Design

Slideshow: Australian practice March Studio conceived this Melbourne bakery as an oversized breadbasket. (more…)

I'm into the idea of bringing back the pocket watch, but while the new Kisai Rogue Touch Pocket Watch looks gorgeous, it's by Tokyoflash Japan—which means you have to learn how to read the thing. I've never really understood the notion of sacrificing intuitive legibility for graphic style, but designers more enlightened than me will probably be all over it.

The surface of the Rogue is smooth and button-free, with some added functionality accessed through a touch interface that looks a bit clumsy to me. Decide for yourself after watching the video below, the touch stuff starts around 3:10.

The design team at Seoul-based design studio cloudandco, led by Founder/Creative Director Yeongkyu Yoo, is pleased to present their latest product design, the Bottle Humidifier. The designers note that the ubiquitous household object is often an inelegant or outright ugly device hiding in plain sight: "When the context of the humidifier as a product is considered—an object that sits on your desk or table for long periods of time—it is clear that design needs to be more considered."

Their solution, the Bottle Humidifier, is "at once a functional product and art object." The antibacterial plastic exterior shell comes in a matte white finish, while the thick glass reservoir at the bottom "allows the user to see the water level inside." The device is powered via a retractable USB power cable.

Photo by La Belle Vie Design

Reverie Magazine is a quarterly online wedding magazine created in London, England. Mary and Kate hope to spread their love of wedding design and ideas to brides on both sides of the pond. The next issue of Reverie Magazine will go live on April 12; you can also find daily wedding inspiration on the Reverie Blog.

A transatlantic spirit is at the heart of Reverie – while Kate is British born and bred (with the cutest accent), she’s left her heart in California and frequently returns to find it. Mary is an American from the Midwest via New York City who started her expat life in London almost six years ago (but, unlike Madonna, she still has an accent that is still very much American).

Inspired by the places closest to our hearts, we got to imagining how we’d inject some Etsy love into weddings in New York, London, California and Devon.

Mary’s New York

[Clockwise from top left: Big Brooklyn print by Rocketink;  I love New York tote by Baggedandloaded; Striped guest book by Moonscapehandmade; Apple escort cards by Pgtreasures; Vintage New York postage stamps from Packandpost; Tassel Garland by Everlylanedesign; Letterpress invitation suite by Tiethatbindsweddings;  Black cocktail dress from Fancythatvintage; Knot ring by Shopgeorgiavaridakis; Baby tutu by Bambaroosboutique]

In honor of my old stomping grounds, I have imagined a wedding that attests to the cosmopolitan quirkiness of the Big Apple. There are so many fun details that you can add into your New York wedding!

Provide thoughtful touches for your out-of-town guests with a map of the city that includes stars over recommended sites to visit and a heart over the location of your wedding (and, of course, a printed wedding weekend schedule of events), as well as a list of the most romantic spots in the city that are significant to you as a couple.

And don’t forget that it’s all about the details, so mail your gorgeous letterpress invitations with vintage New York postage stamps and give your guests an “I Love New York” goodie bag full of New York treats (such as black-and-white cookies).

To me, a New York wedding oozes modern sophistication, so allow your bridal party her choice of LBD and dress your flower girl in a Tiffany-blue tutu. Since you are tying the knot, there’s no better bridesmaid gift than a silver “knot” ring. And when the celebration is about to get underway, guests can find their seats with red apple escort cards; delight them further with a reception decked out in sparkly silver and Tiffany-blue tassels.

Mary’s London

[Clockwise from top left: Liberty of London cupcake flags by Buckaroobear; 
London Calling wedding invitation suite by Labelleviedesign; Bridal fascinator by Untamedpetals; 60s minidress by Michaelostromooukhov; London double-decker bus from Minnikin; Crown shoe clip by Pompandceremony; Red fascinator by Sunshineandcarousels; Sherlock Holmes cufflinks by Karamboola; Bowler hat and red nose props by Littleretreats
Edible Gold Crown by Sweetdejavu]

I’ve lived in London for nearly six years now, and I am still amazed by the historic details of the city; in fact, many wedding venues are older than certain states in America!

For a wedding that takes place in this historic city, I would design the decor with a nod toward London’s old world charm, but with a modern twist. I’d include some fun London icons, such as vintage miniature double-decker buses for wedding favors and place card holders; Vivienne Westwood-style grosgrain shoe clips with a beaded royal crown (either on the bridal shoes, or for the bridal party); and a wedding invitation suite that evokes the colors of the Union Jack. Add fun bowler hat props for your photobooth!

I think it may be impossible to have a London wedding and not see a fascinator among the girls, but why not modernize things with ‘60s style dresses and stunning red headpieces for your bridal party?

