Yanko Design - Form Beyond Function

What must a bike look like?

Posted: 22 Sep 2017 12:18 PM PDT

If you really think about it, what must a bike really look like? Why must its shape be in a particular fashion, with a separate fuel-tank, a separate seat, a separate headlight. What happens when you design a bike without taking any previously seen bike as a reference? You get something that looks like Samuel Aguiar’s concept bike titled Hope.

Four years in the making, starting from concept sketches to 3D models, Samuel who goes by the name Shiny Hammer ‘Once the volume was defined, I had to find a nice melody between the seat, the lights, the dashboard and all the other elements.’ explains Samuel, ‘it was important for me to stay very ‘ergonomic’ to make the design usable. This is where you decide whether to keep your idea as a sculptural state, or to bring it to a functional state.’ This approach leads to one truly understanding what a bike should naturally look like… even if that means it should look absolutely un-bike-ly.

The Hope takes the task of modifying a Vectrix VX-1 a Polish made maxi-scooter which was the world’s first commercially available high-performance electric scooter. A practicing Transportation and Furniture Designer, Samuel wanted to make a “design that you would want to hug,” he explains, “without any aggressive shapes. Like a blend between a pre-A Porsche 356, an iPhone and a Pokémon.” The result is something that’s iconic and maintains a futuristic appeal without the aggression. Samuel made the scooter’s final shape out of fiberglass before laying aluminum plates across the middle and painting the front and back black to help make the form look less heavy. When you sit on the bike, you realize that it was designed as a whole, and each element wasn’t treated as a separate design challenge. The way the seat blends into the form of the scooter and the way the dashboard (using the stock Vectrix gauges) is laid out, it looks beautifully linear and integrated, with not a single element breaking the volume or looking out of place… from headlight to taillight!

Designer: Samuel Aguiar (Shiny Hammer)

Minimalist Modular Light Art

Posted: 22 Sep 2017 10:01 AM PDT

The 2017 Red Dot Award Winning Vector Light is a modular system of sculptural units that create intriguing shapes and patterns against any surface in addition to providing illumination. Each connectable section exists in the form of a folded square with a built-in diode. This unique construction presents unlimited possibilities for the intentional direction or concealment of the visible light edge. Use them in a grid and create your own artistic sequence that perfectly fits your intended space or use them singularly to light corners and ceiling edges.

Designer: Maya Prokhorova

Don’t Waste Time Tracking your Time

Posted: 22 Sep 2017 06:41 AM PDT

The timesheet. Ah… the bane of every office-goer’s existence. Having to fill up logs showing how much time you devoted to each activity of the day. I remember having to time my lunches too. It was awful! Especially having to remember to start and stop timers every time I changed activities. At the end of the day, putting those entries into the timesheet software would take up almost half an hour of my time every day.

This frustration pushed Joan to create the ultimate time keeping experience. The Tiller is an innocuous little device that sits near your mouse. Looking no bigger than a hockey puck, this product makes time keeping a tactile and much more efficient experience. The very idea that Tiller is a product that sits on your desk (and not a software that can be minimized and forgotten) makes it constantly remind you to efficiently keep tabs on the work you’re doing and the time you spend doing it.

The Tiller comes with a single disc-shaped touch surface that acts as a jog-dial too. In the center lies one sole notification light to let you know when Tiller is timing your activities. Designed with an experience that is all too familiar after having used iPods for over a decade, the jog-dial on the Tiller allows you to swiftly cycle through activities and clients, while simply tapping on the surface starts and stops tracking. At the end of the day, Tiller compiles all your activities and has them stored on your time-tracking software. Tiller works seamlessly with the industry’s leading timekeeping software like Toggl, Harvest, WorkflowMax, and AND CO. They plan to add more to this list!

Tiller, like all your premium office products, comes in machined aluminum with an anodized matte finish that you’ll immediately associate with your MacBook or any other laptop. Tiller comes in Black, Silver, and Slate Gray variants that compliment your other office accessories beautifully. They even have a bright Orange variant for people who are familiar with the Pomodoro time-keeping techniques!

Designer: Joan

Click here to Buy Now: $99.00 $130.00

Here’s How Tiller Works

1. Start & Stop: Tap Tiller to instantly start or stop a timer.

2. Switch: Turn Tiller to switch between clients, projects or tasks.

3. Quick Insights: You can double tap on any item to see analytics, budgets information, and more.

Available in four gorgeous finishes.

