yesterday, apple released a whole new range of products across the ipod line, as well as a new look itunes packed with new features. there is a new ipod touch with a camera (among other things), and a new ipod nano with touchscreen, both of which can be seen at the bottom of this post.

the thing that caught my eye though was the new ipod shuffle. the previous version (below) confused me a little; it did away with the physical buttons on the shuffle itself, and used buttons on the earphones cable. this was both awkward and fiddly, and also meant you couldn’t use your own headphones without buying a separate in-line remote, which was a bad move by apple in my opinion.

the newest version (at the very top of this post) looks like the shuffle two generations ago (pictured above), but squarer. i still love the integrated clip, which is something they’ve also added to the new touchscreen nano. at only £39 for the new shuffle, i’m very tempted to get one!

the england football team have a new home kit (already?!), that features the same ‘tailored by umbro’ design style as the previous home and away kits, as well as the previously posted about ‘umbro world champions‘ kits. the difference this time however, is that they include a pattern designed by graphic designer peter saville.

i like it! it remains simple, which is what i liked about the previous kits, and i like the repeating st george’s cross pattern. the below text is from umbro and peter saville.

the new fabric print on the shoulder panels of the home shirt is inspired by an increasingly diverse england. made up of different interpretations of the classic st george’s cross symbol, the pattern is displayed through the repetition of four different coloured crosses that are evocative of the basting stitches synonymous with bespoke tailoring

the traditional red cross is still present alongside blue and green ones, which are colours present in the official england team crest. these have been joined by a purple cross, a blend of all the three previous colours to accentuate diversity. the conceptual change visually reflects modern england in a noticeable step forward from the current all white kit.

both the nation and the fans themselves are more diverse than ever before – whether that’s differences in politics, religion, ethnicity, fashions, music and art.  the landscape of england has shifted dramatically over the past couple of decades and we are now one of the most culturally diverse nations in the world. football is a language that everyone can relate to and the new england home kit provides the perfect canvas to reflect what england looks like today. the reality of modern england is expressed in this pattern as it reclaims the st george’s cross to positively represent our contemporary society.

below is a short video of peter talking a bit about it, but you can find more at the umbro blog.

via designboom

the collaboration between kibisi and puma/biomega continues! after the first set comes the ‘mopion’, a cargo bike designed for urban environments. the thing i liked most about the first set was the ones that had a basket integrated into the handlebars, and this one comes with an even bigger carrier! due to it’s aluminium frame, the bike only weighs 22kg, and seems to be available in the same range of colours as the first ones were.

along with the previously posted about collaborations with aiaiai, kibisi are coming out with some really nice stuff recently!

via designboom

the 10th of september sees the launch of all lovely stüff, a new company by ed ward and carl clerkin.

sign up for the newsletter and follow them on twitter or facebook here, and i will let you know more about their first collection soon…

alex has forwarded me to this flikr set after he found the real thing in his dad’s workshop: the readers digest complete do-it-yourself manual 1969. featuring some great photos, loads of cool exploded diagrams and lots of other cool ideas, it’s well worth checking out. as rob pointed out, can you imagine what your house would look like if you followed all the tips inside? in my opinion: amazing!

check it out here.

well, i posted about the aiaiai swirl earphones a while back, and have now posted twice on the tma-1’s, so it was to my surprise that i realised i hadn’t posted about the ‘tracks’ headphones. all designed for aiaiai by kibisi, the tracks are inspired by the classic walkman headphones.

a single piece of metal makes up the headband, which is also used for the adjustment (and insertion and removal) of the ear cups. another example of some really clever and subtle design in this on-going collaboration. they come in some great colours too!

the cls mobile drive is designed by silvain willenz for freecom (who also make the previously blogged about usb clip). this external hard drive incorporates a labeling system on its side so you can identify your hard drive contents at a glance, inspired by old cassette tapes (a little bit similar to this).

Witnessing the growing number of hard drives owned by individuals for their data (music, data, films, back-ups…) and inspired by the old cassette tapes and floppy drives, we imagined a drive that could be labeled in a very simple and personal way.

i like the idea, and the simplicity. all very nice!

via mocoloco

]]> http://www.designatharrys.com/blog/2010/08/cls-mobile-drive/feed 0 http://www.designatharrys.com/blog/2010/08/more-on-the-tma-1 http://www.designatharrys.com/blog/2010/08/more-on-the-tma-1#comments Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:10:40 +0000 harry http://www.designatharrys.com/blog/?p=1633 [...]]]>

cool hunting have a cool video about the making of the tma-1, the headphones i recently posted about. the video features kibisi designers jens jartin skibsted and lars holme larson and aiaiai co-founder frederik jørgensen, talking about the design process.

these really were designed with dj’s in mind, with almost 30 in total consulted through the development and testing process. key to their thinking was that a dj has a job to do, and the headphones are a tool to help them do it. i really like the bit where he says that the adjustment holes are inspired by crutches. brilliant!