Kate’s California

[Clockwise from top right: Vintage wedding dress from Decadebydecade; Flower hair crown by Serenitycrystal; Gold fish charms from Thehoarderscloset; Wine country wedding invitation by Labelleviedesign; Vintage glass vase collection from Sweetbeau; Air plants from Tohold; Vintage forms  from Luckygirlgoods; Olive oil soap by Andersonsoapcompany; Vintage grape postcard from Familycollectibles4u; Vintage landscape postcard from Astrasshadow]

My heart’s true home is on the coastline of California. For the last 17 years I’ve been visiting friends and family there, and it’s always been a dream of mine to tie the knot under the California sun. A vintage-inspired invitation would set the tone for the day, and a 1950s lace dress would be the perfect touch of English style in an otherwise West Coast day, accessorised with a sweet rose and pine cone headband.

The tables would be decorated with wild flowers in mismatched glass bottles, and each guest’s place setting would have spiky air plants and napkins tied with gold fish charms (said by the ancient Greeks to enhance good luck in marriage and relationships). At the end of the evening, guests would take home hand-milled olive oil and lavender soaps wrapped in wax paper and string.

Kate’s Devon

[Clockwise from top right: Vintage sea print from Marcadevintageprints; Red dress by Digforvictory; Clutch by Roseandrina; Ahoy card by Memake; Map confetti by Millyscottage; Vintage sherry glasses from Lovelottie; Vintage goblet from Whatcomesaroundldn; Braid ring by Ayakokanari; Vintage bowl from Giveover; Lobster save the date by Artcadia]

I grew up in a sleepy village on the Devon coast, surrounded by quaysides stacked with lobster pots, a river bustling with sail boats, and summer cottages decorated with old nautical maps. With Devon as the background, I imagine a small, intimate wedding in the old boathouse, doors thrown open to the sea breeze. The walls would be decorated with vintage boat prints, and as we headed out into the sunshine with bands of gold “rope” on our fingers, we’d be covered with confetti made from old maps.

The bridesmaids would be dressed in red prom dresses, clutching blue and white striped bags. Guests would be invited to a lobster bake on the beach where old trestle tables were laid out with heavy linen tablecloths; vintage glassware would hold abundant salads and sparkling wine from the local vineyard. We’d dance until the stars came out.

What kind of wedding does your hometown inspire?

Handmade Weddings | Past Guest Curators

Images and reporting by Ciara Taylor

Genevieve Bell, director of the Interactions and Experience lab at Intel, presented the closing keynote, "Rage Against the Machines: Designing our Futures with Computing," for Interaction12. The IXR lab, in Portland, specializes in exploring the ways in which technology can be integrated seamlessly into daily life, through re-imagining user experience. Bell asked the important question: Instead of designing interactions, what would happen if we designed relationships between people and technology?

Bell was animated and humorous throughout her talk on the final day of the conference. This might have been because she was warned that her presentation was the only thing standing between the attendees and the Guinness storehouse, where the closing party was held. In her introduction, Bell shared her background as a second-generation anthropologist focusing on cultural practice. She reflected on her initial recruitment meeting with Intel for the IXR lab. Intel told her that they wanted to learn about two things: women and the "ROW." "What does 'ROW' stand for?" she asked. Intel's easy reply was, "the rest of the world."

While Bell was on the search to learn more about women, "ROW" and their relationship with technology, she began to consider Intel's user group. Bell stresses the importance of knowing your users. She shared an image of Intel's perceived user and then another image of who she discovered was the actual Intel user. The image of the Caucasian middle class family, sitting around the television laughing on the couch was an unrealistic vision of whom Intel was designing for.

Intel perceived user

Intel actual user

Upon identifying the more realistic user group of a single man in a cluttered apartment, Bell began to explore the relationship between the user and their technology. According to Bell, one woman she spoke with during her initial research mentioned that all of her technological devices were like a "backpack full of baby birds." Each device has its own ring tone or notification. The user often has to reassure the device; for example if the user wants to delete something, the device has to be reassured that this is the actual chosen action. These machines seem to demand attention in the same way a baby bird relies on its mother for love and food.

Photo by UrbanTickle

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about the importance of technology breaks to teach kids how to be still. Quiet self-reflection is going to be a skill not many children have in our technology-obsessed culture. But the integration of technology into children’s everyday lives isn’t all negative. In fact, it’s having some interesting side effects.

A study released last month from Latitude Research says that children view technology inherently differently than their adult counterparts. They see it as something fundamentally human, easily assimilated into everyday life – as opposed to adults, who view it as separate from humanness. Kids are viewing technology as “moving from acts of knowledge transmission toward acts of exploration, collaboration, and creation.”

