Dining Design

USB design

Paddington Reservoir

Such a cool space on Oxford St. I especially like the floating flower bed.

The park was designed by a Australian architecture firm FJMT.

The Death of Bunny Munro

I'm glad i didnt buy Nick Caves new book yet because he jsut released an audiobook and if youve ever heard him speak you know thats something special. Add to that he has composed the score with Warren Ellis. Heres a clip of him reading the third chapter for a taste:

Moon

Saw a stunning movie last week called Moon, its starring Sam Rockwell and is directed by David Bowies son. (who cares what his name is). The set design is amazing.... I also noticed the "space boots" he has are snowboard boots. Theres something really cool about the poster too.

Plant cell inspired "tofu chair"

"Taipei-based industrial designer Yu-Ying Wu's Breathing Chair resembles a block of aerated tofu. Closer inspection reveals that the triangular voids vary in size, and their placement has been carefully calculated; the large triangles at the top-front-center "give" the most, creating a chair-like shape when compressed by a human body.

Wu's chair, inspired by plant cells, took home a Red Dot Design Award in the home furniture design concept category earlier this year."

i love the idea that this chair shape is integrated and yet hidden from the user until they interact with the chair.

TED talks: Bill Stone explores the world's deepest caves

http://www.ted.com/talks/bill_stone_explores_the_earth_and_space.html

Photos of the hood

Come on Feet

This song samples the theme to the french animation film fantastic planet (le planete sauvage).

Helsinki Design Week

I love bent plywood objects and the Scandinavians seem to be pretty good at it. The patterns created by this shelving unit and the simple lines of these chairs are really nice!


"Magaru, a Finnish company created by designers Naoto Niidome and Mikko Paakkanen, showcased several new bamboo pieces at the 2009 Habitare Fair in Helsinki. One of the highlights was its SEE shelving, a modular system which can be constructed out of three simple shapes. Also on display was the company's sleek OBI Dining room set, the wedge-shaped DAIDAI chairs and the rotating WAPPA storage unit."

http://mocoloco.com/archives/011783.php#more

The Final Product

Ceramic Speakers - Joey Roth

From the guy who did the Serapot. These speakers look really dramatic and a make me think of old tube-state amplifiers which i love. The round shape of the "cabinet" is good for sound but i think the taper of the cone shape and the porcelian might make for some horrible sound. would be interesting to hear.

http://joeyroth.com/ceramic-speakers/

Gaudi Stool - Bram Geenen

"Bram Geenen's Gaudi-stool weighs just one kilogram. The lightweight carbon fiber chair was created in the same way that Antoní Gaudi designed the structure of his churches, by making a model of hanging chains and letting gravity determine the strongest and most logical shape for withstanding forces..."

http://mocoloco.com/archives/011705.php#more

$9.99

stop motion movie about people living in a sydney apartment, looks good!

lootpack and billie holliday

Some of my favourite Images/Designs/Bikes

Audio Spotlighting

To complicate things i found the perfect technology for my alarm clock that unfortunately detracts from my original light based concept.



This tech enables sound to be directed to a specific place and its application as an alarm clock that doesnt wake a sleeping partner is perfect.

Saturday in Design

Fortunately I live in Surry Hills and could walk around to a few of the showrooms during Saturday in Design, despite being tied down with work. I visited Artemide on Cleveland St, then Warehouse 625 and then the studios on Flinders St. While it was a good incentive to get me to see some of these showrooms, i had already seen half of them. I have to admit the studio space in Warehouse 625 which is usually empty was nice to finally explore, and the free food was a bonus. There was a student who won the chance to show her piece on Flinders st and it was inspiring talking to her about it. Otherwise i felt the whole event was geared to interior designers and architects where companies were simply marketing in over-drive for the event. There were some inspiring and beautiful pieces but all in all it was a bit of a wank and i was embarrassed to wear the bright orange lanyard around the streets of Surry Hills (though i did have the option of catching a mini-bus the 200 metres up South Dowling!)

Alarm Clock development

I saw a light by Edo in Surry Hills today which could help me solve my problem (switching the alarm clock to an upright stance)


it looks very sharp. the light is a row of LEDs that shine from a strip cut out of the bottom of the horizontal tube.

If i went with a similar shape i am thinking i could put the clock face on the vertical section so that its read sideways and therefore easily read when in bed. I then have to figure out how you will read the time easily when your upright......

on a side note there was this awesome studi italia lamp there too which you move with a magnet from outside the glass.

Alarm Clock development

An alarm clock that wakes you up the natural way...

User Storyboard

Design Brief

Design Brief

Aims:
- To develop a product that connects emotionally with a Gen-X Eastern suburbs male.
- To refine and style an existing product to appeal to this audience.

Target Audience:
- Age: 35-45
- Sex: Male
- Income: $150 000+
- Occupation: Executive roles/professionals
- Location: Eastern Suburbs and water-side suburbs

Customer Needs:
This group is goal orientated, they want something that either performs “the best” or exudes the utmost in class. The idea of an object as a status symbol is important in that it relates to their competitive nature. The user likes a sense of exclusivity to come with owning a product.

They are quality and status conscious. Products that are successful within this audience tend to mirror the groups self-image, that is, they reflect strength, performance, high class and style/taste.

Design Considerations:
This group often prefers modern classic styling and brands with a renowned heritage because these are the brands and the styles that have a lasting sense of class.

Aesthetics:
Particular products that this design may emulate may need to be at the lower end of the price scale for logistical reasons. A good example is a Gillette razor.




This razor uses much of the visual language of the aforementioned products. The lines are aggressive and “engineered” and the form reflects performance and functionality.

Colour is an extremely important element to this group. A large proportion of the products that specifically appeal to this audience have chrome, stainless steel finish or a black (gloss or matte) finish, occasionally with touches of gold. This reflects those aforementioned qualities of strength, high performance, class and style. The finish is also stripped back which appeals to this male’s no-fuss sensibility.

Further exploration into design details of successful products within this group include:



Design Objectives:
This product will be an interpretation of an existing product that imbues it with a strong sense of masculinity and power. It must feel and perform as a well-made and quality product. Subtle cues to the prestige of the product will serve to make this product look and feel exclusive.

Urban Tribes - Product Mapping