Yanko Design - Form Beyond Function

The broom wagon, or “voibure balai” as it is known in France, is a broom-adorned van that sweeps up straggling riders in the Tour de France. This grim reaper of the race has gone largely unchanged over the years which inspired designers Florian Mack and Sebastian Russ to take a stab at imagining a better bike-and-people-picker-upper!

Simply called the Sweeper, it not only picks up riders but provides them with a place to rest and regenerate in the back of the vehicle. Unlike the intimidating reputation of the broom wagon, the Sweeper serves as a sanctuary for suffering riders who can rejoin the race later. Its missing-midsection is purposefully designed for a better way to transport the delicate bicycles – something very important for riders who’s machines can be worth upwards of $10,000. Rather than laid down in the back of a van, the bikes are suspended and safely kept out of harms way.

Designer: Florian Mack & Sebastian Russ

The Muul light isn’t as much about the light itself but is more about the effects of it. Look at that pattern and it looks innately familiar, but also incredibly calming. The Muul harnesses water’s ability to bend light, creating a caustic network of beautiful light patterns that sway and change with the water’s ripples. When you switch the Muul on, you’re immediately audience to these beautiful reflections as they dance around Muul’s blank canvas, created from a small pool suspended right below the canvas itself. The pool holds the water (which is gently agitated by an electromagnetic ball, creating ripples) while lights around its rim shine down on the water, causing the caustic reflections to shimmer on the white surface above.

What’s incredible is Muul’s ability to not be a light, but rather a phenomenon caused by it. It isn’t designed to make your room brighter, but rather, to make it more beautiful, setting an ever-changing ambiance that is restless, but also at the same time, relaxing!

The Muul Light is a Silver Winner of the K-Design Award for the year 2017.

Designer: Changheon Lee

I can’t stress enough on how much I value diversity in design. We’ve showcased thousands of bags on the platform before and we continue to do so only because we believe in showcasing something for everybody, and that diversity (in needs and their solutions) is something worth marveling. Over the years we’ve looked at bags galore, for modularity, for travel, for holidays, and there’s usually always a common denominator. The material. It’s either leather, or a synthetic fabric, and that lends a typical aesthetic to the bag, making it blend in with your apparel. Not stand out.

Most bag designs are built from the inside to the outside. You design a bag that fulfills the functional brief, and then build the aesthetic around that template. The Liger01, however, tackles both simultaneously. Designed not as just a great bag but also an aesthetic awakening of sorts, the Liger01 is remarkable to look at, and reliable in its usage.

The Liger01 can be broken down into three parts. Two functional solutions, and one aesthetic one. The first being the backpack itself, which is water resistant throughout, and comes even with water resistant easy-to-access pockets. Designed for work, play, and everything in between, the Liger01’s backpack roll-top layout can be expanded to let you store that extra bit more when you’re mixing the work with the weekend. The second part is the Reptile, a repetitive tiling system that lets you mount up to 5 dedicated pouches to your Liger01. This system, popularized by the military, allows you to carry accessories with your backpack that are easy to access without having to open and dig through the bag itself. The Reptiles can store anything from cameras, to notepads, chargers, power-banks, etc.

However, the Liger01’s most significant achievement remains the Manteau… a cloak that sits on top of the bag, allowing you to personalize it to your tastes. Designed as your bag’s personal wardrobe, the Manteau comes in a series of quirky, ethnic styles that let you create a bag that is sure to gather second glances. The manteaus come in solid colors, as well as the military camouflage, but what catches our eye the most are the Indo-ethnic (even Aztec to an extent) prints that give the Liger01 a splash of color, making them look a class apart, because a bag shouldn’t be categorized only by how effectively it does its job. Just like all your apparel, your bag should have character too. Besides, with the beautiful Manteau sitting majestically on the front of your bag, you’ll be able to spot it on the airport carousel from a mile away!

Designer: Portmanteau

Click here to Buy Now: $110.00 $160.00

Click here to Buy Now: $110.00 $160.00

You never know just how luxurious having a light in your closet is until you are living without one! Those dark, cavernous corners quickly become black holes for forgotten clothing. Unless, of course, you’ve got a Luminous Hanger.

The latest design from Sam Antiqechian, it aims to illuminate your closet without hardwiring. Rather than fumble around in the dark as you search for the right color choice, you’ll easily be able to see your way around thanks to its built-in LEDs that provide the perfect glow even for the deepest, darkest sections. It’s also touch sensitive so you can quickly activate it when you’re in a hurry or starting off with limited light!

Designer: Sam Antiqechian

The world of design is moving in one direction recently, autonomous vehicles and tiny urban living pods and don’t get me wrong, that’s an exciting sphere to be in. But while there are designers figuring out the future, there are others figuring out the here and now. Recently we saw the Radinn G2X, a surfboard that didn’t stop when the waves did. Now we’ve got TRACK1, an off-road electric board that doesn’t stop when the road does.

The TRACK1 can beat off snow, sand, and dirt to get you wherever you need to – of course, this board also eats up the city streets too. TRACK1 gets its name from the strong, tank-like track sitting in the rear of the board, not to mention the two large accompanying front wheels, ready to tackle anything that comes at it. This board is the first of its kind that has made the claim to be made for the off-road and has delivered on that. If the thought of balancing back and forth, rocking from side-to-side to control this beast is a little intimidating (which it most certainly is), the TRACK1 comes with a handlebar that the user can install and gain full control over that wild ride. So whether you’re late for work or just feel like taking the dirt track every now and then, jump aboard the TRACK1.

Designer: Flux Design Co.

The Foldish (a portmanteau of the words fold and dish) is a collapsible dish holder that can go from a seemingly spherical shape to a linear arrangement, allowing you to arrange dishes with space in between so that they don’t clatter against one another. It’s a rather simple and playful alternative to most dish racks that are just boring rectangular wire-frames that hold your crockery. When closed, the Foldish takes up a nice, compact spherical shape (thanks to the wire structures that give it a globular appearance), but it’s a rather engaging and hypnotic experience to slide the Foldish open, turning it into a linear setup into which you can place your dishes. It makes for a rather interesting presentation if your dishes have patterns or designs on them, as they now arrange themselves in a manner that beautifully displays them like you would in your display cabinets!

The Foldish is a Silver Winner of the K-Design Award for the year 2017.

Designer: Youn Hoyoung

Cameras. They can be vintage or cutting edge, bulky or sleek, but generally awe-inspiring… but you’d never use the word adorable to describe a camera now would you? Strangely enough, that’s the only word I can think of that best describes the Lomography Fisheye Baby. With its incredibly toyish proportions, and even colors, the Fisheye Baby is cute, and embodies everything that’s fun about photography.

The Fisheye Baby literally fits in your palm. Not figuratively, literally. It’s small enough to come out of a cereal box, but behind its playful exterior is Lomography’s expertise. The lens, for instance, is a 170° fisheye type, and the camera itself clicks some seriously good pictures (on 110 film) with absolutely delicious colors that your phone can never match. In fact, the Fisheye Baby even takes multiple exposure shots and has a PC flash connector. Available in limited edition, the Fisheye Baby may seem like a toy, and honestly, it is… but what better way is there to capture vivid and fun moments of your life??

Designer: Lomography

Click Here to Buy Now

Click Here to Buy Now