Core77

Tick-Tock! Time's Running Out to enter DIA

Core Jr

Great design doesn't just solve problems — it spots opportunities before anyone else does. As you know, Design Intelligence is the ability to use design thinking, creativity, and strategy to tackle real-world challenges across industries, cultures, and communities. It's not only about technical skills or making things look good; it's about understanding people, society, business, and the rapidly changing world around us. The DIA recognizes and celebrates work that shapes a better future—beautifully and brilliantly.

As a Core77 reader, you have access to free submission using this code: US2026-R2S8G4M until September 1, 2026. Enter DIA today.

Product Group

Got a real-world product making waves? This category is open to enterprises, universities, institutions, studios, and independent creators. Eligible entries must have launched within two years prior to submission. Shortlisted entries should be able to provide physical products for the Second Evaluation.

Concept Group

Big ideas start here. Open to enterprises, universities, institutions, and individuals, this category celebrates forward-thinking concepts with strong industrial feasibility. Shortlisted entries must be able to provide fully functional prototypes for the Second Evaluation.

Entry Categories: Digital Economy

Where technology meets transformation. This category celebrates the future powered by digital innovation — from AI applications and smart industries to connected experiences that reshape how we live and work. Think spatial computing, smart cities, smart mobility, digital healthcare, VR, industrial internet, cybersecurity, and beyond.

Industrial Equipment

Built for the industries shaping tomorrow. Focused on industrial upgrading and emerging technologies, this category highlights smarter systems, advanced equipment, and efficient production solutions. Areas include transportation, medical equipment, green energy, robotics, automation, agriculture, logistics, and more.

Life Wisdom

Smarter living starts with thoughtful design. This category explores products and services that improve everyday life — from smart home tech and personal electronics to elderly care, wellness, parenting, pets, sports, leisure, and disaster prevention. It's all about intelligent, human-centered solutions that make life easier, safer, and more enjoyable.

Cultural Innovation

Where heritage meets fresh ideas. This category celebrates the reinvention of culture through contemporary design, craftsmanship, sustainability, and storytelling. From fashion accessories and furniture to cultural tourism, packaging, stationery, and social innovation, it's about creating meaningful value through culture-driven creativity.

Enter DIA today.

A Clock That Lives on the Edge

Rain Noe

At first blush, this might seem an odd form for a desk clock.

South Korean industrial designer HoHyeon Lim explains why he chose the shape: "Inspired by how we use corners to support and lean objects, this desk object concentrates weight and function at the edge, becoming a subtle anchor in everyday space."

Because the piece is hollow, the user can provide their ballast of choice to give it some heft.

It's called the Edge Clock, and it appears to be a concept piece rather than something headed for production.

Meet Fusion Forward Juror Alex Pearce, Associate Design Director at Seymourpowell

Core Jr

Alex Pearce has a simple test for whether a concept is worth pursuing: would you actually buy it? Not admire it in a deck, not nod along in a pitch meeting, but actually buy it, use it and live with it. This question seems obvious, but it is suprisingly difficult for a design idea to actually make it to production while living up to this standard. As a member of the jury team for Fusion Forward: Design for Home, Core77's competition with Autodesk Fusion, he'll be looking for this type of concept across the three categories of entries.

Alex Pearce, Associate Design Director at Seymourpowell

With more than 15 years of experience, Pearce is currently serving as Associate Design Director at Seymourpowell in London where he's built a diverse career ranging from FMCG packaging to brand identity, transportation, and UX. Since studying Design for Industry at Northumbria University, he's developed the kind of fluency that lets him move between strategy and execution without losing the thread — spotting connections other specialists might miss, and making sure ideas that sound good in a pitch actually hold up once they're built.

That same discipline shapes how he thinks about the design industry's embrace of AI. Pearce is genuinely energized by what it's opening up. "It's democratizing ideation," he says. "Non-designers on a team — engineers, strategists, clients, or consumers — can now have a go at visualizing a concept themselves. That speeds up how quickly we can have a meaningful conversation about an idea, rather than waiting for it to be built or rendered properly first."

