Yanko Design - Form Beyond Function

Sugar, Entertainment, and a little bit of technology, all combine to become the child’s latest addiction with Hershey’s Magic Box. The packaging models itself on a large Lego-style brick with two inner compartments. One, for a toy and a ‘Trade card’ with a QR Code, and another for Hershey’s signature production, chocolate. The chocolate comes in the form of orbs, and its compartment opens in a Tic-Tac box style, allowing only one or two choco-balls to exit the box at a time.

In the spirit of retaining packaging, the box is kept long after the chocolates are eaten, and is used for building purposes. Multiple boxes allow kids to explore stacking bricks and making elaborate creative structures. The toys (usually types of cars) become a part of the building blocks’ eco-system, while the QR code gives the children a ‘taste’ of augmented reality as it forms detailed models of the toy cars on mobile phone screens, when scanned using Hershey’s app. Would this encourage parents to buy more candy for their kids?? I truly wonder…

Designer: Dhwanil Chudgar

Put your fingers together as if you’re holding an imaginary pen and observe the negative space. It’s triangular. However most pens are circular. Triangular pens feel ergonomically comfortable, circular pens feel wholesome and exude power. The Pen Article 1.0 does both.

The Pen Article’s semi-circular design feels good to grip as it gives your thumb or your index finger a flat surface to rest itself on, making the grip feel reliable and comfortable. It additionally even prevents the pen from rolling off flat surfaces. The Pen Article 1.0’s stainless steel body feels premium to the touch and for people who aren’t a fan of glossy metal (it gathers fingerprints), the pen even comes with its own bead-blasted anodized matte black version who’s texture feels great to the touch.

The pen’s full metal construction feels heavy (45g) and robust, which is great for confident strokes. Its universal design can fit up to 25 types of refills (there’s a brand-list on the Kickstarter page). Assembly is easy, with the tip of the pen sliding off to reveal space for a refill on the inside. The cap of the pen comes with a magnetic fit that snaps onto the pen’s tip with a satisfying click (it’s as addictive as a fidget toy). Once snapped, the pen’s integrated unibody-esque design fits gracefully into your pocket, or rests confidently on your desk!

Designer: Nina Lee of Article Brand

BUY NOW: $60.00 $75.00

Standard Grip:

i) Observe how the curve part of the pen will fit on the curvature of the space between the thumb and the index finger (Purlicue),

ii) how the thumb lies on the flat side of the curve (short side), and

iii) how the index finger rests comfortably on the larger straight side (long side).

Tip: This grip is usually for those who takes frequent notes.

Engineer’s Grip:

i) Observe how the curve of the index finger fits on the curve side of the pen,

ii) how the tip of the index finger lies on the flat side of the curve (short side), and

iii) how the thumb rests on the larger straight side (long side) of the pen

Tip: This grip is suitable for technical drawings, marking straight lines and angles.

Calligraphy Grip:

i) Even with this unique grip style, observe how the curve of every finger lies comfortably on the curve part of the pen, and

ii) the thumb is supported on the flat side (long side) of the pen.

Tip: Great for lighter strokes

BUY NOW: $60.00 $75.00

The Section portable speaker is Studio Phase’ exploration into the equal balance of function and form. Its function lies in the physical division of an object and the result is beautifully simplistic geometry. Two halves of a sphere split and rotate along a plane to reveal a wireless speaker. With just a twist to expand, it becomes stable and capable of delivery multidirectional sound in seconds. Closed, it becomes a sculptural elements while the internal parts are protected.

Designer: Studio Phase

As the medical oxygen industry evolves, so lessens the need for lugging around giant tanks. These days, oxygen concentrators are able to ease the 24/7 need for extra oxygen. This one, called Aerate, is designed to fit into the daily needs and lifestyle of the patient.

Unlike tanks which store a limited amount of oxygen, the machine not only saves space but brings in an unlimited amount of external air to filter out the hydrogen and other elements so that pure oxygen can be delivered to the patients through nasal tubing. We’re not quite ready to ditch the tubing delivery, but loosing the tank goes a long way to make life easier and reduce the associated stigma.

Designer: Courtney Rolland

No sir, this camera wasn’t designed for capturing hit-and-runs, or cars in front of you breaking a red light or stop sign. The Horizon was built for a niche audience. The kind that loves putting the pedal to the metal. Designed by Waylens, the Horizon camera is a one-of-a-kind action camera for your car’s dashboard.

Designed for performance cars, used on race-tracks, grids, or for any kind of off-road racing, the camera captures your ride at 1080p (60 frames per second). Not only does it capture video (with stunning clarity and low-light capability thanks to its advanced CMOS sensor), it also records additional data, like speed, GPS, RPM, Pitch & Roll, G-Force, lap times, and even boost levels, laying them out over your video much like you’d see in racing-based video games. Think real-life Need for Speed.

The Horizon fits on the windscreen of your car, and comes with its own GPS unit and motion sensors. A separate dongle allows it to plug into your car’s OBD-II port to give the camera access to all that extra data. You can use a LBE remote (that mounts on your steering wheel) to tag clips that the camera records. The camera records at all times, but on a buffer. You choose what footage to keep, and what to discard. Everything instantly becomes available on a mobile via Waylens’ native mobile/tablet app.

The Horizon has great potential for not just providing drivers with instrumental data of their races, but it even makes things more engaging for viewers, by providing a unique data-driven POV approach to viewing a race. Plus, with Waylens’ beautiful GUI templates, this could be the next big thing in streaming car-races!

Designer: Waylens Inc.

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[Images Courtesy: Waylens, The Verge]

“Our cities are a assembly of steel, concrete and glass,” says Penda partner Chris Precht. “If you walk through the city and suddenly see a tower made of wood and plants, it will create an interesting contrast.” He couldn’t be more right. We’ve seen how alluring vertical forests are. A building devoted to being a celebration of everything natural would make a great urban as well as ecological landmark. That’s what Penda’s Toronto Tower aims at being.

Designed to be built using a modular system of wooden live-able unite (the GIF above explains it all), the Toronto Tower when completed will stand at 62 meters high, with 4500 sq.m. of residential space and extra space for public spaces like cafes or daycare centers. Each housing unit would also be home to a large number of plants and trees growing in private gardens that are a part of each and every residential unit. These individual units would be made from CLT (cross-laminated timber) and would be built off-site and brought to the site for stacking in its unique format. Penda favors this method of construction since it is faster, quieter, uses less waste, is more environmentally friendly, and adds a dash of warmth and life to an otherwise cold, concrete-and-glass skyline!

Designers: Chris Precht (Penda) & Timber.