Click here to Buy Now: $99.00 $130.00

Retro Feel, Future Appeal

Posted: 22 Sep 2017 02:57 AM PDT

It appears to be a growing trend that concept cars need to look edgy, sharp and something so unfamiliar that it evokes nothing but “ooh”s and “ah”s. President and CEO of Honda, Takahiro Hachigo, took a different approach this year with Honda’s all electrical ‘Urban EV Concept’ at the 2017 Frankfurt motor show.

The urban EV concept evoked an emotional connection unlike any other car showcased this year. The urban EV concept looks like something conceived in the 80s, with its off-white curvy exterior shape, similar to Honda’s earliest models. Complimenting this style is the wood wrapped interior dashboard. Along the wooden dashboard is a panoramic screen which integrates a personal AI system built to help the driver and assist with their day-to- day activities.

You’re probably wondering where the wing mirrors are right? These have been substituted for an internal screen located in the door panel. The door itself has a rear hinge, opening in an unorthodox manner of today’s standards.

What stands out the most about this wonderfully simple, yet a magical concept, is its electrical headlights and side skirts. At the front and read of the urban EV concept, you’re greeted by an illuminating Honda badge with the car’s name. Along the side skirting of the car, you’ll find the battery level indicator, once again, inviting the possibility to showcase more information over time.

Designer: Honda

Uke’n Do It!

Posted: 22 Sep 2017 12:00 AM PDT

I can’t even count how many friends have come home from Hawaii with a ukulele, touting they’re determination to learn how to play! Maybe it’s the small size and sweet sound that make it an unintimidating first instrument, but that’s mere illusion because the learning process can be even more difficult than some. Alas, it almost always ends up on their shelf collecting dust as a souvenir.

Designed in response to this, Yuan Man brings a unique experience to would-be players and ukulele enthusiasts. It utilizes integrated lights and visual dots that transform an ordinary instrument into an interactive and educational game. The design makes the process of learning the instrument as entertaining as the performance.

Designer: FangCun Design

The Hydration Notification Bottle!

Posted: 21 Sep 2017 03:00 PM PDT

My father’s solution to pretty much any ailment is water. From skin problems, to constipation, to dehydration (obviously), he says there’s nothing a nice glass of water can’t solve. This is a man who drinks 5-7 liters of water each day. Meanwhile, I celebrate if I can finish two liters in 24 hours.

I guess it’s just that I’m not conditioned to keep myself hydrated. I forget, and that’s something I see happening with most of us. The bottle’s right there on my table, but unless it’s filled with Pumpkin Spice Latte, it gets ignored. The Dot Hydration-Tracking Water Bottle was designed to perform the simple trick of reminding you to drink. Joseph Joseph, known for their incredibly innovative products, outdid themselves with a rather clever cap that has a way of tracking the number of times the bottle’s been opened or closed. This shows up on the cap as a white dot (for every time you open and close the lid).

The dot-based system was made to remind you to constantly drink water. Each dot is indicative of a 15 minute time frame, so the Dot bottle was designed with 4 dots to signify an hour, and a bottle volume to hold the amount of water we must consume in an hour.

The magic lies in the Dot’s cap. It comes with a ratchet-based mechanism that causes the dots to increment when you tighten the cap of the bottle after having a sip. The bottle comes even with a no-dot reading because you’d be required to open the cap when you refill the bottle with water. Genius, isn’t it?!

Designer: Joseph Joseph

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MIT’s truly wireless charger!

Posted: 21 Sep 2017 01:23 PM PDT

No. Wireless charging isn’t great. I’ll tell you why. Because you need to rest your phone on the charging plate at all times! That’s so limiting that it’s a deal-breaker for me. I like moving my phone around while it’s charging, and that’s fine if it’s tethered to a plug-point via a cable. Make that wireless and my phone will have to stay exactly in one position to charge. Lift it off the charging plate and it stops. To me, that’s a downgrade.

However, the guys at MIT (It’s always the guys at MIT) cracked the impossible! The over-the-air Pi Charger can charge your devices as long as they’re in a 1-foot range! The Pi sits on any desk, looking like a lampshade crossed itself with an Amazon Echo. However, what it does is truly ground-breaking. Without wires, or even contact, the Pi charges your devices by sending magnetic waves through the air. All Pi requires is a specialized charging case that receives signals from the Pi and you’re good to go. The case not only charges your device, but also protects it from accidental falls too. Go ahead and place the Pi in any room and it will charge all devices within a 12 inch radius. The Pi is safe to use, and guess what… you can pretty much do anything with your phone/tablet without having to worry about cables or ports being blocked by them. Wireless charging at its true potential!

Designer: Enlisted Design for Pi.