what to do with that favorite tshirt
Send Hellow Rewind your old favorite t-shirt, and they'll craft it into a custom designed laptop sleeve.
If that wasn't delicious enough, the entire operation is devoted to helping sex trafficking victims in NYC. They get to learn marketable skills to re-enter the workplace, and you get a juicy hot laptop sleeve. Everyone wins. From @mtlb
Labels: nonprofit, productdesign
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:37 AM
0 comments
Monday, February 22, 2010
the future of apparel is all about you.
Always wanted a photo of your dog on your shorts? Or a photo of your local beach? Or your own custom illustration? Done, Done and done.
Shortomatic has brought to the world of boardshorts what Threadless brought to t-shirts, and what Vans brought to sneakers.
Now you can make your own shorts, or choose from a gallery of artist designed shorts. Submit your own designs and earn up to $1000. Everyone wins and looks hot on the beach. Which is really what life is all about, anyway.
We've seen the future, and it's designed by you. Suhweet.
Labels: fashion, productdesign, trends
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:48 AM
0 comments
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
this old thing called radio
In the olden days, people used to listen to music on devices called radios.
And humans picked and played songs for them. This was before the "shuffle" feature was invented on your iPod. Instead of typing a url, listeners needed to find the location of the station on a dial.
And these dials are magnificent design artifacts.
Labels: creativeinspiration, design, productdesign
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:30 AM
0 comments
Monday, January 25, 2010
t-shirt art is yesterday. casts are hot.
Castoo makes killer graphics for casts. Yes, those things that protect your broken bones can now be customized. (Talk about a niche market!) As Springwise points out, putting personalized artwork everywhere is becoming the norm.
You could also make a logical jump to conclude that where there is art, there will be ads. Could Gatorade sponsored broken arms be far away?
Labels: art, design, productdesign
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:08 AM
0 comments
Friday, January 08, 2010
tweet while driving. safely.
We've been saying that every car should be a rolling internet device for about a kabillion years now. Hooray to the Ford Motor Company for taking the most forward steps toward making it happen.
They were all the buzz yesterday at the CES show, debuting among other things, their new Sync system - which integrates a Twitter tool (!) and Pandora, an awesome internet radio station.
How sweet to have your tweets read to you outloud, while driving! CEO Alan Mulally says "We're moving at Silicon Valley speed, delivering the car of tomorrow today." (He should have tweeted that, while driving down Las Vegas Blvd.)
Disclosure: Ford is a sponsor of our PlaidNation tour, but that doesn't change our opinion on how awesome they're doing.
Labels: automotive, productdesign, social media, twitter
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:22 AM
0 comments
Friday, November 20, 2009
greenalicious design that tastes great
Imagine a product design that looks super hot. Then imagine that design could reduce air pollution. And reduce water pollution. And save energy. A product design change that can accomplish all of that?
Meet the "naked" coke can. There are 24 billion coke cans produced every year. That's a lot of Coca Cola red paint. Not only does that create boku waste in manufacturing, but removing the paint adds a step to the recycling process. Eliminate the paint and you reduce manufacturing crap, and make recycling easier.
Gizmodo has all the math proving this is the most awesome greenalicious package redesign ever. Awesomeness times ten.
Labels: beverage, green, productdesign, yummyfood
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:00 AM
3 comments
Thursday, November 19, 2009
the history of skateboard art II
The author of "Disposable: A History of Skateboard Art" wasn't content with his first bible of skateboard art and has published a new tome that chronicles the history of deck design even better than his first.
Cool Hunting interviews the author to find out what makes this book even more awesome than the first. Put it on your coffee table and your friends will automatically think you're a little bit cooler than you are right now.
This comes at a good time and serves as excellent inspiration for those completing their decks for the Bordobello fundraiser. (My board is coming along quite nicely. See the progress here.)
From @charliecurve
Labels: action sports, design, pop culture, productdesign, publishing
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:20 AM
0 comments
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
if you like to race office chairs...
