House in Buzen, when they are young, places like a narrow path between houses, the edge of a garden, the back of a shed, under the floor, or an open lot are the preferred playgrounds of children.
Rather than a park or garden that was built to be played in, we wanted to make a house with a courtyard that would become a playground naturally. Rather than a collection of rooms, we think of this house as a collection of constructions, and we produced a design that seems to be made out of various different structures. Paths covered by a glass roof weave between the disconnected structures to create an interior space that feels exterior, a private space that feels public, a hall that feels like an avenue. In that space the children can run around, you can enjoy a breeze while you eat, read under the sun, and fall asleep watching the stars.
There is a charm beyond imagination there, beyond normal home life. Just like children who use space outside to its full potential, we wanted to make equal the relationship between inside- and out by using the courtyard as a part of everyday life and bringing inside activities outside. Beyond making city streets like courtyards to make them feel closer to houses, we want to continue to try and envision the architecture of the future, moving past the inside-outside relationship to find new types of connections. (post from archdaily) Great concept and executed perfectly, amazing.
This revolutionary three wheeled battery electric vehicle concept shows what a future minimal urban transport vehicle for one person might look like. The battery electric drivetrain is mounted low in the three wheeled chassis, therefore keeping the centre of gravity low and thus improving stability.
The 3R-C has a clear canopy that covers the driver’s seat while it is parked and not in use. When 3R-C vehicle is in motion, the canopy becomes an enveloping wind-shield that provides the pilot, who sits low in the vehicle, with significant protection from the bodywork and doors. The high sides of the safety shell seat give greater safety to the occupant, reducing the threat from side impacts and improving weather protection. In front of the driver is a lockable boot area, which gives significant secure storage for luggage or other items. The 3R-C’s designers created a flexible cover that surrounds the upper torso to reduce exposure to bad weather and improving comfort. The 3R-C study was created by European designers working at Honda’s Research and Design facility in Milan. WOW kills the segway.
One of the nicest music vid’s I’ve seen for a while. Pretty tight use of stop motion and coloured wooden blocks. Video created by Rogier van der Zwaag for the band Nobody Beats The Drum. Clever that he technically only shot a quarter of the video, then flipped it both horizontally and vertically in post production (smart ass). Perfect synchronization.
Some beautiful pieces from Toben another aussie studio, there is a shit load of talent in the land down under. We are Toben. We like to search and discover, to lift rocks and look underneath them. We lik eto playwith pensils and ideas. We value strategy to get to the core as much as the process of creation, to bring a concept to life. We believe in inspired, thoughtful and crafted design as a means to add value to any communication.
ABC Paper Cup puts an end to the boring design of disposable paper cups, which are easily confused with one another and thus users often have to take a new one. The ABC Paper Cup makes it easy to remember your cup, because it has a unique design in 14 variations, including the alphabet from A to Z. Apart from the cups with their colourful signs and letters in simple, cheerful designs there are also fun suggestions on how the ABC Paper Cups can also be used. Designed and sold by Seoul based IaM Design.
The unique part of the PLAY MP3 Player is the way it works. It functions by either folding or sliding. To play the music, fold the player into half to form the play icon . To rewind the music, slide one of pieces to make rewind icon. To stop the music, unfold the play triangle to a square. PLAY MP3 Player most definitely adds a new dimension in MP3 designs nice idea…
Nice little setup from a brother duo creatives. Michael Kelly and Johnny Kelly from Dublin, Ireland. They are also the guys responsible for th eIOC video below. The video above is also thir handy work a two-minute animated voyage through nature’s life cycle, following the trials and tribulations of a humble apple seed. The film was kindly funded by Adobe, produced at Nexus Productions and features a soundtrack by Jape. It was made using a mixture of stop motion papercraft and 2D drawn animation. Bloody nice.
Nice, love to get one for the house. Swedish designer Måns Salomonsen has created Cocoon, a fruit/vegetable storage and herb cultivation unit for the kitchen. Grow spices and store fruits in the organic shape and you will get both life and colour in the kitchen. Cocoon is made of clay which absorbs water from the fruit and vegetables. When the water evaporates it cools the shell.
Brand Architecture a new buzz word I’m hearing more and more often. Dan Peralman (website sucks tho) a studio who can actually claim and own the “buzz” as they are doing some pretty impressive “brand architecture” work. Encompasses the area of architecture, communication and design and develops new solutions for three-dimensional brand management, where ever the brand is subject to spatial experience, its identity can be discovered and the product experience through all the senses, through this, an emotional bond is created between individulas and the brand. Nicely stated.
The Elise Island Project by Dan Pearlman. Created a holistic dreamland for young patients with psychiatric issues at the ‘Evangelisches Konigin Elisabeth Krankenhaus’ Hospital, in Berlin, Germany. Each room in the hospital was designed in terms of shape, colour, materials and light with the aim of promoting a positive atmosphere, empowering children’s imagination and positive emotions. The new concept meets the demands of young patients and therapeutical staff at the same time. The obligations of therapeutic professionals and the emotional needs of young patients are now balanced.
Nice little boutique studio Arcade in Toronto, doing some pretty nice work. In particular I’m liking the Vancouver 2010 olympic apparel work they have been doing. Love the connection with plaid and Canada.
