Designer Around Us

Classic Typewriter

noreply@blogger.com (Mohamad Ajmal Abdullah) — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 08:50:00 +0000

The concept of typewriter dates back to 1714 when Henry Mill obtained a patent for a machine for impressing of letter one by one, as in writing [1]. However, only after 95 years later, year 1808, the world witnessed the first typewriter proven to have worked which was built by Italian Pellegrino Turri. During this time, many typewriter were built for the blind. That included Turri's machine which he developed for his blind friend, Countess Carolina Fantoni da Fivizzano [2].

That should explain why some of the pictures of early typewriters shown below are so oddly looking that most of us would not know how it work.

Beautiful Antique Typewriter

References

[1] Henry Mill's Patent. Todayinsci.com. Retrieved 2012-03-30.

[2] A Brief History of Typewriters. The Classic Typewriter Page. viewed in http://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/tw-history.html

[3] Photos. Beautiful Antique Typewriters

What is the time now bro?

noreply@blogger.com (Mohamad Ajmal Abdullah) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 23:26:00 +0000

When some one ask you "What is the time now?" You answer "It is half past twelve (for example)" literally by showing them what is showing on your watch. Or answer in German if you want.

This is QlockTwo W, designed by Biegert & Funk, teenagers from Germany.

QlockTwo W

via TouchOfModern

How Batman Logo has changed over 73 years, 1940 - 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Mohamad Ajmal Abdullah) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 23:04:00 +0000

Watch a video version of this info-graphic down below. Only then you can read a brief description of each logo.

via flowing data

History of Industrial Design

noreply@blogger.com (Mohamad Ajmal Abdullah) — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 11:27:00 +0000

This info-graphic reminds me of history class when I was in school. I don't remember exactly what I have learn but I do recognize the words 'industrial revolution'. It's the time where people started to mass produced and processed a lot of stuff from small item like tin can to bigger complex machine like cars.

Industrial revolution spreaded out to many contries. And that includes the youngest country in the world (geologically speaking), New Zealand.

If you really read this info-graphic you will find the fifth point saying, in 1919, the term "industrial design" is used for the first. It is attributed to New Zealand designer Joseph Claude Sinel (aka Auckland Jo). However, he denies he first coined the phrase. Go on read the rest of it.

via retrojan

De Markies - A Truely Mobile Home

noreply@blogger.com (Mohamad Ajmal Abdullah) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 10:31:00 +0000

Previous post was about a Westfalia Verdier camper van concept design that will be equipped with cool gadgets.

But, let's go back in time. In 1985, Eduard Bohtlingk, a designer and architect, had entered the Temporary Living competition with his "De Markies" (The Awning) and was awarded the Public Prize at the Design Prize 11 years later, 1996. Conceived as a mobile home, De Markies while on the road measured 2 meters by 4.50 meters. When stationary, its wall was designed to increase its floor-space three times bigger.

I don't know if it has been mass produced or not, but this is pretty cool. Home is where ever I'm with De Markies?

via Beautiful Life and Bohtlingk

Westfalia Verdier - A Mobile Dream Machine

noreply@blogger.com (Mohamad Ajmal Abdullah) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 16:09:00 +0000

Westfalia Verdier is a hybrid concept camper van that will run on a 200 hp engine. The roof-top solar panel will provide electricity to the accessories while stationery. The concept features include a swivel cooking range, adjustable seat-bed and a multi-media computer with wireless connection.

This is pretty futuristic and it is expected to come with a price tag of about $69,000

Westfalia Verdier-Concept Camper Van

via Dude Craft and Green Upgrader

How to Make An Almost Free Laptop Stand

noreply@blogger.com (Mohamad Ajmal Abdullah) — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 04:27:00 +0000

I used to think that pizza box could always be reused for something else. Or turn into something useful. But, I didn't put on effort to really think about it. The least thing I usually do is to put it in recycle bin.

Picture below, provided by Ilya Andreev, shows how you can make a laptop stand out of pizza box. Things you need are a pizza box (of course), a stapler, cutter-ruler, pencil and a little bit of imagination. Give it a try and good luck

via Behance

A Beautiful Wooden bike by Yojiro Oshima

noreply@blogger.com (Mohamad Ajmal Abdullah) — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 00:31:00 +0000

Remember a concept design of one person Ape by Cornelius Comanns for his final year project?

