WET 

Nadine Schelbert, director of design and branding at WET Design gave a powerhouse presentation that shared how their consultancy own every aspect of designing and manufacturing water features for their clients. From precision engineering, custom built simulation software, manufacturing custom designed hardware, Schelbert explained that designing a water feature means designing space, form and performance. "Owning the design, systems, hardware and software development and build give us creative freedom and pushes boundaries," Schelbert told the audience. The workings of WET's interdisciplinary design practice is a great case study for developing robust ecosystems of the near future.

MAYA: Most Advanced Yet Acceptable

Raymond Loewy's principle of "Most advanced yet acceptable," continues to be a guiding touchstone for designers. In our current age of rapidly shifting paradigms and new technologies, the concept of MAYA can help navigate some of the more thorny ethical and business questions posed to designers today. 

Can collaboration be competitive? Core77 contributor and vice president of design at Sonos, Tad Toulis, made the case for creating an internal culture that encourages designers to "challenge assumptions and push people" in order to deliver something truly good. In a 2011 essay for Core77, Toulis made, "The Case for Competitive Competition," and at this year's Core77 Conference he revisited the idea and reminded the attendees of the power of deep engagement, prototyping ideas, embracing ambiguity, pushing people and most of all, humility. "Explain, explain, explain," Toulis encourages. "Maybe you'll find what the project is REALLY about instead of what you thought it was about."

Tesla Model S, 2013

In Javier Verdura's talk with CARLAB's Eric Noble, the Tesla director of product design reiterated the importance of balancing advanced technologies with the demands of business and consumer expectations. Unique to the industry, Tesla positions itself as both an automotive manufacturer and an energy storage company. The responsibility of the designer is delivering on the brand promise of a luxury, forward-thinking vehicle while also honoring the vision of its founder, Elon Musk. "When people hear the Tesla brand," Verdura explains, "they already think, 'That is so cool.' My goal is for them not to be let down by anything else they touch."

Teddy Ruxpin designed by RKS

Belkin Charge Dock for Apple Watch + iPhone by Pip Tompkin Studio

Pip Tompkin (Pip Tompkin Studio) and Ravi Sawhney (RKS Design) discussed the business of running an ID consultancy with Core77 contributing writer Rebecca Veit. In their wide-ranging conversation, the two industry veterans discussed the delicate dance between clients and consultancy. On one hand, the business world, "understand the value of design," Sawhney told the audience. "They know they need design, they just don't know how to get there." On the other hand, "design encourages risk," Tompkin cautioned. Oftentimes risk-adverse business can be "truly frightened by design." Savvy consultancies must balance the demands of the client, hire balanced interdisciplinary teams and stay ahead of the market to thrive in this environment. Loewy's axiom seems especially prescient in today's competitive landscape.

Think Wrong

Unconventional ways of thinking and problem solving are extremely valuable (and can be taught) in a fast-moving and agile market.

John Bielenberg is a pioneer in social impact design. Since founding Project M, a program to engage young designers in social impact work, Bielenberg has gone on to form COMMON, the world's first collaborative brand, with Alex Bogusky and more recently the Silicon Valley innovation firm Future Partners. In his years of experience working with young designers and entrepreneurs, he's come to the conclusion that "thinking wrong" is the fastest track to finding ideas that matter and Future Partners is on a mission to share and teach the thinking wrong methodologies. The six tenants of the process include:

• Be Bold
• Get Out
• Let Go
• Make Stuff
• Bet Small
• Move Fast

Website for Kenzo x Blue Marine Foundation by OKFocus

NJ(LA)

If Bielenberg's success isn't convincing, the conversation between Ryder Ripps (OKFocus) and Nicole Jacek (NJ(L.A.)) offered a glimpse into the unconventional methodologies their consultancies use for creating powerful work for companies like Nike, Red Bull, Kenzo, Good Magazine and Adobe. "There is a lot of room to divert from the template," Ripps responds when asked about the work being labelled weird. "Being 'weird' is survival." Jacek's work relaunching GOOD magazine has helped reposition the beloved publication and online community for a new print audience that is fluent in the language of digital culture. She notes that a number of corporations are taking cues from agencies like hers by establishing internal departments dedicated to trying new things. 

