Ian jumps from his free platform into a 5 foot snow pile
28.12.10
27.12.10
2011 NFL Draft
Only one regular season game left this year so maybe it is time to start looking at the draft. The two websites I trust the most have the Bills getting either Cam Newton or Nick Fairly. It makes me wonder if the teams that are not in it think of throwing the last game to improve their pick.
24.12.10
Christmas gift idea #18
If you know someone that enjoys playing chess, Gameknot.com has an intuitive interface and a decent range of options. It is less complicated than chess.com and has nearly as many players. The Chess tactics are especially enjoyable and memberships start at $7 a month. Their logo is weak though, so I borrowed this one.
23.12.10
Christmas gift idea #17
There is only one day left until Christmas. I think that a new watch makes a great last minute idea if you are still out searching. Coach usually has some nice ones for women. For men. if you have the money, you can't miss with a TAG. Even if they decide to exchange it they will be impressed by how much you spent. Stay away from watches at Tiffany's.
logo
David, this is an example of what I was talking about when I mentioned an overall successful form and detail language cheapened by an oversized mark. I agree that logo size can vary quite a bit depending on the product category and the demographic you are trying to appeal to but this is a miss. Had it been embossed perhaps.
Christmas gift idea #16
Cohesive branding, good graphics and mediocre product design made something out of nothing in this stale category and now all the kids want some Skull Candy
22.12.10
18.12.10
Buffalo Bills
It is hard to believe that the Bills management is stalling in resigning Donte Whitner. Not only is he one of their impact players but he almost never seems to complain about anything and seems to give 100% every game. If more people on the team hit like Whitner the defense would be right up there with the Ravens and Steelers. I am sure the CBA issue is slowing the signing...but still
17.12.10
X-Head
The side storage compartment is interesting. Could make a great concept for a camping focused vehicle. Generally those vehicles are very thoughtful in how they use the interior space but completely neglect the exterior and miss the opportunity to create a toal solution
Suzuki X-Head
Most of this concept is in the proportions which seem to me to be way off. But some of the details are interestingly thoughtful. Many of the auto places on the internet have joked that the designers of this concept used to work at Tonka.
Christmas gift idea #14
Spirograph. The new sets are cool or you can pick up classic ones on EBay without spending very much at all. It is hours of fun.
13.12.10
iphone
Two and three did not seem like much of an advance, but four is much more precise looking and has the same quality feel as one.
Christmas gift idea #13
Was just doing a little research and checking these out. The picture quality is amazing and the size is perfect for carrying around what is really unbelievable is the price. The PowerShot/Elph line have always been nicely priced but this is even lower than normal. I think the 12MP comes in several colors too. I like the black. They need to add an impact and water-proof sku to the line.
9.12.10
Christmas gift idea #12
Pick up a couple of shares of TIV. They are trading near an all-time low today and I expect them to triple in 2011.
Christmas gift idea #11
According to our friends at Unicahome "ink dish is a company that has assembled a new brand of china for a new more youthful generation. The look is entirely different reflecting new tastes in music, art and culture in dinnerware. it is not formal and stuffy nor is it the mass produced mainstream dinnerware so commonly found. This tableware is unique and the designs speak volumes. the porcelain is fired in asia with an in-glaze decal where the decal is fired at the melting point of the glaze and sinks into the glaze making an in surface pattern that is microwave and dishwasher safe that will never scratch. The tattoo designs come from famous tattooist Paul Timman of the world reknowned sunset strip tattoo parlor.
7.12.10
greenpeace design awards
Not sure what the 2010 poster looks like but this planet of the apes graphic is creative.
New idea homepage
From the new idea homepage, this is a compelling idea in a completely unappealing form. Specifically, the vertical posts are foreign to the rest of the language. It is fun to think of these kinds of projects and we often get approached to develop them for start-ups or individuals but without the correct mentality and clear goals most of the projects never even get started. the design might look better with a square bar in the photo.
Nike
They are difficult to work with and at times over-rated but they do some surprisingly good stuff. The deviation from the typical stacked layers or "sandwich" construction and the evolution from the footwear of the 90's is impressive. Also, the subtle detailing and restrained palette are compelling. They should get back to this and away from the gimmicks.
