Friday, August 22, 2008

Some interesting desgn concepts

Creative Concept Car Designs
According to Wikipedia, a concept car is a car prototype made to showcase a concept, new styling, technology and more. At Toxel, they believe that concept cars are made to inspire!

Friday, August 15, 2008

A skyscraper in motion

Dubai Dynamic Tower

It's always been one of the enduring truths of architecture: buildings stand still. Parts may move--the arms on a windmill, the elevators and escalators, the occasional rotating restaurant on the top floor--but not whole huge swaths of skyscraper.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Why Apple doesn't do 'concept products'

nokia-morph.jpg

Technology giants like Microsoft and Nokia have also had a penchant for concocting concept products that never see the light of day in the market. Why hasn’t Apple, the most innovative and visionary company in computing, produced a single concept product or vision in over a decade? Because, to paraphrase Jobs, 'real artists ship'.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Renzo Piano

Piano was born in Genoa, where he still maintains a home and office (Building Workshop). He was educated and subsequently taught at the Politecnico di Milano. From 1965 to 1970 he worked with Louis Kahn and with Makowsky. He worked together with Richard Rogers from 1971 to 1977; their most famous joint project is the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris (1977). He also had a long collaboration with the extraordinary engineer Peter Rice.

On March 18, 2008, he became an honorary citizen of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Also check out the upcoming opening of the new California Academy of Sciences building designed by Renzo.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

7 essential guidelines for functional design

Screwdriver
Look at what you’ve made. Beautiful, isn’t it? But does it work? For whom does it work? Of course you can use it, but can anyone else? In short, is it functional?

Friday, August 08, 2008

2008 Annual Design Review: Packaging

ID magazine evaluates several packaging ideas for its 2008 Annual Design Review.

Archinect

The goal of Archinect is to make architecture more connected and open-minded, and bring together designers from around the world to introduce new ideas from all disciplines.

Design Addict

Design Addict is the leading design portal online, targeting the international community of design professionals and private consumers.

It's the little ideas that count

mbcircus unbeige11.jpg

Designing for speed, simplicity armed with 'Lots of Little Ideas'. The global world of web users crave simplicity, power, beauty, and that all-important human touch.

Focus web design on quick and easy

0527Nielsenreport.jpgJakob Nielsen says that web users are getting "more ruthless and selfish," meaning that they want to get onto a site, get what they need, and get right out. No dilly-dallying, hunting for information on a site, or waiting for those super-exciting, animated pages to load. He also reports that people are getting more savvy with the web as well, no longer getting duped by ads or marketing tricks at the same rates they had before. What does this mean for you? Start living by a mantra of simplicity and substance and you should be fine.

To those who do things for love, not money

Australian ad agency Jack Watts Currie, created some print campaigns to invigorate the Penfolds Wines brand.

Best design from Brazil

Amazing design and innovation is taking place in Brazil and this slideshow of winners (Brazil placed third behind the US and Korea in the number of IDEA awards in 2008) shows the wide range of activity.

Brazilians are designing sophisticated medical equipment, autos, clothes and jets. Sao Paulo is home is some great design consultancies.

Ever Notice?

How can an act as simple as noticing inspire and drive innovation?

Re:Design

Preliminary sketch for Cooper-Hewitt renovation, 2007, Gluckman Mayner Architects
Interesting notes on how Cooper-Hewitt went about to present new media, technology, and the amazing new advances in design.

Exhibit Design Awards

Are you in the trade show business? You may want to check out this out.

Yahoo's Design Pattern Library

Welcome to the Yahoo! Design Pattern Library. Some interesting information dealing with code with the wed design and development community.

Yahoo's Design Pattern Library

Object

George Watson, has recently won the new designers vtech telecommunications award. he received the award for his design 'object', a photographic experience. the idea for 'object' was to relate digital data more physically with objects within the home and create meaningful links between both. Once images are taken the exchange converts them into associations with domestic objects by tagging an artefact with a small rfid chip. For example if an image of a beach is taken, pebbles are often associated with the landscape. You may have a pebble in your house, so you would roll the pebble over the 'object' viewer and an images of the beach will appear.

Winglet


Toyota revealed a range of personalised electric scooters. users can stand on two of the vehicles without using their arms and control it with their knees.

Learning from the Olympics


From GE to NestlĂ© to watchmaker Omega, companies use the Games to test-drive new ideas—and strut their stuff.

Equipment and apparel fit for Olympic athletes—and their mere mortal counterparts