Yanko Design - Form Beyond Function

I love the metaphoric connection between the fuel for cars and the fuel for humans. The Danish Fuel Tank Bar Cabinet uses Jerry Cans from World War II and turns them into outwardly quirky, but inwardly lavish mini-bars.

The old jerry cans are first sand-blasted to remove the old coat of paint and whatever rust it may have collected from the past 70 years. The door is then laser-cut out of the can with a sheer precision that allows it to open and shut perfectly. The cans are then powder-coated and baked with a new layer of rust-resistive paint. The woodwork on the inside uses thin layers of Plywood veneers for shelving, and the minibar is finished with a 1939 style mirror and hinges to complete the look. The Danish Fuel Tank can be mounted on any wall but I highly recommend it as an addition to any man-cave.!

Designer: René Sundahl

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The 12-hour clock is possibly the most common wall clock in the world. It finds itself in every household, on a wall in the living room or bedroom, above your television or on your bedside/study table. It breaks your 24 hours into two halves, better known as day and night. However, the 12-hour clock doesn’t tell you when it’s day or night. It just tells the time.

The Dusk will tell you the time, but through its design, will also tell you the time of the day. Sitting on your wall like any conventional clock, the Dusk’s clock face comprises two discs of polarized acrylic glass. The polarized discs rotate with time, turning darker as the polarization begins to kick in. Completing one full rotation every 24 hours, the discs go from transparent to opaque based on their orientation with respect to the polarization direction, forming an ever-changing canvas behind the hour and minute hands to tell you much more than just the time.

Transparent/light during the day, and turning dark around sunset, the Dusk clock tells you the time while hinting at the am/pm too, using light and dark colors to indicate the color of the sky at the time of the day. While it tells the time like most conventional clocks, it acts almost as a window into the outside world, letting you visualize the sky going from dawn to dusk and back… a natural phenomenon in an unnaturally beautiful and simple timepiece!

Designer: Lu Yicong

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The dimension of Dusk is bound to the Golden Ratio. So common throughout nature’s form – ferns, flowers, seashells – the harmony of the Golden Ratio arises from its unique capacity to connect individual parts of a whole so that each retains its own identity and yet blends into the greater pattern of a single whole.

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Determined to reinvent the switch, Berlin-based r l o n created the mysterious yet inviting L3. With nothing but a light ring, a wooden platform, a metallic sphere and a dimmer switch (practically hidden from view), you’re invited to figure out how to switch the light on… and when you do, it’ll feel like nothing short of sorcery! The L3, you see, uses magnetic fields to trigger the light. Shift the metal ball from its position (away from the light) to the center of the light ring and the light magically switches on.

Almost a metaphor for ‘stepping into the white light’, the ball’s journey from darkness to illumination feels almost poetic. At the end, the light switches on, creating a halo around the metal sphere, and resulting in a product experience that’s innovative, uplifting, and conducive to some soul-searching.

Designer: r l o n

Why this doesn’t exist already, I don’t know! Aptly named the Logitech Lapdesk, it’s the latest concept from designer Erik Tuft and it explores the integration of a stylus/tablet combination directly into the laptop body. It’s a perfect portable solution for graphic designers, artists, architects and anyone else who works with creative software.

I’m loving the exterior shell which looks not only fluid and beautiful in pure white but also appears to have a thoughtfully placed tactile, gripped base that keeps it from sliding off your lap. By selecting a feature on the settings toolbar or simply by pressing a button, the tablet is released and can be extended. Even when a flat surface isn’t available, now you can design and sketch just about anywhere imaginable!

Designer: Erik Tuft

The latest flight concept from Oscar Viñals, the HSP Magnavem is essentially a big wing with a delta shape! It’s based on Lockheed Martin’s concept, which was not viable due to its final size (7m in diameter).

