designbeans: October 2005 Archives

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|Solidary Design

October 28, 2005 _community

Designers and companies are often moving themselves for good causes.
Ingo Maurer is auctioning the one off chandelier Porca China from his own collection and the proceeds will go to Medecins sans Frontieres. The auction is taking place at Ingo Maurer's website and will close November 2nd, base price for bids is 45.000 Euro. Porca China is a variation of the suspension lamp Porca Miseria, broken white porcelain and cutlery are fixed around the light sources like in a snap-shot of an explosion.
In Italy the Association for Industrial Design organizes the second edition of The Design Supports the Research, a special sale of main Italian design company's products that have been donated, the profits will be given to the Italian Association for Research for Cancer.
Finally the famous sports wear brand Dainese is auctioning Valentino Rossi's racing suit at Ebay, the sum obtained through the auction will be donated to a study grant dedicated to a motorcycle rider safety research project at University of Padova.

Posted by gp at 11:27 AM

|Spherical Photography

October 27, 2005 _photography

Chris George and Matt Wright have come together to develop the Spherical Photography, pushing the boundaries of flat imaging into the real world. The result is a delightful multi-dimension experience.

Posted by gp at 1:03 PM

|the power of self-production

October 24, 2005 _trends

An overwhelming amount of self-producers and specialized tiny companies have been presenting their force during the past years and I believe we will be watching many more coming into the design market. Take Tom Dixon and Inflate in UK; the young company Sphaus and the collective Industreal in Italy; the dutch group Cultivate or Contraforma in Lithuania. Not to mention the vast army of young designers that self-produce and sell their creations crowding events such as Salone Satellite, 100% Design, Designersblock and many more.
Young talents, good ideas, high quality products, handicraft, regional expertise, new technologies and reduced series characterize this exciting trend; and I do think lots of innovation will be coming from these small entrepreneurs.
The drivers fueling this trend are to be found in the need for special objects; the possibilities for customization; the difficulties of having big name companies investing in young, unknown designers; the global reach thanks to internet and the will of being in control of one's life.

Posted by gp at 10:04 AM

|Nokia's Fashion Collection

October 19, 2005 _products

Nokia is planning to launch three new trend-inspired mobile phones that should be available in the market early 2006. L'Amour Collection is a strong statement and follows advanced trends: natural colours, genuine materials (leather, metal body and mirrored surfaces), patterns, flower motifs and textures.
I'm definitely not the target for these mobiles, I would prefer a more refined and elegant solution, but I do appreciate the company's heavy investing in new trends and advanced concepts.

images via dexigner database

Posted by gp at 4:17 PM

|Any Way

October 18, 2005 _products

The renowned Italian company Olivetti has recently announced the re launch of the brand. The latest generation of Olivetti products is being designed by internationally-renowned designers. Instantly understandable interfaces, intuitive language and universal icons have been adopted to improve the user experience and ensure ease of use.
Available in the market from September 2005 two models: ANY_WAY is a multifunction printer designed by James Irvine and Alberto Meda, available in four versions and including Bluetooth and Wi-Fi options in the top of the range models and MY_WAY, a portable photo printer designed by IDEO that reaches excellent results on standard paper, even without a PC.
The company's line of consumer-oriented ink jet products will be joined in 2006 by a product line conceived by another leading international designer, Jasper Morrison.

Posted by gp at 10:48 AM

|Tide Chandelier

October 17, 2005 _lighting

Berlin based designer Stuart Haygarth has been working on design projects which revolve around collections of objects. The objects are normally collected in large numbers and assembled in a way that transforms their meaning. The results take various forms such as large one off chandeliers, installations, sculptural and functional works.
The Tide Chandelier in the pictures is made from a collection of clear and translucent objects, all collected on a specific stretch of the Kent coastline.

Posted by gp at 9:46 AM

|Design Takes On Risk

MOMA presents more than 300 contemporary products and prototypes designed to protect body and mind from dangerous or stressful circumstances, respond to emergencies, ensure clarity of information, and provide a sense of comfort and security.
Core 77 has a a nice gallery on the Design Takes On Risk exhibition. Check it out here.

Posted by gp at 9:26 AM

|CafeSolo's new dress

October 14, 2005 _accesories

CafeSolo, the awarded coffee maker by danish Eva Solo has dressed up in a new fancy outfit. Designers Claus Jensen and Henrik Hobaek created the knitted turtlenecks in three trendy colours.

Seen at Charles&Marie

Posted by gp at 10:25 AM

|Timorous Beasties

October 11, 2005 _textiles

Timorous Beasties design and produce contemporary and traditional wallpapers and textiles for the contract and domestic markets.
SCP recently launched the Slow sofa designed by Terence Woodgate, completely uplholstered in the London Toile motif. In respect of original Toiles, Timorous Beasties have maintened the techniques and the sinister drawings, updating the artwork references to the contemporary urban.

Posted by gp at 10:39 AM

|Colour Trends

October 10, 2005 _trends

After attending several main design fairs across Europe and observing the design market something appears very clear to me: brown is the new neutral colour.
Along with the furNATURE trend that sees more and more the influence of shapes taken from Nature, the use of dark browns, whites, vanilla, graphite grey, grey-brown shades and natural-brown harmonies is definitely taking the position of leading colour trend.
Accent colours are the by now modern classic orange and the newer acid green. The emerging accent colours are definitely fuchsia and violet.
Patterns and floral motifs are still ruling the surfaces; I believe it will soon evolve into more sophisticated forms as we risk saturation fast.

Posted by gp at 10:16 AM

|Wow Wow

October 7, 2005 _accesories

Wow Wow is a new luxury brand commited to pampered pets and their discerning two legged companions. Their pieces combine the best craftmanship, animal husbandry and contemporary design; the result is a joyful experience for both dog and home owner.

Photography credit: Jason Tozer

Posted by gp at 11:09 AM

|Shelflife

October 6, 2005 _furniture

Charles Trevelyan
launched at 100% Design Shelflife, a geometrical shelving system that hides a chair and a small table inside.
Having worked in graphic design for several years before branching into furniture, Charles Trevelyan's recent has a strong graphic approach that is translated into three dimensional forms.

Posted by gp at 11:13 AM

Designbeans REPORT: 100%Design London 2005

October 5, 2005 _designbeans reports

With some delay we finally launch the Designbeans Report on 100% London. Enjoy!

Posted by gp at 10:24 AM

|Xel

October 3, 2005 _furniture

Xel is the name of the new system designed by Luca Nichetto for Krios Italia
A complex superimposition of planes create an irregular alveolar structure ment to divide and contain. The quality of the surfaces, the colour combination and the light give a strong graphic impact.

Posted by gp at 9:40 AM