This is another final year project work from a student in Craft and Industrial Design. Yojiro Oshima from Musashino Art University, Tokyo designed and model a wooden bike. This is obviously an unconventional bike mainly because wooden bike is brittle and it weighs 14 kg. Oshima notes "This proposal is about the shape of the frame and the handle mainly which doesn't concern what material it's made out of. The maximum comfort can be put into practice by wood."

Beautiful Wooden bike by Yojiro Oshima

(via core77 and Bicycle Design )

The Stooler, Universal Stool Adapter by Andreu Carulla

noreply@blogger.com (Mohamad Ajmal Abdullah) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 05:36:00 +0000

Have you ever tried to sit on a work out balloon but fell down miserably? Thanks to The Stooler by Andreu Carulla, such case won't happen again. The Stooler that consists of four wooden legs and adjustable ratchet buckles allows you to reuse almost any object and turn it into a sturdy and comfy stool.

The Stooller

via Design Milk and Andrue Carulla

Bat, A Levitating Wireless Mouse by Vadim Kibardin

noreply@blogger.com (Mohamad Ajmal Abdullah) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 11:19:00 +0000

I actually have thought about this before. Try lifting your laser mouse up, move it around, it is still working perfectly. In fact, it feels lighter and no annoying frictional sound. It's not just about that, apparently a floating mouse can reduce the risk of getting the contemporary disease Carpal tunnel syndrome (Median nerve dysfunction / entrapment).

This levitating wireless mouse is designed by Vadim Kibardin. As of 2012, the Bat is still in testing period and market research, thus it is not yet available for purchase.

Levitating Wireless Mouse

(via Design Milk and Kibardin Design )

Ferrari LaFerrari, it is so nice, we have to say it twice

noreply@blogger.com (Mohamad Ajmal Abdullah) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 10:37:00 +0000

Ferrari recently launched their new hybrid super-car, Ferrari LaFerrari. It was shown during the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. Ferrari called this machine the "maximum expression" thus could hint why the odd name.

LaFerrari powered by 6.3 liters V12 engine with 789 horsepower plus 160 horsepower electric motor. Ferrari says this machine can accelerate from stationary to 60 mph (96 kph) in less than three seconds. I'm not a super-car fan, is that really impressively fast or other super-car can do that as well?

You can download these wallpapers. They are in their original sizes.

Ferrari LaFerrari

autoblog

A Magical Spray Painting by Brandon McConnell

noreply@blogger.com (Mohamad Ajmal Abdullah) — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 02:50:00 +0000

If you like painting, perhaps you want to check this out. The result from two minutes of spraying with some cool tricks is a magical space-liked painting.

Brandon called his painting as "a creation of distant world".

You can have a custom made painting by contacting him. Check out his website

Brandon McConnell

Everyone Should Know How To Write Codes

noreply@blogger.com (Mohamad Ajmal Abdullah) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 08:51:00 +0000

A non-profit organization, code.org is founded to encourage people, students in particular to learn coding. They interviewed Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and other well known social website developers and tech heroes.

Here are some inspiring quotes from them:

“Learning to write programs stretches your mind, and helps you think better, creates a way of thinking about things that I think is helpful in all domains.“ Bill Gates

“Our policy at Facebook is literally to hire as many talented engineers as we can find. There just aren't enough people who are trained and have these skills today.“ Mark Zuckerberg

Find out more information from a video down below and from code.org.

designtaxi

Desktop Jellyfish Tank by Jellyfish Art

noreply@blogger.com (Mohamad Ajmal Abdullah) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 02:55:00 +0000

In case you have extra money, check out this cool jellyfish tank. Some might ask, why would they need to buy this tank instead of normal aquarium? JellyFish Art has provided an explanation:

Jellyfish cannot survive in a regular aquarium because they would get sucked into the pump intakes, like bunches of wet tissue paper.
Jellyfish Art's jellyfish tank is specially designed with a water flow pattern that keeps jellyfish from getting sucked into pump intakes. Also, water flow is powered by the rise of air bubbles from an air pump, not a water pump, so flow is more gentle.

Ok, now you know why jelly fish needs a special aquarium, then probably another question would arise. How do I get salt water? Do I have to get salt water from a beach? Or can I make salt water? They have an answer for that too. Find more information about it over here

Jellyfish Tank

Design overview

Colors available

Specifications

Add jellyfish friends

5 Magnificent Mechanical Transformations by Andre Baran

noreply@blogger.com (Mohamad Ajmal Abdullah) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 00:33:00 +0000

From a process that combines Solidworks, Rhino and Blender, Andre Baran of formendesign.de has animated five super cool transformations of spheres into five uniquely designed lamps. Andre Baran calls it CineSphere. Andre tells us more.