Thanks to everyone who made Designing Here/Now a huge success! For more information and scenes from the conference, check out the full Core77 Conference 2015 photo gallery!

Back in my ambulance days, we were taught to wash our hands after each shift in warm soapy water—while mentally humming a segment of "Yankee Doodle Dandy." This would take us, they reckoned, to the 30 seconds required for the soap to kill whatever germs might have got past the gloves. To this day, I still hear that silly song in my head when I'm washing up in my kitchen after handling raw meat.

Now researchers at the UK's University of Southampton have come up with a faster way to disinfect, and it's chemical-free. The method is also theorized to get us out of the medically-problematic situation we've created, where we take so many antibiotics that the bugs are forced to evolve, creating ever-hardier strains. Amazingly, this new cleaning system is…bubbles!

It's fascinating that they can turn bubbles into something that cleans mechanically just via ultrasound. (Perhaps less fascinating to jewelers, as ultrasonic jewelry cleaners have been on the market for some time.) Being able to clean something that ordinarily takes 20 seconds in just six means less water is wasted. Also, not mentioned in the video is that the water needn't be warmed in order to clean, which reduces energy expenditure.

If the team can get this Starstream device successfully commercialized, and integrated into kitchen taps, I'd happily pay for one if I never had to buy soap again. It would be less chemicals, not to mention money, water and energy, down the drain.

One of the least fun freelance jobs I ever did was helping an interior designer measure out a recently-shuttered dot-com office. The space was massive, and while the designer had the original blueprints, the real deal didn't quite jive; there were surprise soffets, new partition walls and of course nothing was square. It took a day and a half using our tape measures and a laser and we still hadn't gotten it quite right.

I wish we had had the awesome smartphone-camera-based apps that are now available. Check out this demo of "MagicMeasure"—I have no idea how the thing determines baseline scale, but the results look impressively easy to accomplish:

The "MagicPlan" app, now in its fourth iteration, goes a step further and helps you create plan drawings:

App developer Sensopia claims that both apps are 95% accurate, and say that if you connect a Bluetooth laser to your phone and hook it up to MagicPlan, the accuracy jumps to 100%.

Both apps are free to download, because the company gets you with the in-app purchases (i.e. it costs you, of course, to get the plans out of the phone and into DXF.) But had this existed back then, I'd have gladly paid, as I would've saved myself a bundle on that job alone.

Environments designers, interior designers and architects: What are the measuring apps you guys use and like? And do they work as advertised?

We've written about the Quinze & Milan's Eastpak sofa before—the "backpack sofa," as some call it. But there are other ways sofas can be designed to provide storage.

Sofas with shelving that wraps around the sides and the rear have some drawbacks. They're less flexible than other sofas, because they can't be placed against a wall—and the end users can't easily remove the shelving, later on, if they decide they no longer need it. The sofas may also be less child-friendly, with those hard surfaces at the ends rather than soft cushions.

But they have distinct advantages, too. They can provide storage spaces in rooms where there isn't sufficient wall space for shelving. They're generally pretty stable and unlikely to tip over, unlike some other shelving units that are better off being bolted to the wall. And the shelving will be an exact fit for the sofas, as compared to using separate shelving pieces alongside them.

The Gazel sofa from Koleksiyon, designed by Faruk Malhan, can be ordered with an upholstered back or a bookshelf back, and with upholstered arms or bookshelf arms (or neither). This allows end users to decide just how much storage they need, and what will work for their rooms and their families. 

The Scaffold sofa from Wewood, designed by the André Teoman Studio, has a variety of storage compartments. Those tall sections for books will be welcomed by some end users but might be wasted space for those who aren't looking for storage for tall books. And I would be concerned about things getting knocked off that narrow top shelf.

The Bottoni Shelf sofa from Moooi, designed by Marcel Wanders, has a shelf built into the back. The storage space isn't as tall as with some other designs, but for some end users it will be all that's needed. It's also a design without any hard edges, which can be useful in households with children or anyone who bruises easily.

Some sofa designs provide armrest storage without any storage in the back, allowing the end user to keep a limited number of things close at hand. The Big Bob sofa from Flexform, designed by Antonio Citterio, has an armrest shelf made with a metal frame, covered with leather. 