From treehugger
"One of the few complaints about the iPhone is the short battery life. Most people need to charge their phones on a nearly daily basis. The possibility for a low battery while away from a power outlet is pretty good, so off-grid charger concepts have come up often over the last few years. Most revolve around solar power, but the new iFan concept from Tjeerd Veenhoven utilizes the power of a good strong breeze." Nice find John.
3.12.10
Christmas gift idea #10
I know that they say buying movies is a 90's thing but maybe this is good for someone that doesn't believe that.
It is not great cinema but Stephen Chow is always really enjoyable to me.
Christmas Gift idea #9
A gift certificate to Jean-Georges Vongerichten restaurant. There has been a ton written about the amazing organic & locally sourced food. The restaurant features salvaged wood for the looring, beams and table tops. Also the bar top, is mounted on a rescued altar from a Mexican church.
2.12.10
Harney and Sons
Tonya: This is the tea I mentioned in the Christmas gift idea #8. I am sure you will love it. According to their website (www.harney.com), "from Oregon comes a marvelous, brisk peppermint. The peppermint leaves from this area produce a great smelling and crisp tasting tisane. We find a cup of this can also get a pesky stomach under control in no time." I have also found that it helps my stomach and I like to save the tins and use them to hold stuff around the house.
1.12.10
chair
This is also a cool look. A lot of the forms in furniture right now seems to be derived from forms that are easy to model in 3D. I doubt that is how they arrived a the form but it certainly feels that way. The leather helps take this one in away from that a bit. It also help warm-up the basically cold form.
cool bed
It doesn't work well for many products but this slabby look is great for this one. Almost makes me wish that our house was more contemporary.
30.11.10
Christmas Gift idea #8
Tea-infuser. I guess you would have to know for sure that the person drinks tea but there are a number of cool infusers available on amazon. Harney and Sons peppermint (www.Harney.com) is good and I think that even people that don't normally like tea would enjoy that.
29.11.10
Christmas Gift idea #7
Not really my thing, but a lot of people seem to like to know the temperature each morning and this acrylic version by Blomus is pretty nice executed. Stainless steel and acrylic construction. Available as a wall mount or with stainless steel stake. Available in fahrenheit only, bummer.
Evo
Since we started Evo Design in 1997 many others have also used the name for everything from shoes to phones to motorcycles. The Evo snowboard shop even has a logo type that looks a bit like ours. Not much that can be done about it but I do wish we would have gotten evo.com. At the time I remember thinking that the internet was a fad so I was not worried about it.
nano watch kit
Mike told me about this product on Kickstarter. Interesting concept but it looks really bulky to me. Not sure that it is worth the price either. Still, I think that it is going to generate a lot of traffic for Kickstarter. Scott should try to get them to reduce their cut on this.
21.11.10
Christmas Gift idea #6
Tasto Chip and Dip set. This looks like silicone but I am not positive what the material is. I think that it is available at the MoMa store.
Movie recommendation
Midnight Run. Tony was just reminding me of how hilarious this was the first time we saw it. I wonder how it holds up?
19.11.10
Thule
Had a chance to see a good sized display of Thule products. Great assortment of solutions. What is interesting to me about their products is that most all of the surfaces are functionally critical. Very few of their products have any purely cosmetic surfaces and so what you see is the engineering. A cool design challenge.
itunes
The big announcement on itunes turned out to be the addition of the Beatles library. Wow. What a tremendous disappointment. It is hard to imagine an announcement that would be less interesting than that...except for maybe the announcement of the next silly name for their operating system. Probably to be called Salamander.
16.11.10
15.11.10
Evo Movie Night
I have been waiting for a good action movie for the next Evo movie night. I thought that they all came out around this time of year but according to John here is the more typical break-down.
Thanksgiving-Christmas is traditionally a family season, with mostly kid movies
May is super-hero season
July is for action-adventure
This image is from Battle: Los Angelos
christmas gift idea #4
it is true that Abercrombie kids clothes are over-priced and all of the models may look like they are brats but they seem really well made and are nice materials. Ian tells me it is going to be his new brand. Thanks for the suggestion Sue.
9.11.10
7.11.10
Alessi
It is really difficult to use this soft, plump form language and without letting the product get too toy-like or cartoony. Normally the team at Alessi is better than most but I am not sure they found that balance here.
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