Then you'll totally dig these upcycled Vespas turned office chairs. Ergonomics shmergonomics - these look cool. From Dugger.
Labels: interior design, productdesign
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:33 AM
1 comments
Monday, November 09, 2009
this guy influenced star trek sets
An Eero Saarinen exhibit kicks off tomorrow at the Museum of the City of New York. The exhibition, titled Eero Saarinen: Shaping the Future is a comprehensive project exploring the work of one of the most prolific, unorthodox, and controversial masters of 20th-century architecture.
Maybe you've seen one of his chairs, or paid a visit to one of his architectural masterpieces. The exhibit is totally worthy of a visit for designers, architecture fans and trekkies.
Labels: architecture, newyork, productdesign
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:36 AM
1 comments
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
the nicest cans ever
How do you celebrate the 70th birthday of an iconic trash can? Vipp partnered with Design Within Reach to create a series of cans by famous artists. Seriously wonderful place for your discarded crap.
Labels: art, productdesign
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:14 AM
0 comments
Friday, October 23, 2009
working community and recycling into your product
Make the Logo Bigger points to a pretty cool idea that Levis has done with their product: They've suggested you donate your jeans to Goodwill when you're done with them. Right on the tag sewn into the jeans.
What a cool partnership for both brands, while promoting responsible behavior to their customers. Everyone wins.
Labels: fashion, package design, productdesign
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:37 AM
0 comments
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
because your poop doesn't smell
From art projects to actual products, here's a super good collection of toilet paper awesomeness. Because you deserve better when you're wiping up the very best. From Guy Kawasaki.
Labels: art, creativeinspiration, productdesign
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:36 AM
1 comments
Monday, August 24, 2009
apple engineers: you need this guy
BrandFlakes friend Lee Washington shows us a most awesome invention: a product design for iPod headphones that don't tangle.
Apple: please give this man a million dollars and get me these headphones. Mine are a tangled mess.
Labels: apple, iphone, productdesign
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:27 AM
3 comments
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
that banzai pool is very little
What do you do if you buy a pool based on what you've been promised on the outer packaging, and then it's nothing like promised? Let your kids tell the story. And then write a blog post. Awesome.
Brands: the days of lying to your customers ended years ago. The internet knows the truth.
Labels: branding, package design, productdesign, viral
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:03 AM
0 comments
Thursday, August 06, 2009
some people aren't psycho for donuts
Here's another reason to move to the Bay Area: You can order the most deliciously awesome donuts, and have them delivered to your door by a sexy nurse.
Psycho Donuts has attempted to add some excitement to the retail side of the donut business, with a unique retail environment (that includes a padded cell), and hostesses that look like naughty nurses (who also make donut deliveries.)
This upsets some people. And they're organizing protests over at Psycho Donuts. Insane as that sounds, yes - people are protesting donuts.
Mental health professionals are up in arms, and aren't satisfied with just shopping at a more boring donut store. The hoopla is getting Psycho Donuts a ton of publicity. Follow the developments over at the Psycho Donut blog and the psycho donut tweet stream.
We just want to taste the Nilla wafers and donuts combination. Or the bi-polar donut pictured above. Sounds nutty delicious.
Labels: productdesign, retail, yummyfood
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:02 AM
2 comments
the history of rounded rectangles
I love this post on UI&us - not for the discussion of more efficient graphical user interfaces, but for the history of the rounded rectangle.
It's cool to see how the digital concept of rounded edges was born - and how they're all around us in life, protecting us from sharp edges or a good poke in the arm. Thanks, Steve Jobs.
Labels: apple, design, productdesign, technology
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:44 AM
1 comments
Thursday, July 23, 2009
cables and batteries still suck
Michael Surtees is mad. His old MacBook Pro has a dead battery, he doesn't want to spend big bucks to replace it, and he can't move his desk due to all the cables. He wants better batteries. So he wrote a post, we're linking, and soon Apple will fall to its knees admitting it must boost R&D spending on product lifecycles so we all don't have to rush back to buy new Mac toys every 18 months...
