Design Top 40- Thursday 18 January 2018

Happy New Year ! Design News from around the World. A daily eclectic mix of some of the best design news from around the world.

1.

What Shakespeare’s English Sounded Like, and How We Know It

A common joke has Americans overawed by people with British accents. It’s funny because it’s partly true; Yanks can grant undue authority to people who sound like Sir David Attenborough or Benedict Cumberbatch.

2.

Sharing the City: 5 Takes on How We Should Create and Use Public Space

On December 1st 2017, reSITE invited a handful of intellectuals to Berlin for the My City / Your City salon held in partnership with Airbnb, spending a day and night with them brainstorming about public space, sharing, and inclusiveness. To close the event, we served them a cocktail of simple questions that were not always easy to answer.

3.

Emmanuelle Moureaux’s rainbow installation changes colour over time

Artist Emmanuelle Moureaux used over 100,000 paper number cut-outs to create this multihued installation designed to visualise the passing of time. On show at the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design in Toyama, Japan, the Colour of Time installation is part of a series of exhibitions that aim to explore the different functions of materials.

4.

The Starbucks Logo Has A Secret You’ve Never Noticed

Her eyes command a warm confidence. Her hair ripples as an ocean wave that laps provocatively over her breasts. As the face of Starbucks since 2011, the Siren logo is alluring by design, beckoning you into the store to grab a latte or pastry.

5.

Owning An Electric Car Is Twice As Cheap As Owning A Gas Vehicle

Electric cars are generally more expensive to buy than conventional vehicles. The suggested retail price for a 2018 Nissan Leaf, the world’s best selling EV, is about $30,000 in the U.S. You can pick up a new Honda Civic 2018 for less than $19,000 (though this excludes the still-available federal tax credit for new EVs, worth $7,500).

6.

Adidas releases trainers that are also public transport tickets

Adidas and the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) public transport system have formed an unlikely team, releasing a new shoe that doubles up as a year-long public transport ticket for 2018. The sought-after trainers are unfortunately limited edition as Adidas has only released 500 pairs, which are being stocked in just two stores in Berlin.

7.

Is this the first Mamie Eisenhower pink washer dryer made since … 1957? Could be! – Retro Renovation

Home Depot is rockin’ the retro these days. A few weeks ago, the little retro Magic Chef refrigerators. It’s where you can easy-peasy get our Retro Renovation® by Wilsonart laminates. And now, Catalina has spotted this cutie patootie pink – yes, Mamie Pink! – compact washer-dryer combo unit.

8.

Richard Meier On Color in Architecture and His Only Black Building

Get a better understanding of Richard Meier in PLANE-SITE’s latest short film in their series, Time-Space-Existence. The series focuses on the principles behind each architect they feature. Known for his pristine white, geometric buildings, Meier talks about architectural context, timelessness, universal color, and his only black building.

9.

studio job’s cat-shaped lamp for seletti has eyes that light up

martijn koomen and tadas maksimovas designed and built a fully-functional fixed-gear bike in tribute to an enigmatic, mathematical constant. martijn koomen and tadas maksimovas designed and built a fully-functional fixed-gear bike in tribute to an enigmatic, mathematical constant. are you knowledgeable about architecture? passionate about writing?

10.

204 House / MW archstudio

45 Text description provided by the architects. The house locates in Nha Trang City-southern part of Central Vietnam. “204 House” is an Individual House project with site area is 117sqm, wide facade is 6m.

11.

Science in flux: is a revolution brewing in evolutionary theory? – Kevin Laland | Aeon Essays

When researchers at Emory University in Atlanta trained mice to fear the smell of almonds (by pairing it with electric shocks), they found, to their consternation, that both the children and grandchildren of these mice were spontaneously afraid of the same smell. That is not supposed to happen.

12.

The Psychological & Neurological Disorders Experienced by Characters in Alice in Wonderland: A Neuroscience Reading of Lewis Carroll’s Classic Tale

Most reputable doctors tend to refrain from diagnosing people they’ve never met or examined. Unfortunately, this circumspection doesn’t obtain as often among lay folk. When we lob uninformed diagnoses at other people, we may do those with genuine mental health issues a serious disservice.

13.

tom dixon HACKS ikea: read all about it

martijn koomen and tadas maksimovas designed and built a fully-functional fixed-gear bike in tribute to an enigmatic, mathematical constant. martijn koomen and tadas maksimovas designed and built a fully-functional fixed-gear bike in tribute to an enigmatic, mathematical constant. are you knowledgeable about architecture? passionate about writing?