this flat-folding ‘thinbike’ was custom built to fit in a hallway without taking up any space. the best part about it is the ‘speedlifter‘ system, which allows the handlebars the turn 90 degrees and stay out of the way.

i have something very similar to this on a shopper bike i have, but it is a lot more primitive. i didn’t even realise these existed for mountain and road bikes! i had seen the ninety bike last year, but am now very intrigued to try out a speedlifter for myself.

via core77

you may remember the post on the aiaiai swirl earphones designed by kibisi a few months back. well, they have now designed some headphones for the brand, the tma-1. made of black rubber, nylon and plastic, i really like the simple design, which is explained by the designers:

It is stripped down to nothing more than the essentials. No ornaments, colors or other distractions. Only a very discrete and hidden logo indicates that these headphones come from an established brand.

This marks a new route in a terrain, that for the last couple of years have seen an endless array of products branded with extensive logos, and marketed by celebrities. The TMA-1 travels on a different road, and with it’s simple and iconic look, it is essentially nothing more, than the idea of the headphone.

apparently the name is taken from the kubrick movie ‘2001: a space odyssey’, where it describes a machine that was long lasting and reliable. these headphones are designed for professional musicians and dj’s, which might explain the hefty price tag of between £150 and £200.

via dezeen

check out the post on tomslisteningto!

i like these ‘bottle’ lamps by mattias stahlbom for zero. the plastic bottle-shaped lamp is topped with a die-cast aluminium cap, and can be a pendant, table or floor lamp (a little bit like my favourite lamp!).

via dailyicon

another cool project from oscar diaz (previously seen here), the standard flashlight is part of a project where he re-designs objects bought at a 1 pound shop.

the torch uses a 9 volt battery, which is the only one that has a connector that is also a clip. because of this, the lamp simply clips onto the battery, which then becomes the handle to hold it. the top of the torch has a ring of glow in the dark paint, which is also used to show which way the battery should go.

via designboom

some more great designs from outofstock, previously featured here. above are the ‘v-shelves’, which have a gentle v at one end to display an open book. even the brackets are clever, with bookend covers that slip over them, and look really simple and discreet.

i like the ‘raft’ sofa (below), which can be easily disassembled and transported in and out of narrow stairways and doors. i also really like the join details on the ‘biscuit stool’, also below.

via core77

i came across this video today. entitled ‘design story: the decanter’, it shows the design process of walter landor and associates designing a decanter in their studio in the 1960s.

the amount of work involved from start to finish is amazing to see, bearing in mind they had no computers then. all the drawings are done by hand, and all the research done without the use of the internet. the model making is brilliant too, with so much skill involved. this film is definitely worth finding 15 minutes to watch.

via core77

i came across some really nice designs by atelier takagi today. the first is the ‘bluff city light’, above, an enameled steel cage with a copper fitting and an enameled aluminium diffuser.

the second is the ’scaffold’ shelving (below), made of birch beams and ply shelves, which has really nice joint details.

via dailytonic

for pilot pen’s latest ad’s, they wanted to show how thin their extra-fine nibs were. advertising agency grey came up with this, and it looks great: lego minifigs tattooed using the exra fine pens!

via designboom

how has no-one thought of this before? the packaging design for these panasonic headphones was designed by berlin based scholz & friends.

The selection of earphones is huge and the products are often interchangeable. Only a packaging with a clear visual idea is able to stand out at the market among the generic packagings of the competition.

…The earphones show at first sight for whom they are made: for passionate music lovers.

…The new packaging was met with positive reactions from retailers and clients because it clearly stood out from the generic packaging of the competition. As such it helped to attract new target groups for Panasonic.

via core77

i came across some more images from the new simplicity exhibition (previously posted about here), including a more detailed view of how alex hulme’s torch works (above) and a watch by industrial facility i posted about on this blog last year.

other nice looking projects include the ipod/iphone cable manager by jochem faudet, below.

these are the totem shelves, by vincent van duysen for dutch manufacturer pastoe. i quite like the colours, the materials used, the proportions, and the function too:

The bodies of the cabinet can be turned independently of each other and are divided into segments by rails. They can be open or closed on one side and you can put horizontal shelves in them.

via dailytonic

the above image is from a core77 article that talks about the use of carbon fibre in skateboards. i’m not sure about that myself but i did like the image of how you lay out plys in a mould. it reminded me of a previous post (about 2 an a half years ago now!) on how to build a skateboard.

i think a more realistic future for skating will be bamboo skateboards, it is much closer to current plywood, and much much cheaper than carbon fibre, as well as a lot more sustainable too.

i like this nice simple desk by latvian company mint (it’s a kid’s desk i’ve just found out, but i still like it). i also like their screw stool, below. check out their site for lots of other nice looking furniture.

via design milk

unplggd has a roundup of ‘10 great cable organisers’, which is where i saw the magneat. simple looking, it keeps cables wrapped around a tight disc that’s magnetized so it can stick onto your fridge.

also on the list was the bobino, previously mentioned here!