The Bijoux sofa from DiTre Italia uses one tall storage compartment rather than two shorter ones. Both designs are useful, as end user storage needs will differ.

The shelves on Tabanda's sofa extend to the floor, rather than resting on the sofa base, so they provide more storage space than some other designs do.

VIG Furniture has a sectional sofa that incorporates storage under the arm rests. This design avoids having hard edges on the armrests, which children (and others) can bang up against.

Sofa storage can also be closed, as with the Divani Casa Gardenia sofa from VIG Furniture. It's an easy way to stash things that the end user might want close at hand but that don't need to be on display. It also keeps pets from getting at those items. But it could attract clutter; I can see end users tossing random things in there when doing a quick neatening up, perhaps when company comes over.

Home Reserve has sofas with storage compartments under the seats. This is a bit of a bother to access—the video on the site shows the end user removing the back cushion and the seat cushion before lifting the compartment lid—but it provides a good amount of storage space. The compartments have a wood base; nothing sits on the floor.

These compartments would work nicely for storing things like blankets that wouldn't fit well on shelves. 

"Why do shoes," asked a reader on our forums, "have shoelaces?" I've often wondered the same thing. I hate tying shoelaces and leave them permanently knotted, so I scrunchily rub my kicks against one another when taking them off or putting them on. As I result, I go through a new pair of running sneakers every six months—and I don't even run.

Can we not improve upon something that was invented in 3,000 B.C.? Another member answered the first:

Shoelaces are cheap, infinitely adjustable…easily replaceable, pretty much universal, and in a pinch can be fixed, or replaced….

…There are alternatives…but they have drawbacks. Either expensive, look stupid, not adjustable, don't allow flex, or some combo thereof.

That said, go ahead. See what you come up with. If you can truly do all and more that shoelaces do, you'll be a billionaire.

Well, entrepreneur Charles Harris may not be a billionaire—yet; but he's just landed $377,774 (on a $10,000 goal) and counting on Kickstarter, for what he's presenting as the perfect no-tying-required shoelace solution:

At just eight bucks a pop, the Xpand Lacing System is flying off of the virtual shelves. Harris says he's tooled up and ready to begin shipping in January (which is already just two months away, holidays here we come) in 24 colors. At press time there were 19 days left to pledge.

Harris is no ID'er, by the way; for the heavy design lifting, he enlisted the services of Seattle's Pillar Product Design.

Though he's not an industrial designer, Harris is a serial Kickstarter who's successfully gotten four projects funded, Xpand being his fifth. You can check out his track record here.

Last year off-road vehicle manufacturer Polaris was looking to hire on our Job Boards. Did one of you take the gig? We hope so, because then one of you—or maybe Coroflotter Greg Tada, who was already a Polaris industrial designer—may have had something to do with the following madness.

To showcase a heavily-modified version of their RZR XP Turbo, the company rigged up an insane obstacle course in a "post-apocalyptic dystopian decay of abandoned steel mills, old factories, and train yards," then sent driver RJ Anderson through it at breakneck speeds:

"Do Not Attempt," reads the video disclaimer, "You Could Die."

Well, for those of you that are only in danger of dying from boredom (what a segue!) because your job stinks, there's currently over 1,000 jobs on offer at our aforementioned Job Boards. If you're out of work or looking to make a change, check it out!

Two years ago a doctor fixed my sleep apnea with a special mouthpiece. If I had a more severe case, I'd have to sleep hooked up to the decidedly design-challenged CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine. Take a look at your average CPAP:

I'll say you have to already be married to get one of these. Because if you're single, and you think that cute girl or guy you're courting is going to be happy waking up next to Hannibal Lecter after he got his TIE Fighter pilot's license, you might want to think again.

Heck, even if you're married, I'd say wearing this thing might push your significant other over the edge.

Face-timing with a divorce attorney

Unsurprisingly, half of people with CPAP machines stop wearing them. CPAP technology is no good if 50% of people who need it refuse to use it. So inventor Stephen Marsh has come up with something less intrusive that he calls the Airing:

Marsh raised $1,098,219 on IndieGogo to put towards getting the Airing into production. The solution is not perfect; if it's not clear in the video, these are meant for one-time use only. They're estimated to retail for $3 each (or 60 cents each after insurance reimbursement, they reckon) which means you'd be looking at $1,095 ($219 after insurance) annually. But until a better, less expensive design emerges, this certainly appears to be the best solution—and is leaps and bounds more user-friendly than that freaking CPAP.