14.

will facebook or google survive the social media apocalypse?

volumetric, explorable forms are composed of beams of projected light. volumetric, explorable forms are composed of beams of projected light. influenced by ideas of planetary exploration, 19th century sublime romantic painting, and science fiction. influenced by ideas of planetary exploration, 19th century sublime romantic painting, and science fiction.

15.

tom dixon HACKS ikea: read all about it

martijn koomen and tadas maksimovas designed and built a fully-functional fixed-gear bike in tribute to an enigmatic, mathematical constant. martijn koomen and tadas maksimovas designed and built a fully-functional fixed-gear bike in tribute to an enigmatic, mathematical constant. are you knowledgeable about architecture? passionate about writing?

16.

10+ Misleading Packaging Designs That Are Straight Up Evil

One of the great rules of advertising states that the most powerful element of an ad is the truth. On the other hand, another one of those rules states that, actually, facts don’t matter, what really matters is what the consumer believes.

17.

DoorDash Is Now Using Its Algorithm To Deliver Extra Food From Restaurants To Food Banks

It’s the end of the day at Bodhi Bowl, a vegan restaurant in downtown L.A., and the chef has eight pounds of leftover rice. By law, it can’t be served again the next day in the cafe. When the restaurant first opened in 2017, that extra rice would have been thrown out-owner Alison Cruddas couldn’t find a place to donate it.

18.

What is the Secret to Living a Long, Happy & Creatively Fulfilling Life?: Discover the Japanese Concept of Ikigai

one of several Akira Kurosawa films routinely described as a masterpiece, tells the story of Kanji Watanabe, a middle-aged widower who, three decades into a dead-end bureaucratic career, finds out he has just one year to live. This sends him on an urgent eleventh-hour quest to find something to live for.

19.

“I Knew I Was F-ed”: The Best Parts Of Ellen Pompeo’s Delightfully Candid New Interview

Grey’s Anatomy may not be the cultural juggernaut it once was, but the show’s star, Ellen Pompeo, is more powerful than ever. Pompeo recently signed a deal worth over $20 million a year and became the highest-paid woman on dramatic television.

20.

Russian tourist board unveils new visual identity inspired by suprematist art

A team of five designers has created a new brand identity for Russia’s tourist board, which references the graphic style of suprematist artworks. The design was created following an open competition launched by the Federal Agency for Tourism of the Russian Federation and the Association of Branding Companies of Russia, for a new visual identity to promote tourism in the country.

21.

‘Mermen’ Calendar Full Of Bearded Fish-Tailed Men Has Raised Over $300K For Charity

You don’t need to be a model or an athlete to pose half-naked for a calendar, especially when it’s for a good cause. Newfoundland & Labrador Beard and Mustache Club got together for a fun calendar shoot in order to raise money for Spirit Horse NL.

22.

Council saves Herzog & de Meuron’s Chelsea stadium from injunction

An injunction that would have prevented Herzog & de Meuron from redeveloping Chelsea FC’s football stadium has been blocked by the local council, paving the way for construction to begin. Planning permission was granted for the £500 million overhaul of the west London football club’s 41,837-seat Stamford Bridge stadium in January 2017.

23.

concrete water pipes could be the future of city living

james law cybertecture repurposes water pipes into small habitable spaces, offering a tube housing solution to house crisis everywhere. the opod microhome..

24.

emmanuelle moureaux’s ‘color of time’ is like entering a rainbow matrix

volumetric, explorable forms are composed of beams of projected light. volumetric, explorable forms are composed of beams of projected light. influenced by ideas of planetary exploration, 19th century sublime romantic painting, and science fiction. influenced by ideas of planetary exploration, 19th century sublime romantic painting, and science fiction.

25.

Color Sea | Design Seeds

color sea } | image via: @arasacud

26.

Functional Minimalist Home With Brave Colours And Bespoke Installations

The design for this 107 sq m home in Moscow, Russia, was visualised by Design Rocks with functional minimalism in mind. Keeping only what was deemed to be useful, or brought joy to the homeowners. The minimalist home is not devoid of design though, neither does it reside under a blanket of plain white on every wall, floor, ceiling or furniture upholstery.

27.

So a meteor exploded over Michigan and caused an earthquake

It sounds like something out of a Roland Emmerich disaster movie, but it really happened. At around 8:10 pm local time last night a meteor streaked across the skies of Michigan and exploded in the atmosphere, reports ABC. That explosion, 5 miles west-southwest of New Haven, Michigan, caused a 2.0 magnitude earthquake in the area.

