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Grip the Challenge

Posted: January 6th, 2009, 1:29am PST by Kristen

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Core 77 has just launched new 1 Hour Design Challenge: Design a laser-cut grip tape inlay for a Longboard. Guess who’s cutting the winning design? Details on the competition below.

THEME:
Laser-cut Grip Tape Inlay for a Longboard!

DOORS OPEN:
Monday, January 5, 2009
9 PM PST (4AM GMT)

DOORS CLOSE:
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
9 PM PST (4 AM GMT)

BRIEF:
After a string of increasingly complex 1HDCs we figure it’s time for a simpler task: make a graphic for a longboard skateboard! The twist here is that the design will be produced by laser-cutting grip tape for use on the top of the board (not the customary printing of a design on the underside of the board).

For inspiration, take a look at past deck-centric posts:
Seven Layers of Laser Engraving by Duann

Getting Precious About Skateboards and
Piotr Woronkowicz’s Laser Engraved Skateboards by Roy

Skateboard Art with RefillSeven by Steven

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bulbs from black + blum

Posted: January 5th, 2009, 4:09am PST by Kristen

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“Our brief is to create functional products that will charm and entertain.” —The black + blum philosophy truly describes the unique personality of their products. Their portfolio of clever household objects are designed with a whimsy and movement that seems to give their products a life of their own.

The brains behind black + blum are Dan Black, who polished his industrial design expertise at such ID think tanks as IDEO and Frog Design, and Martin Blum, graduate of the University of Northumbria (Newcastle) where he met his business partner.

I love how each light seems to be going about it’s own business. Whether exploding in every direction or getting tangled up; incubating until spring or swooping down.
Visit the black + blum site to see more animated designs.

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Ingo Maurer Illuminates

Posted: January 4th, 2009, 5:25am PST by Kristen

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Ingo Maurer elevates lighting design to expressive art and demonstrates brilliant imagination paired with masterful craft and engineering. Begun by the company’s namesake in 1965, today Ingo Maurer is an expansive team of designers creating cutting edge lighting designs for the contemporary world. The company recently opened a public space in Munich in order to “become a place of communication, a place to share our enthusiasm for light, our love for details and our ardour for another kind of aesthetic perception.”

I hope sharing their work can spark ideas for your own light creations.

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Taschide Licht

Posted: January 3rd, 2009, 1:09am PST by Kristen

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Laser-cutting is creating an entire movement of design; one in which the process is informing the form. German product designers Sandra Tan and Johannes Schiebe are using some of the same technology available to Ponoko users. Operating under the name Taschide, they create accessories, furniture, and lighting. British trend consultancy Trend Bible has included several of their designs in the trend forecast of 2009 and 2010.

Continuing with my light obsession for this month, below are some of the lighting designs from this talented team.

To find out more on when, where and what Taschide is up to, visit their blog. If you’re interested in purchasing, here’s a list of retailers. Here’s a sample of their non-illuminated work.

For more on the trend-making powers of technology, check out my post Laser-Cutting Into Lace.

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Lighting Showcase from Ponoko

Posted: January 3rd, 2009, 8:08am PST by Kristen

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Being a dixie girl living in the north (that means from the southeastern states for y’all around the globe), the thing I miss most is bright, white sunshine. Especially when sunset is at four o’clock in the afternoon. So for the month of January I’m writing about light, because I want lamps, lanterns, and chandeliers everywhere.

To start the theme off, below are my eight favorite lighting designs from Ponoko’s own showroom.

Nocturne Chandelier
by relative design
Number one on my list. I like glamour. $280

NYC Subway Line Lamp
by acd
A minimal lamp and abstract map in one. This one’s so cool it’s not for sale.

Labyrinth Pendant Lamp
by Modularis
Clean and academic puts this in my top three. (It casts the shadow of the Chartes cathedral labyrinth.) Nice use of felt. $85

Hopeful Monster
by Modularis
Designer Chris Niederer has some talent. Available soon. RARR.

Crane Spotting
by Ori Black
Really clever task lamp. Wish it came in steel! $45

Box Lamp
by Ponoko
This lovely lamp is available for you to customize. There’s a free EPS file and detailed instructions for creating your own version. All you pay for is production and shipping.

Mini Middle C Lamp
by Sherman Warren
The open flaps on the shade are an interesting element, but I’d like to see variations or custom capabilities. Available soon.

Bamboo Lantern
by DSCulp
I like the idea of simulating a church’s stained glass. starts at $89

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Ringing in the Green with Layer by Layer

Posted: January 1st, 2009, 3:55am PST by Kristen

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Cardboard, beeswax, moss, and dirt are brought together in these wonderful sculptures from Layer by Layer. Each of these eco-friendly faceted designs is made to order by the anonymous Brooklyn architect behind Layer by Layer.

