Digital Design

London Design Week 2009: Digital Design London from Core77 on Vimeo.

This video shows a quick selection of some amazing installations that could be found at the Tent London Show during their week long Design Festival. Truly an exciting event to be able to attend, with some of the exhibits being interactive, its impossible to not enjoy these mind blowing pieces.

LINK: LONDON DESIGN WEEK VIDEO/ARTICLE

3D Polaroid

LINK TO SITE

This hanging vase designed by

Jung Hwa Jin is a great way to

bring photography to life.

The suspended flower pot

makes your plants the focus

of there own polaroid and is

a cool accent to your home or

apartment. It even has a small

lamp, allowing you to shed light

on your plant of choice, and

better present your unique

decor piece.

Airplane Layout Designs

http://www.core77.com/blog/object_culture/emil_jacobs_innovative_airplane_interior_layouts_part_2_14792.asp

Here is a portion of Emil Jacob's interior airplane designs for a 747 aircraft. the Staggered and overlapping designs allows for a maximum utilization of space which creates better leg room and Emil even incorporates within the design a bed for each passenger. This realistic and innovative design would be a welcomed change to the cramped cabins in todays airplanes.

All Aboard

We are on these things probably more then we sleep, yet we still have to use phones made of almost 100% plastic as well as other visually displeasing materials. Yet we pay a small fortune every-time we get a new one. Simon Enever's newest phone concept is what we have all been waiting for. Nautically inspired, this phone is made from bamboo, black acrylic, and stainless steel. Finally a phone that is worth its weight!

http://www.core77.com/blog/object_culture/simon_enevers_innovations_14758.asp

Past Due

This simply designed brown bag has two compartments, one for the peanuts, and one for their shells. This double bag created by Noemie Cotton, who was at the time a design student, is an amazingly yet simple product that is way past due. Personally I think chewing gum is a disgusting habit simply for the fact that its more likely to end up under a desk then in a garbage can. If they could only make this similar concept work on a chewing gum packet, my life would be complete.

http://www.core77.com/blog/object_culture/this_package_design_is_half_nuts_14765.asp

website sources

http://www.designboom.com/eng/interview/ito.html

http://transmaterialasia.wordpress.com/2006/08/29/toyo-ito-master-class-architects-who-works-with-innovation-and-design-creativity/

http://www.architecture.com.au/i-cms?page=12114

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Steel Velcro

http://www.core77.com/blog/default.asp?p=3

Essentially steel Velcro, these 0.2 millimeter thick metal strips are the brain child of German engineers at the Technical University in Munich. "a square meter of the stuff can hold 'a perpendicular load of 7 tonnes.'" This shockingly strong yet simple product is foreseen to find a place in automobile assembly lines or used to attach objects building facades. Truly an innovative product which has an endless supply of uses and applications.

Design That Makes A Differance

http://www.core77.com/blog/object_culture/uk_james_dyson_award_winner_announced_14583.asp

With over 60,000 house fires breaking out in the UK alone each year, two UK based design students decided to fix this issue and win some cash while doing it. Paul Thomas and Yusuf Muhammed created the "Automist," A kitchen faucet that shoots jets of mist in the case that a kitchen fire breaks out. The mist steals the heat from the burning flames and can extinguish a kitchen fire in as little as three min. Fully automated, the faucet detects and douses the flames without human aid. For their life changing designs the pair won the UK James Dyson Award and some cash for all their hard work.

draft of text for designer brochure

Reputably known for his ability to envelope simple, clean design around innovative technology, Toyo Ito has become one of the world’s most influential architects of his time. The Japan based architect works with metaphor by combining the natural and artificial to create a virtual world. By creating this almost “dreamlike” environment, Ito allows others to look into the possibilities and endless opportunities in design, and to question previous notions of architecture. Ito’s main goal is to present a sense of improvement or betterment throughout his designs by using creativity and innovation to help the field of architecture and society as a whole to progress to new heights. Ito stresses the importance of efficient sensibility as the driving force behind the new technologies that he utilizes within his designs. It ultimately enhances the structures’ ability to satisfy the needs of its owner without complicating their already frenzied lives. By doing just this, Ito recreates the ideals of “home”- making each architectural structure a place of harmony, simplicity and warmth.

Unlike standard, mainstream architecture that shields its inhabitants from their outdoor environment, the designs of Toyo Ito embrace the natural surroundings and attempt to create a sense of transparency throughout each structure. Toyo Ito’s design for the luxury Italian shoe store, “Tod’s ”, in Tokyo, Japan is a perfect example of the way he infuses the organic environment within his design. The notable seven-story building’s façade presents a silhouette of crisscrossing broad lines, which were inspired by the tall elm trees that stretch down the entirety of the street that passes by the store front. The remnants of the building face are filled with glass panels, which bring in a great amount of natural light during the day, and help to accentuate the tree-like patters at night as the indoor light glows through. Toyo Ito’s architecture makes itself a part of the outdoor environment and invites natural light and impressive views to further destroy the idea that an architectural structure simply exists to shield its inhabitants from the elements. The open and inviting designs of Toyo Ito allow its end user to connect to its surroundings physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Therefore rethinking the previously accepted idea of architecture.

