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Yesterday Peep the Technique: "FACETURE" by Phil Cuttance- All photos by Petr Krejci
Seeing as he cut his teeth with the likes of Max Lamb, Studio Gilthero, Martino Gamper and Julia Lohmann, it comes as no surprise that designer Phil Cuttance is well-versed in materials and processes. "FACETURE" is a series of household objects that take a vaguely crystalline appearance based on a unique fabrication process. Each vase, lamp and side table looks is made by casting a water-based resin in a handmade mold:First the mould of the object is hand-made by sco... (more)

Yesterday An Introduction to the Crowdfunding Revolution by Don Lehman- By Edward Betts (Own work.) via Wikimedia Commons
If I could convince you of one thing, it would be this: Crowdfunding is not Nyan Cat. Nyan Cat will be the answer to a Trivial Pursuit question in 10 years or so. If it's lucky. Crowdfunding is radically changing the way things are made.
That's why it bugs me when I see the inevitable Internet eye-rolling starting to take place. "Oh great, another Kickstarter project." Look past the avalanche of Apple related accessories. Lower your des... (more)

Yesterday IxDA Interaction12: Interaction Awards Winners!-
"The best interaction design doesn't just make things easier to use, it opens up new spaces for play and collaboration to enhance our relationship with the world and each other," explained jurist Robert Fabricant, VP of Creative at frog. Kicking off the announcements for this year's inaugural IxDA Interaction Awards, San Francisco-based agency Stimulant won Best in Show AND the People's Choice Award for Loop Loop, an innovative music sequencer app that encourages kids and adults to create im... (more)

Yesterday NYIGF Winter 2012: More of the Good Stuff from Black+Blum- It's no secret that we're fans of London's Black+Blum: year in, year out, the design duo always seems to have something new up their collective sleeve. The recent NYIGF was no exception, as it was occasion for the official unveiling of three new designs.
First up, the "Eau Good" water bottle is a clever take on a water bottle with a natural filter.The bottle uses a filter system with binchotan active charcoal, which has been used in Japan as a water purifier since the 17th century. It red... (more)

Yesterday Made in the USA: Council Tool's Velvicut "Boutique Axe"- [photos via wood and metal]
That there is the perfect object. It's completely functional, it's the latest evolution from a history of progressively better objects that have been around since man's earliest days, and it's freaking beautiful. It's the two-pound Velvicut Premium Hudson Bay Axe, and it's made using that perfect blend of high-tech machines and an experienced craftsman's handwork.
While I'm suspicious of outdoor tools that are pretty--when you're working outdoors, ha... (more)

Yesterday A Portable Automotive Turntable with a Crazy Quick Set-Up Time-
Like Carousel USA, Turntable Works is another California-based manufacturer of large-scale turntables. But the latter firm has got a product I could not have envisioned: A portable, folding motorized turntable called the Pack-Man, which comes in diameters ranging from eight to fourteen feet.
Here's a sign you've seen too many building projects go wrong: At the six-second mark of the demo video, when the whole mechanism starts to tilt, I instinctively jerked my hands out towards the screen... (more)

Yesterday Reclaimed Cleveland: Turning an Abandoned City Into a Raw Material- Turning this:
Into this:
Cleveland suffers from what I'm calling Detroit Syndrome. The population of the onetime million-resident city has shrunk to just 396,000 as manufacturing jobs have disappeared, meaning it's filled with dilapidated and abandoned buildings.
Those buildings—whether houses, churches, or retail spaces—are constructed out of wood, which means tearing them down can provide a veritable forest's worth of raw material. That's where an organization called R... (more)

Yesterday A Case of Bad Karma on Kickstarter-
It's so cheating!
The idea behind a Zen garden is that combing all of that sand into intricate patterns improves the practitioner's concentration. It's not easy to do—and that's the point. So Simon Hallam's Zen Table contraptions on Kickstarter, which automatically draw pre-programmed patterns via what appears to be a magnetic ball and some type of CNC mechanism, would probably be considered an abomination in the Zen Buddhism world.
Yet I have to concede that the machines, w... (more)