But he's careful not to overstate what the tool can do. "AI is a brilliant tool, but it's never going to validate a design the way a human can, and it's never going to ideate in the same way, because it's trained on the past, not the future," Pearce says. His concern isn't the technology itself, but the gap between what people assume it can do and what it actually does. "We need to be clear about what AI is and what it isn't, and make sure people still see the value in humans driving the tool."

For entrants preparing their Fusion Forward submissions, Pearce's advice circles back to that same buy-it-or-not test. "Always ask yourself whether this is something you'd actually imagine being used," he says. "That discipline — constantly checking that a concept meets a genuine need or desire — is what separates a good concept from just an idea on paper." The strongest entries, he adds, will be grounded in a clear insight or pain point, not left floating as an abstract idea.

Fusion Forward: Design for Home is now open for entries. Three categories to choose from, $9,750 in prizes. Deadline for entry September 28.

Felice Varini's Optical-Illusion Interiors

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These interiors appear to have had a Photoshop layer added to them, in preparation for a magazine article.

In fact, those geometric shapes were captured in-camera, and actually exist within the space. They were painted by French artist Felice Varini, who creates interventions in architectural spaces.

The starting point for Varini's work is a "viewpoint:"

I call a viewpoint a point in space that I choose precisely: it is generally located at eye level and preferably situated along a mandatory passageway, for example, an opening between one room and another, a landing, etc. However, I don't make this a strict rule because not all spaces necessarily have an obvious path. The choice is often arbitrary.

The viewpoint functions as a point of view, that is, as a possible starting point for approaching the painting and the space. The painted form is coherent when the viewer is positioned at that point. When the viewer moves away from the viewpoint, the work encounters space, which generates an infinite number of perspectives on the form. Therefore, it is not through this initial viewpoint that I perceive the work; its true meaning lies in the sum total of all the viewer's perspectives.

CMPT's Take on the Apple Box

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Yet another set of designers have been smitten by the apple box, that mainstay of studio production. This time it's by CMPT, a new brand created in collaboration between NYC-based Lichen design studio and Japanese furniture brand Karimoku.

Their take on the apple box is made out of Japanese Chestnut, with dovetailed joinery. The cross-section has been changed to square. It does what a studio apple box does—it can be used as a stool or a step—but also features a sliding lid on one side, so you can use it for storage.

Additionally, multiple units can be joined together to serve as static furniture. A circular connecter (unseen in the images, sadly) joins them through their fingerholes.

Sigma's Minimalist BF Camera

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Japanese camera company calls their BF model"radically simple." It's machined out of a single block of aluminum, a process that reportedly takes seven(!) hours. "By simplifying and stripping away all excess elements," the company writes, "this full-frame mirrorless camera redefines the process of taking a photograph as a natural act."

The Sigma BF's most important feature is its simplicity. We wanted to create the easiest camera to use, inspired by the humble beginnings of the camera obscura. While the lens remains the soul of photography, the camera still profoundly shapes the images you take – directly, indirectly, even subconsciously. Without compromising on features or performance, the BF's design cuts out everything that distracts from your interaction with the image. From its aluminum unibody to its simplified controls and streamlined menu, the BF embodies a pure photographic experience free of frustration.

They've even gotten rid of the SD card. Instead the camera's got 230GB of memory (which you'd need if you're shooting the 6K video it can capture) and you transfer files via a USB-C port.

The BF comes in silver or black, and runs $2,200. It was designed by Iwasaki Design Studio.

In Holland, a Self-Powered River Crossing for Bikes

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The Piushaven river runs through Tilburg, Holland. In order to allow cyclists and pedestrians to cross it, the municipality came up with a more frugal method than building a bridge or setting up a permanent ferry service. They installed a chain-driven floating platform that can run from one side to the other.

If you're at one bank and the platform is on the other bank, you rotate a crank to pull it over to you.

Once aboard, you crank your way across the river. The submerged chain allows boats to cruise right over it.