Traveling through Vietnam in the '90s, I purchased a flight from Da Nang to Saigon that cost me one million VND. That was the first and last time I ever handled a million of anything. For others, however, carrying a million bucks around—USD, no less—is apparently a regular occurrence. As high-end outdoor gear manufacturer SDR Traveller puts it,

In many countries project expenses and payroll for the local crew need to be carried in cash. Whether you're managing a team of thirty working for months at the edge of the grid, or on a solo trip to negotiate a significant cash transaction, the 1M Hauly is designed for discreet, safe carry of up to $1 Million USD in strapped, new or used $100 USD banknotes.

Regarding that last sentence, the wise-ass part of me has to ask, is there any bag that can carry new bills but not used, or vice versa? Seems like a weird feature to brag about. Anyways, let's see what practical design differences there are between the 1M Hauly and a regular duffel bag:

[The 1M Hauly is] designed to address the six main issues with carrying significant volume banknotes in field: risk of discovery; risk of damage (especially in high-humidity, monsoon environments); container robustness; carryability; glide; and in-field accounting.

Overtly sealed pouches attract undue attention at checkpoints, border crossings and airport security. Each pouch is built from…Cuben Fiber…. Despite being four times stronger than Kevlar at about half the weight, the material maintains an innocuous appearance.

So it seems the bag has been designed to look casual, which doesn't sound like a big deal. The Cuben Fiber appears to contribute the most functionality, in that it's tough, damage-resistant and apparently slippery enough to provide "glide." "Carryability" doesn't seem hard to design for, we've seen plenty of bags that fit the bill, no pun intended.

That leaves us with the "in-field accounting." This comes in the form of an included Accounting Kit, which contains money straps, plastic bags with labels on them, pouches that the plastic bags go into and, amusingly, a Mitsubishi pencil and Sakura marker to write on them both with.

The Accounting Kit also comes with these barb-like TamperBlock Seals, which are something like fancy zip-ties that have laser-engraved barcodes in them for tracking purposes.

Then there's the insert to hold the actual cash, called the 1M Hauly Heist:

Made from the same Cuben Fiber as the outer bag, the Heist pouch also contains nickel, copper and silver fabric, specifically designed to block radio frequency signals "to avoid RF tracking." This means if someone's tagged your money, or if you put a phone/laptop/GPS etc. inside the pouch, the lining blocks signals going to and from the device.

So what does it cost to haul $1,000,000? 

About $720. Happy hauling.

[Read the Core77 review of SDR Traveller's D3 duffle bag here.]

Via Kottke

We think of undoctored photographs as unassailably truthful documents. What you see is what was actually there in front of the lens. But in this fascinating experiment conducted by Canon-backed The Lab, a program started to spread photography knowledge through educational exercises, the photographer's power to "draw" the image they envision is revealed.

The experiment is far from scientific or "fair," and on some level is as manipulative as a reality show, but it's still interesting to see the results. What they did is have six photographers each separately take a portrait of the same man (whom we assume is a professional actor). But each photographer is told that the subject is something different: A millionaire, a fisherman, an ex-convict, a psychic, et cetera. Here are the results:

The hoodwinked photographers of course cannot be faulted for creating images that fit the narrative they're given, and if anything I'd say the resultant images are a testament to their talents. But it is striking to see how preconceived beliefs influence photographic choices. Imagine you were in a war-torn region with a camera, and asked to photograph a man with a rifle; by one account you hear he's butchered an entire village, another account indicates he saved twenty children. What would each image look like?

Thinness has been both friend and foe to industrial designers in recent years. On the one hand, designing for slimness has bestowed our favorite consumer electronics with many virtues (low weight, easy handling, aesthetic elegance)—Steve Jobs was an infamous stickler for slenderness, and for good reason.

On the other hand, in some cases, less depth can mean less design. The more seasoned IDers amongst us will remember—as wild feature phone handset designs made way for smartphones—the dawning realization that the only space left for any real creativity with form, shape, material and finish was the back of the black mirror devices that emerged.