Yeah, right. Which reminds us, how do you pry the back off an iPhone?
Labels: apple, product obsolescence, productdesign
posted by Ben Kunz @ 7:14 AM
0 comments
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
buddha inspired phones. for when karma calls.
Check out this Buddhalicious collection of phones featured on If It's Hip It's Here.
And these aren't just novelty phones. One comes with TWO cameras - one on the front and one on the back, with two SIM cards. Apple - time for some spirituality?
Labels: mobile, productdesign, technology
posted by darryl ohrt @ 6:05 AM
1 comments
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
what the serious art students ride to school
If there was a bike defined by the Bauhaus design movement, it would look something like this. From @LauraLSweet
Labels: design, productdesign
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:24 AM
0 comments
Friday, June 12, 2009
ummm...it's for your comfort
I think it's real. I called the number. If you're on my Secret Santa list this year, watch out. From the Denver Egotist.
Labels: ads, creativeinspiration, productdesign, tv
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:30 AM
6 comments
Thursday, June 11, 2009
how your sneaks got their names
(And guess what - Adidas doesn't stand for "all day i dream about soccer.")
The Wall Street Journal reports on how your favorite sneakers got their names. Because that's what you count on from the Wall Street Journal. Hard-hitting pop culture and fashion history.
Labels: branding, fashion, pop culture, productdesign
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:40 AM
2 comments
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
these fire extinguishers are totally hot
Here's proof that design can make even the most mundane products totally desirable. Don't you want one for every room in your house?
Labels: design, productdesign
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:42 AM
4 comments
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
keep your coworkers focused on the deadline
Memorial Day is only days away. Your coworkers are taking smoke breaks and eating lunch outside and looking for any reason they can to leave their cube. When they really should be focused on helping you meet that deadline for Friday.
Not to worry. With the new office ball and chain, you can keep your coworkers focused on their tasks for a set period of time. Created to keep students from leaving the library, this is an actual 20 pound ball connected to a cuff that unlocks based on the time period you select. Genius. From BuzzFeed.
Labels: creativeinspiration, productdesign, workplace
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:36 AM
0 comments
Friday, April 24, 2009
science is awesome
Scientists rock. Not because they're curing disease, or eliminating pollution and bad things from our lives - but because they've invented a car that can change color with the weather.
For real. MINI is introducing a model at the Singapore car show that changes color. It will auto morph into a more reflective color on hot days (to reflect the heat) or darker colors on colder days (to attract the sun.)
I want one with a remote control, that I can change from an internet browser. Please??? From David Armano.
Labels: automotive, green, productdesign
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:03 AM
1 comments
old school communication devices
Back before everyone communicated with email, IM and 140 character tweets, they used a devices called telephones.
Just for fun, you should take a trip down memory lane and check out some old phones. Because you always wanted a Princess phone. Or a 1950's wall phone. Or maybe you just needed a fun distraction on a Friday morning.
Even cooler - you can buy any of these!! Phonetastic!! Thanks, Steve!
Labels: creativeinspiration, pop culture, productdesign
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:00 AM
1 comments
Thursday, March 19, 2009
that garbage can is texting you
Now garbage cans can send text messages. Soon, they'll be blogging, tweeting and podcasting. And then, they'll become social media experts.
Labels: outdoor, productdesign, technology
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:16 AM
1 comments
Monday, March 09, 2009
babushkas are hot
Sure, vinyl toys are cool, but Russian nesting dolls never go out of style.
Check out the amazing post on If it's Hip it's Here devoted to the art of nesting dolls. Or Matryoshka's. Or babushkas. Or whatever you like to call them. (I prefer babushka, because it's so fun to say outloud.