The study specifically focused on the children’s reactions to having robots as part of everyday life, and showed how willing they are to integrate them into their social circles. The robots used in the study became natural members of their peer groups, and actually helped them to fit in. The children also felt more confident when working on class assignments with the help of robots.

The ease with which children are embracing technology is not a surprise to me, given how effortlessly my son has embraced things like our iPad for learning as well as entertainment. Already he is being imbued with a sense of knowledge at his fingertips, of learning as a natural part of everyday life. I get a sense of nostalgic envy when I realize he’ll never know the joys and pains of cassette tapes or the Dewey Decimal System, but if technology is embedding learning as part of his essential human experience, I’m all for it.

Ultimately, the study concludes that new technologies are creating the possibility of closing the gap between learning and play. Kids are quick to see the two as overlapping activities, even as we pry them apart through compartmentalizing their lives to ridiculous degrees. I want to see Miles continue to associate the two together, and make learning (and playing) a part of his life for the long haul.

How do your children use technology? Do you think they see it as a fundamental part of being human? Are you okay with that?

More Posts From Caleb

Caleb Gardner is an amateur father and husband who writes at The Exceptional Man and dabbles in photography, design, and music. When listening to the cacophony of modern-day America, Caleb prefers a side of Scotch. He calls Chicago home, and in winter, less-nice things.

Spanish studio Langarita-Navarro Arquitectos filled a Madrid warehouse with makeshift huts and a wilderness of plants to accommodate a nomadic music academy organised by drinks brand Red Bull. (more…)

As someone who has to go through a lot of international press releases, I always admire the precise, no-nonsense wording of a proper German missive. "Outline your innovative competence by participating in [our] award," reads the brief for the MATERIALICA Design + Technology Award 2012. If the language doesn't tell you these guys ain't playing around, the entry fee will: 190 Euros if you enter by May 31st (though students get a break with a mere 25 Euro ante).

So what are the MD+T Awards? The eight-year-old competition is meant to "demonstrate the importance of materials for industrial design-oriented applications" and is broken into four categories:

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Even amidst the midday chaos of NYC, you can’t miss her — the signature cap, crocheted work dress, and vintage glasses are unmistakably Xenobia Bailey, the singular and prolific fiber artist. Her work is extraordinarily imaginative and diverse — crowns, mandalas, dresses, sculptures, even teas — but they’re all an articulation of what she calls the “aesthetic of funk.” Xenobia says that she learned to “funk it together” by watching the women in her community beautify their environments with limited resources. She has continued to preserve and extend that tradition in her extraordinarily diverse art pieces and clothing.

Sabrina Schmidt Gordon has been committed to cultural and social issues documentary filmmaking for over 15 years. Her next artist profile is the NEA-funded feature length documentary, BaddDDD Sonia Sanchez, exploring the life and work of the renown poet and activist. For more information, visit her website.

1. 25 Breathtaking Examples of Long Exposure Photography
2. 16 Tilt-Shifted Van Gogh’s Paintings
3. Breathtaking Close-Ups of the Human Eye

It's not always so bad to be part of the 1%. Tokyo-based nendo is showing his newest collection of 1% products this April in Milan. This second release follows his 2006 inaugural collection which included light bulbs, furniture, vases and tableware—my favorite piece was the "Fruit Template," a witty take on a fruitbowl.

Six years later, nendo's new collection continues with the project parameters of creating a limited run of 100, but this time around the collection is more focused with five sets of ceramic tablewares that reflect the designers considered and delightful aesthetic.

Only 100 of each object will be made.

100 is the perfect amount: they're neither one-off "works of art" nor mass-produced products made in the millions.

Whether its the skill of the artisans or new technologies,

we want to make things that are only possible.

because there are 100 of them. Not more, not less.

To give owners the chance to experience the joy of owing 1%.

The 100 edition project "one percent products"

Photo by Wild Life Prints

Tell us a bit about yourself.
Hi everyone, my name is Jeff. I’m a photographer with a wide-ranging appetite for creative projects, including my Etsy shop Wild Life Prints. I live in Nova Scotia with my wife and five-year-old daughter. It’s a lovely little world here if you don’t mind bursts of horizontal rain. I’m originally from the Manitoba prairie where everything is horizontal. Back there I worked on my grandparents’ farm, staring out at land so flat it could lead you anywhere.

Apart from creating things, what do you do?
My non-photography life revolves around my family. I chaperone my daughter on play dates with her “boyfriend.” On the weekend you’ll find us at the Halifax Farmers’ Market, which I recommend if you’re in town. There are a few Etsy sellers who have set up shop there. We also like to go camping, and sometimes we travel farther afield.