What_
A geometric entity to occupy a desk, a dresser or any space in your life.

So the outer casing is made out of recycled cardboard coated in beeswax. The beeswax adds strength as well as a pleasant smell. One well is filled with beeswax, the other with moss.

Why_
A stress reliever, something nice to look at and touch, or a little bit of the outside when you are stuck inside.

Generally, I’m strictly utilitarian when it comes to owning any object. But I really, really love these. I think the moss and dirt add a lot of life to these objects, making them more like pets and less like trinkets. And since the recent death of my orchid, I’m in desperate need of some greenery to start the new year.

To order your very own, visit the Layer by Layer etsy site.
Via Apartment Therapy

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Ringing in the Green with Layer by Layer

Posted: January 1st, 2009, 3:55am PST by Kristen

Tags: [edit]

Cardboard, beeswax, moss, and dirt are brought together in these wonderful sculptures from Layer by Layer. Each of these eco-friendly faceted designs is made to order by the anonymous Brooklyn architect behind Layer by Layer.

What_
A geometric entity to occupy a desk, a dresser or any space in your life.

So the outer casing is made out of recycled cardboard coated in beeswax. The beeswax adds strength as well as a pleasant smell. One well is filled with beeswax, the other with moss.

Why_
A stress reliever, something nice to look at and touch, or a little bit of the outside when you are stuck inside.

Generally, I’m strictly utilitarian when it comes to owning any object. But I really, really love these. I think the moss and dirt add a lot of life to these objects, making them more like pets and less like trinkets. And since the recent death of my orchid, I’m in desperate need of some greenery to start the new year.

To order your very own, visit the Layer by Layer etsy site.
Via Apartment Therapy

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Salty and Sweet: Centerfold Mobile

Posted: December 29th, 2008, 6:01am PST by Duann

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In a previous post we featured Helene Ige’s birds of a feather mobile but here is something a little more ‘adult’.

Salty and Sweet have produce the Centerfold Mobile, with shapely profiles for the GI or gentleman in your life.
Figures are laser cut from 1/16″ solid black mat board and joined with black wire and takes up approximately the same space as a basketball when in motion. The Centerfold Mobile is extremely lightweight and stays in motion with even the slightest breeze.

Also available from their Etsy store are Pin-up, Hooligan and Wild West mobiles.

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dittoditto’s Necklace Walks in Single File

Posted: December 29th, 2008, 2:42am PST by Duann

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Beauty meets grade school nostalgia with our Single File Necklace. Five miniature circles stand in a straight line (with one cute straggler). Made from laser-cut MDF and 18 inches of hand-oxidized sterling silver chain. This jewelry is perfect for those who want to wear something beautiful that tells a simple little story.

dittoditto are two sisters (Emily & Marcie) based out of New York City & Dallas, great care is taken with every aspect of their jewelry from the design, the materials, the packaging, and the affordability.

Check out their Etsy Store for more

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Birds of a Feather: Laser Cut Mobile

Posted: December 29th, 2008, 1:16pm PST by Duann

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Helene Ige’s birds of a feather mobile is made from walnut plywood has been laser cut to create the ‘birds of a feather’ mobile. Each piece is packaged with its’ negative silhouette which can be used as a wall hanging or stencil.

Helene’s design aesthetic reflects her Japanese ancestry, west coast upbringing and New York training. Growing up in the multicultural hub of Los Angeles provided the genesis of her creativity, which was nurtured by her mother and then refined at Parsons School of Design in New York.
Helene’s signature Ige designs are comprised of couture handmade home, fashion, furniture and children collections. Also in March 2004 she opened her first retail boutique in Los Angeles, California. She continually expands her creative world by endlessly exploring new and unfamiliar opportunities around her…

This is a really great example of a simple 2D design that translates well into a ‘3D object’, a great flat pack gift and an inspiration for what is possible using Ponoko.

Available from her online store.
Available in Australia at One Small Room.

Via Aphasia Design.

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Bride&Wolfe: Objects to Hang

Posted: December 29th, 2008, 9:57am PST by Duann

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Bride&Wolfe’s timber silhouettes evoke fairytales, forests and the magic of childhood. Designed to hang from walls, doorways, ceilings or window frames, each piece is a charming and sophisticated example of contemporary folk art.
Bride&Wolfe objects are ideal for unique wedding gifts, baby welcome presents, personal keepsakes or to make a statement in your home…

Bride&Wolfe founder Miranda Moreira lived in Paris for six years, getting as much buzz from the Metro signs and fire hydrants as from the bridges and the Pompidou. One day, she found herself in a shop in the 4th arrondissement, transfixed by a tiny timber Hansel and Gretel silhouette behind the counter. Despite Miranda’s pleas, the shopgirl insisted the intricate cut-out had been in the family for decades and was definitely not for sale. But the ominous, beautiful fairytale imagery stayed with her and, when she moved home to Melbourne, she started crafting her own timber cut-outs, inspired by her home town’s keen, fresh spirit as much as the easy ooze of Parisian chic. Bride&Wolfe was born in 2005.

