Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Water, Cutlery, Hubs!

Ty Nant Water Bottle


Ty Nant is an upmarket Welsh mineral water brand. They approached UK Industrial Designer Ross Lovegrove to produce a new and updated rebrand of their already iconic bottle. Lovegrove is well-known for his works that are organic and curvaceous, with flowing lines in furniture and lighting products. 

To rebrand the original water bottle, Lovegrove decided to use the idea of flowing water and recreated the bottle as a three-dimensional representation of this. Apart from the visual side of this design, the ripple surface helps to strengthen the bottle allowing a thinner type of PET plastic to be used. It also allows the bottle to have a better grip.

The concept of the bottle is to express the product that is contained within it - in this case, mineral water. A tiny quirk in its design - if the bottle is not full of water or liquid it will become flimsy and will lose its lustre as well!

I like the extreme difference between the old and new designs for the Ty Nant bottles. The redesign for the bottle is very contemporary and suits the product as well, because of the smart concept in creating the bottle as flowing water.


Special Cutlery Style


German Designer Daniel Eltner has designed a quirky cutlery range called "Style". Only certain food types can be used with each particular utensil. The cutlery itself is very thick and chunky making them easy to use. Eltner has combined the human form into his designs: the pasta server represents an arm outstretched with the head of the server mimicking fingers on a hand. Cromargan and porcelain has been used.

A new take at how cutlery should look like. I like how Eltner has put his ideas directly into how the product should be designed, another example of how designers are breaking out of the boundaries and creating inventive designs.

And now for the interesting product of the day!


LaCie Hub


This quirky product from French firm Ora-Ïto offers seven USB ports! Connect your iPod, external hard-drives, Wacoms and storage.


References

Carney, R., Dennis, T. (2009, May 4). Technology. Computer Arts. 154, October 2008.
Fairs, M. (2006). Twenty-First Century Design. London: Carlton Books Limited.
Wanders, M. (2005). The International Design Yearbook 2005. London: Laurence King Publishing Ltd.
Ty Nant Bottles . (2010). Retrieved May, 19, 2010, from http://www.tynant.com
Google Books. (2010). Retrieved May 19, 2010, from http://www.books.google.co.nz
Industry Idea. (2010). Retrieved May 19, 2010, from http://www.industryidea.com
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Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Mobile, Bling, Beards!

Loftcube


The Loftcube is designed by Werner Aisslinger. This mobile living unit
has been very popular with apartment owners in the city who seek
privacy and tranquility - a place to get away from stress. The
Loftcube is a H 680CM x W 410 CM x D 410CM self-contained living unit on roof-tops. It has been described to have a Bauhaus aesthetic in its design due to its simplicity. It also has very large glazed walls.

Despite its size, it houses a living room, cooking and dining area and
also a sleeping space with a bathroom! There are also optional extras
such as a swimming pool and customizable furniture. This living unit
is not just limited to owners of a flat roof! The Aisslinger studio
has had orders from houseboats and holiday-home owners as well.
Because the Loftcube is lightweight, it can be transported with ease
to any desired location by helicopter.

A great concept to mobile living. Buyers that are interested in
holiday batches and the like would certainly invest in this. The fact
that it can be moved to any location increases its popularity. This
really pushes the idea of mobile.


Bling Bling


In my last post I looked at Tjepkema's work. He also came up with the
idea of the "Bling Bling" pendant. From a distance, this pendant looks
like an elaborate crucifix. However, upon a closer a view the pendant
is actually made up of famous logos from the best-known brands in the world! The concept behind Bling Bling was to make a statement on the aspect in our modern lives and logos play a considerable role in the types of products we buy.

Tjepkema describes Bling Bling as "the most branded object in the
world" - measuring 8cm x 9cm and is made of gold-plated silver alloy.
The cut-out logos have been superimposed over one another creating a thick crust effect. These logos include many of the most well-known brands, including Diesel, Nike, Puma, McDonalds, Coca Cola and Volkswagen to name a few.