What would be the title of your memoir?
It’s a long one, but here goes: I Believe a Blade of Grass Is No Less Than the Journeywork of the Stars. It’s a quote by Walt Whitman. I may shorten it to: The Harry Potter Code Unlocked by Oprah for marketing purposes.

Wild Life Prints

Where does your inspiration come from?
The Wild Life series was originally inspired by a stock photograph taken in India. I think it was on the cover of Photo District News magazine. In the picture a black cow is standing inside a house that is decorated with striking teal wallpaper. The image stayed in my mind. When my daughter was a toddler I looked at her toys and realized I could create a similar image in miniature, using a plastic cow and dollhouse furniture.

What does handmade mean to you?
Handmade means feeling the singular power of a person’s idea radiating from their work.

Who has been most influential in your craft?
There are so many… I have a great fondness for creative people of all stripes. This week I’m inspired by Lauren Redniss and Maira Kalman. Next week, who knows? There’s an excellent blog called Brain Pickings that works as a sort of flashlight, illuminating intriguing corners of art and science.

Wild Life Prints

When did you know you were an artist/maker?
As Picasso said, “Every child is an artist,” but I didn’t know it at the time. Maybe that childlike wonder never went away.

How would you describe your creative process?
First walking, always walking, building images in my mind that I hope to make real. The legs operate as a sort of brain pump. After that a lot of trial and error, sometimes making serendipitous discoveries along the way, and sometimes getting lost in the woods.

If you could peek inside the studio of any artist, designer or craftsman (dead or alive), who would it be?
Paolo Ventura, a brilliant photographer. I was lucky enough to see a mock-up of his workshop at an exhibition last year.

Wild Life Prints

What handmade possession do you most cherish?
A dollhouse made by my grandma that she gave to my mom, who in turn gave it to my daughter.

How do you get out of your creative ruts?
I accept the ruts. As with many aspects of life, creativity comes in waves and after some years I’ve learned to accept the troughs with the crests.

Where would you like to be in ten years?
Living in a world where the postal services of every nation are as efficient as bees and faster than cheetahs.

Featured Seller Archive

Slideshow: sports brand Nike have created a range of running shoes with knitted uppers made in one piece. (more…)

Dezeen Screen: in this movie from the V&A museum in London, Simon Peers and Nicholas Godley talk about the golden cape they made by harvesting silk from over a million wild spiders in Madagascar. Watch the movie »

The results are in for the Fentress Global Challenge Airport of the Future design competition, sponsored by international design firm Fentress Architects. Sadly, they have chosen not to display the winning concept boards at a legible resolution on their website, but from what little we can glean, the ideas of both the winners and finalists are fascinating. A central problem with airports is where to tuck them, and here we have a host of interesting suggested solutions.

First Prize winner and Londonite Oliver Andrew's proposal is for a floating airport built from pre-fab artifical islands. To locate an airport in the Thames Estuary directly addresses the problem of overtaxed Heathrow being unable to expand due to limitations imposed by surrounding communities. And the water would serve a dual purpose: Andrew's design calls for hydropowered electricity generation.

Third Prize winner Alexander Nevarez of Art Center suggests Pocket Airports, a network of micro airports that would be located within skyscrapers themselves. The idea is intriguing, though we cannot ascertain what form of propelled vehicle Nevarez proposes due to the website's poor presentation. A pity as we'd like to learn more about this concept.

Thor Yi Chun of Malaysia's University of Science won an honorable mention for his Aero-Loop concept. Again the details are not revealed, but judging from the photo it seems as if Chun is proposing circular runways, which would be a fascinating space-saving trick, assuming it's aeronautically and logistically possible.

From "Deluxe" (2005), by Ellen Gallagher

It's speculated that back in 1452 when Gutenberg was hard at work printing his infamous Bible, he actually had two presses set up: one for the more pedestrian texts of the day and the other exclusively for the Big Book. Maybe he didn't want his fancy Bible prep area messed up, but some historians think it means old Johann saw a clear division between exalted texts and less sacred printed matter and sought to keep the two separate in their production phases as in their distribution. I'll bet he never imagined that high and low art would one day converge on updated modes of his own printmaking technology. More than 550 years later both forms enjoy equal merit under the critical eye of the art world in MoMA's new exhibition Print/Out. The exhibition takes a look at printed matter from only the last 20 years, including pieces by printmaking collectives Museum in Progress, Edition Jacob Samuel and SLAVS + TATARS as well artists Martin Kippenberger, Robert Rauschenberg, Kara Walker, Damien Hirst, Ai Weiwei, Lucy McKenzie, Marina Abramovic, and Yoshitomo Nara, among others.

