Yanko Design - Form Beyond Function

It seems as though smartphones are evolving every day, while the charging cable remains relatively unchanged. Various cables have the ability to illuminate and surge, indicating power to the device. Wouldn’t it be nice to look at the cable and have some indication on how well your phone is charging? Now you can, with Check’n Cable.

Designed by Kim Jinseok, Park JungJun, and Na Yongmin, the Check’n Cable gives the user their battery percentage up front. No longer is there a need to power up the device, press the home button to trigger a screen view or in most cases, take a wild guess at the battery level. The Check’n Cable shows the battery usage on the head of the cable.

The interface of the cable head is wonderfully simple, and changes color depending on the level of power – red when the battery is low – blue when the battery is mid-level – green when the battery is in the final stages of sufficiently full.

Delivered in an array of sophisticated colors and material finishes, the Check’n Cable is designed to disrupt the existing smartphone cable market. There is an elegant flair to the cable with the soft cut-aways to either side of the cable head. To complete the luxurious feel, the Check’n Cable is partnered with a nylon braided cord – which is becoming popular in premium products – adding rigidity and structure to prevent any torn wiring internally.

Designers: Kim Jinseok, Park JungJun & Na Yongmin

Keyboards are just plain icky! Even if you’re OCD and cleaning the surface every day, chances are you’re not lifting up each key to get the gunk underneath or in between the seams. The Off keyboard provides an answer to this problem with a less-is-more approach to the form.

Its soft, rounded keys are elevated on independent “stems” rather than recessed into a solid surface. Not only easy to clean, it also prevents buildup of dirt and residue. Better yet, its seamless design makes it spill proof and water resistant. Its organic form is also ergonomically adapted to maximize wrist comfort. It goes without saying, its far-out aesthetic is also a lot cooler than other clunky keyboards!

Designer: Marko Oljaca of Moda Studio

I envision a day when instruments like these will be a part of every home. With the way we humans have systematically degraded the quality of our environment, it’s no secret that the sun’s UV rays are now making their way through our depleting Ozone layer. Those effects show on our skin now, with people getting all sorts of skin complications from staying out in the sun too long… and it’s not just the sun, your skin is the first line of defense against pretty much anything from cosmetics, to fashion, to even your diet. The skin is usually quick to react to products that aren’t suited for you, often showing symptoms of an allergy.

The Barrier Light isn’t a preventive measure (like say sunscreen lotion), but is in-fact a diagnostic tool. The pen-shaped device comes with 4 medical grade sensors capable of detecting your skin’s moisture and barrier strength. Devised as a result of not just environmental degradation but even the cosmetics boom, the Barrier Light understands what products and routines are the best for your skin. Barrier Light does this by measuring your skin’s moisture level, and its ability to hold onto moisture, along with the temperature and the environmental humidity. All one does is hold the pen against their skin (be it their face, arms, or anywhere else) for 10 seconds and that’s enough for the Barrier Light pen to perform its diagnosis.

Keeping things minimal (read: portable) and bathroom counter-top friendly, the Barrier Light directs all diagnostic information to its companion app on your phone. This allows the Barrier Light to have an incredibly small form-factor, enough for it to even be carried around in a purse/bag. The piece-de-resistance however is the MyBarrier app, which breaks down the information sent from the pen and presents it in a simplified way, telling you if your skin-care routine is doing you any good, or if the environment is conducive to good skin.

The Barrier Light puts a dermatology clinic in the power of your hand. While we all have home-based instruments to measure our temperature, weight, blood pressure, and even blood sugar, we don’t give our skin the same priority. With the Barrier Light, now you can know everything about your skin and effectively your health too. From whether your sunscreen is doing you any good, to whether your laundry detergent is skin safe, to even whether your diet is the best for your health and skin, the Barrier Light will make sure you know what to do to keep your skin young and glowing!

Designer: Jason Yoo

Click here to BUY NOW: $99.00 $199.00

BUY NOW: $99.00 $199.00

This year’s Frankfurt Motor Show was nothing short of spectacular, once again. It showcased some of the world’s largest automotive brands, and what had people talking was Audi’s autonomous electrical vehicle Aicon.

Aicon is a vision of the world where seatbelt, steering wheels and foot pedals are not necessary anymore and the burden and hardship of driving is a thing of the past. You won’t be all alone though, thanks to Audi’s artificial intelligence PA system. Audi’s AI will be able to receive verbal commands with the addition of eye tracking and other methods of understanding the passengers better. The name of the car itself is a portmanteau of the word Icon and the abbreviation AI.

Aside from having full autonomy, the Aicon brags a 500-mile threshold on a full charge and a top speed of 80 mph. Audi’s future vision of no seatbelts or steering wheels is reliant on the heavy fitting of hundreds of sensors called ‘eyes’ – which replace the front and rear headlights – used to circumnavigate the risk of a crash or any incidences leading to harm. The eyes beautifully light up in sequence too, giving the car a much more human connect.

The Aicon rids the conventional aspects of modern day transport in favor of the luxurious and elegant comfort Audi envision the future of travel to be. With only two seats in a 4-door vehicle, the Aicon boasts of a spacious and first-class experience, ideally paired for long journeys of the rich and famous.

Designer: Audi

Seriously – that what kids are calling an inhaler these days! It’s not just a TV trope. Unfortunately, plenty of other real life word associations with inhalers aren’t very flattering. Their intensely “medical” look doesn’t help with the associated stigma, either. I mean, even dental braces figured out a way to be invisible or at LEAST a little colorful to tone down the lameness – surely there’s a solution for upping the cool factor for a simple inhaler?

Well, there is.. and it’s called LUFT! This sleek collection of containers masks the sterile, medicine look of the pump. Instead, its clad in titanium and delrim acetal resin material for hypoallergenic quality, enhanced durability and the ability to be custom colored to suit the user’s unique style so they can worry less and breath easier!

Designer: Ryan J. Mercier

Made out of double-walled, mouth-blown borosilicate glass, the Gino coffee dripper by notNeutral is a beautiful product even when it isn’t brewing your morning fix!

Designed with an incredibly thin glass cross-section, the dual-walled dripper was designed to be the perfect height for coffee brewing. Just insert a coffee filter with the grounds of your choice and place the Gino on top of a carafe or your coffee mug and pour hot water in. The double wall keeps the water hot for longer while ensuring the Gino’s outer wall isn’t too hot to grasp. The coffee filters through the filter and out of the three outlet holes on the base of the Gino, giving you a beautiful golden brew every time… plus with Gino’s clear construction, you can watch your coffee brew through! (And probably share some Instagram stories!)

Designer: notNeutral

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BUY NOW

In probably the ultimate real-life virtual-life sports cross-over, JoyTops creates actual sports equipment based control buttons for joypads! The buttons feature real pieces of basketball/baseball/football cut into the shape of the joypad button. Imagine the endless hours gone into perfecting the skin of a baseball for optimal grip and throwing, or the vinyl of the basketball for grip and bounce. JoyTops allows gamers to get that very feel and comfort while gaming on their joypads.

The JoyTop traps the sports material between a molded ABS ring and a silicon base that allows the JoyTop to retrofit onto any joystick (irrespective of brand). The result is a much better gripping experience that was built by athletes for athletes.

Designer: DesignStein Studios for JoyTops