Book a spot in the Sahara to plant your tree: Tree-Nation- If you hang out a lot of the web, you probably have heard about the $1 million page. Its principle is dead simple: the page features 1 million pixels and allows you to book your tiny pixel-size ad for $1. Tree-Nation technique is comparable yet with a more citizen spirit. Instead of pixels, you support trees; instead of investing into an individual future fortune, you contribute to re-green desert areas in the Sahara.
“Our objective is two-fold: Primarily environmental, but also closely... (more)

No walls, reused materials, but a real fitness club- Green warriors have their green fitness club. Where? In Spain, in Valdespino de Somoza, in the countryside of Leon. It’s there where some Spanish villagers have built a low-tech green gym area called Lumen. Don’t expect to meet steamy trainers, listen to trendy music, or carry heart beat tracker. There, you get in shape by playing with exercise machines made from a worn car battery, tree branches, boots, rocks or concrete.
There, you essentially learn everything by yourself, by re... (more)

French mailmen to ride electric vehicle- French mailmen have a new vehicle. La Poste, the French postal service, has ordered 500 electric delivery microcars for this year and 10,000 within the next five years. Great move that we applaud, although the new squad will be a tiny portion of the gigantic fleet of fossil-fuel vehicle. By far to private sector companies, La Poste has around 60.000 vehicles, 25 airplanes and 3 high-speed trains.
Nevertheless, the electric vehicle will bring substantial energy saving. According to La Poste CE... (more)

Bicodi, a simple and aesthetic stool for your bar- We could be filed this under “camper knowledge for the living room.” After all, campers sit on any tree branch and when they could find one, they consider a tree trunk as a temporary stool. We were quite like this when we first way the Bicodi stool from the Italian design agency 2CWorkshop. Their bar stool has something from the rather simple camper trick but with a more aesthetic approach.
The Bicodi concept consists of linking a base and a seating with a bar. Many variations can... (more)

En-Fer: Solid furnitures made from solid gears- For an explicit name, En-Fer is a good one. The atelier, founded by Swiss designer Stefan Lehner and Christina Lanzos, is only interested in thrown-away steel products like old supermarket carts, worn industrial chains, springs, rings or used tin cans. What for, will you ask. To make new furniture, to make new things from materials that have an history.
Take this spring chair for example. The frame is a classic industrial chair with membrane springs. “Membrane springs are used in conden... (more)

Once worn, cardboard boxes turn blankets- This may not the most colorful blanket, but the material used to manufacture it is abundant: worn cardboards. While they are rigid and uncomfortable, those Cardboard Coverings blankets are soft and supple. Plus they’re light enough to be folded and carried easily in a bag.
While the still visible graphics of the original box remind us that they were once disposable containers of consumables, we wish they could be customizable or come with different patterns. This way, they would provide... (more)

Your carpet, this wool balls piece of art- Tennis balls aren’t only for tennis games. They can be make a seat. Wool balls aren’t only for knitting purposes. Consider them as ready-made pieces of carpet.
That’s right, Belgium designer Diane Steverlynck brought this nice idea up. Her Modul_le is a flexible carpet made of felted wool balls. Each round unit is independent from the others. To stick them together, just pin them on the velcro layer. What is great in this big puzzle is that everyone could change the pattern ... (more)

Pump bike tires up with the seatpost- How to get a bike pump always at hand without attaching it to the bike? Dumb question, isn’t it? Just put one in your bag, will you answer. Okay, but how do you do if you want to carry a bag, if your bag is too small or that your pump is just too big? Ah.
British designer Philip Robinson proposes another way to solve the case: Hide it in the bike itself.
Its BioLogic ZorinPump is a combination of a seat-post and a floor-pump, hiding the pump mechanism inside the seat-post without addin... (more)

