Yanko Design - Form Beyond Function

If you’ve got a few spare balloons lying around from your NYE party, don’t let them sit in your closet until next year. Turn them into flower vases! Evan Gant’s rather nifty 3D printed support structure turns balloons into water-holding receptacles for your flowers. The balloons slip around the plastic columns and the instant you pour water in, the balloon swells up to resemble a bulbous vase shape. The water also ensures that the balloon’s base remains heavy and stays upright at all times, while the balloons themselves make rather alluring vases, especially since they come in such a wide variety of colors! Beautiful? Yes! Creative? Definitely!

Designer: Evan Gant

This is the first design out of thousands I’ve written about that is catered to individuals with one hand. That should give you an idea about how little attention is giving to assertive kitchen technology for users with a single usable limb. Despite being a rarity, the Voronoi Food Preparation System makes leaps for an important household tradition.

First, its randomized Voronoi frame from which it earns its name is a 3D-printed masterpiece that is both beautiful to look at and functionally tactile for enhanced grip. The wooden board which nests within the frame features a hidden hollow space for collecting chopped ingredients. Additionally, the cover turns over to reveal a pronged surface for securing vegetables, fruit and other food items. Its interesting blend of hand-carved wood and additive manufactured plastic gives it a bespoke yet modern feel not common in assistive design.

Designer: Parker Liang

Apple isn’t a tech company anymore. I first heard this saying a few years ago as designers and tech experts sat and analyzed Apple’s recruitment of Marc Newson and Yves Saint Laurent CEO Paul Deneve to work for the world’s most valuable company. Apple is a fashion company. Their motive is to produce gadgets that look as precious as jewels, with colors like Rose Gold and Champagne Gold only driving the point home. People line up outside Apple Stores not because their phones are superiorly functional (that’s arguable), but because the phones have people in a trance.

It’s however difficult to find accessories for Apple’s phones that follow the same philosophy of being fashionably functional. Phone cases, for instance, are way too utilitarian, and while phones grow thinner and more beautiful, cases are more and more necessary to keep those phones looking good… but at the price of destroying their aesthetic. What the Rmour does differently is that it protects the iPhone, but more importantly, it doesn’t steal the iPhone’s thunder… it adds to it.

Minimal in size, but heavily expressive, the Rmour beautifully echoes Apple’s new philosophy of creating products that are objects of desire. It adds precious silver and gold to the edges of your phone in a bumper format that highlights your phone’s design by showing off as much of it as possible, while its beautiful design sits on your iPhone like a solitaire diamond ring. Made from 925 Silver with a 18K White Gold enamel, the Rmour come in various styles that add aesthetic beauty to your phone while making sure it stays protected from accidental drops. The Rmour’s individual members adhere to your phone’s corners and absorb impact from all directions. Designed to provide all-round protection, the Rmour even comes with a variant that forms a ring around the camera bump, making sure your phone pretty much never makes contact with the floor or any flat surface when dropped.

With a variety of styles inspired by iconic design details (including Dame Zaha Hadid’s Mesa Table as one of its inspiration sources), the Rmour case does the right thing by treating the iPhone as a fashion gadget, rather than a smartphone. Made for the iPhone 8, 8Plus, but more importantly the most stylish iPhone of them all the iPhone X, Rmour adds protection to your phone like most cases, but at the same time, it also adds style and value, without subtracting anything from the iPhone’s already gorgeous design because there’s no reason you should need to choose between the beauty of a sleek smartphone and the need to preserve that very beauty.

Designer: Creatio Design

Click here to Buy Now: $49.00 $129.00

ARES was inspired by the works of renowned Iraqi-British architect and designer, Zaha Hadid. One of her most famous pieces, the Mesa table, incorporates the form and space found in natural environments.

The triangular element on the surface creates a modern and elegant look. The triangles on the surface are from a quality enamel, and underneath is a 925 sterling silver that is plated with white gold.

KNIGHT consists of two which two angular smooth lining compliments iPhone X’s new design. It consists of a series of futuristic lines and shapes. There are two hollow straight lines that extend upwards from the top and bottom of, intersecting on both sides to give a futuristic feeling. This design is perfect for any business environment or users who are constantly on the move.

The LUNAR design was inspired by the most exquisite cuts of diamond in the world. Creatio Design sought to capture the spirit of these precious gems, at an affordable price point for their backers. The precise artistry used to cut the silver combined with the dazzling bezel facets will make your device shine.

Lunar’s ultra thin design allows each corner to fit seamlessly with your iPhone X. No bulky cases. No obstructed views. The luxury and detailed craftsmanship of Lunar’s design will make any iPhone user feel like a million bucks.

The INFINITY was inspired by modernism architecture and geometric shapes. This design features a polyhedral spin that gradually twists in all four corners. The result is an extraordinary looking shape that feels unique yet familiar at the same time.

Their lens guard protects your device’s camera from scuffs and scratches. You will appreciate having peace of mind that your camera lens is safe and sound.

Click here to Buy Now: $49.00 $129.00

Space exploration is becoming more exciting with each year that comes – especially with SpaceX throwing rockets into space like they’re going out of fashion. We’ve figured how to get there in style, but now we must figure out how to explore in style. And that task might become a lot easier with the Rümker Exploration Truck by Frédéric Le Sciellour.

With the appearance of conquering any terrain, the Rümker has a hugely impressive presence against any environment. The CMF choices found draped across this concept are strong, indicating heavy duty and assurance that this guy will bring you wherever you need to go, no matter what. What I really like about this monster is the attention to detail that Frédéric has evidently put effort into. From the carbon fiber wheel accessories to the luminescent energy/hydraulic pumps that sit underneath the main body, the Rümker would look out of place anywhere besides the moon!

Designer: Frédéric Le Sciellour

The Patricius 1 chair by Sergey Senchin is a tribute to the golden age of the Roman Empire in which individuals paid great attention to the quality of objects, especially those within their home. It also repeats the archetypical form of furniture as it was in ancient Rome. The metal rod forms the body of the chair and creates a balanced, sculptural quality that can be appreciated from any angle. The seat is made of oak veneered plywood. Together, it intentionally looks like the bones of a chair… what lies beneath, if you will… but it’s expertly executed to stand on its own.

Designer: Sergey Senchin for ODESD2

What are pens used for? Writing right? And stick notes are used for retaining messages right? Well, there is nothing more frustrating than writing a message down and instantaneously losing it. Thanks to Min Keun Kwon’s CRAB Pen, this little mishap may be a thing of the past.

The design of the CRAB enables a memo or note to be held in the top of the pen with the grip of two pinchers. Hiding a rubber overmold, the inside of the pinchers prevent the note from dislodging and getting lost amongst the rest of those ever important messages. The writing tip is hidden away for safekeeping until the user is to slide the discrete switch up the shaft of the pen. Given a white and charcoal color mix, I can’t help but feel maybe this guy would be a little funkier with a neon color accenting the actuation switch – potentially an orange color to match the name.

Designer: Min Keun Kwon