Bride&Wolfe pieces are inspired by Chinese papercutting, fossicked embroidery and fabrics, European folklore, and vintage Disney films. These influences are the touchstones for modern, resonant designs that evoke fairytales, forests and the magic of childhood. The intricate creations are produced in Melbourne in small runs and hand-finished in Miranda’s garden studio.

All designs are available from her online store and selected stockists.

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2008 a Crafty Xmas

Posted: December 29th, 2008, 9:26am PST by Duann

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This is the final Xmas entry (I hope) so I will keep it short and sweet.

A recent NY Times article discussed how this xmas, with the recession tightening the financial flow world wide, people are resorting to hand made/craft objects as gifts. And those who cant do it themselves, are buying other peoples hand crafted objects.

Craft stores and online market places like Etsy (and hopefully Ponoko) are experiencing a boom in sales where U.S. retail outlets experienced a 7.4% drop in sales compared to last year.

So with crisis comes opportunity..

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VW Crowd-source Car Design

Posted: December 28th, 2008, 9:51am PST by Duann

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VW recently had a contest to design the next iconic Volkswagen car. The winners and other finalists have been announced at the VW site. There were three categories: professional designer, fan designer and an overall vote by readers in each category. The results are Farfegnugen!

above is the winner in the professional category.

and the “fan” category.

Now it may just be me but when I think of a crowd-sourced car I always think of it being reduced to the lowest common denominator, like the Homer which sent the car company in the Simpons bankrupt, no too dissimilar to the state of the automotive industry in the U.S. & Australia.

Good Luck V.W.

Via Trendhunter

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Milk Crate Furniture

Posted: December 27th, 2008, 7:01am PST by Duann

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Israeli design student Naty Moskovich creates colorful furniture pieces from old plastic crates. His work is not available for sale as it was never put into production, but his pieces give any viewer a host of ideas of how to transform raw materials into furniture.

Kind of like an old school IKEA hack.

also check out this chandelier (not quite as refined but still fun) and Milk Crate Stools

Above images from Toronto’s MADE and were photographed at the Gladstone Hotel’s show, see more here.

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Re-Surface: MORE-LIGHT pendant lamp

Posted: December 27th, 2008, 2:40am PST by Duann

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based in the Brooklyn NY, RE-SURFACE is a boutique factory and design studio established by Donna Brady.
RE-SURFACE produces a range of hand-crafted lighting and interior décor objects with art at heart, and design in mind.

Born on the 4th of July, Donna was raised in New Smyrna Beach Florida in a home where everything was made by hand. After studying architecture at Columbia University and working as a freelance graphic artist / web designer in Manhattan for 7 years, she crossed the Williamsburg Bridge and left the virtual design world behind to begin working in the 3D world of her Brooklyn studio.
In 2003, Donna Brady formed RE-SURFACE with the idea that urban decay could be transformed into beautiful design elements for the home.

The MORE-LIGHT pendant lamp is a 16″ diameter x 9” body lamp with the shade constructed from a photographic print on transparency. All the images used are ultra hip and urban, available in four styles, South3rd, Kent, Bedford II, Noble (pictured above) and Jewel.
Each lamp comes with a 15′ plug-in cord set available in black or white. Porcelain socket uses standard light bulb, max 100 watts (not included).

Check out the rest of her lighting range including the H-Light, D-Light & Solo.

The SOLO is a re-mix of the classic microphone as light fixture. the mesh top emits a soft, disco-like glow. hang over chair or table to create atmosphere, or above turnables for reading disc labels.

Available at Urban Alchemist, Etsy and Many More..

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Multi-Media Memories with Scrapblog

Posted: December 25th, 2008, 8:29am PST by Indigo

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For many, the winter holidays are the one time of year that extended families come together to celebrate. Such rare occasions deserve to be recorded and shared, and Scrapblog makes it fun and super easy. Scrapblog lets you create online, multi-media scrapbooks that you can share on the web and have printed.

Creating a scrapblog is free, and you don’t have to register. All scrapblogging is done on the site; so there’s no software to download. You can either start with a pre-designed theme or a blank page to customize your own. There are tons of themes to choose from, and each can be tweaked.

Photos can be uploaded from your desktop or from online photo resources like flickr and facebook. Within the Scrapblog Builder you can add and edit photos and video clips, change backgrounds, include text, drag and drop stickers, select transitioning motion effects and even let your memories play to music.

