Yanko Design - Form Beyond Function

The Rolar Blinds do three things. They harness the energy of the sun, they cut the glare of the sun out during the day, keeping your indoors ambient, and they look absolutely gorgeous while they do the above two.

The Rolar Blinds stand at the crux between new-age photovoltaic printing techniques, a rise in demand for solar panels, and absolute graphic beauty, as they explore printing solar cells in manners that almost feel like graffiti, but with a more direct purpose, i.e., charging your devices. At the bottom of the blinds rest the cylindrical weights that come with a USB port that let you charge your devices or your power-banks by simply plugging them into the curtain and leaving them on a table nearby or the windowsill as you tap into the solar system’s largest (free) power source. The cylindrical members (battery packs) are even detachable, allowing you to carry your power with you. However, the convenience of the Rolar Blinds takes second place to its graphical beauty that bring art and technology together beautifully and seamlessly.

Designer: Nathan Webb

The lifestyles of the rich and famous are getting more insane as the days grow old. With every day that passes another mansion is sold, and another golden iPhone is bought. What I have never seen before though is a crystal ping pong table…yup, that’s right, crystal. The Italian design company Impatia have made some staggeringly overindulgent ‘sports’ equipment.

I’m not saying this isn’t the coolest thing in the world because as far as I’m concerned, I need this in my life. Made of pure crystal, there is no denying that this magnificent table is a work of art. As if the notion of having a crystal glass ping pong table wasn’t showing off enough, this table is also available with the add-on of 24 Karat gold coated connecting joints and a net handmade by an Italian goldsmith. If you ever felt bad about buying this table, you could always try to get your money’s worth by eating your Sunday dinner on it.

Designer: Adriano Design for Impatia

“Fine dust” doesn’t sound so menacing – in fact, it almost sounds like something you’d see trailing a cartoon fairy – but believe me when I say it’s nothing cute. Fine dust refers to particles smaller than 10 micrometres in diameter, which accumulate directly in the lungs. Long-term exposure can cause breathing difficulties or, even worse, seizures. This is one particular area where air purification comes in handy.

Designed with this in mind, the Airo purifier packs not 1 but 2 HEPA filtration systems into one unit to expand the cleaning range. The modular design adapts to different layouts, ensuring you have more than just one room that’s safe for breathing. Simply twist off the top unit and place it in any room you plan on spending more time in. Better yet, the design utilizes an innovative air-moving method that ensures air is being circulated and purified from ceiling to floor and not just vertically. The result is more thorough so you can breathe easy in any corner!

Designer: Dain Kim

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

All civilizations either fizzle out, or they expand far and wide. Whether they’re real ones like the Roman Civilization, or virtual ones like in Clash of Clans, every empire’s intent is to expand… and the Microscape is following that same road!

The miniature city collection debuted in early 2016 with its lilliputian rendition of the big apple, New York. Designed in modules that one could buy either individually by choosing an area of importance to them (a model of their neighborhood, or workplace), or as a set, allowing them to create an entire miniaturized recreation of neighborhoods, districts, or the entire city itself!

A successor to the NYC set is the Downtown Chicago set, 3D printed to 1:5000th the original size. Designed in meticulous detail after performing countless aerial scans, the city is broken down into multiple 6X6 inch units and 3D printed with great detail. With landmarks from the Willis Tower, to the Ferris wheel on Navy Pier, to even Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate also informally known as the Bean, you can pick and choose the area of Chicago you’re in love with and own it as a keepsake on your desk, or you can even choose to frame the entire 3X3ft. replica of Downtown Chicago on your wall or at the concierge of your office!

Carefully printed and finished to look like the real city, but only smaller, the Microscape collection makes a beautiful gift, or is even a rather nifty thing to own (and periodically show off) as an individual… however, if you’re into architecture, design, or urban planning, the Microscape is almost like a must-have, allowing you to almost get the most realistic birds-eye view of the entire city in mesmerising detail! I can’t wait for the Microscape to expand… I’m personally waiting to see how beautiful their miniaturization of Barcelona looks like!

Designer: Microscape

Click here to Buy Now: $85.00 $125.00

Click here to Buy Now: $85.00 $125.00

The latest in a trend of territorial food markings (think latte leaves), the Bread Stamp makes it possible to put a personal touch on your creations! Whether you’re a bakery pro or novice chef, these clever markers leave an imprint of your logo, a cool design or your signature on the dough that stays put after baking, all without extra ingredients or additives.

The concept isn’t actually new (bakers have actually been stamping for centuries) but the CNC milling process each design undergoes and their 3D printed stamps are entirely new. In raw beech wood, they look right at home next to your rolling pin!

Designers: Astrid Luglio & Tourdefork Studio for Miele

Very often we find ourselves looking at concept cars as somewhat a view into the future of the automotive industry but rarely take a step back to admire the beauty and true aesthetic story of the vehicle itself. One concept that’s really stood out to me of late is the astounding Lexus Facet by Sung Kim. Having studied diamond-cutting and the facets involved, Kim wished to apply this vision to the Lexus design language – and with doing so, creating a work of art in itself.

The body of the Lexus Facet is somewhat of an art installation that steals your attention with each panel that gleams. Using 3D printed fabrication, Kim achieved the facets by creating and aligning them to various converging points within in the space – giving us this edgy design aesthetic found on the Lexus Facet. Having incorporated the side windows with the body of the Facet, the overall size of the vehicle is visually reduced, making this 4-wheeler appear a lot smaller than it is, which I find very smart. I’ve always been a fan of polygonal forms, and I believe mixed with the symmetry of the vehicle itself, the Lexus Facet is a true beauty and something that would be an admired for years to come if we ever saw it hit the roads.

Designer: Sung Kim

The poor bezel, I wonder what it ever did to us to deserve this hatred, but wow… Humans really dislike them. With every smartphone from last year trying hard to kill the bezel, Asus Rog finally designed a hack that does just that, but it isn’t for phones just yet. The Bezel Free Kit fulfills the dreams of gamers, allowing them to put together three monitors and remove the bezels between each WITHOUT using electricity or batteries). How does it do that? Refraction. The kit comes as two independent strips that can be placed between monitors. It uses a lens that ‘bends’ light in a manner that removes the bezel from view, making it look like you have one continuous screen.

The result isn’t perfect, but it’s enough to make a difference. You still notice the fact that there’s something sitting between screens, and it applies a slight blurred effect to the imagery behind it, making it good for games, but not for productivity. The Bezel Free Kit snaps right on to monitors and comes in three sizes, designed for 24″, 25″, and 32″ monitors, but you’ll need to make sure all your monitors are the same make and size, so that the lens strips can easily mount onto the displays. Scroll down to check out a video of the guys at Verge having a look at it. Wouldn’t it be fun though if your smartphone screen protector could refract light to remove your bezels?

Designer: Asus

Going through college, it’s almost as though there’s an unsaid list of products one must design before graduating. Some of these products are power tools, kitchen utensils, dehumidifier and an electric vehicle charger. So, of course, one can find an abundance of these all throughout Bēhance, making it difficult to stand out. Not for Youngwoo Lee and his ‘Exclamation Mark,’ making a stand out concept for the EV Charging Concept world.

What I like most about this concept is the simplicity in its form. This charger isn’t trying to be anything more than it is, alleviating any unnecessary complications that arise from over-designed interfaces. There are only four interaction points on the interface, making this virtually foolproof to use. While the housing itself is a little more complex but once again, not screaming for attention. In a fully crowded parking lot, these may be difficult to spot due to their low profile, but with appropriate signage, these guys should fit right pretty perfectly.

Designer: Youngwoo Lee