With so many artists represented in one space you're easily overwhelmed by the sheer diversity of styles and intent, and it can be a bit tricky to make sense of it all. Why, for example, are pieces from the same series dispersed throughout the gallery on a black and white polka dotted wall, sometimes at heights up towards the ceiling? Is it to show that the intention of the two artist series (from Walker and Hirst) is not separate, as Gutenberg might have preferred, but part of the same movement as Ai Weiwei and his 1994 "Black Cover Book?" But where Hirst's Last Supper series plays with form (food presented like medication), Weiwei's intent is simply to spread information about modern art to an information-deprived China.

Disorganized or not, it's still an undeniable pleasure to witness so many artists having fun with the medium, like Philippe Parreno's "Fade to Black," a separate room with text and images 'printed' directly on the white gallery walls that can be viewed clearly only in the dark. Or Aleksandra Mir's "Venezia (all places contain all others)," which challenges our assumptions that printed materials carry a certain veracity. As an example, she printed a bunch of postcards for the Venice Biennale with the words Venice or Venezia over typical tourist images of beaches or snowy mountains—in other words, places that definitely aren't Venice.

Slideshow: people strolling by this brick wall in London might miss the disguised entrance to a secret office and home. (more…)

Japanese designers Nendo will present new additions to their 1% products in Milan this April, including this tea set where the lids double as spinning tops. (more…)

Senior Product Designer
Studio Dror
New York, New York

Multidisciplinary design studio Dror is currently looking for a Senior Product designer to lead the product division of the studio. The ideal candidate has 3-5 years of experience, is comfortable both leading and managing projects, directing interns, and is passionate, hardworking, and positive.

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The best design jobs and portfolios hang out at Coroflot.

Those of us that grew up associating the word "flashlight" with a plastic Ray-o-Vac cylinder (or a metal Maglight for those with relatives in law enforcement) can't help but be surprised at the breadth of body styles now available. In terms of variety, a good company to look at is Pennsylvania-based Streamlight, who've seemingly designed a flashlight for doing everything (not) under the sun. Using a focused light to cut through darkness sounds like a simple task, but their product line-up demonstrates that the context of usage, and attendant form factors, can vary greatly.

Flashlight design starts with the basic limitations of whether you can use your hands or not, and then it spins off into a multitude of options: How big and powerful does it need to be? Does it need to be strapped to you, and if so, where? Does it need to quickly detach? Does it need to be hung from something in the environment? Are you fixing a leaky gas pipe? Firing a weapon? Breaking down the door of a burning building? Peering into a service panel? Working underneath a car?

With such a wide range of needs and models, you have to wonder how one company designs for so many different options. The answer is field research.

Streamlight is a "hands-on" company. We learn by doing, so we understand what our customers need because we're out there doing what they do, using the same lighting tools in the same ways. We go through firefighters' training. We take courses in low-light shooting. We're hunters, fishermen, outdoor and sports enthusiasts.... We believe it's our hands-on, real-world experience that leads to new ideas and innovations that set Streamlight apart....

We make it a point to get out in the field and talk to our customers. We hold focus groups to hear what they like about our products; but we're more interested in what they don't like, what needs to be improved, and what lighting problems have yet to be solved. Customer feedback helps us continually improve existing products and create new and better ones. Since the most extreme hazardous conditions are often in dark places, Streamlight created a complete line of safety-rated lights. For the industrial market, we've developed lighting tools that are safe to use even around explosive gases and in other potentially explosive atmospheres.

You've gotta love the company's tagline: "We Listen. We Learn. We Get It."

Hit the jump to see more of their stuff, or check out their full line-up here.

About a week and a half ago, we had a look at designer Jaineel Shah's clever pinch hanger. As is sometimes the case, the simple concept has inspired another hungry young designer to create his own version of an update to the old-fashioned clotheshanger: Rob Bye, a second-year ID student at Brunel University in London, sent us a link to his "Stretchless Hanger Concept."

It's at least as straightforward as Shah's design, trading the moving parts of the Pinch for just a little more sleight of hand in order to thread "Stretchless" through the first sleeve.

Slideshow: stripy monochrome triangles are folded into facets around the walls and ceiling of this church hall in Linz, Austria, to create a cavernous interior. (more…)

Venetian designer Luca Nichetto presented this table lamp, called Vader after the Star Wars character whose mask it resembles, at Stockholm Furniture and Light Fair earlier this month. (more…)

Dezeen promotion: the deadline to apply for this year’s A’ Design Award is 29 February.  (more…)