28.

Color Flora | Design Seeds

color flora } | image via: @in_somnia_

29.

Zumtobel showcases lighting systems in Messe Dornbirn exhibition centre

Dezeen promotion: lighting brand Zumtobel has worked with Marte.Marte Architects to develop a bespoke lighting system for the huge new halls of the Messe Dornbirn exhibition centre in western Austria. Feldkirch-based Marte.Marte Architects added three extra halls to the huge events venue, which is located in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg.

30.

Despotism is all around us: the warnings of Montesquieu – Vickie B Sullivan | Aeon Ideas

It is commonplace for citizens of liberal, democratic nations to believe that despotism is foreign to their own experiences. Their political constitutions display in some form or other a separation of powers, which is specifically intended to prevent the amassing of arbitrary and irresponsible power in any one function of their government.

31.

80’s Inspired Digital Collages by Artist Matt Cunningham aka Moon Patrol

Matt Cunningham (aka Moon Patrol) takes inspiration from 80s era cartoons, detective pulps, retro horror and sci-fi to create a series of brilliant collages that are somehow both strangely familiar and utterly unique. See more images below. Matt Cunningham’s Website Matt Cunningham on Instagram

32.

See Inside The Hellish E-Waste Dumps Where Old Electronics Go To Die

In a landfill outside Delhi, a man stands on a pile of circuit boards, washing dirt off of himself with a hose after a day of extracting precious metals from the guts of old computers and cell phones. Nearby, cans of acid sit ready to melt plastic from the boards; in the background, another truckload of e-waste is arriving.

33.

A Colorfully Eclectic House Is the Very Opposite of Boring

“Our home was a beige canvas when we moved in!” says Tina Bousu, interior stylist and blogger. “I went room by room to create spaces we enjoy living in and that reflect our personality and lifestyle. Some of our projects include adding beams, installing wood ceilings, murals, creating metallic accent walls and a down-to-the-studs kitchen reno.”

34.

Geometric Art in an Accent Table

Constructed with geometric precision, VAI by designer Minseong Kim is a stealthy-looking side table solution rooted in mathematics. Its puzzling form is calculated using a standard tetrahedron formula to achieve a minimalistic aesthetic while maximizing stability. This pyramidal form is at once robust and light.

35.

Life Inside a Pipe Doesn’t Sound Too Shabby

There are various iterations of how urban dwellers will live in times to come, and of course, this is edged on by sci-fi films and various other architectural cityscape concepts. Above all, the vision of the future whether it be utopian or dystopian in your eyes is seemingly micro.

36.

‘Black Mirror’ Might Create A Spinoff Series Of Highly-Acclaimed Episode – DesignTAXI.com

Composite image by DesignTAXI. Logo via Wikimedia Commons, background video screenshot Netflix Did you love the episode ‘U.S.S. Callister’- Black Mirror’s incredibly detailed homage to Star Trek? If so, you’re definitely not alone-it’s been widely dubbed by fans and the media as the ” best episode” of season four, or one of the best in the entire series.

37.

This dude reveals what it’s like to travel for years with a cat as a companion

Back in May 2015, Richard East quit his job and sold his house and possessions to travel all over Australia in a camper van with his best friend: his rescued pet cat, Willow. Now, two and a half years later, the unlikely duo have completed their trip around the country, having visited all six states and two territories, logging in more than 50,000kms of travel.

38.

Stackable Playscapes system transforms empty lots into playgrounds

Two Jordanian architects have devised a modular, easy-to-assemble system of street furniture to bring ad-hoc playgrounds to cities, refugee camps and other environments lacking in public space. Sarah Abdul Majid and Sandra Hiari designed the Playscapes system for use in their own hometown of Amman, where public parks are scarce.

39.

Gorgeous 50-megapixel panoramas shot on an iPhone at 20,000 feet

Over on his Instagram account, photographer Vincent Laforet is sharing some 50-megapixel panoramic photos he shot for Apple. He strapped an iPhone 7 to the bottom of a Learjet, set it on Pano mode, and flew it over

40.

Old School Mechanical Displays Are Making A Comeback

The technical term is ” split-flap display.” But nobody knows the signs by that name. They’re the “neat, flippy signs” or “those old alarm clock displays” or “the signs they used to have at train stations.” They’re signs that update not with lights or pixels, but with a stack of tiny printed tags that flip into place.