Labels: creativeinspiration, pop culture, productdesign
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:19 AM
0 comments
yummy in your tummy
Being the makers of awesome morning creative nutrition ourselves, we couldn't help but share with you a sweet tribute to cereal that's been discontinued. Enjoy responsibly.
Labels: creativeinspiration, package design, productdesign, yummyfood
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:18 AM
0 comments
Friday, March 06, 2009
yummy new stuff to put in your belly
Pepsi is launching a handful of new products to capitalize on
Labels: beverage, package design, productdesign, yummyfood
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:17 AM
3 comments
Monday, January 26, 2009
new mini not so mini
MINI is at it again, attracting attention to a car that you can't buy yet. It's an awesome concept car that they're showing off at the Bread and Butter conference in Barcelona.
It's a MINI with more room - we guess that when they mean "crossover" they mean not entirely a small car, but not entirely a big car. Whatever. You can't buy it yet, it's just an auto-designer's dream for now.
Labels: automotive, productdesign
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:00 AM
1 comments
Thursday, January 22, 2009
carpet that you don't wipe your feet on
Some people just breathe creative awesomeness. Like every little thing they do or try is filled with wonder. Mark Mothersbaugh is one of those dudes.
You probably know him as a member of the best band in jumpsuits - Devo. You may also know that he has produced countless kidriffic soundtracks to television shows. He's written books, and hosts a drawing segment on Yo Gabba Gabba.
And, because that wasn't enough...he's designing carpet. Not just squares and shapes, but the most "whoah, check out that rug" kind of carpet.
Labels: art, design, interior design, music, productdesign
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:01 AM
1 comments
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
if you're in dc, can you pick me up a velvet obama painting?
Millions of people are coming together today to celebrate something special. And when millions of people come together, they need something to buy.
Some of the hottest product designers across the globe have heard these cries, and created some of the tackiest Obama souvenirs ever, in response. Hooray. Obama nesting dolls are here.
Labels: politics, pop culture, productdesign
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:11 AM
0 comments
Monday, January 19, 2009
paper: never crashes.
You're a creative person. You wear a bunch of hats. Sometimes during meetings, you need to take notes. Sometimes you need to draw pictures. Now there's a notebook that lets you do both. The Doane Paper notebooks feature grids and lines. So both sides of your brain can be splendidly happy.
Lovers: these will make excellent Valentine's Day gifts for the creative superstar in your life. From Mark Wolfe, via Twitter.
Labels: productdesign, productivity, workplace
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:17 AM
0 comments
Monday, January 12, 2009
a film for people who enjoy the people who make things
For the people who obsess over beautiful objects, there's finally a film devoted to the craft of industrial design. Check out the trailer for Objectified. Coming to a cooler theater near you, soon. Thanks, Casey!
Labels: design, film, productdesign
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:51 AM
0 comments
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
fun pirate products
Girls have been toting swap meet Louis Vuitton and Coach bags forever. And bootleg manufacturers have been crafting sophisticated knock offs that are many times difficult to differentiate from the genuine brands.
Well, here's something different: Pirate products that are almost like the original brands, yet far enough away that they're hilarious. Like Pmua sneakers. What any true pirate wears to dinner.
Labels: branding, fashion, productdesign
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:49 AM
0 comments
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
nothing smells sexier than beef
Burger King now has a fragrance product. For real. You can buy it and impress your lover with the romantic scent of...flame broiled meat. Mmmmm. Juicy.
Labels: marketing, productdesign, viral, yummyfood
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:13 AM
0 comments
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
space beer is here
The next big deal in product design? Space product. Sapporo just announced the launch of Space Beer, "the world's first beer made with barley descending from plants grown inside the International Space Station."
Sounds like the start to an awesome scifi adventure. Or just good beer. You decide.
(Awesome photograph by Stacy Brill from Kevin Haddad, via Facebook.)
Labels: beverage, productdesign, yummyfood
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:49 AM
1 comments
Monday, December 01, 2008
stop stepping all over my email
Ringo is a sweet new interface design concept by Ivan Tihienko.