‘while you sleep’ by oscar diaz is a system for grouping your house keys together using a simple clipping mechanism. what a great idea! i’m sure this could be easily implemented into standard keys. i think i like it even more than the split-ring-key by scott amron mentioned last year.

the idea comes from the ‘new simplicity’ exhibition, an exhibition in the brompton design district (london) that looks at innovations using new rapid prototyping and manufacturing technologies.

the digital age has offered new opportunities to designers, and the ‘new simplicity’ exhibition highlights the advances brought on by rapid manufacturing. this includes everyday items made from the least number of pieces as possible as many designers in the exhibition respond to a current trend towards frugality and a return to basics in a climate of economic uncertainty.

where the one-off limited edition once prevailed, designers and consumers are now searching for simplicity with quality, a desire to create and own products that are enduring, functional and simple.

the way diaz’s idea fits this new simplicity is that users would scan their key, choose a head type and send the data to the manufacturer to create a customized ‘while you sleep’ key set.

another project in the exhibition (which is on until the 8th of august) is the folding plug by min kyu choi, previously blogged about last year and since the winner of the brit insurance design of the year. others include climate station by thomas wagner, and the self assembly torch by alex hulme, a one piece torch which can be assembled with an LED, batteries and one pence.

see more projects at designboom, and for more info on the exhibition check out the london design guide

another book i’d like is ‘making it’, by chris lefteri. someone in my design studio has it, and it’s great!

There are many different ways in which a product can be manufactured but most designers probably know only a handful of techniques in any detail. Both informative and inspirational, Making It covers a broad range of almost 90 production methods. As well as describing each process, the text offers guidance on its pros and cons and on suitable production volumes, the costs involved, speed of production, relevant materials and typical applications.

from the author of wood, ceramics, and a few other materials books that i’d also really like!

available from amazon

less and more: the design ethos of dieter rams.

In the more than 40 years that he spent working at Braun, Dieter Rams established himself as one of the most influential designers of the twentieth century. His elegantly clear visual language not only defined product design for decades, but also our fundamental understanding of what design is and what it can and should do. Dieter Rams created ten rules of design more than twenty years ago. Sometimes referred to as the ten commandments, they are just as relevant today: Good design is innovative. Good design makes a product useful. Good design is aesthetic. Good design helps a product to be understood. Good design is unobtrusive. Good design is honest. Good design is durable. Good design is consistent to the last detail. Good design is environmentally friendly. Good design is as little design as possible. Less and More elucidates the design philosophy of Dieter Rams. The book is the ultimate collection of images of all of Rams s products as well as selected sketches and models from Braun stereo systems and electric shavers to the chairs and shelving systems that he created for Vitsoe and sdr+. In addition to the complete visual presentation of his designs, the book contains new texts by international design experts that explain how the work was created, describe its timeless quality, and put it into current context. In this way, the work of Dieter Rams is given a contemporary re-evaluation that is especially useful in light of the rediscovery of functionalism and rationalism in todays design. Less and More shows us the possibilities that design opens for both the manufacturer and the consumer as a means of making our lives better through attractive, functional solutions that also save resources.

available from amazon

these are ‘jar tops’, by jorre van ast for royal vkb, which allow you to turn any standard jar into one of five new things: a sugar pot, a milk can, a chocolate sprinkler, oil and vinegar set and a water jug.

i like re-using old bottles, jars and containers, and i think these are great. especially for only £15! available from lots of places, such as scp, which is where i last saw them.

Vinyl Cube is a simple but versatile design object that allows artists to paint and or draw on it’s smooth vinyl surface to create their own custom Vinyl Cube.
The Vinyl Cube emits light from within in various colours and is powered by a built in rechargeable battery unit. This particular Vinyl Cube was created by Chairman Ting.

i like this. it’s a simple idea that could be done with anything else i guess, from lights to chairs and tables. all you need is a good illustrator, and then a permanent pen an an object of your choice. i think i’d like to get a muji cube light and see what sam could do with it!

via curated

the helix eyewear range by monoqool is another red dot award winner (see previous post on usb clips), that uses a new approach to the how glasses work. The spiral hinge looks like a decorative feature, but it is actually a very functioning, simple piece of design. perhaps even more simple than standard glasses hinges!

via daily icon

this is an example of the twist and lock system, by harry thaler. the images below show some close-ups of how it works.

…a system that allows the user to lock special crates together in order to create different combinations according to the desired needs. users can apply the system in different ways, for instance, as a book or wine shelf.

i like the idea of being able to reconfigure your furniture as you wish, and i really like the coloured components of this modular system too.

via designboom