The race to thinness hasn't, of course, been limited to smartphones—the majority of consumer electronic products have been trimming their sidewalls as technology shrinks year on year. The world of TVs (a less glamorous field now than in previous years) has seen even more extreme slimming as screen sizes simultaneously grow whilst gradually disappearing into the wall.

Sony—the Japanese torchbearers for hardware in an digital age—recently announced the release of the X900C, its thinnest 4K TV so far at an almost unfathomable 4.9mm thickness across much of the screen and with a bezel on the chassis so minute its almost non-existent.

Yup thats 4.9mm right there

"Sony has been aiming for this for a long time," Hirotaka Tako, Sony's Chief Art Director and lead on the X900C design tells us. "The ambition is to reduce the TV down to a simple window...to disappear into the room." Hirotaka pays homage to his engineering colleagues whose year of work enabled such a slim-line design—the team impressively managing to turn what is typically a seven layer flat screen (chassis, backlights, outer glass) into a four layer construction with a thin plastic film replacing glass on the outer surface.

Early sketch exploring the geometry of the TV's feet

Hirotaka is a passionate minimalist and talks at length about the inspiration he finds in everyday geometry especially in the urban environment of Tokyo and how purity of form was a starting point for the project.

Post-it prototyping

He describes the process of attempting to design the stand for the TV (possibly the "back of the smartphone" of the TV industry) that can live up to the purity of the window-pane screen. Attempting to keep the visual noise to a minimum, the team turned to geometry in the creation of simple feet to hold the screen in place. The eureka moment hit with a quick experiment carried out with a post-it note and a pair of scissors.

'Geometry of design' keeping the TV's form to a bare minimum

Simplifying the production as well as the aesthetics, the final aluminum feet design were able to be extruded in a long length and cut to size. The real battle came in trying to keep the three-pronged forms as elegant as possible but still strong enough to hold the considerable weight of the television body—something Hirotaka tells us he worked on closely with Sony engineers who helped him find the optimum ratios.

Cheers Hirotaka!

A studio taboret is storage furniture for a fine artist, sometimes topped with an easel or worksurface. Painter Casey Childs was dissatisfied with the taborets on the market—units sold by art supply stores are little more than a collection of cheap drawers—so he set about designing his own.

The result is Childs' Better Taboret Deluxe Studio Edition, a sturdy piece of furniture studded with functional details. A roughly 2'x2' sheet of glass up top provides a large palette area for mixing paints, with a neutral grey vinyl surface below it to allow color accuracy. A row of notches along the rear allow the user to set wet brushes down with the tips suspended over the edge.

A hinged cover to the side of the palette flips open to provide more table-height spaces and reveals a series of recesses. The round ones hold drop-in cups for holding paints or solvents, while the rectangular ones are meant to hold towels, palette knives, random tools, and even the standard-sized phone books and old catalogs some painters use as refreshable brush-wiping surfaces.

A sliding panel to the other side of the palette provides access to the pull-out trash bin concealed beneath the worksurface.

Just below the worksurface is a pull-out tray, for when the user needs some extra real estate.

Beneath the pull-out tray are large, shallow drawers on full extension slides. Inside are user-adjustable dividers perfectly sized to store both large and small tubes of paint, single-layered, so the user does not have to dig to locate a particular tube. To the side are additional shelves for storage.

Lastly, the unit is sturdy. Childs has eschewed particleboard and plywood, going instead with solid oak.

The Deluxe goes for about $5,000, and you can read some reviews of the desk here.

What's on your design wish list? 

This holiday, Core77 is asking for your Top 5! Whether you're a DIY woodshop hobbyist, tech-savvy tinkerer or a high-end design enthusiast, create a list of your top 5 gift ideas between now and December 7th and you'll be in the running for some amazing prizes. 

Here's how it works:

1. Create a Gift Guide. 
2. Get your friends to vote for you! 
3. On December 8th, a community choice winner and top editor's picks will win grand prizes like an Apple Watch or SONOS speakers!

WEEKLY WINNERS! 

Each Friday our editors will pick 3 Weekly Winners to receive $25 Gift Certificates to Core77's Hand-Eye Supply. 

THE BIG ENCHILADAS!