Being a truly multi-media loving site, there’s a quick tutorial video to get you started and an online show devoted to digital scrapbooking called Get Crafty. And don’t forget the blog. They recently announced Scrapblog Calendars.

Scrapblog received the People’s Choice and the Rich Internet Application awards at the 2008 Adobe MAX Awards. It’s not hard to see why. Collect your holiday photos of friends and family and get started on your own Scrapblog.

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Cut-Out Cards from Naos Graphics

Posted: December 24th, 2008, 5:57am PST by Indigo

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Trained as an architect, Greek designer Ted Naos creates elaborate three dimensional scenes and objects with his die-cut cards. A favorite of museum shops nation wide (I came across Naos at the gift shop of the Walker Art Center.), his die-cut games let you explore the princples of design such as pattern, repitition, shape and color. His calendars and books of architectural silhouttes and skylines allow you to change the spatial relations of the shapes, creating a dynamic town-scape on your desk. Check out all the goods from Naos Graphics.

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Make Your Own Magazine with MagCloud

Posted: December 23rd, 2008, 3:07am PST by Indigo

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While online magazines are a great paperless resource, sometimes you just want to flip the pages. And DIY zines have never looked as good as the ones from Magcloud. Similar to custom book publishers Blurb and Lulu, Magcloud lets users upload their own content and prints professional quality, saddle-stitched magazines on demand. There’s no fee to publish to the site and purchasing is only 20¢ per page. You can sell your magazine at Magcloud and profits after costs of making and shipping go to you.

The company, like many featured on Ponoko, is currently in Beta; so to get a publishing account, you’ll need to request an invitation. Now unlike some of the on-demand book publishers mentioned, Magcloud does not have it’s own creation software. To publish your magazine, you need to upload a PDF.

One unique feature of the site that I think could be really useful is their subscription management. Imagine just having to design your magazine and not deal with production or distribution at all. They would take care of the printing, the shipping, and all of your subscriber information. Nice.

Below are some of the titles I thought looked interesting, including previously mentioned Mankind Mag.

twenty2wo – covers art and design inspirations from all over the globe

mankind mag – Art! Design! Inspiration! Culture!

Soundcheck – staffed by scrappy people, all of whom, in high school, developed senses of humor to offset their acne.

ISO Magazine – work from student photographers at New York University.

Indie Game Mag – reviews and reports news on indie and casual games only!

Ferdinand – All profits from this magazine goes towards starting a non-profit graphic design tutoring center in the Philippines.

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Taps

Posted: December 23rd, 2008, 7:33pm PST by Duann

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In a previous post we looked at a few pieces from the Superprototype exhibition as part of 100% Design Tokyo but there was one I left out that I just want to post as is…

here goes.

Taps

unction: Hanger
size: W360 x H230 x T5mm
material: Acrylic / Polycarbonate

Concept

On a rainy day
I was going to go to cinema, but I decided not to.
Rainy weather lose my energy to go out so I was just looking outside without thinking.
I can see a Taps hanging on the pole in the garden, getting all wet
I took a long look at the “Taps”, see the rain comes down, through the hunger and dripping from the end of the taps.
….drip again and again……
looking at it makes depressed rainy day a little happier.

Explanatory note

“Taps” is a open air hunger shaped as tap.
Hunger itself is inclining gently so the water run through it slowly to the end of the tap and drip a rain drop.
Washing is not hanging on a rainy day but the hunger is always hanging outside.
Using that ordinary state, give a little change to the hunger makes the depressed rainy weather day can be a smiley rainy day.

by Shusuke Umiyama of MicroWorks

cool

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Roco & Friends @ Superprototype

Posted: December 23rd, 2008, 5:19pm PST by Duann

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Roco by Yoshinori Watanabe, made in two sizes but not necessarily designed for children or adults, it could be used as a rocking stool, or though it would not be stable, it could be placed beside the bed for putting books on. The form does create limits, but it should be used in various ways.

Drill design present the Clover Chair that has a simple structure by using “clover plywood”. “clover plywood” was made by piling up plywood and colored thick paper and we can see the beautiful section. “clover plywood” is discovered by “plywood laboratory” the team was established by DRILL DESIGN and FULLSWING who always pursue the possibility of plywood.

or the Thin Chair by Junio Design, created by bending just one sheet of steel.

And finally the very cute, Paper Size Tote, Using standard size of paper to design the tote bag. Person’s property is different depending on sex, the occupation, the age, and the hobby. It is the same as “The size of the property is different”. Each “PAPER SIZE TOTE” can be done according to the occupation, the subject, and the lesson? by Miki Saki

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