Yanko Design - Form Beyond Function

3D printed shoes are coming for sure. There’s no denying how insanely effective the technology will be to create footwear that isn’t just unique or difficult to counterfeit, it also means designers and scientists have zero constraints. Designing for pure function and aesthetics, shoe production will not be hindered by molding/manufacturing capabilities, and the Adidas Grit seems like a prime example.

Designed with a sole that is a shock-absorber in itself, the Grit has a design so mesmeric and unique, you can’t really tell where the midsole or the outsole begins on the shoe. Designed with a sole that wraps itself around the upper half of the shoe like crazy cobwebs, the Grit was made to make you look like a million bucks and feel like you’re running on air. The latticed sole collapses when your foot lands on the ground, and material physics pushes it to expand when your foot is lifting off the ground too, allowing it to absorb impact, and release energy. Aside from that, it looks nothing short of desirable… and I can’t wait to see what sort of tread patterns it would leave on soil or sand! Besides, did you notice the subtle nod to the Adidas branding on the side of the shoe??

Designer: Aarish Netarwala

UPDATE: Less than 72 hours left, grab yours now!

“Studies show that children do not fully understand the concept of time until around 8 years old.” The next time your toddler wakes you up at 4 in the morning because he thinks it’s playtime, maybe this statement will shine some light on why. A child’s non-adherence to time often spills into the adult’s life too, making parents lose precious hours of sleep or work because they need to attend to their meddlesome children. You can’t simply explain to a child that it’s bedtime (many have tried), however a child learns from their environment… and the Mella tries to be that environment.

The Mella is a smart clock that anthropomorphizes the concept of time… in short, it’s a clock face with a literal face! Designed to become the child’s friend, the Mella, through example, shows the child when it’s playtime and when it’s sleepytime. The face on the clock ‘falls asleep’ when it’s nap-time, giving the kid context as well as a companion to sleep with. The child, over time, begins to understand that he/she must sleep when the Mella is asleep, and must wake up when the Mella is awake.

The Mella was created in part to help children grasp the concept of time, but it was also designed to give adults an extra few hours of sleep! Parents can configure the Mella to their convenience, allowing the adult to communicate to the child through the friendly medium of the clock. Along with its cute expressive face, Mella comes with a color-altering halo-light. The light not only works as a night-lamp, it also plays a role in helping kids understand the significance of color. The yellow light indicates to the child that it’s okay to be awake, but nap-time isn’t over yet. As soon as the light turns green, the child knows that they can get out of bed. Perfect for getting children to follow YOUR schedule, the Mella is ideal for naps, time-outs, or even indicating playing times. Its sleep-sound generator and soothing night lamp work along with the cute LED display face + clock to put the child to bed when you go to bed… Go ahead and get that extra hour of sleep and thank me in the morning!

Designers: Stephanie Lai, Dennis Liu & Eran Weinberg of Little Hippo

Click here to Buy Now: $39.00 $50.00

At 3:43 AM

At 6:36 AM

At 8:15 PM

Set the desired sleep time and every night, MELLA will go to sleep with your kid. MELLA sleeps through the night so your kid knows to stay in bed.

Good things come to those who wait! Half an hour before the wake time, MELLA will display a playful expression and glow a yellow light. Teach your kid to play quietly and wait patiently until the light turns green!

Set the desired wake time and MELLA will greet your kid with a smile and glow green. It’s time to start the day!

Choose from five soft night light colors to keep the bedtime monsters at bay!

Choose from three relaxing sleep sound options to help your kid fall asleep quickly: rain, white noise and ocean.

Click here to Buy Now: $39.00 $50.00

Cast your mind back two years to the release of the Whiskey Wedge by Corkcicle – every whiskey lover’s dream. The design of the Whiskey Wedge is as though the designer, Ryan Bricker, reached inside the mind of every whiskey drinker and stole their thoughts. The glass is a double old-fashioned size glass with a gorgeous shape comprised of freeze strength glass. How it works is very simple – you add water into the glass, insert the mold, then freeze. The ice forms an elegant wedge which compliments the glass in a unique manner and, similar to a glacier, melts slowly due to the reduced amount of surface area. Genius.

Well, we have good news for you, Ryan Bricker has designed yet another must-have glass with Corkcicle in the form of the Cigar Glass. This modified tumbler is wonderfully original and just oozes all sorts of cool. Similar to the Whiskey Wedge this double old-fashioned whiskey glass is handmade too, but it comes with an ergonomic built-in cigar rest – fitting so perfectly together, it will make you forget what it used to be like holding a cigar and a whiskey glass at the same time before the Cigar Glass. This glass is only the second addition that Ryan Bricker has designed with Corkcicle, and if we’re lucky, we may begin to see a lot more of these funky whiskey glasses to come.

What you may find interesting is Bricker isn’t your traditional Industrial Designer, in fact, he’s not an Industrial Designer at all. Bricker started out as an urban designer/architect and began experimenting with Industrial Design and consumer products ever since he set up his own company R | E | Bricker Studio 5 years ago – here you’ll find him use his combined 20 years’ experience, experimenting with various platforms from technology ideation and furniture design to small-scale art installations. As if Ryan wasn’t already juggling so much, he currently serves as the design director for HNTB too. An impressive resume for sure – with a lot more to come by the sound of things.

