This signage system was designed for Taiwan's National Kaohsiung Normal University (NKNU) by Hand Heart Design, a Taiwanese design studio. The brief was tough: The school asked for a wayfinding system that could be delivered on a tight deadline, and at a low cost. HHD's solution … | Continue reading
If you've already entered your work in awards like Red Dot, iF Awards, Core77 Design Awards, or IDSA, don't let those entries sit in your outbox—submit them to the DIA Awards now! You've already done the hard work; give your projects another chance to shine and win cash prizes wh … | Continue reading
This ReCon Project, developed at Austria's Graz University of Technology (TU Graz), proposes a hook-and-loop fastening system for wall surfaces. While a true hook-and-loop arrangement (like that used in Velcro) isn't possible with rigid surfaces, the research team came up with a … | Continue reading
Now that video games rival TV shows and movies as entertainment, so too has product placement crept into them. The in-game ads have been suitably gamer-targeted: Monster energy drinks, Subway sandwiches and Cup Noodles have featured in games like "Final Fantasy XV," "Death Strand … | Continue reading
In 2008 the Olympian Quarter, a new 900-unit residential neighborhood, was under construction in Amsterdam. Seeking something special to distinguish the neighborhood, the Amsterdam Foundation for the Arts commissioned Dutch artist Reinoud Oudshoorn to create the house numbers. Ou … | Continue reading
Here's a rock sitting on what appears to be a mirror. In fact, beneath the mirrored glass is an LED panel.Called Umbral, the art piece was created by Barcelona-based artist Six N. Five, a/k/a Ezequiel Pini."Umbral (2025) is an intention to continue exploring the delicate boundary … | Continue reading
In America, the phrase "Now we're cooking with gas" was slang for "Now we're really operating efficiently." It originated as a marketing slogan in the 1930s, created by the American Gas Association to push newfangled gas-fired ranges and ovens. And back then, gas stoves were inde … | Continue reading
Business executives seeking to level up can enroll in an MBA program, but there's no equivalent for industrial designers. Future London Academy, a UK-based executive education organization, aims to change that. They're offering an Executive Programme for Design Leaders, as well a … | Continue reading
We live in an age of shitty product design and no customer support. Stuff breaks because it's poorly made, and then you have no recourse but to throw it into the trash, because it's unrepairable. If you try to get someone on the line, it's endless sub-menus before you finally get … | Continue reading
This Air Pump Pocket, by Chinese tool manufacturer Hoto, fits well within the brand's designey aesthetic. Sleek and elegant, the diminutive object measures just 3.66" × 2.28" × 1.50" (93 × 58 × 38 mm) and weighs 0.56 lbs (255g). Small size aside, it'll inflate up to 150 PSI, and … | Continue reading
When Lindsay Yazzolino was young, she made an origami Christmas tree out of a one-dollar bill. Impressed with how sharp she'd made the topmost point, she urged her mother to examine it for herself. Although her mother assured her that she could see the paper, Yazzolino insisted. … | Continue reading
Here's a low-tech mug design for those who drink looseleaf tea. The Cuptone Teacup lets you ditch the strainer, as it's got one built-in:That said, this doesn't look like a great fit for the clumsy or those with cluttered desks. While I'm drawn to this thing, I know for sure I'd … | Continue reading
The Rail is by Cleveland-based product designer Brian Hendricks, a/k/a Lofted Goods. It's a rail-based, wall-mounted planter system consisting of a wood dowel and 3D-printed components. The vessels are easily removable, and slot into the brackets via a sliding dovetail. The botto … | Continue reading
San-Francisco-based Volley Automation creates automated robotic parking systems. To refine their robot parking valet, which increases the amount of parking space available within apartment buildings, they turned to industrial design consultancy Mighty Studios. Volley AutomationAu … | Continue reading
It's not your imagination: Cars have gotten taller over the past few decades. Safety regulations influence automotive designs in ways that laypeople may not realize. In particular, hoods have gotten higher; manufacturers are required to raise them above the engine block, leaving … | Continue reading
Here's what we looked at this week:Handsome, stackable cork storage boxes by RelvaoKellerman.Innovations in home lighting: Smart outlets vs. smart outlet covers. A paradigm "shift:" The QwertyMax keyboard updates a 150-year-old UI, adding a dedicated symbol row, instant emoji … | Continue reading