One Editor's Pick and the Community Choice Winner (the guide with the most votes) will each be awarded an Apple Watch. Two Runner Ups chosen by the editor will be awarded a SONOS speaker. Winners will be announced on December 8th!

Have fun! Get weird with it! Make as many as you like and have your friends vote for you! 

The showdown begins now.

On the day of the American book release launch of John Thackara's new book, How to Thrive in the Next Economy: Designing Tomorrow's World Today, John Thackara sits down with Core77's Allan Chochinov to talk about the book, changing attitudes about the future, and where we might be heading.

AC: When did the book project first begin? Is it something that you’ve been working on for awhile, or did it have a definite starting point?

JT: OMG, it must be five years.That's when I did the first formal treatment, at least. I've re-written big chunks of it twice since then—and have added in new a stories along the way as I’ve learned about them. The whole thing stabilized during 2014 when I had a fixed deadline to meet—and it’s been in production for most of this year so I couldn’t change it any more. I hope it’s a good sign that I’m still proud of the book a whole year after I stopped writing it!

The global financial crisis of 2008 reinforced my doomerist tendencies. After that I spent about five years learning that people don't like being told that the end of the world is nigh. So the new book is about the myriad ways that, in my judgment, the birth of a new one is nigh.

This is a very different book than In the Bubble—which was a tremendous work, but a pretty “thick” read. Can you tell us about the transition from one to another from your point of view?

I had five years of feedback on In The Bubble to learn from when I started this project—and there was a clear pattern: Bubble was too dense, and not easily digestable, for a lot of people who were otherwise sympathetic to its argument. With Thrive, I badly wanted to reach readers a few rings out from the inner core of the green design pond—and this meant meant fewer facts and far more effort to explain key concepts. The biggest thrill I had before publication was a friend in Australia telling me that her non-specialist sister liked the book a lot. So based on that sample of one, I reckon the book meets that key objective.

It’s also been several years since the time period you discuss in In the Bubble. How has the world changed since then, or your perspectives on it?

Realistically, yes, it’s been a good ten years between the two books. For the first one I was agog with the discovery that there’s something called an environmental crisis and packed it full of facts and stories that proved how mad the world is. When the implications of that sank in, I became a confirmed doomer for several years. The global financial crisis of 2008 reinforced my doomerist tendencies. After that I spent about five years learning that people don't like being told that the end of the world is nigh. So the new book is about the myriad ways that, in my judgment, the birth of a new one is nigh.

There came a moment—a real life epiphany, which I write about the the book—when I realized that "doing less harm" in a growth-at-all costs economy means doing more harm in the medium term.

Let’s talk about optimism. I find the new book to be extraordinarily optimistic about the possibilities around our future, yet at the same time quite critical and biting where it needs to be. How were you able to ride that line?

I prefer to think that I’m being clear rather than “biting”—but it’s true that I took a conscious decision to stop giving succour to the ‘do less harm’ school of green thinking. For a long time I was perplexed by a dilemma. As I said just now I learned that people don’t respond well to bad news—or to be realistic, they just zone out—so I tried really hard to focus on the positive in my work. But there came a moment—a real life epiphany, which I write about the the book—when I realized that “doing less harm” in a growth-at-all costs economy means doing more harm in the medium term. This epiphany took me straight back to the doom-and-gloom narrative. (Sighs). I’ve tried to deal with that in the book by putting all the reasons why a return to business as usual is not going to happen in chapter one. Faint-hearted readers should simply skip the first chapter.

If you were to put together an “essential bibliography” for people who are trying to create positive change, what would be on your top 10 titles right now?