Here it is in action:

The Leitz Portable Desk Organizer for Hot-Desking

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It must be hard to believe, for those that work in hot-desking situations, that there was once a time when professionals all had their own offices. Instead, the current mode is that workers keep their stuff in a locker, and break it out when a desk is available.

To make this easier, German office products brand Leitz created this Hanging Desk Organizer. It's a felt storage caddy that, once pulled out of the locker, can hang from the side of a slab desk.

While the material looks like felt, it's actually Thermofelt, a heat-formed polyester felt made from recycled plastic.

A mechanism allows you to size it for different thicknesses of desk.

This is one of those objects that will confuse archaeologists, when they dig it up after our civilization has long since vanished.

Core77 Weekly Roundup (8-10-26 to 8-14-26)

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Here's what we looked at this week:

The MegCell Pulse: A 3D-printed guitar-playing contraption.

Another low-tech disappearing-door solution from Japan.

Sole: Partially 3D-printed DIY footwear.

Design help needed: An easier, but uglier, automatic gate opener.

Konny's Dual Support Hip Seat Carrier: A more ergonomic baby-carrying sling.

Industrial designer Gudmundur Ludvik re-thinks the folding chair.

Form follows function: The Godox C100 is a new camera type that's mostly viewfinder, no screen.

The SkyNomad N90 Max, Xiaomi's shocking $45,000 luxury hybrid SUV.

Low-tech toy design: This Tuminy truck lets kids unload goods.

Amona Lab's wildly different take on domestic furniture.

Vintage folding railcar sinks for sleeper cars.

The bizarre shadows projected during an eclipse.

Haüsa Homes demonstrates how to fit a folding house into a shipping container.

In Nashville, a farm-to-table dinner served in a creek.

The Leitz Portable Desk Organizer for hot-desking.

In Nashville, Farm-to-Table Dinner Served in a Creek

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Edible Nashville, a foodie magazine in Tennessee, holds a rather unique farm-to-table dinner event each year. It's at Hachland Hill, an 80-acre inn/retreat/event space 20 minutes outside of Nashville. Since the property has a creek running through it, and the Tennessee summers are hot, the magazine sited a long, snaking dinner table in the creek itself:

Attendees enjoyed cool feet as well as cocktails, wine, beer, dinner and live music. The event is getting rave reviews on social media; these are the unique experiences people crave these days.

The next Creek Dinner won't happen until July of 2027.

The Bizarre Shadows Projected During an Eclipse

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Fun fact: During the phases of a solar eclipse where the sun is partly obscured...

...small gaps in the environment—between leaves, for instance—can act as tiny pinhole projectors. The result is that these cool crescent-shaped illuminations are projected:

You can do a Google Image search for "eclipse crescent projections" to see more.

Haüsa Homes Demonstrates How to Fit a Folding House Into a Shipping Container

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Argentina-based architect Charlie Deane founded Haüsa Homes, which makes flatpack houses. "We turn dreams into buildable modular kits," the company writes. "We're redefining construction through precision-engineered volumetric housing, combining efficiency, sustainability, and cutting-edge technology."

Here's how one of their house shells breaks down to fit into a shipping container, in two pieces:

"The video shows the structural assembly process, not the finished home," Deane explains. "Electrical, plumbing, HVAC, insulation, waterproofing, and all other building systems are incorporated during the construction process according to the project's specifications."

On-site, here's how the shell is unfurled:

While the end result is a modest bungalow, the company's catalog is decidedly more ambitious. You can check it out here.

Vintage Folding Railcar Sinks for Sleeper Cars

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In an earlier post, we looked at the space-saving sinks used in the Barbican, circa the 1960s. Eighty years before that, other organizations had the same problem, of how to stuff a sink in a very limited space. Those organizations were 19th-century railcar manufacturers, like Pullman. As sleeper cars became a thing, railcar designers developed folding sinks:

Today at least one company, Watermark Fixtures, still makes replicas. Theirs is made out of cast-iron and porcelain:

Here's an example of one that's been installed, by architecture and interiors firm Cicada, in a tight basement space:

By the 1960s, air and car travel had edged out trains, and sleeper cars declined in popularity for long-distance travel. The folding sinks, well, disappeared.

