15 Amazing Best of Best: 2012 red dot product design

15 Amazing Best of Best: 2012 red dot product design:
To quote Professor Dr. Peter Zec “Companies have realized that investing in design offers a considerable added value. In the end, the design of a product is the most important incentive for the purchase decision of a consumer.” We totally agree! The winners of the 2012 red dot product design were recently announced and like last year, the official Gala will be in July. Here is a quick look at the 15 products that won the coveted Best of Best 2012 red dot product design. Cheers to Good Design!
1) OpenSpace Shower Screen by EOOS Design

Manufacturer: Duravit AG
OpenSpace is a shower screen that transforms to a discreet wall panel. A frame in brilliant chrome look provides the outer contours. Two large glass doors are fitted into the frame and the door on the side of the taps fittings is made from mirror glass.
2) Xoolum Linear LED Lighting Fixture by LED Linear

Xoolum is a 24V, dimmable linear lighting fixture with 45° adjustable light head. It is ideal for wall washing, cove, and display case or under cabinet lighting.
3) Shallow Swing – Garden Furniture by Werkstatt für Holzgestaltung

Shallow Swing is a spacious fabric-covered handcrafted wooden frame that invites you to relax on it. Funcky and full of spunk, they look like petals on the lawn!
4) Recline Personal Cardiovascular Fitness Equipment by Technogym Spa

Recline Personal features an ergonomic seat and pedals with elegant finishing. To keep boredom at bay, the machine hooks up to the Internet and keeps you entertained while do your workout.
5) Speedmax Concept Timetrail by Artefakt Industriekultur

Manufacturer: Canyon Bicycles
CANYON speedmax concept is a timetrial machine for use in professional cycling. This aerodynamically optimized machine integrates the newly developed braking system, which was perfected in extensive wind-tunnel testing.
6) Geograph Rainforest Watch by Les Ateliers Louis Moinet

Geograph Rainforest is a two-pusher automatic chronograph with second time zone and featuring genuine fossilized palm wood. The fossilized palm wood has its origins in an emblematic tree from the tropical forests of Southeast Asia, believed to be 70 million years old. For each watch sold, Louis Moinet will make a substantial donation to the Pulau Banding Foundation, an organization aiming to preserve the Malaysian tropical forest of Belum-Temengor, one of the oldest in the world.
7) Annette Douglas Textiles ACOUSTICS – Translucent Acoustic Curtains by Annette Douglas Textiles

“Silent Space Collection” from Annette Douglas Textiles ACOUSTICS is a collection of acoustic curtains, consisting of light, transparent and flame-retardant acoustic fabrics with excellent sound absorption properties. The fabric absorbs round five times more, than a common transparent sheer fabric.
8 ) Endemico Resguardo Silvestre by graciastudio

Manufacturer: Grupo Metalco, USA
9) Mindport by Lista Office LO & Greutmann Bolzern

The objective behind the interior furnishing system “Mindport by Lista Office LO” was to create a working environment in open-plan offices that supports different ways of working as regards concentration and communication, ensures the efficient use of available space and provides a private sphere, a possibility to retreat and optimal acoustics.
10) Smart ebike – Electric Bike by Daimler

Smart ebike is appropriate for city use and breaks the conventional bicycle design with attractive integration of the components of the electric drive. Straightforward operation, a low weight, excellent ergonomics and a practical stowage space concept all contribute to making the smart ebike fun to ride.
11) Soulution 540 Digital-Player by greutmann bolzern designstudio

Manufacturer: soulution / SPEMOT AG, Switzerland
The Soulution 540 Digital-Player features the prestigious and expensive drive made by Teac/Esoteric. The device is controlled by an ultra-precise soulution clock generator. It also has two separate power supplies built into it’s housing: one for the analogue signal processing and one modern switching power supply for the digital sections.
12) Nikon 1 Digital Camera by Nikon

Nikon 1 is compact and lightweight and features interchangeable lens, Speedlight, GPS unit, grip, and cases. In addition to standard still-image shooting and movie recording, the system includes Motion Snapshot, a function that combines a still image with full-HD movie, and Smart Photo Selector, which automatically record the best shots in a series of buffered images.
13) BGL35Move Series Vacuum Cleaner by Robert Bosch Hausgeräte

The MoveOn vacuum cleaner features 360-degree ball connection and XXL wheels that make it easier to navigate around obstacles in the living area. With its mat shock-absorbing bottom shell and bumper strip, the appliance is well equipped for everyday use.
14) UNO Coffee Machine by 2nd West | design for public

