Yanko Design - Form Beyond Function

In the past, a microscope might have been an awesome and exciting gift for kids… but now, search engines have replaced hands-on exploration. Designed with this in mind, Skop rethinks the architecture of the modern microscope with digital and optically advanced twists.

Use it at home or take it on-the-go just about anywhere to capture incredible, up-close moments in picture or video and explore the microscopic world around you like never before! Outside, an LED ring light provides a controllable illumination source and works like an incident light microscope. Inside, at a station on your desk, you can explore in transmitted light mode to detect unknown structures and organisms with an enormous data base and augmented reality technology. A built-in APS-C Sensor allows you to capture incredible pictures and share what you have discovered. Connected to a smartphone, your display is transformed into a large viewfinder where you can control the device.

Designer: Julian Sommer

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This is literally the closest thing you can get to living in a yellow submarine! The Zayak is a flotation device that provides a clear window into a world worth exploring. The board is made from a sturdy plastic and is hollow on the inside, allowing it to float. On the top lies a clear window lined with neoprene, allowing you to rest your head easily for long intervals. Since the window rests on the water surface, it provides a clear aquarium-esque view of the world below you, allowing you to have the snorkeling experience without having to dive under the water! The Zayak floats above the water surface and comes with handles for gripping. Your legs stick out and you move forward by paddling them.

The Zayak is ideal for people who want to snorkel but don’t have the gear, or the skill, or are even too scared of going under the water. Since you’re not under the water, you don’t need to be afraid of it. Just soak in the sun, and the wonders of the aquatic world!

Designer: Zayak

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There was a day when all we humans needed to wake up was a rising sun and chirping birds… at the same time, all we needed to fall asleep was the setting sun and subtle sound of crickets! Sounds beautiful, right?! Especially compared to our jarring alarms and modern indoor lighting. Designed to get us back in touch with organic sleep and wake cycle, the Hora Timelight simulates the cadence of nature with light and sound.

When it’s time to get up, Hora brightens from dark to the rich, warm colors of dawn. Hypnotic melodies, reminiscent of nature sounds, fill the air. When it’s time for bed, Hora reverses, soothing you to sleep with a slow transition from sunset hues into night.

As beautiful as it is intuitive, all the components are hidden within a seamless injection blow-molded shell. Without buttons or knobs – it encourages users to interact by picking it up and shaking to turn it on, double shaking to quickly brighten, or rotating it on its base to turn the volume up or down.

Designer: Kirk James / CINCO Design

By the time you reach the register to pay for your new camera, chances are that something new and better was just released! The market is saturated and new models are coming out on the daily, making what was new one day, obsolete the next. The Leica U concept explores modularity as an option to defeat obsolescence.

The modular system allow users to not only update their hardware infinitely, but to build it to their liking at the onset. Using a quick locking mechanism, individual components can be released and replaced in a jiffy. This also means that photographers can quickly and easily switch between photography styles without carrying around multiple cameras. Just interchange your favorite lenses, handles, and lighting to switch things up and hone multiple skills!

Designer: Christian Schmöller