We hope that by now, someone with a load of cash has paid mcmillions to Ivan, and he's developing this. Because I really, really, really want an arrow to follow me around wherever I go, like a personal GPS. And I'd like to setup my entire desktop in the parking lot of a big retail store, and call it my office. C'mon let's get going on this.
Labels: design, productdesign, technology, webdev
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:49 AM
0 comments
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
cigarettes in plain packages
Here's an interesting post about a proposed plan to eliminate all branding from cigarettes. Weird. And strangely reminiscent of the "Generic Brand" consumer products wave of the 1980's.
Even as an aggressive non-smoker - this seems harsh. What if all "bad" products were de-branded? Liquor, BigMacs, Donuts?
Maybe we could put them all together in Bad Stores and there would be Bad Super Centers. Maybe there would even be a Bad Mall. Perhaps Target could open up a Bad division. From Quipsologies.
Labels: branding, productdesign
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:17 AM
1 comments
Monday, October 27, 2008
everything's changing and design is important
Not only is this a most beautious presentation, it's right on the mark, too. Nice work by Chris Wilson and the crew at Hester Designs.
Labels: creativeinspiration, design, productdesign, social media, technology, trends
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:00 AM
2 comments
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
smack that ass.
Mmmm. Tasty. Nothing says hamburger topping like a good smack on the ass. And if you're a retailer of fetish-wear, what a great way to get in front of your potential customers. When they're smacking red on their fries at the pub. Fun for the whole family.
Shout out to our friend Ben, who must have been Googling "ass spanking" to find this link. Thanks, Ben!
Labels: ads, productdesign
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:43 AM
1 comments
Monday, September 08, 2008
the rocket cars that we were supposed to be driving by now
Daniel Simon has a sweet new book titled Cosmic Motors: Spacehips, Cars and Pilots of Another Galaxy. You can take a look at a sneak peek slide show over at Wired.
Absolutely amazing artwork. Or product design. Or whatever you call the design of rocket cars that can't possibly exist. Yet.
Labels: automotive, creativeinspiration, photography, productdesign
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:34 AM
0 comments
Thursday, July 31, 2008
got milk crates?
When I was your age, we used milk crates for everything. For hauling records to DJ gigs. For book shelves. For storage systems. And chairs. Soon, everyone will recognize crate culture. There will be milk crate meet ups, milk crate socials, and milk crate festivals.
For now, there's a crazy milk crate chandelier, and even a blog devoted to milk crate creations. Milk is the new black.
Labels: architecture, art, creativeinspiration, productdesign
posted by darryl ohrt @ 6:49 AM
0 comments
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
how they make legos
Legos. We all love them, remember them fondly, and can still have fun with them today. If your boss doesn't let you play legos at the office, maybe you'll enjoy this tour of the factory instead.
Labels: creativeinspiration, productdesign
posted by darryl ohrt @ 2:47 AM
0 comments
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
steve woodruff is waiting for your genius
Steve Woodruff is a really smart dude. Like many of us, he's recognized the need for a new super tool to confaburate all of the many, many social media tools and devices that we need into one snazzy dashboard. One dashboard, where you can control everything. Only one problem: Steve isn't really a developer. But he knows that as a community, we're filled with designers, developers and girl geniuses. So he's doing something.
Steve Woodruff is crowd designing the ultimate dashboard, deemed MetaMee. Check out his posts (part 1), (part 2), (part 3) and the latest on his blog. Be enlightened or inspired by watching the thought and development process. Or pitch in with ideas and direction to make it better. This is the ultimate tool waiting for your input.
I want this product now. Right now. Can you hurry up and help Steve finish the design process and start coding? Or can some VC company just give him a kabillion dollars to develop this tool today? Productivity is waiting.