That’s such a hard question. But let me think. Ok here’s my list—but bear in mind if you ask me the me the same question tomorrow the list will be different:

Berger, John (2003) Hold Everything Dear: Despatches on Survival and Resistence, Verso

Bollier, David, and Silke Helfrich, eds (2014) The Wealth of the Commons: A World Beyond Market & State, Levellers Press

Gowdy, John (1988), Limited Wants, Unlimited Means: A Reader on Hunter-Gatherer Economics and the Environment, Island Press

Graeber, David (2012) Debt: the First 5,000 Years, Melville House

Harding, Stephan (2006), Animate Earth: Science Intuition and Gaia, Chelsea Green

Macy, Jonna (2014) Coming Back to Life, New Society

McIntosh, Alastair, 2001, Soil and Soul, Aurum Press

Mignolo, Walter (2003) The Darker Side of the Renaissance: Literacy, Territoriality, & Colonization, University of Michigan Press

Neuwirth, Robert (2012) Stealth of Nations: The Global Rise of the Informal Economy, Anchor Books

Shepard, Paul (2004), Coming Home To The Pleistocene, Island Press 

Snyder, Gary (2010) The Practice of the Wild, Counterpoint

And of course I need to ask you about your next project?! What are you working on right now?

I’m re-inventing the Folk High School for these new times. I’ve run Doors of Perception Xskools  in different parts of the world over the past few years, and it’s always frustrating to know that a lot of the work stops when when our group leaves town. The Folk High School movement in Nordic countries evolved to meet a similar need three or four generations ago when country communities needed to learn how to adapt to industrialization and modernity. So I’m working on the design of an e-Folk High School—a common platform and toolkit that can be adapted in diverse contexts. I’m helping run a two week professional course at Schumacher College in April to flesh this idea out.

What’s the most interesting Thackara-style fact you picked up this weeK?

Well in Chicago I learned that President Johnson held a White House Conference on natural beauty 50 years ago. That boggles the mind. What topic should today’s be?

You’ve been on the road promoting your new book for a month now. What’s the secrets to marketing a book in this age of information glut?

Breathing the same air, and supping with the devil, are the two things that work. Talking with people, not at them, is fab and I've been on the road for ten weeks for that reason. My dilemma is that, short of becoming a nomad for life, I can't do this for ever. So I ask everyone who reads my new book to consider option 2, and writing a customer review at Amazon.

Part of the "thrill" of traveling to a new freelance design gig was wondering, as I crossed the lobby, what my new temporary workstation was going to look like. Would I get shafted with a card table in the corner, be assigned to a windowless cubicle featuring lunch crumbs from the last tenant, or be placed on one of those wonky communal desks?

How intimidating would it be to your new clients if you showed up with your laptop in one hand, and in the other, your own darn desk stowed away in this case:

Designed by Paris-based Dai Sugasawa, the military-inspired Bipod Table looks more than a little like a sniper rifle set-up.

The Bipod table was conceived with the help of military equipment specialists who used precision engineering to achieve design efficiency. The Bipod's form is the sum of its functions: represented as they are, with exposed parts that emphasize the table's mechanical beauty.

Weighing approximately 10kg, the table is easy to carry or transport, and is fully foldable with adjustable height and a retraction mechanism. Made up of 99 per cent alumiunium, the Bipod is lightweight, compact, and fully recyclable. The Bipod encourages improvisation: it can be used anywhere, and at any time, adapting its function to a variety of spaces and circumstances. The Bipod's modern industrial aesthetic allows for a stylish solution to the needs of every day life.

It would be cool to finish the gig, then break your desk down, dramatically snap the case shut, and demand that your client wire the money into your Swiss account, like you're The Jackal.

The thing I haven't worked out is where to get the tabletop from on-site, as I don't see any room for it in the case. I guess your histrionics would lose a little something if you set the table up, then have to scrounge some foamcore boards from the supply closet to form your worksurface.

Another cool Sugasawa project is his Dome Office:

Unfortunately the project page features no description whatsoever, so I'm not sure what the intended application or knockdown capacity is. But I so want to build one of these in my apartment.

Check out the rest of Sugasawa's book here.

This is one of those small, simple, useful product designs that have you kicking yourself for not thinking of it first. Beijing-based photographer Zhou Ruogu was frustrated with the set-up time required to get his GoPro at the desired angle. After spotting this Dungeons-and-Dragons-Die-resembling Chinese seal…

…he struck upon the perfect solution:

Zhou’s Slopes gewgaw is on IndieGogo, where it’s already surpassed its $10,000 goal with $25,441 and counting. It appears it will retail for $25, a bit more than I expected given its size, but perhaps the molding is complicated. Speaking of which, those of you with injection molding experience: Based on the photo below, how many parts are there to this mold?