Today Vintage Craft Finds: Crocheting Book-
It pains me to think that things from 1995 might be considered vintage... I picked up this I Can't Believe I'm Crocheting! book today while running crafty errands. The title definitely made me giggle in the store.
What are some of your favorite crochet books?
Related: Crochet 101
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Today How-To: Doily Heart T-Shirt-
Dana of made shares how she made a sweet heart doily print t-shirt for her daughter for Valentine's Day. You could use the same method to create a heart doily applique for a Valentine tote bag for all the class cards that come home, too!
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Today How-To: Embroidered Mini Business Card Holder-
Spending the past week at CHA in Anaheim meant meeting tons of new creative contacts, then seeing everyone's awesome business card holders. Everywhere I turned, there was a new crafty person with a unique card storage solution. I think that this embroidered mini business card holder from Jodi at Sew Fearless would have fit right in! Click through the link to see the full tutorial.
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Yesterday Love Bug Valentines-
I'm fond of holiday artifacts that avoid using the expected go-to holiday symbol. So, Christmas wrapping paper that isn't covered in Santas or reindeer, Thanksgiving decorations that don't feature turkeys or Pilgrims, and Valentines that aren't exploding with hearts.
In that spirit, these "love bug" Valentines by Danyelle of [dandee] get two thumbs up from me. Long after those cheesy store-bought Valentines have been tossed, the little plastic bugs that were attached to these bug-jar ... (more)

Yesterday Paper Castle-
This incredible intricately designed paper castle was created over the span of 4 years by Japanese art student Wataru Itou. This is so exquisite, so beautiful, and SO gives a new meaning to the word patience.
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Yesterday How-To: Crochet Box of Chocolates-
I've never been a big heart-shaped-box-of-chocolates-on-Valentine's-Day kind of gal, but this super cute crochet pattern from Red Heart Yarn may change all that. It would be funny to color the polyfill inside to correspond with different flavors, and stitch a stuck-my-thumb-in-it-to-see-what's-inside hole on the bottom of each piece.
Related:
What Crafters REALLY Want for Valentine's Day
Needle Felted Zombie Valentine Candies
How-To: Giant Valentine Heart Box (Filled With Yarn!)
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Yesterday Retro TV Bar-
Look at this cool retro tv bar that I saw on Spotted Fox. Now I need to find a rad retro tv!
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Yesterday DIY No-Sew Caftan Video-
For all of our non-sewers and sewers alike, here is a DIY caftan you can make without sewing skills. Caftans are free-flowing long tunics that originated in the middle east centuries ago. They have re-emerged throughout fashion history many times, most notably in the late 60's-early 70's (think Mrs. Roper and Maude). I, myself, LOVE a modern day caftan for lounging, relaxing, or accessorizing and wearing out.
Sewers can sew instead of use the tape I show, and feel free to play with diffe... (more)
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News: Die Bouroullecs bei Vitra- Heute eröffnet die Ausstellung „Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec -- Album" im Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein. Die Schau zeigt Zeichnungen, Skizzen und Modelle des Pariser Designerduos und läuft bis 6. Juni.... (more)

News: Architekten und Designer- Bis 22. April präsentiert das Museum für Angewandte Kunst Köln die Sonderausstellung „Von Aalto bis Zumthor: Architektenmöbel" und zeigt damit Arbeiten renommierter Gestalter, die in erster Linie als Architekten tätig waren.... (more)

News: Münchens Kreative- Von 7. bis 12. Februar findet in der bayerischen Hauptstadt zum ersten Mal die „Munich Creative Business Week" statt. Unternehmen, Agenturen, Ateliers und Architekten präsentieren auf über 95 Veranstaltungen in der gesamten Stadt innovatives Design.... (more)

News: Andy Warhols „Interview" -- jetzt am Kiosk- Die erste Ausgabe der deutschen „Interview" ist ab sofort erhältlich: Autoren berichten auf 270 Seiten über Mode, Kunst, Musik und Film und eine Rubrik gewährt Einblicke in die Geschichte des Magazins, das Andy Warhol in den 1960ern gegründet hat.... (more)

News: Die form sucht Verstärkung!- Für unsere Redaktion suchen wir ab dem 1. März eine/n Redaktionspraktikantin/en
mehr hier... (more)

News: Pioniere der Bildforschung- Im Karlsruher ZKM eröffnet heute die Ausstellung „The State of Image. Die Medienpioniere Zbigniew Rybczyński und Gábor Bódy". Bis zum 6. Mai werden dort experimentelle Arbeiten beider avantgardistischer Medienkünstler präsentiert.... (more)