Designer: Ryan Bricker for Corkcicle

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The future of postal delivery is here and now – a sentence I didn’t envision myself ever saying so proudly. Alas, you heard it here first folks, the future is here, and it’s in the form of the Deutsche Post – PostBOT. Designed to follow the postal deliverer, PostBOT handles a significant portion of the heavy lifting involved in transporting the cargo itself. This French designed bot is jammed full of sensors, helping the little guy navigate its way through the environment, whatever it may throw at it. That being said, the deliverer will also have access to the driving elements of this BOT, enabling them to switch between a manual and automatic mode whenever they please. Hard to miss, this delivery assistant is large enough to carry up to six letter trays and, due to the on-brand color scheme, the PostBOT will be catching eyes no matter how far or near it is.

Designers: Effidence & Deutsche Post

Every year, it seems as though the day-to-day hustle gets busier and busier, and we find ourselves searching for more hours in the day. With more hours, more energy is needed, and we’re not the only ones who find ourselves out of energy – our devices are running out of power more frequently than not. For that everyday hustle or even for those outdoor escapes, the saber power pack is perfect.

The saber is ‘lifeproof’ – drop this charger as much as you wish, the saber is ultra drop and shockproof, and water/dust-resistant. Laptops, tablets, phones, drones, cameras – you name it, the saber can charge it. With the ability to even charge a MacBook Pro (the one with a USB Type C port), the saber covers a lot of ground.

The saber is not an overcomplicated form, giving nuances to the heavy-duty appearance that Romeo Power are hoping to achieve here. The fact that this power bank was designed and engineered by former employees of SpaceX, Apple, Samsung, Amazon, and Tesla, there is no surprise that this little guy is jam-packed full of goodness. If this beautiful piece of tech achieves what they set out to do, this could be the best power back out there.

Designer: Romeo Power Technology

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Having finished binge-watching Stranger Things 2 just yesterday, I have to say, I really want a walkie-talkie so I can scream “Code Red!” into it whenever I’m in trouble! However, there’s nothing I have my heart set on more than the Onyx Smart Walkie-Talkies!

These beauties look nothing like the clunky brick-shaped walkie-talkies from Ye Olde days, but rather look like amazing badges you wear on your clothes. With the color gradients that look nothing short of lick-worthy, and a twisted metal rod that allows it to fasten itself to your clothes while giving the device a beautiful touch, the Onyx work like walkie-talkies, but take due advantage of technological advancements to make them better products. The Onyx has “unlimited range, and unlimited channels”, allowing you to converse over long distances (even overseas!) like a walkie-talkie, without paying a single penny to a telecom provider, and allowing you to speak mano-a-mano or even to teams.

The Onyx pairs with its smartphone app, allowing you to converse one-on-one with people on your list, or even to groups. With its own built-in speakers and microphone, the slick device works via touch-to-communicate, much like a Star Trek Communicator Badge (exactly like a ComBadge!) and can be muted by just rotating the dial. Available in a pack of twos (and with the most eye-catching gradients on the face), the Onyx is great for communicating naturally (because who makes phone calls these days). Its spontaneous, on-the-spot communicating platform helps you talk to anyone, anywhere on the planet, instantaneously! The future is officially here, ladies and gentlemen… and it looks good!

Designer: Orion Labs

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Design for so many people is such a visual medium, one must ask oneself… If you remove sight from the design experience, does it still remain a good product? I find designing for the visually impaired quite an interesting domain, because they experience products in a way we don’t, or more importantly, cant. Try doing whatever it is you’re doing right now (eating a meal, perhaps) with your eyes closed. It’s a completely different experience that most people may not be comfortable with.

The Cloudandco Smart Cane by Brandon and Max takes on the challenge of designing a product with an experience that is far from visual. The ergonomic smart cane comes as just a joystick handle with an automatic telescoping stick that shoots out when switched on. However, the walking stick doesn’t stop there. It connects to an app on the smartphone, actually guiding the user to destinations they set. The Smart Cane can give off vibration and audio feedback, guiding its user to their destination. Users can toggle through destinations using a button on the top. There’s even a braille panel on the back that can communicate with the user.

The Smart Cane takes its non-visual experience further by allowing the users to charge it wirelessly. Instead of having them fiddle with ports and cables, the Smart Cane can just be placed on its charging pad and it automatically gets charged for when it’s required next!

Designers: Brandon Cooke & Max Dahl

A good idea can save a species! What you’re looking at above is a remarkable replica of a sea turtle egg. Why would one need to make a replica of an egg? Well…

Sea turtles are facing a massive poaching problem. Already having to deal with our polluted oceans, most sea turtle species are hunted for their shells, their meat, and the eggs (which are considered an aphrodisiac and a delicacy in some culture). The Investeggator (love the name!) is a sea turtle egg replica, designed to absolutely match its texture, feel, appearance, dimensions, and weight of real sea turtle eggs. However, this 3D printed egg is fitted with a GPS, and is placed in the nests of sea turtles. The GPS in the decoy egg helps track the batch of eggs in case they get illegally poached by humans. The GPS helps lead organizations to the poachers directly, thanks to a rather clever idea, 3D printing, and some pretty basic technology, and in turn helps save not just one, but multiple species of sea turtle… for in the words of Dr. Seuss, “And the turtles of course… all turtles are free, as turtles and, maybe, all creatures should be”.

Designer: Paso Pacifico Conservación