Labels: creativeinspiration, mashup, productdesign, productivity, social media, web2.0, webdev
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:27 AM
2 comments
Thursday, June 19, 2008
sit your ass down. here. no here.
Finally, chairs that behave. And follow you, from the scent of your behind. Or your library card. Not sure. This is the most awesome invention ever. Not just for the chair, but for the products that are sure to follow.
I'll never have to carry my 65 pound messenger bag around again. To hell with a laptop - let's have the full on desktop machine follow me to meetings. And a wagon of jackets and clothes, so that when I forget that it's cold out, and need to change. I can't wait to live in a world where everything that I need just follows me around.
Awesome find from Orange Element.
Labels: architecture, future, productdesign, technology
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:40 AM
3 comments
daddy! ryan's choking on the legos again.
At first, you'll think this can't be true. Kellogg's could not produce a candy that looks very much like a small toy from the real world. But they did.
I've seen corporate environments that refuse to let a good idea escape the boardroom - but how did 47 committees at Kellogg's approve this instead?
Why stop here? Here's some fun ideas for new Kellogg's products:
+ Juice in bottles that look like bleach!
+ Soda that looks just like auto anti-freeze! Or blue "windshield wiper" flavor!
+ All new razor blade chewing gum!
+ New handgun candy dispensers! Just pull the trigger for full flavor!
Mmmmm. Tasty.
Labels: productdesign, youthmarketing, yummyfood
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:37 AM
6 comments
Friday, May 09, 2008
mmmm. meatwater.
Brooklyn based designer/photographer Till Krautkramer has invented the most delicious and refreshing beverage ever: MeatWater.
MeatWater comes in all of your favorite flavors, including Beef Stroganof, Beef Jerky, Texas BBQ, and my favorite - Dirty Hot Dog. The same juice that powers the most awesome NYC hot dog carts. Mmmm. Get some. Pure parody fun. Found on Gothamist.
Labels: package design, parody, productdesign, typography, yummyfood
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:19 AM
0 comments
Friday, April 25, 2008
the elevator is lying to you.
This is an interesting factoid, about human behavior, and product design. You've probably seen the clip that's made its way around the internets, featuring the guy stuck in the elevator for 41 hours. Yech.
This leads to a fun fact about elevator design. It turns out that the handy "close door" button doesn't work. In ANY elevator manufactured since the early 90's. It's only there to make you feel like you have a sense of control.
When I read this, it made me angry. Why can't we be honest?
There's a new Quiznos spot running, featuring a yummy looking chicken thing. And in the new spot, it features the sandwich as "naughty." I laughed, because I saw that as honest. I'm not going to eat a mega-calorie gut buster because I think it's the healthy thing to do. I'm going to eat it because I deserve it. Or because I feel like being naughty. (In the eating, kind of naughty way.)
So, bring on the honesty. Let's stop deception. Let's get naughty.
Labels: ads, branding, productdesign, yummyfood
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:32 AM
2 comments
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
blow energy drink. cheap shot at a quick buck.
The latest ridiculous energy product aimed at capturing tween dollars is Blow, a product made to look exactly like cocaine. The white caffeine powder comes in resealable white vials, so that kids can put "blow" into their drinks.
The cheap promotional site features strippers and poorly designed gear sure to turn the average 14 year old onto the product. They can even by it in bulk, and become neighborhood dealers of...blow.
Sure to get loads of free publicity on the local news, featuring protesting parents. I'd love to know what they paid for the rights to use the Cult's song WildFlower on their site. Or if they paid. I know some pretty large brands who don't have that kind of licensing budget. ;)
Thanks Suzy!
Labels: branding, productdesign, youthmarketing
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:30 AM
4 comments
Friday, April 04, 2008
make your own tea
This is a sweet idea. Twist the cap and shake to make instant yummylicious green tea. Awesome packaging concept.
Labels: package design, productdesign
posted by darryl ohrt @ 6:29 AM
0 comments
Friday, March 21, 2008
in march, you can wear your banana hammock swimsuit in nyc
Design Miami is coming to New York. So, we can only assume that everything else "Miami-style" will be acceptable for the month of March.