A new logo system will wipe away the year-to-year changes in the Super Bowl logo design. Last Super Bowl logo (top half of the image above) was created by attik (not bad but not great). Coming next year, the NFL is installing a sweeping new graphic system designed by Landor and the NFL’s in-house designers. So far, only the logo for Super Bowl XLV has been released, but the look and feel will carry across all of the individual playoff logos–from the wildcard game to the divisional finals. “The NFL realized that there’s a gathering excitement, approaching the Super Bowl,” says Nicolas Aparicio, Landor’s Executive Creative Director. “The audience grows from 4.6 million in the pre-season to 16 million by the playoffs. A logo system needs to express that, and help build on it.”
Though the other logos in the system haven’t been released yet–watch this space–Aparicio says they’ll all retain key elements, such as the shine of the Super Bowl logo above, inspired by the Vince Lombardi trophy itself. This is actually the first time the Vince Lombardi Trophy has been used in the Super Bowl logo–precisely because the NFL didn’t want it’s iconic piece of hardware sullied by year-to-year changes in the mark. In the future, the Super Bowl logos will only vary slightly–the one big changing element being the stadium in the background. (For Super Bowl XLV, that’s the new Cowboys arena, which wil host the event.) Meanwhile, Tiffany is also designing a succesively larger series of trophies for each round of the playoffs that will also echo the Vince Lombardi. (post from Fcompany). I personally think they are going the right direction, keeping in consistent over time will no doubt be stronger for the NF brand. Will actually have a nostalgia, romance feel to the brand.
Aircruise – a giant, vertical airship powered by natural energy and designed to carry travellers in style and luxury. Started as a self-generated project, Seymourpowell’s Aircruise is the concept design for a hotel in the sky, with low passenger numbers and huge internal spaces offering room for living, dining and relaxing, as well as scope for dramatic and inspirational public spaces. The initial design proposes a bar/lounge zone, four duplex apartments, a penthouse and five smaller apartments. The concept subsequently captured the imagination of Korean giant Samsung Construction and Trading (C&T). Driven by its interest in new materials for building, Samsung C&T appointed Seymourpowell to refine the idea and produce a detailed computer animation of the proposed experience to illustrate this visionary approach to the future.
Slow is the new fast: Airships hold a particular place in the common imagination, conjuring images of romance, luxury and exploration whilst travelling. In a world where speed is an almost universal obsession, the idea of making a leisurely journey in comfort is a welcome contrast. We considered the global appeal of the contemporary luxury hotel, but instead of standing in a fixed location, the clipper moves, combining the pleasures of retreating to a hotel with the excitement of the journey itself. Where there are locations of interest en route, the ship can drop down to within a few hundred feet of the ground, to glide over the Serengeti, the Amazon or the Great pyramids. Aircruise is one definition of the future of the luxury travel experience, blending the indulgence of a fine hotel with the dreamlike quality and absolute freedom of flight. Bloody love it, love how its bringing the romance back into travel. Brilliant…
This has to be the best ad I’ve seen for a long long long time. Brilliant! The story telling via the googles search is spot on bloody brilliant. Amazing how every search query is actually the top of the list..hmmmm
A wise man once said “We are all at the mercy of our wild monkey minds. Incessantly swinging from branch to branch.” With multiple windows and applications all vying for our attention, we have sadly adapted our working habits to that of the computer and not the other way around. Ommwriter is a humble attempt to recapture what technology has snatched away from us today: our capacity to concentrate.
Ommwriter is a simple text processor that firmly believes in making writing a pleasure once again, vindicating the close relationship between writer and paper. The more intimate the relation, the smoother the flow of inspiration. If you are a scriptwriter, blogger, journalist, copywriter, poet or just someone who enjoys writing, welcome back to concentrating. Just downloaded the beta its super nice the simplicity and concept works.
Probably the craziest business card I have seen for a while. Love the engineering/craftsmanship on this bloody brilliant. You can order them here when they have filled the back-orders. There is also a catapult version yeah!
Love the identity for U.S. Virgin Islands created by Iconologic another fav studio of mine. Here’s the backstory: “Long ago, before mortal life came to the islands; before tall ships and glittering parades, before pirates and great adventures, the spirits lived in the light: The inkblack-spirit of St. Thomas, his winking coat of many colors flashing; the green-spirit of St. John, kaleidoscope flowers for hair; and the blue-spirit of St. Croix, scaly-skinned with carbuncles of coral. All day and all night they made mischief-playing tricks, climbing high and howling from the islands’ peaks, lounging on the edge of the world where the water meets the land. And everywhere they went, they left bits of magic behind. In their footsteps the seas swelled with color. The skies filled with oddly beaked beasts. The land erupted fronds and feathers of every texture. Each day, the islands became more and more a paradise.
Then one day, a Jumbie arrived. He was tall and lean, his knife-edge silhouette cast like night on the water. The spirits did not like this intruder. Protective of their private world, they conspired to remove him. They pelted him with sticks. They burned his camp. They tried to blot out his shadow from the sands. Displeased with their childishness, the Jumbie gathered the spirits and scolded them.”Because you did not welcome me. Because you are selfish and secretive, you shall be forced, forever, to learn to share.” He then scooped up each spirit in his impossibly boned hand and tossed them to the sky. There, three stars were born in the pattern of the islands. They remain a beacon today-drawing weary travelers to a three-island paradise of blue water, green hills and sparkling nights.” Love the bloody story the images that conjures when reading it….