Manufacturer: Delica
With a width of 10.6 cm, it is the smallest capsule-coffee-machine of its kind. UNO features injection molded components that can be easily recycled because they are not varnished. Thanks to the record-breaking 15 seconds heat-up and the energy-efficient stand-by-mode, it is the most energy-saving capsule-coffee-machine in the market. The eleven varieties of coffee promise both, high quality and full enjoyment.
15) Jinn Floor Light & Table Light by Mathias Hahn

Manufacturer: VERTIGO BIRD
Jinn is a super slick floor and table lamp where the metal shade is supported by a glass piece that is mounted on top of the base. Reminding us of an oil or gas lamp, the control for dimming and switching is positioned on the base of the lamp.

The DrawBraille mobile smartphone, designed...

The DrawBraille mobile smartphone, designed...:



The DrawBraille mobile smartphone, designed specially for the blind, with a keyboard and touchscreen in braille, includes a book reader, email and music player. By Shikun San, Sheffield Hallam University (UK).

PayPal Here by Fuseproject

PayPal Here by Fuseproject:

Online payment system PayPal have launched PayPal Here, a device designed by San Francisco studio Fuseproject that allows users to make face-to-face transactions by plugging it into the top of a smartphone. (more…)

Designed in Hackney: Sugru

Designed in Hackney: Sugru:

Designed in Hackney: Friday’s instalment in our showcase of the best design in the London borough of Hackney is Sugru, an ingenious silicone rubber that can be used to fix, strengthen or customise almost any object. (more…)

The Plug Lamp

The Plug Lamp:
Doesn’t it seem like it’s impossible to find an open outlet when you need one?! The Plug Lamp provides a clever (and cute) solution to this problem by incorporating an outlet into the base so power is always handy!
Designer: Form Us With Love for ateljé Lyktan

audioJar is a simple housing for David Mellis'...

audioJar is a simple housing for David Mellis'...:



audioJar is a simple housing for David Mellis' open-source Fab Speakers crafted by Sarah Pease.

Maizy Electronics by Simone Spalvieri & Valentina Del Ciotto

Maizy Electronics by Simone Spalvieri & Valentina Del Ciotto:

Early in 2011 Spalvieri / Del Ciotto studio were invited by Lexon to create a new family of ecological items for the design brand. The result was a collection of electronics made of corn plastic (PLA).

Use section lines to sketch a chair in perspective

Use section lines to sketch a chair in perspective:

Hi guys!

Section lines are a very important element for product sketching, thats why i decided to do a video on this and share some tips with you. When a surface is to complicated to draw out of a box, the best thing to do is draw a couple of section lines and just go from wherever they take you, wither by intersecting them with perspective lines or with each other. Here is an example of how to apply section lines.

New Cupcake ATMs Will Bring Sweet Treats To the Streets of Manhattan

New Cupcake ATMs Will Bring Sweet Treats To the Streets of Manhattan:

It’s happened to all of us: You’re racing down a busy Manhattan street, jonesing for sugary baked goods, but with no time to pop into a bodega to satisfy the craving. NYC-based bakery Sprinkles Cupcakes has come up with a solution to that exact dilemma by installing new cupcake ATMs around Manhattan. Beginning this summer, the bakery will set up three cupcake ATMs, in midtown, downtown and the Upper West Side, that will dispense gourmet cupcakes wrapped up in boxes and bags made from recycled materials.

black ice tables

black ice tables:
black ice tables are a set of 2 nesting tables made from richlite material.

Disarmable and tranformable sofa lets you...

Disarmable and tranformable sofa lets you...:



Disarmable and tranformable sofa lets you extract two lounge chairs from the inside. without losing the volume of the sofa or sacrificing style.

Squish Housewares

Squish Housewares:

Squish is colorful, functional line of kitchenware designed by Prime Studio for Robinson Home Products.

Fritz Hansen x Paul Smith

Fritz Hansen x Paul Smith:

Yay! I love this collaboration. Danish company Fritz Hansen is working with Maharam and Kvadrat for the launch of Point by Paul Smith. British Designer Paul Smith is known for his vibrant textiles and his reimagining of traditional Scottish Fair Isle knitting is evident in his new Point collection.
Available in seven different geometric patterns and eleven colorways, the fabrics are being upholstered onto a selection of Fritz Hansen’s classic design icons including the Egg, Swan and Grand Prix by Arne Jacobsen and the PK22 chair by Poul Kjærholm, as well as the Alphabet Sofa by Piero Lissoni. So fun!

