Barnum museum

You can see a piece of this gem from I-95. Hard to believe that Bridgeport has been beaten down for so long.

Fiskars

Design concepts by HEIBERG, Interesting handle form and evolution of the brand. Also a great example of the role of color and material in making a brand identity.

method

Very nicely sculpted bottle form from our friends at Method. Not sure that the "Bowl Patrol" part is necessary.

Armstrong

Or maybe this one, also at Morrison

Holiday gift idea #6

For those who have a lot more money to spend maybe an oil painting on aluminum by Chris Armstrong (at the Morrison Gallery).

Puma

Most times the giant mark does not work (like the current Polo application) but this one works.

Miami kettle

The mami kettle by stefano giovannoni, for alessi 2003. made of 18/10 stainless steel, this kettle is a beautiful addition to the mami series. designed with a magnetic stainless steel heat diffusing bottom, the handle and whistle are black polymide. use medium heat on this kettle due to the smaller base. dimensions: 10.25"h x 3.5"w x 9.5"d

holiday gift idea #5

Most of what Core77 has to say is bloated and muddled self-promotion mixed with overly-complicated self-importance but the comments on this hatchet from Estwing are right on.

Holiday gift idea #4

The Patrick Starr key chain

new sides are hard to find

Poblano, ham and corn pudding from Epicurious

2 large poblano chiles*
2 cups fresh corn kernels (from 2 large ears) or frozen, thawed, divided
2 large eggs
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted, slightly cooled
1 teaspoon salt
Large pinch of baking powder
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup instant corn masa mix (Maseca)**
4 ounces 1/4-inch-thick slices Serrano ham or prosciutto, cut into 1/4-inch cubes (about 1 cup)
1 cup coarsely grated Manchego cheese (about 4 1/2 ounces)

CBD

Another example oft he the very refined, smooth technique

car body design

Cool technique made more compelling by the controlled palette. Not sure the exaggerated perspective is helping.

holiday gift idea #3

For all the tea in China by Sarah Rose is the story of Robert Fortune, the Scottish botanist hired by the brits to sneak into China and steal tea plants to be grown in India so that they could have better tea at a cheaper price in England.

Enzo at his best

I believe that this was done for Gerber and is called the gator.

smith black

A close up of one product mentioned in the previous entry this is a good example of the inspired vision and interesting intellectual ambition that falls short of creating a product that is actually desirable to own and hold.

zani and zani

Enzo is the man, no doubt about it. And I can see what he was going for with this new line for Zani & Zani. As good as the vision and inspiration are someone should have told him that the end result is just not working.

Holiday gift idea #2

Too stark to be a primary but any Muji makes a nice casual second watch just don't expect them to hold up to very much abuse.

packaging

Seen on die-line. The style of this is clean and simple but also has a unique feel.

Granite Hall

One of the boys favorite stops in Maine, the Granite Hall store in Round Pond. They like the candy assortment and the inexpensive toys but mostly they like being able to buys a bunch of stuff for $20.

little dipper

boardwalk

Evo Solo

Interesting form with a classic designer color choice. I believe that it comes with an additional part that covers the fork. Although they are known for their restraint when it comes to color, on this product they should have challenged themselves to step outside of the designer default and pick a color that is more appetizing and clean. This just comes off looking boring and dirty.

Holiday gift idea #1

Nintendo 3DS. The games are the same but the graphics are a bit better and the controls more nimble. This is a concept (much more slabby than and angular than the real thing. In the next gen they need to work on bringing the display close to the edges to keep up with what the ipad and iphone offer. They also need to do a better job of picking colors and deco.

Thomaston opera house

The proportions sort of remind me of the opera house right down the road from my house...or maybe it is just the postcard style faded printing.

saginaw

Postcard of the Saginaw post office. The detail is amazing. Construction started on the Saginaw Post Office on May 11, 1897 and dedication ceremonies took place on July 4, 1898. Originally established as EAST SAGINAW on September 15, 1851 the name changed to SAGINAW EAST SIDE on March 17, 1892. Then the name changed to SAGINAW on June 24, 1898. In the 1970's the county acquired the post office and rehabilitated it as the Castle Museum, and is owned and operated by the Historical Society of Saginaw County. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. It is worth seeing if you are ever in the area.

sailcloth

Recycled sail cloth bags are everywhere. The texture of the material and the visual of the over-stitching is compelling but the patterns and forms are usually standard nylon bag forms. Would be interesting to see some new forms made just for the material.

Pop

I know that you always enjoy a study in negative space.

Heinz Field

The Steelers have a really great stadium and interesting fans (they seem to turn on their team faster than the other stadiums I have been to). The giant ketchup bottles that open, tilt and pour every time they get into the red zone are interesting brand marketing but the best element I saw there is the use of yellow and black. Maybe that is second best, number one has to be them beating the ever annoying Patriots.

Another

DiTullo inspired?

They look a little bit like Mike designed them...except for the branding. But according to the site I found these on it was Porsche Design.

rotunda

Union Station also called Penn Station

The station building was designed by Chicago architect Daniel Burnham and built 1898–1903. The materials were a grayish-brown terra cotta that looked like brownstone, and brick. The most distinctive feature is the entry rotunda.