Random Ramblings...

29 Nov 2011

Sexy, Simple Sony: The TR-1825 Radio

It's quite a feat of industrial design to produce something in 1970 that still looks contemporary 41 years later. Sony handily achieved that feat with their TR-1825 radio, a modernist cube that you slid open to expose the speaker on the front face while simultaneously revealing the controls up top.

[Photos from Flickr user afghtiga's excellent "Design Icons" photoset]

Sony Design's History page states,

"Released in 1970, when Sony had become the first Japanese company to list shares on the New York Stock Exchange. Sliding the faces on this cubic radio reveals a speaker in front and controls on top, a unique design at the time. One version of its packaging commemorates the World Expo in Osaka, held in March that year, and many expo-goers picked up the radio as a gift"

via core77.com

9 Aug 2011

Whimsical products made by The.

A selection of cool, random and cleverly designed products from New York based product designers, The.

Anti-theft lunch bags
Stop those bullys at school/work nicking your sandwiches!

Framed objects

Walls notebook
Walls Notebook is a notebook / sketchbook that features 80 pictures of "clean" NYC walls instead of blank pages. Write, draw, paste, or doodle on these inspirational backdrops. You'll be one step closer to being the street artist you've always wanted to be … minus the jail time.

Stacked cups
What appears to be two or three cups nestled within each other is actually only one cup.

Speak-er

thinkofthe.com

4 Jan 2011

Change - Coin Deposit Lamp

The 'change - coin deposit lamp' by Finnish designer Tima Naskanen is a concept that addresses our human behaviors and the impact that we as a society are having on our natural environment.

Niskanen's project is a task light intended for public spaces, such as a library, encouraging users to turn off the lights when leaving a desk / work area. In order to turn the lamp on, one must deposit a coin into a slot built into the light's supporting base. removing your money after use, switches the lamp off - saving money and energy.

via designboom.com

1 Nov 2010

Bang! Shoot the lights out.

Japan based design studio Bitplay (Jack Chang and Josh Cheng) presents its first collection of products: 'Puzzle', 'TikTikTik' and 'Bang!' at Tokyo Designers Week 2010.

Bang! is probably my favourite of the three, although I'm not quite sure how the actual logistics of it would work. I also really like the concept of "Puzzle". Its a great (and very simple) idea if not entirely practical having an alarm clock which doesn't actually function as a clock.

To operate simply 'shoot the lights out'.
- Point the accompanying gun at the lamp and it turns the light off.
- The the lampshade knocks to an angle, showing its been hit.

Play with time, or at least your alarm clock.

Puzzle makes it fun to set your alarm clock by letting you manipulate the numbers yourself. You physically arrange the strokes of the digital numbers in order to set the time on your alarm.

via designboom.com

Bitplay
Tokyo Designers Week 2010

21 Oct 2010

Playbutton

playbutton.co

20 Sep 2010

Home Security Innovations for Modern Living

Artist: lunchbreath
via core77.com

28 Jul 2010

Cipher - Drinking glass

Whilst on the search for some cool new glasses, I came across these geeky mosaic glasses. Loving the concept.

Info / Description: An empty glass resembles a meaningless colorful mosaic, until a liquid is poured into it, revealing its name. Each side of the glass is reserved for a specific drink.

The Dekrypt glass though complex in appearance in fact runs on a very simple idea. Differently colored shapes are scattered across the glass surface in a seemingly random pattern, however their position is hardly accidental. The true purpose of the glass mosaic is revealed when colored liquid is poured into it (orange juice, milk, chocolate milkshake or coke) The pattern of shapes and empty spaces on the glass combined with the color of the liquid inside the glass end up forming a textual sign, revealing what exact drink or refreshment you are having, with each side of the glass reserved for a specific drink. Besides being a novelty item with entertainment value it can also serve as a marketing item for beverage companies as it has a promotional potential.