batikk's design blog

communication specialist & design lover. passionate about chairs, germany, social media, espresso, italo disco and 1930s architecture, to name but a few.

i read
i like

Archive
2011 (12)
2010 (33)
2009 (16)

Searching product

Obox Signature Series

time for ideas

Marti Guixé's designs always manage to be funny and intelligent at the same time. He recently designed a clock for Alessi that is made out of whiteboard. It allows you to make your own clock or to define your own time.

Knowing the work of Guixé a little bit, I bet that this is not just a gimmick but that he actually went through a thinking process about the meaning of time in a person's life - to end up with this funny object. I wouldn't be surprised.

This is the man who is convinced that goldfish can also appreciate good design and made some design objects for aquaria. And this is the man who strives for equal rights for plastic garden furniture. In his opinion, they are very good products but often regarded with disdain. This is why he paints the chairs with graffiti stating "stop discrimination of cheap furniture". Gotta love that.

More on his website www.guixe.com.

(download)

ceci est un ventilateur

I recently came accross the Dyson fan. It's a fan without blades, based on the same technology and design as their Airblade hand dryer. Doesn't it look supercool? 
 

sylvain's torch.

Sylvain Willenz is a talented young Belgian designer. His Torch Light is a great product, referring to an archetypical lighting device but incorporating new materials. The casing (in one piece) is made of textured moulded plastic that looks almost like felt and feels soft. The lens is made of diamond-textured polycarbonate that diffuses the light very well. It works with a small eco bulb. 

I think the Torch Light is very well adapted to a flexible lifestyle: you can place it almost anywhere you want, you can transport it very easily, it's sturdy ... and it looks great.

(It's produced by Established and Sons and you can buy it online at Yoox. More info on Sylvain here.)

 

(download)

murakami.

Media_httpbatikkwordp_bcpdm

De Murakami chair is een stoel waarbij je door te schommelen zelf energie opwekt voor een leeslampje. Simpel edoch geniaal. Een ontwerp van Rochus Jacob uit de USA en winnaar van de 'green life' wedstrijd van Designboom. In de woorden van de ontwerper:

I was looking for opportunities to generate energy through activities we naturally do. The final result is a rocking chair that enables the user to experience production and consumption of electricity in a gentle and rewarding way. An abstract process becomes tangible and eventually cultivates natural awareness. Complexity is covered by simplicity. Advanced nano-dynamo technology which is built in to the skids of the chair and more efficient light sources such as the newly developed OLED generation makes it possible to build a rocking chair with a reading lamp running on electricity generated from the rocking motion. During daylight the energy gets stored in a battery pack. The construction of the flat and bendable organic light emitting diodes allows new form factors such as using the traditional shape of a lamp but instead of having a light bulb the lampshade himself turns out to be the light source. To have a drastic reduction of consumption the big challenge will be to make consuming less feel like getting more.

der Dieter.

Dieter Rams is één van de straffe gasten van het productdesign van de afgelopen eeuw. Zijn ontwerpen voor Braun zijn niet alleen legendarisch maar ook een serieuze inspiratie voor Jonathan Ive, de productdesigner bij Apple. Hier een interessant interview met de man – die er overigens Duitser dan Duits uitziet. Hij draagt functionaliteit hoog in het vaandel en vindt het de ontwerper z’n plicht om vooruit te denken en design te pushen. Of om het met de woorden van Raymond Loewy te zeggen: MAYA. Most Advanced Yet Acceptable.