Amona Lab's Wildly Different Take on Domestic Furniture

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A new Chinese company called Amona Lab has debuted their wildly different take on domestic furniture. They've designed a line of modular storage units that's unlike anything I've seen in the West—at least in the domestic space. In my eyes, the company's style borrows from laboratories, examination rooms, industrial kitchens and even garages. I find it oddly appealing:

It's such an interesting take. They don't do upper cabinets, instead opting for pegboard-style open storage. Down below, everything touching the floor is on wheels. They use metal, glass and wood. The look is clean, almost Spartan, and relentlessly honest; there's no attempt to add artificial decoration. The form is the form, and I'd say they've got the proportions right, even when mating unlikely components.

To a Westerner, marketing-speak translated from Chinese is a bit difficult to parse; the culture seems to demand ample poetry in copy, which can make discerning design intent difficult. So take what you will from Amona's description of the furniture:

Amona does not produce traditional furniture such as sofas, beds, tables and chairs.

We always focus on "intelligence, fun and tranquility," trying to respond to a more contemporary lifestyle.

[We] focus on creating a home series that is "movable, combinable and growing."

We hope each Amona product is a small exploration of "life can be played this way."

The brand has just launched this month, and the photographs you see were shot in their newly-opened "Home Experience Store" in Henan. It remains to be seen whether they're aiming to go international. I hope they do, mainly because I'm curious to see how the Western market would respond to the brand's unusual style.

Low-Tech Toy Design: This Tuminy Truck Lets Kids Unload Goods

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At first glance, this little wooden toy truck looks like it has its own garage:

But in fact, it's a working vehicle with a job to do:

"This satisfying sequence of loading, driving, and unloading is exactly the kind of repetitive play children love," writes Japanese toy designer Kazuto Komatsu. "It encourages curiosity, concentration, and the joy of doing something again and again."

The toy set is called Tuminy, and Komatsu sells them through his wooden toy brand, Comomg. They retail for about $68.

Core77

Tick-Tock! Time's Running Out to enter DIA

A Clock That Lives on the Edge

Meet Fusion Forward Juror Alex Pearce, Associate Design Director at Seymourpowell

Felice Varini's Optical-Illusion Interiors

CMPT's Take on the Apple Box

See Also:

Industrial Designer Sebastian Bergne Upgrades the Studio Applebox

Sigma's Minimalist BF Camera

In Holland, a Self-Powered River Crossing for Bikes

The Leitz Portable Desk Organizer for Hot-Desking

Core77 Weekly Roundup (8-10-26 to 8-14-26)

The MegCell Pulse: A 3D-printed guitar-playing contraption.

Another low-tech disappearing-door solution from Japan.

Sole: Partially 3D-printed DIY footwear.

Design help needed: An easier, but uglier, automatic gate opener.

Konny's Dual Support Hip Seat Carrier: A more ergonomic baby-carrying sling.

Industrial designer Gudmundur Ludvik re-thinks the folding chair.

Form follows function: The Godox C100 is a new camera type that's mostly viewfinder, no screen.

The SkyNomad N90 Max, Xiaomi's shocking $45,000 luxury hybrid SUV.

Low-tech toy design: This Tuminy truck lets kids unload goods.

Amona Lab's wildly different take on domestic furniture.

Vintage folding railcar sinks for sleeper cars.

The bizarre shadows projected during an eclipse.

Haüsa Homes demonstrates how to fit a folding house into a shipping container.

In Nashville, a farm-to-table dinner served in a creek.

The Leitz Portable Desk Organizer for hot-desking.

In Nashville, Farm-to-Table Dinner Served in a Creek

The Bizarre Shadows Projected During an Eclipse

Haüsa Homes Demonstrates How to Fit a Folding House Into a Shipping Container

Vintage Folding Railcar Sinks for Sleeper Cars

Amona Lab's Wildly Different Take on Domestic Furniture

Low-Tech Toy Design: This Tuminy Truck Lets Kids Unload Goods