Toyo Ito’s approach to architecture seems complex and full of contradiction, yet it is truly simple and harmonious. He seeks effectiveness and efficiency in his designs, and tries to stray away from complicated layouts. Ito himself is a man of simplicity. He doesn’t care much for pets, he’d prefer to be a professional baseball player rather then an architect, and he doesn’t follow or even acknowledge trends in architectural design. To fully understand the unique and inspiring work of Toyo Ito, one must view its simple perfection.

Tips From the Field

http://www.core77.com/hack2work/

"Hack2work" contains a compilation of articles with tips for the professional designer. With everything from logo size to learning about your client through their table manners, "hack2work" contains an array of useful tips to help push your career to a new level or even save it from coming to an embarrassing end. Check it out, and prepare yourself on how to approach and keep clients.

more info: http://logodesignerblog.com/logo-design-tips-von-glitschka/

This site includes even more advice (on specifically logo design) from Von Glitschka, a professional designer with plenty of real world experience, and high end clients.

Steering Towards The Future

http://www.core77.com/blog/featured_items/the_end_of_driving_mike_and_maaike_introduce_the_autonomobile_13908.asp

A great article that criticizes the car industry and the brainwashed consumers on their failure to see past the novelty and into the necessity. For a century now, we have been obsessed with aesthetic beauty and speed, failing to see how we can improve the automobile and make it safer, more efficient, and better on the environment. The Core77 team uses logical thinking to bring innovation and creativity to a new level in this article where they take you though their design process, and create a truly unique vehicle that is easily in the realms of possibility.

"Speed and 'performance' have been the driving factors for car design, styling, and engineering for a century. Most cars on the road today can go 120 mph. Why? The reality is that cars are mostly used at moderate speeds and for sitting in traffic" (quote from core77 article, "the end of driving")

http://www.thebrownbuffalo.com/

class notes

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe - "God is in the details"

-one of the pioneers of modern architecture

-made use of materials such as industrial steel and plate glass to design "skin and bones" like architecture

-simple minimalist designs

-list of some works:

• the Seagram Building, NYC - http://www.skyscraper.org/Pics/fav_seagram.jpg
• the National Gallery, Berlin - http://www.archdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/399863419_mies1-528x353.jpg
• Barcelona chair - http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/db/Mies-Barcelona-Chair-and-Ottoman.jpg

photo shop notes

straightening an image in photoshop:

image - image rotation - arbitrary

to check for level: view - rulers

Evolving Energy

http://www.pantopicon.be/blog/2009/06/17/sustainable-energy/

Sustainable energy is coming to be one of the most important advancements in our generation, and is beginning to evolve at a remarkably fast rate. With new high altitude wind machines that are claimed to be able to power "New York City", and new ways to turn heat into electricity, this growing industry is not something to ignore.

Fresh American Design

http://www.core77.com/blog/featured_items/design_club_why_young_american_designers_are_ganging_up_14223.asp

A great article about the bright future of young American designers in spite of the lack of government grants and support. Unlike the European public, the majority of Americans have yet to see the value in fresh, unique, and uncommon design. Therefore leaving American designers in the shadow of European designers, yet not stopping them from joining together to rise above and promote the importance of their U.S. based designs and surrounding cultures through different design clubs.

Nidecker Snowboards

http://www.core77.com/nidecker2009/

Nidecker is the pioneer in European Snowboard Manufacturing and recently the winner of the "Snowboard Technological Innovation Competition," one of the most prestigious awards to attain in the board sports industry. they obtained this honor after designing a snowboard that is pressed and held together without the use of any toxic glues or solvents. Nidecker is joining the majority of snowboard companies who are searching for cleaner and greener ways to make there product, by canceling out environmentally harmful materials. An important initiative for an industry that is so dependent on cold winters, and a natural enemy of global warming. Nidecker has also given the chance for the public to take a part in their designs by hosting a design competition, where you can design there next snowboard. take a look at the winner and some of the finalists by clicking the link, and check out how other snowboard companies are fighting the heat with cool new technologies.

ENORMITY

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/09/enormity.html

This blog raises an interesting notion that trying to market the enormity of a national or global issue will not cause people to run to its aide, but will instead cause people to shy away from the cause. Seeing that the issue is to large to ever be completely overcome, people decide to find a cause where their input is more effective. Yet, is it better to only stress the small obstacles involving charity or can we just put a more positive and accomplishable spin on the large charities we market, so that people feel that their small involvement's make a difference. I feel that dropping marketing on large and insurmountable charities is a ridiculous and irresponsible thought. We must instead change our thinking about how we present the enormity of issues, and focus on a more subtle approach to marketing charity. Allowing us to make a mole hill out of a mountain.

What do you think?