The subject this study is the mechanical transformation, a change of the form. The 5 items that have arisen here, fall back in form and process of change on analogies from nature. A sphere, the simplest geometric shape that we know, serves as a starting form.

The coolest one I think the first animation. This is beyond awesome. I believe this project will be well funded if Andre wants to bring this model to production.Kudos

check out formendesign website to see all the 5 transformations.

B'twin B'chopp Tricycle by Alexandre Pain

noreply@blogger.com (Mohamad Ajmal Abdullah) — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 02:12:00 +0000

Yesterday I saw a guy carrying groceries on his bicycle with mandarin orange on the back, two groceries bags hanging on the handle. He was in a good control but looked like a bit in a struggle. Not to mention that he had to face polluted air and busy traffic on his way back home.

Perhaps a tricycle designed by Alexandre Pain, B'twin B'chopp could provide a safer way of transportation to those who likes cycling. It has a large groceries bucket, windshield and removable canvas roof.

B'twin B'chopp Tricycle 1

B'twin B'chopp Tricycle 2

B'twin B'chopp Tricycle 3

B'twin B'chopp Tricycle 4

Made Collection - Crafted Everyday Objects by Okum

noreply@blogger.com (Mohamad Ajmal Abdullah) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 22:50:00 +0000

Meticulous craftsmanship, invested with design honesty and material integrity, The Made Collection by David Okum blends beautiful, mid-century modern-inspired aesthetics with contemporary crafting techniques. The collection features four items - salt & pepper shakers, trivet, coat pegs, desktop organizer - each painstakingly designed and executed in American walnut, hard white maple, Corian, and aluminum

Check out a neat video presentation down below. And for more information, check out his project that is currently on KickStarter.

Banner - Made Collection
V Tray&Bowl - Made Collection

Paddle Coat Hook - Made Collection

SQ Trivet - Made Collection

salt&pepper shakers - Made Collection

Links: davidokum.com, KickStarter

One Person Camper APE by Cornelius Comanns

noreply@blogger.com (Mohamad Ajmal Abdullah) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 04:30:00 +0000

Piaggio Ape, a three-wheeled vehicle, was first produced by an Italian company that manufacture scooters and motorcycles. Initial idea was coming from Corradino D'Ascanio, an aircraft designer and also the inventor of the Vespa. The main mission was to accommodate Italian's lacked means of transport due to the World War II.

Piaggio Ape's design and functions had evolved with time to satisfy with current needs. In 2010, Cornelius Comanns, an industrial designer from Germany, designed the 'Buffalino', a small one man camper which was a transformation from the Piaggio APE 50 tricycle. The aim of the project was to provide flexibility when travelling. Inside the Buffalino, there was two seats, kitchen area, storage and one bed. However, the Buffalino was only a computer-generated graphic.

Buffalino 1

Buffalino 2

Buffalino 3

Buffalino 4

Buffalino 5

Buffalino 6

source: CG TALK, Yanko Design, Design Boom, Wiki

A pimped out Volkswagen Kombi by Greg Young

noreply@blogger.com (Mohamad Ajmal Abdullah) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 03:09:00 +0000

Greg Young is a professional architectural designer based in Christchurch, New Zealand. Photos below are showing his Kombi Van that is equipped with power, water and cooking facilities. The pop up roof provides an extra space for two adult-sized stretcher beds.

Feature list:

1. 4 seats. Complete with seat-belts.

2. a window seat for small child/family pet

3. mounted iPad for a little entertainment

4. kitchen

5. fridge

6. child-sized stretcher beds

7. storage system

This Kombi Van was a finalist in the National Residential Interior at the 2011 Architectural Designers of New Zealand (ADNZ) Awards. In the same year, 22 February 2011 to be exact, a powerful earthquake struck Christchurch City that caused significant damages and fatalities. On the first day of the disaster, Greg Young sent his van to the Civil Defense headquarters to help out. His van was used by an elderly couple who were suffering from shock. New Zealand's Good Guy Greg? I believe he is.

Volkswagen Kombi

Video: http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/business/your-property/8296654/A-Kombi-van-that-sleeps-four

source: Stuff

Photos courtesy of Architizer

Vortex Watch by Sylvain Gerber

noreply@blogger.com (Mohamad Ajmal Abdullah) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 00:13:00 +0000

This bad as looking watch was designed by Sylvain Gerber, and industrial designer based in Paris. Software used were photoshop, solidworks and keyshot. Perhaps this watch should be released together with upcoming Transformer movie.