Design Miami has become the most awesome display of stuff you can't afford. And stuff that would look ridiculous in your apartment. And stuff that's completely inspirational. And now it's coming to New York.
Labels: design, interior design, newyork, productdesign
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:09 AM
0 comments
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
a beautiful place for your stinky underwear
LG has teamed up with fabric designers from the Designer's Guild to create the most wonderous dirt removal machines that you have ever laid eyes on.
Until your friends come over and say, "oh, you're still rockin' with the Design Guild machine? That's so ollllld. I'm washing with the new Nike version." What? It could happen.
Labels: design, interior design, productdesign
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:54 AM
1 comments
Monday, February 11, 2008
microsoft discovers people are using the internet
The New York Times reports that the latest Microsoft development teams are actually incorporating mashups into their new software development. Web 2.0 style. Like they're actually paying attention to the way the rest of the world uses the interweb. Wow. If they could just make it so that Word doesn't take 34 minutes to open up on my machine, we'd be all set.
Illustration by James Yang, via the New York Times.
Labels: mashup, productdesign, trends
posted by darryl ohrt @ 6:15 AM
1 comments
Friday, December 21, 2007
mannequins have copyrights
They are original creations, after all. And it turns out they're protected by copyright. You can't copy a mannequin's design, pose, paint, facial expression or other details.
I think it's also time that we have a Bill of Rights for mannequins. And hazard pay, for those poor plastic souls that have to work the Old Navy window.
Labels: design, fashion, productdesign, retail
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:11 AM
0 comments
Thursday, December 06, 2007
stanley tools creates best product name ever
Stanley just created a new tool. A demolition tool. Something that can rip things apart. Destroy them. Pull things to pieces. The ultimate tear it apart-destroying-pull-things-to-pieces tool.
And then, it needed a name. Fubar. In case you're not familiar, here's some background on the word Fubar.
And that's the most perfect name for this tool. In most product organizations, this would have been road-blocked by senior management. Squashed by legal. A hundred people in suits would typically stand in the way and second guess and suggest safer names like "demo bar" instead.
Hooooray for Stanley. For letting creativity win. For producing creative that speaks to your audience - not your attorneys. Nice job.
Watch the spot here.
Thanks Justus!
Labels: branding, productdesign
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:20 AM
3 comments
Friday, November 30, 2007
the wonder of branding
A cute slide show of oddly branded items. Awesomely illustrates the power and value of brands in our heads. Not that there's anything wrong with a Hermes mud flap. (My wife is totally going to dig that tape measure, for xmas.)
Found on Urban Outfitters. Blog.
Labels: art, branding, pop culture, productdesign
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:32 AM
0 comments
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
what you see on the tv could be real
It's fascinating to watch television and film's usage of computers, internet and technology. I'm stoked when I see shows like CSI use Twitter, and pissed when I see tv shows do stuff that's just ridiculously stupid.
And then there's the inspirational moments captured on film that make you say "I want that." These moments are created by awesome designers like Mark Coleran - a visual designer that specializes in the design of fictional interfaces.
Adverlab points to some other cool writings on the subject. It's interesting to note how designers like Mark can impact our desires - and ultimately, product that's brought to the marketplace.
I'm still waiting for that invisible screen in the air above my desk to be installed. In the meantime, I'll just pretend.
Labels: design, film, productdesign
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:50 AM
0 comments
Sunday, November 25, 2007
concept cars suck
I hate concept cars. Just a big tease of something we'll never see.
And now, Chevy takes it to a whole new level. No longer just a tease at the car show, or car magazine, they're actually advertising a car that you can't buy.
Ben over at Thought Gadgets points out how the campaign is a loser, for all of it's assumed intended audiences. I agree.
Labels: ads, automotive, productdesign
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:14 PM
0 comments