Shinichi Konno Designs Bicycles with Flow

Shinichi Konno Designs Bicycles with Flow:

Photos via urban velo

The confines of designing a bicycle seem pretty tight, but custom bike builder Shinichi Konno breaks out of them admirably. Shown here is his Silver Flyer track bike, which recently won both Best in Show and the President's Choice award at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show.

Photos by John Watson

At last year's NAHBS, Konno pulled the sheet off of the equally-striking Air Line Bike, a very different take on fluidity that still manages to break new aesthetic ground while fulfilling its mechanical duties.


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Eco E-Trike is a Futuristic Electric Vehicle Concept for City Driving

Eco E-Trike is a Futuristic Electric Vehicle Concept for City Driving:

Stephen Reon Francisco‘s Eco E-Trike is a concept for an electric vehicle that allows people to get around the city with ease. Looking a bit like a streamlined golf-cart, the E-Trike is more convenient than a regular bike but uses less materials than a typical car. Because of its small stature, it’s ideal for zipping through narrow city streets and has many of the creature comforts of a car without the bulk.

International Home + Housewares Show 2012: The Dyson Ball Goes Nice 'n' Small with the DC39 Canister Vacuum

International Home + Housewares Show 2012: The Dyson Ball Goes Nice 'n' Small with the DC39 Canister Vacuum:
Images courtesy of Dyson

Believe it or not, 2012 marks Dyson's very first IHHS... and Chicago is the home of their US headquarters. In addition to exhibiting their impressive lineup of air multipliers, Dyson Hot and their existing vacuum offerings, Dyson is pleased to unveil the DC39, their first canister vacuum with Ball technology.

Canister cleaners are often awkward to steer and can topple. They lurch into furniture, veer off at tangents and may be difficult to pull. Like an errant shopping cart, their crude casters drift across hard floors and get buried in carpets—more force is needed to keep them on track. And reliant on bags—they can lose suction, too.

Sitting on a ball, DC39 has a lower center of gravity and is easier to pull without snagging on corners or the carpet pile. Coupled with a unique central steering system, it uses an articulating chassis and central pivot point for negotiating tight turns and circumnavigating sofas. And equipped with Dyson's Radial Root Cyclone™ technology, it captures more microscopic dust than any other.



Design Engineer Robert Green obliged us with a rundown of the specs and a quick demo of the DC39 in action:

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World's Smallest Race Car Sets Record for Fastest Nanoscale 3D Printing

World's Smallest Race Car Sets Record for Fastest Nanoscale 3D Printing:
As ever, 3D printing is at the threshold of cultural consciousness, almost-but-not-quite the next major innovation in consumer technology. While hardware remains a bit too niche for the average user, plenty of brilliant DIYers and hackers have been developing new tools and applications for 3D printing technology, typically with the goal of making bigger, more colorful tchotchkes.



1 μm (micrometer) = 1,000 nm = 0.001 mm

A team at the Vienna University of Technology is taking the Wayne Szalinski approach, not in terms of scaling-down the hardware but the actual output, fine-tuning the motion of the lasers and mirrors for a process called 'Two-Photon Lithography.' The technical details escape me, but their breakthrough involves an innovation that is more about a 100,000-fold (!) improvement in speed as opposed to nanometric scale: their 3D printer can produce "100 layers, consisting of approximately 200 single lines each, in four minutes."

The 3D printer uses a liquid resin, which is hardened at precisely the correct spots by a focused laser beam. The focal point of the laser beam is guided through the resin by movable mirrors and leaves behind a polymerized line of solid polymer, just a few hundred nanometers wide. This high resolution enables the creation of intricately structured sculptures as tiny as a grain of sand. "Until now, this technique used to be quite slow", says Professor Jürgen Stampfl from the Institute of Materials Science and Technology at the TU Vienna. "The printing speed used to be measured in millimeters per second—our device can do five meters in one second." In two-photon lithography, this is a world record.

This amazing progress was made possible by combining several new ideas. "It was crucial to improve the control mechanism of the mirrors", says Jan Torgersen (TU Vienna). The mirrors are continuously in motion during the printing process. The acceleration and deceleration-periods have to be tuned very precisely to achieve high-resolution results at a record-breaking speed.


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