 Also: Looking at this shot…

…I can’t quite tell by the size of the photo, but it seems the numbers were molded with the tool perpendicular to each of their respective surfaces. That seems like a lot of tooling; do you reckon all of these numbers on the bottom are molded by just one part of the tool that pulls straight up (perpendicular to the “10” surface)? That seems impossible to me as the draft angle would make the numbers look wonky on the angled surfaces, so I’m very curious as to how they did this.

Here's an interesting-looking chair that's part Apple Store staircase and part Le Corbusier LC3:

It's the work of Dutch designer Luke Broekmuelen, who mysteriously has just this one piece on his website.

It's either just a rendering or he's photo-manipulated it into different colorways.

Whether it's real or rendered, Broekmuelen has calculated some of the details, as revealed in his description:

A cuboid shaped chair. The exterior is covered with glass (or either acrylate) and connected to the steel skeleton with SADEV glass fittings. Seat pads are made of leather and come in multiple colours.

The dimensions are 1000x990x700 (dxwxh)(mm) with clearance between the exterior panels to prevent damage due to thermal expansion.

Approximate weight of the chair (acrylate version) is a little over 110 kg (242 pounds). The interior skeleton and transparant exterior can be disassembled for more compact transportation. No welding is needed for assembly.

Perhaps his otherwise blank website has more to come. Broekmuelen has named the chair Number One, so with any luck there will be a Two, Three and Four.

Knife storage can be a challenge for many home cooks. Since I last wrote about knife blocks and wall racks back in February 2014, a number of additional designs have caught my eye.

The Index with Knives from Joseph Joseph allows the knives to be stored along with the chopping boards, all in a compact form. Since knives and cutting boards are used together, storing them together makes sense. However, many experienced cooks will already have their own favorite knives, so a product that comes with knives as the Index does (with one knife for use with each block) may not be appealing to those end users.

Also, a knife storage solution like this requires that the end user also like the cutting boards, and some purchasers have complained about the small size of the boards and the way they slide around on the countertop.

The Saddle knife block from Kai is another way to store a cutting board or two along with the knives. The Saddle uses leather over magnetized aluminum. It comes with a gorgeous cutting board—again, something the end users may not need, but perhaps a cutting board is something they will be less attached to than a set of knives. However, this won't work well for the cook who regularly uses many different boards for different items such as raw meat, fish, vegetables and cooked foods.

Nickey Kehoe sells this brass knife block with a cherry wood top. The basic design (if not the materials and styling) is similar to many other knife blocks except that the top is detachable, which would allow for easy cleaning.

The Stonehenge knife block from Kai holds 10 knives on its magnetized surfaces; the base is slate. Purchasers note that it has "a firm grip on both sides even when there are two larger knives back to back." And that slate base ensures the block stays steady.

The LockBlock from Joseph Joseph is designed for cooks with small children. Knives are held in place with a locking mechanism; removing them requires pressing a release mechanism that most children under 5 will not be able to use. The locking mechanism has a smooth rubber surface so it won't damage the knives. 

The only problem: Some purchasers said that their knives (or some of their knives) did not get properly gripped and slid right out. It's not clear if these end users got a defective product or if the design requires a certain size knife to work properly. Those who bought another version of the LockBlock, which comes with a set of knives, had no such complaints.

Wall-mounted knife racks are another common design, but the MagMates knife pods from Bisbell allow the cook to store just two knives—a nice solution for a cook with limited space who uses just a couple knives most of the time. And for those with more space, more pods can be purchased as needed.

The AMOD-DOMA design studio has another twist on off-the-counter knife storage, using magnetic vinyl for its MAG stickers. These could be useful for renters who aren't allowed to drill holes in the walls—or any end users who value super-simple installation. However, because these stickers are totally flat, they won't work on normal walls; they need a place (such as the edge of a cabinet) where the handles have room to hang. 

The stickers are sold in packs of three, each one a different size. That might mean the purchasers will wind up with some stickers they don't use, as they buy enough packs to get the sizes they need. 

The Camco Knife Safe mounts on the inside of a cabinet door with double-sided foam tape and screws. It's promoted as a product for RVs, but it could be handy in other small kitchens, too.

Knife racks can also be incorporated into backsplash rail systems; Häfele has done just that with its knife block for the Propri railing system.