The name "Bling Bling" is a playful take on the jewelry that many
hip-hop artists wear in America who favor chunky necklaces. The
pendant was created in 2002 for Che ha pair, a jewelry label in
Amsterdam.

The idea behind this pendant is represented really well, comparing it
to how we are obsessed with brands in society. The product makes a
very bold statement - hopefully more products in the future will
follow this example to make us more aware of the world in a creative
way.

And now for the interesting product of the day!


Hand-made Beards


Quirky hand-made beards by Erin Dollar. Comes in a variety of shapes and colours!


References

Carney, R., Dennis, T. (2009, May 4). Technology. Computer Arts. 154, October 2008.
Fairs, M. (2006). Twenty-First Century Design. London: Carlton Books Limited.
Wanders, M. (2005). The International Design Yearbook 2005. London: Laurence King Publishing Ltd.
Apartment Therapy. (2010). Retrieved May, 18, 2010, from http://www.apartmenttherapy.com
Kilmt02. (2010). Retrieved May 18, 2010, from http://www.klimt02.net
Boing Boing. (2010). Retrieved May 18, 2010, from http://www.charlesandmarie.com
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Monday, May 17, 2010

Breakable, Inflatable, Moustaches!

Do Break Vase


Dutch Designer Frank Tjepkema came up with this nifty idea - a vase that is designed to be broken! It even comes with instructions urging the buyer to break it! It's called the "Do Break Vase". The secret to the vase is the lining of rubber on the inside, which holds the vase itself together. The rubber also acts as a water seal to prevent liquid from leaking if water is placed into the vase.

At first glance, the Do Break appears as a beautiful cigar-shaped white vase with a smooth porcelain surface. Throw it onto the ground and the cracks formed from the fracture lines create the masterpiece. The act of breaking the vase increases the uniqueness of the product: the vase breaks but does not shatter.

The idea behind the Do Break Vase was to create a product that was based off of random, uncontrollable factors to create a pattern. Tjepkema's vase was designed for Dutch brand Droog in 2001 as part of a conceptual design product called Do Create.

The whole concept with actually having to break the vase to create the product is a great idea and I hope that we are able to see more of this in the future. Being able to interact with how the overall product looks in the end is always intriguing.


Office in a Bucket


The Office in a bucket is the witty creation of Designer Nick Crosbie of Inflate Design Ltd, UK. The idea behind the OIAB was to create a portable inflatable meeting room or temporary work space on the move. It's very simple to set up and is made out of durable materials: rip-stop nylon and PVC. 
The room itself is H 220 x W 300 x L 400 cm.  The entire 'office' fits inside a bucket with a fan installed at the bottom. Pull out the fabric from the bucket and simply plug it into an outlet to self-inflate your own office in a bucket.

To remove any claustrophobia, Crosbie has removed the roof to the inflatable building, making the outer walls curve so that the shape is almost spherical.  From an outside view, the space appears to be enclosed, but inside, there is a 'skylight' which eliminates the need for indoor lighting! The OIAB has no door - instead the design opens and closes like a clam.

Being able to have a portable office could definitely come in handy, especially if a business is wanting to advertise themselves at a convention. If this idea was further developed we could see great potential from such a simple idea.

And now for the interesting product of the day!


Moustache Pencils


Each pack comes with five pencils with a moustache on one side and the character that owns said moustache on the other: Salvador, Zorro, Burt, Django and Clark.


References

Carney, R., Dennis, T. (2009, May 4). Technology. Computer Arts. 154, October 2008.
Fairs, M. (2006). Twenty-First Century Design. London: Carlton Books Limited.
Wanders, M. (2005). The International Design Yearbook 2005. London: Laurence King Publishing Ltd.
Before and After. (2008). Retrieved May, 17, 2010, from http://www.beforeandafter08.blogspot.com
Tom Howard Design. (2010). Retrieved May 17, 2010, from http://www.tomdesign.co.uk
Charles and Marie. (2010). Retrieved May 17, 2010, from http://www.charlesandmarie.com
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