Yanko Design - Form Beyond Function

The Digital Darwinism project touched a chord in my heart because it shows a rather intriguing link between natural selection/evolution and ever-changing technological trends. The project literally fossilizes design details and gadgets from our past in a way that makes us look at them as a historian would observe at a fossil.

We say goodbye to so many hallmarks of industrial design and engineering without batting an eyelid. The headphone jack, the RC connector, the Cathode Ray Tube monitor, the Floppy Disk, the Walkman, all these technologies have come and gone before our eyes, also birthing new technologies in the process, and it raises the question that can we truly draw parallels between Darwin’s theory of Evolution and technological advancement? I’d like to believe we can. Maybe one day we’ll study the history of design and technology the way we critically analyze and carbon-date relics and objects from our distant past. Until then, I’m just going to appreciate the thought put into converting memorable/nostalgic visual and technological elements from my past into something so innately natural, I could probably visualize it in a history book!

Designer: Foreal Studio

You could say that I’m a ‘fan’ of chairs like this! The Quetzal chair designed by Marc Venot for Missana comes in a flowery design with multiple pillows that fan outwards, resembling its inspiration, the Quetzal bird’s plumage. What’s interesting is the ability to flip over the pillows to change the color of the chair entirely, making it a chair that transcends traditional static furniture and the kind that can adapt to any interior setting.

Made from 14 bi-colored pillows with color combinations carefully hand-picked to present a harmonious composition no matter what the arrangement, the Quetzal chair puts fun into furniture, by not just being the kind of chair you’d immediately notice from a distance, it also is interactive, causing you to not just admire it from a distance, but want to experience it first-hand!

Designer: Marc Venot for Missana