I think this is kind of a stretch, but Munich-based industrial design firm RelvaoKellerman says "the box is the third archetype object in our culture history, following the table and the chair." Their rationale is that "People always created containers for their things to be stor … | Continue reading
Believe it or not, on a daily basis you still use something invented in the 1860s. It's not an object, but a UI: The QWERTY keyboad layout, first patented by American inventor Christopher Latham Sholes in 1867.Initially, the QWERTY keyboard only provided capital letters, allowing … | Continue reading
These InvisOutlet Auras are "smart outlets" that provide decorative lighting without the need to add additional fixtures. Developed by a startup called Intecular, they're not for the electrically timid; you do need to shut your breaker off and remove your old outlets to install t … | Continue reading
Those of us who played high school or collegiate athletics know what the inside of a locker room looks like. They're typically unattractive and utilitarian spaces.That changes at the D1 or professional level, of course, where player retention is important. In America, professiona … | Continue reading
A cooking utensil with a built-in rest, which keeps the business end off of the countertop, isn't new. However, Japanese housewares brand Yamazaki Home has added a clever feature to their Floating Spoon: Indicator lines that allow you to use it as a measuring spoon. If you haven' … | Continue reading
Invented in Korea, this Cornervery tool is a 90-degree stapler. It's aimed at small business that want to create their own packaging.The company that makes it, also called Cornervery, says it's a more economical way to make packaging; paperboard can be die-cut to minimize waste, … | Continue reading
A newfangled trend is popping up on certain flashlights: Power level indicators. On the one hand, an added LED screen is one more thing that can break over time. On the other hand, certain flashlight users would greatly value knowing precisely how much light time is left. (In NYC … | Continue reading
Quick, think of a famous lounge chair.What did you picture? The Barcelona, the Eames, the Egg, the Wegner Shell? Chances are it contains foam. If you want to name a famous lounge chair design without foam, you practically have to go back to 1925, to Breuer's Wassily. Now, 100 yea … | Continue reading
When Ford first released the Mustang in 1964, they anticipated it would be a success, but underestimated by how much. They projected they'd sell 100,000 units in its first year. Instead they sold 22,000 on its first day on the market, and had moved 400,000 units by the end of tha … | Continue reading
Studio Drift, the Dutch artist team, has combined drones with architecture in a novel way. They've collaborated with drone show company Drone Stories to visually complete architectural landmarks, like the Colosseum and the Sagrada Familia, that have been damaged or are incomplete … | Continue reading
Sonja Djønne and Thoralf Lian live near the Arctic Circle in Norway. "We have a lot of snow and rain," Djønne said in an interview with Scandinavia Standard, "and a lot of wet weather in general." Having children and a dog, the pair found that keeping the elements from being trac … | Continue reading
The Eameses had a lot of friends from diverse backgrounds. One such friend was Corita Kent, a talented artist and nun who ran the art department at Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles. In 1954, Kent read an article about the Eameses in Arts and Architecture magazine. She subs … | Continue reading
UK-based company Eskimo was formed for a single purpose: "To save the world from the ugly and impractical saboteurs of interior design," meaning radiators. We looked at their Modernist towel heater here, and their Cliff series of regular radiators is worth a look. Monolithic in a … | Continue reading
In China, many older homes antedate the relatively recent surge in the use of appliances and gadgets. As a result, kitchens may only have one outlet at the counter, with residents frequently having to unplug one object to plug in another. This PowerCombo Digital Power Strip, by C … | Continue reading
Teenage Engineering has launched an unusual initiative called "'25 the Flipped Out Year." This is a campaign where they run "flipped out offers," which are unconventional promotions and product releases intended to gauge customers' perceptions of value; as one example, in June th … | Continue reading
