Thursday, February 11, 2010

New Blogging Service & Layout

I'm going to be trying out a new blogging service and layout for my blogs.

Here are the links for the new blogs:
Design Blog | Personal Blog | Cooking Blog

How A Web Design Goes Straight to Hell










Friday, February 5, 2010

Beautiful Vases

Curl Vase by Kimberly Manne of Warp Design:










These have to be the coolest, most graceful contemporary industrial vases I've ever laid eyes on. They come in different sizes, too.


Volcano #39 by Emogayu:










Japanese artist Emogayu developed these series of amazing vases titled Volcano and Flow, though I'm of the opinion that it could just as well have had Moon after looking at the top view of some of these, they carry a very balanced and graceful organic form. I would seriously recommend checking out the other pieces from these series.


Hidden Vase by Dan Yeffet of JellyLab:
This organic vase gets its name due to the central shaft cloaked by a delicate branch structure around it.

Onion Vase by Iris Zohar:

These onion vases were designed by Iris Zohar to stretch the limits between what is natural and what is artifical.


Spiral Bud Vase by Michiko Maekawa of Martha's Vineyard Glassworks:
Very beautiful minimalist glass vases to display only one stem of flower.


Tree Vase by Jennifer Fisher of Jfish Designs:
Slipcast ceramic branch-like vases hold small flowers and be overlapped to produce a denser organic cluster.


Roots Vase by Humantouch:
This elegant vase very simply, and stylistically replicates plant roots.



Bouquet Vase by VisuallyOd:
These vases are composed of individually slipcast porcelain branches that are tied up together to create a freeform sculptural vase.


Unvase by Designdot:


This one is like one of those Rorschach inkblot tests. The negative space between the two pieces forms a vase in of itself which is intended to provoke reflection about how it can be looked upon from different points of view.


Grass Vase by Claydies:

These unique grass vases were developed by Claydies with the comment "Grass has a very naive ceramic expression that is both uplifting and amusing."

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Chocolate Records and Dream Balls

With huge chocolate sales coming up right after Single's Awareness Day (aka Valentine's Day), found that there was a lot of inspiration behind these chocolate records which appeals to all 5 senses: See, Touch, Smell, Hear and Taste.


Moreover, with all the packaging that goes to waste especially during specific holidays throughout the year, this particularly delightful concept called Dream Ball from Unplug Design illustrates how relief containers could be patterned to be made into soccer balls could serve as further inspiration.



This is the story behind Dreamball:
“To the children in The Third World; Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia, Congo and etc, who can’t enjoy football freely because of poverty, war and natural disaster, having a football means a lot and can be a dream and hope to escape from their poor life.

However, the children are so poor that they can not buy a football. So, they play football with the ball made of plastic bag or coconut palm leaves, therefore giving them their own footballs which can give them hope. This is our aim for this project.

We suggest this Dream Ball made of relief boxes delivered to those poor children by recycling.

A. Create patterns that can help making a ball on the surface of an aid box.
B. Activities of giving aid boxes to children in The Third World.
C. The used aid boxes will be recycled as a football by children with the patterns on boxes.
D. By making Dream Ball with the children together, the aid organizations will get the chance to be friendly with them.”

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Cool Packaging

Hatch by Nosigner:

Anonymous Japanese designer, Nosigner, developed a project called Hatch where real eggshells are used as planters which also provides the growing plant with nutrients.
"It provides nutrition of eggshells to plants while they grow. Hatch makes it seem that the plants are growing out of the eggs. When the plants are grown, you can return them to the wilderness with Hatch because the eggshells are biodegradable."


Gold Future Eyecream by Freedom of Creation:
“L’Oreal group is the global leader in cosmetics and has over a century of experience in the business. With 58 offices throughout the world, L’Oreal distributes its 18 brands in 130 countries. Helena Rubinstein, one of the key brands of the group, wished to have a special package design made for the launch of its new “Gold Future” eye reviver cream. Freedom Of Creation designed and produced 66 pieces of this unique packaging out of flexible nylon, with a gold finishing layer.”


TEET by Ashley Linnenbank:
“Milk packaging sure to get noticed on the shelf. Available in skim, chocolate, and whole.”


Table Dish Cover by Maezm:




A very cool flexible injection-molded silicon tablecloth with integrated dishes that pop out designed by Korean Maezm. It can be spread over a table during meal times, then collapsed, removed and washed afterwards.


ShisSushi Takeaway by MPFXDESIGN:
“Shis Sushi it’s part of Shis Restaurant for which was developed sub graphic codes. Inspired in the oriental culture, red was the chosen chromatic color for the artwork applied in the circular package. This was inspired in the oriental geometry and in the restaurant logo. From the drawing mold to the graphic design and production, the package (in thermo-molded pvc for food), it was thought to be resistant and practical for take away purposes. Inside it has different compartments to put the sushi, accompanied by chopsticks. Outside the package is sealed by belt of paper that identifies the content and the brand of the restaurant . The mentioned restaurant is situated by the sea in Porto, Portugal. All communication elements where designed by MPFXDESIGN, from a chromatic choice inspired in the sea.”


Pop-Up Popcorn by Anni Nykänen, Packlab:
“In 2008 Anni Nykänen [of Packlab] won four awards for her Popcorn concept. Three of them European student design awards at the IOP: Student Starpack Awards. The Gold, Best in Show Award, Marks & Spencers / Korsnas Frovi Sponsored Award as she helped PACKLAB. Lahti Institute of Design to win the Eric Dickens Award for the second time in 2008. Months later her packaging picked up a 2008 Honorable Mention at the Worldstar Student / Packaging Design Competition (International) Award.”


Royal Tea Bags by Donkey Products:


Donkey Product's idea of teabagging with the Royal Family, US politicians, or striptease stars. Pretty Nifty.


Swiss Chocolate Knife by Victorinox:

This delectable Swiss Chocolate Knife is made of the finest Swiss chocolate, and is filled with hazelnut praline. Featuring the Victorinox Swiss Army logo, this fine confection is modeled after the Swiss Army Spartan multitool.