News: Letzte Chance für red dot Bewerber- Bis 8. Februar können Designer und Unternehmen aus aller Welt ihre Produktideen für den red dot award: product design 2012 einreichen. Der rote Punkt wird in 19 verschiedenen Kategorien verliehen, die Gewinner werden am 2. Juli auf der red dot gala bekannt gegeben.... (more)

News: Call for Projects- Für die Titelgeschichte unserer nächsten Ausgabe suchen wir aktuelle Konzepte, Projekte und Produkte von Studierenden sowie Produkt- und Grafikdesignern zum Thema „Rettende Ideen / Design for Disaster".... (more)

中国:创新与消费的未来-意见领袖调研活动-
您是否一直关注科技、文化、经济以及设计的发展趋势? 想要发表自己的独到见解吗?想与更多的意见领袖分享自己的经验和体会吗? 快来参与frog的调研活动并与我们分享您的真知灼见!
frog的资深设计研究员Kajal Vatsa、创意总监Brandon Berry Edwards及资深交互设计师张雷中将会在SXSW 2012互动展览会的Interactive 2012环节中进行主题为“中国:创新与消费的未来”的演讲... (more)

Love What You Make-
Love What You Make 你是否准备好在设计界展露头角大放光芒?你是否对自己的作品充满激情?你是否愿意与青蛙们一对一分享你的作品并获取他们独到的意见与建议?
青蛙诚邀您加入Love What You Make活动并且与我们分享您正在进行的项目或设计作品!活动中青蛙设计将会派出资深团队设计菁英与参加活动的15名明日之秀进行一对一的快速指导教学并从中获取青蛙独到的意见、... (more)

The Myth of the Brand New Innovation Myth-
A version of this article also appears on FastCoDesign.
One could argue that Steve Jobs’ prominence in the collective imagination of what a truly innovative business leader should think, say, and do has only strengthened exponentially after his recent demise. As it often happens in the case of similarly influential, seminal figures, the hard recollection of facts and of “what really happened” gets quickly out-shined by references to memorable, albeit often anecdotal, events ... (more)

Occupy Your (Open Source) Education- Student loan debt, a burden for the majority of young Americans who pursued higher education, was brought to the forefront when it became a tangible demand of the Occupy Wall Street Movement this fall. And it’s not wonder students are furious: According to the Wall Street Journal, in June 2010, total student-loan debt exceeded total credit-card debt for the first time, so it is no wonder the movement urged students to refuse to pay their loans.
So what can students do who are looking for ... (more)

Sciences, Humanities, and ... Design? The Case for a Third Pillar of Education-
During course reviews with students at the Austin Center for Design, where I am a professor, our faculty saw a concerning pattern. Many of our students were inhibited, some even fearful, of actually making things. Luckily, they were seeking advice and direction on how to use their hands and actually experiment.
But the problematic part was that they were students at a design school. We actively recruit and accept those without deep design backgrounds because of the other skills and expe... (more)

Above the Alps-
Having been in San Francisco for nearly a year, I was excited to head back to Switzerland this Autumn and revisit my roots. In October the Alps are still free of snow and the grass is a lush green. An ideal time to explore the Confederation Helvetica.
My first stop after leaving the lowlands was Grindelwald, a town famous for the impressively steep faces of Mt. Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. Not far from this touristy village, my two brothers share a tiny rural shack devoid of any modern... (more)

Imperialist Tendencies-
The views expressed here are my own, and not my employer, clients or other stakeholders.
I enjoyed going to the recent Pop!Tech conference—the combination of bright minds, warm hearts and the Maine autumn is highly conducive to reflecting on what has been and imagining on what will be next.
During the event, I gave a talk to the audience about my research work, and in the panel session at the end of my talk I took two questions from a member of the audience relating to personal motivat... (more)

frog 2012 最新科技预言-
当网络上充斥着各种关于如何度过世界末日前最后一年的八卦的时候,青蛙们却在考虑着另一些能改变我们文化的东西。我们请教了全球各地的青蛙与我们分享他们个人最关注的将在今年得到长足发展的科技趋势,以及它们将会对未来的设计、商业、娱乐以及我们日常生活带来怎样的影响。这里有来自各个领域的青蛙——从策划到工程,以及从他们的激情与专业知... (more)