Yanko Design - Form Beyond Function

Coconut grating is a pain… but if done right, it absolutely lifts the taste of your food. Traditionally, the coconut is broken in half and each of the hemispheres have their flesh scraped off with a blade. The result is freshly grated coconut, which tastes remarkably better than store bought shredded coconut (much like grinding your own pepper in a mill instead of powdered pepper).

This new coconut grater wants to keep things traditional, but like all machines, it wants to make things easier. The solution? Motorize the blade. Just like an orange juicer, the blade here rotates (not too fast) and all you need to do is hold the coconut in place. And maybe be a wee bit careful!

Designer: Upendra Shenoy M

Designed for sports enthusiasts from skiers to cyclists, PLUS is a modular camera/light system that allows users to relive their experiences in stunning 3D. During the day, users can record their adventures and when it gets dark they can use PLUS to illuminate their way.

Capable of being mounted almost anywhere, these interlocking blocks can be attached to anything from helmets to handlebars. Its small size makes it easy to carry in a bag or even a pocket. If you regularly use a bicycle light, you’ll always have your 3D camera handy!

Designer: Jeongdae Kim

On the rare occasion there isn’t a Starbucks in sight, you’ll be glad you have this 3D cup of joe! With just a squeeze, this flat design’s unique construction unfolds to form a single cup. Instant coffee powder is already included inside the cup, so all you have to do is fill with hot water. Anytime, anywhere… consider your caffeine craving satisfied!

Designer: Bei Zhan, Bin Lu, Yipeng Hu

Who has time to read instructions when your house or office are going up in flames?! The Senik fire extinguisher was designed with human reaction in mind. Because time is crucial and minds are racing during emergency fire situations, it makes activating and using as easy as can be so you can do less panicking and more extinguishing.

Conceptualized to be a subscription product service, the refillable units are conveniently stored in accessible areas. To access, users must simply punch a yellow button that releases the extinguisher while simultaneously creating an internal chemical reaction that will immediately begin emitting an extinguishing mist.

Its angled body is both ergonomic and ensures the user will direct the spray at the most effective angle. Just in case, simple instructions are located on the side for quick direction on how to use.

Designer: Sailee Adhao

It just seems poetic, that a speaker design be inspired by something that’s a ‘musical instrument’ itself. I say musical instrument in quotes because the instrument in question is a wind-chime, a self-playing autonomous instrument that channels breeze to produce beautiful and soothing random sounds. The Harman Kardon Wind Lantern speaker’s wind chime element lies in the way the remote hangs from the speaker body. The speaker itself holds a light within it, so that it can be hung from the ceiling and used to throw sound as well as illuminate the place. The remote in this regard has an interesting role to play. The controls on the remote are used to control audio, while the remote itself controls the light. Pulling the remote component down triggers the light, while swaying from side to side changes the color. An app allows you to do the same thing too, in case you’re too lazy or short to operate the remote! Wouldn’t it be interesting though, to have the wind blow the remote around, making the color of the light change?!

On the audio front it’s really just another Harman Kardon speaker, so you can expect it to not just live up to standards but set new ones too. The lamp’s ceiling-hung design means it can throw 360° audio and provide a truly immersive music experience… Pair that with the color-changing light and you’ve got yourself an autonomous discotheque in your very living room!

Designer: Lu Weijia

If you think about it, the QR Code Smart Seal is really a solution to all your data sharing problems. This product allows you to convert data into a single image and physically share it with people. Imagine not needing a pen-drive anymore because you take your data, generate a QR code out of it and stamp the code on a piece of paper. That paper is now your pen drive. Scan the code, access the data.

The seal works with an app that generates the code. The seal then receives the code and creates the stamp accordingly. You can then use the seal to stamp out the code an infinite number of times (essentially creating an infinite number of pen-drives). Codes last forever, so that means your data’s always accessible. Perfect for sending out photos, web links, resumes, or even greeting cards. Amazing, isn’t it?!

Designers: Shuai Ma, Shuai Yang, JunYu Zhang & Fang Xu