Vortex Watch

source: Sylvain Gerber

Incredible Car Drawing by Prim Chand Ramessar

noreply@blogger.com (Mohamad Ajmal Abdullah) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 00:01:00 +0000

Sketches below were drawn using stabilo pens and further edited using sketchbook pro and adobe photoshop by Prim Chand Ramessar, a designer from Tilburg, Netherlands. With no doubt these are absolutely amazing piece of work.

Prim Chand Ramessar: 1

Prim Chand Ramessar: 2

Prim Chand Ramessar: 3

Prim Chand Ramessar: 4

Prim Chand Ramessar: 5

Prim Chand Ramessar: 6

Prim Chand Ramessar: 7

source: Prim Chand Ramessar

A Story about ASICS Brand in Origami

noreply@blogger.com (Mohamad Ajmal Abdullah) — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 02:54:00 +0000

I have come across this 4 years old video that tell a story about ASICS, the Japanese sport shoe brand, founded by Kihachiro Onitsuka. I find it very entertaining and inspiring. A small company started with nothing but only an idea. Gradually became a well established company employing 4000 people around the world and selling 30 million pairs of shoes annually.

Despite the great achievement, Onitsuka said

It's the beginning of the end. When you start to appreciate your own achievements. Constant improvement is the elemental part of ASICS philosophy. Pursuit of perfection never stops. And among all our engineers, the question comes up again, what will be the idea?

That really impress me. I reckon most of the Japanese practice kaizen, a continuous improvement process in their daily life.

Origami In the Pursuit of Perfection

Origami In the Pursuit of Perfection from MABONA ORIGAMI on Vimeo.

Radical Reinvention of the Personal Computer by SchultzeWORKS

noreply@blogger.com (Mohamad Ajmal Abdullah) — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 14:54:00 +0000

SchultzeWORKS design studio entered a design competition in 2009 under a theme of (I presume) "radical reinvention of the personal computer" with their 3D-rendered design, entitled PhilcoPC. The title name was inherited from their main inspiration, the 1950's design classic, Philco Predicta.

A one minute video presentation provided attract a lot of people's attentions. Some of them even asked if they could buy the PhilcoPC which they had deemed that it was real. It was however (as mentioned earlier) a 3D-rendered design and only in the stage of proposal to PC makers for manufacturing consideration back then.

Now we are already in 2013 and as far as I know none of these (keyboard, monitor, mouse and CPU), have been manufactured. At least they should make keyboard and mouse. I am willing to spend some money on something that are not in need just because they are super cool.

PhilcoPC 1

PhilcoPC 2

PhilcoPC 3

PhilcoPC 4

Philco PC from Dave Schultze on Vimeo.

source: http://www.schultzeworks.com/philcopc/

How to model a motorbike by Bruce Thomson

noreply@blogger.com (Mohamad Ajmal Abdullah) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 08:57:00 +0000

Below are some photos documenting a lesson of how to model a motorbike from sketches to 1/3 to scale Spada Motorcycle by Bruce Thomson, an automotive and industrial design teacher from Humber College, Toronto, Canada.

1/10 scale

1/3 to scale

You can find a brief description of how he did this in Behance

A Cool Animated Short Story by MMU Students

noreply@blogger.com (Mohamad Ajmal Abdullah) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 11:51:00 +0000

Monster Next Door is a short story about... well I don't want to spoil the story even by giving a short synopsis. Watch it here and then find the description about the artists down below. You won't be disappointed I guaranteed . Enjoy.

Monster Next Door from Rockethead on Vimeo.

This short movie is not just a beautiful rendered graphic but it has a message to be delivered. Probably the main thing that we can learn or keep on reminding ourselves is not to judge others. Some might say, "Oh cool, but it's just another "don't judge a book by its cover" story. It is true but people are easily tend to forget or simply don't want to practice good values. Reminder is what we need.

Four artist from Multimedia University, Cyberjaya, Malaysia have done a good job in making this movie. They are:

Haireey Hashnan - Character Modeller / 2D Animator / Animator

Haizeel Hashnan - Compositor / Matte Painter / Texture Artist
Husna Ahmad Faizal - Animator / Environment Modeller
Behrooz - Rig Artist / Music Artist / Animator

Show support by checking their channel on Vimeo