Massachusetts-based NS Builders works on expensive custom homes. This bathroom space brings a unique challenge: Because of the sink's location, there's no way to put a mirror over it without having to cover up the window.The clever solution adds both mirrors and medicine cabinets … | Continue reading
Sunflower is a twist on the concrete fire pit, designed by Mexican ID firm Shift Studio. SUNFLOWER is a concrete fire pit with a unique form that proposes a new direction for concrete fire pit fabrication. Currently, concrete fire pits are made using one single large mold to cast … | Continue reading
Here's what we looked at this week:The new, disruptive Antigravity A1 is a drone for non-drone people. These ATMs give receipts you can use as rolling papers.Sharpie expands their range of colors yet again with their acrylic Creative Markers line.Examples of good and bad UX i … | Continue reading
Here's an example of how the different needs of different countries prompt the design of entirely different vehicles.As Germany tries to move away from coal, biomass has become a core part of the country's renewable energy mix. Organic material is pelletized and burned in biomass … | Continue reading
CoolAnt is a passive cooling system for buildings, developed by New-Delhi-based architect Monish Siripurapu. The name isn't just a twist on refrigerant; Siripurapu was inspired by anthills, which are passively cooled. Air circulates through the tunnels and vents of an anthill, re … | Continue reading
Wrapping high-net-worth NFL players in protective gear is serious business. When XTECH Protective Equipment wanted to level up their line of shoulder pads, targeting elite NFL and collegiate players, they collaborated with ID firm Studio RedEye.X2 Protective Football Shoulder Pad … | Continue reading
Here's what we looked at this week:Simone Giertz's Patch Cap offers on-head storage. Blackdot's robotic tattoo machine is reportedly more comfortable and does better work than humans.Astronauts will return to the moon wearing gold-plated Oakleys.Fantastic Industrial Design st … | Continue reading
It's the 10th anniversary of Philippe Starck's Bon Jour Unplugged, a cordless rechargeable lamp designed for Flos. To celebrate, the brand is updating the lamp with new colorways, along with some technology that the 2015 model lacked: You can now change the color temperature of t … | Continue reading
Brooklyn-based designer Scott Henderson has a knack for creating products that become household staples. The Moby Spout Cover he designed for Skip Hop in 2008 is one of the best-selling baby items of all time, and his early work on OXO Kitchen Tools helped establish that brand's … | Continue reading
An industrial designer is supposed to notice the details of existing objects—especially the ones that annoy us. Brooklyn-based product company Craighill's Rope Split Ring does away with the key hassle of a key ring by adding a tiny tab that makes all the difference: Here company … | Continue reading
This year the FDA announced a plan to phase out petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the American food supply. Studies have popped up linking these dyes to negative health effects. Why do these dyes even exist? Because your average consumer would apparently be grossed out by eatin … | Continue reading
In my 20s, I had a friend in Manhattan who lived on West 28th Street, directly above a nightclub. From 10pm to 4am it was absolutely deafening inside her apartment. She didn't live there long.Maybe she could've used a pair of these. Australian engineer Oliver Masson invented this … | Continue reading
These Vector rims are by California-based Concept Car Studio, and designed to look like something you'd see on an '80s-era concept car. They look particularly good on wedge-shaped vehicles, like the Subaru XT6: "We realized that nobody since the early 2000s has tried to offer th … | Continue reading
In the 1980s, it became popular to depict sunsets as an orange ball, sometimes gradated, with horizontal lines across the bottom. This motif showed up in state license plates, corporate logos and pop culture. The graphic trend faded out in the '90s, but came back with a vengeance … | Continue reading
Initially, 3D printed homes generated a lot of hype; the promise was that they'd allow for more design freedom and most importantly, be cheaper than standard construction. Those things haven't happened yet: The "design freedom" seems to manifest as adding arbitrary angles and cur … | Continue reading
Some 936 million people worldwide suffer from sleep apnea. This leads to poor quality sleep, higher risk of blood pressure, and higher risk of both strokes and heart disease. The accepted fix is to sleep with a special mouthpiece or a CPAP machine, which users understandably find … | Continue reading