It’s equipped with a Compact Fusion Reactor (CFR-Portable) that powers the hybrid engines and electric airplane systems with a CO2 cleaner system. The application of new technologies, such as nano structures of graphene, superconductors, magnetic monopole devices, new plasma’s accelerators systems help to make this concept possible. Thanks to its technology and aerodynamics, it could take off and land in only eight hundred meters (this is impressive, it normally takes 3+ more times, runways are around 2,400 meters).

More features include 2 decks (currently only A-380 by Airbus has 2 decks) with a capacity for 500 passengers (similar to a-380), a Super Tourist Class that can accommodate 280 to 360 people with generous personal space, and First Class and Business Class for 140 seats. These would also have amazing overhead views and all imaginable luxuries, such as private suites, washrooms, spa, VR, and more. 2nd deck ceiling could be made of glass with nanotechnology capable of changing opacity (similar to current new Boeings).

With a proposed supersonic speed of mach 1.5 and zero emissions, we’re already on board!

Designer: Oscar Viñals

The lack of design details doesn’t make a product less attractive, or badly designed. In fact, if consciously done, minimalism and sensibility can together create an aesthetic that is calm, comforting, pleasing, and more importantly, highly noticeable.

Standing out against an ocean of over-designed appliances is Séjour, a series of self-care appliances for frequent travelers. Séjour focuses on the need of the hour, i.e., being convenient and easy to pack/use. Coming as a kit comprising a hair-dryer, straightener, and trimmer, the three appliances fit perfectly inside a slim tray that can be easily placed in suitcases along with your clothes. They even use a single universal cable that can connect to the appliance that’s needed.

Visually, Séjour aims at looking like a reliable, no-nonsense set of appliances. The lack of “visual fluff” feels almost therapeutic, and its beautiful earthy colors give it a realistic demeanor. The appliances come made from FluidSolids® injected biopolymers, and are easy to assemble/disassemble, making them great not just for you but for the planet too!

Designer: Céverine Girard

I’m assuming there’s a very small group of people who find themselves to be passionate about rocket science and chandeliers. For people with the aforementioned interests, I also assume there aren’t many products that capture the essence/zest of both… but boy, do I have something for you today! 3D printing enthusiast and SpaceX intern, Andrew McCalip’s chandelier is a remarkable replica of the Falcon 9’s thrusters. Built with 9 booster units that house lights inside them (the brighter the better I say), the chandelier looks remarkable as a lighting unit in itself, leave alone being a replica of one of the most iconic rockets of the modern day.

The Falcon 9 Rocket Chandelier is about 34.8 inches wide, and is completely 3D printed. You can choose between having your model printed in either a glass fiber reinforced polycarbonate, that the designer describes as having “a nice gong when struck”, or a special PPS-carbon fiber reinforced material, which is the hardest 3D printable material known to man. A perfect fit for a chandelier that models itself on the rocket that’s capable of 7600 kiloNewtons of thrust at sea level!

Designer: Andrew McCalip

Robot fighting. There is nothing that sounds cooler in the world and the very thought of it can is so much more exciting than sitting down and playing video games. If it sounds that cool, it probably needs to look that cool too. Which is no problem for the far advanced Pilot Labs Moorebot Zeus Battle Robot, taking a giant leap into the world of robot fighting. Zeus is trained in karate, kung-fu, and a lick of MMA – he might even be more equipped with skill than those stepping into the Octagon each week.

Comprised of more moving parts than one can even fathom, Zeus has a 25-kilo per servo motor punch, enough to hurt a human hand. Standing tall at a height of 14-inches and weighing in at a manageable 2.2 kilos – Zeus is the ultimate defender of the office space. All Servo motors use metal gear for durability, and they need all the stability they can get with the standard version carrying 22 Servo motors while the more advanced version comes equipped with 32 Servo motors. Punching at a speed of up to 150m/second, all that punching is bound to exhaust anyone, and with a battery life of up to 50 minutes, it’s surely got to be enough to take down any opposition that so dares.

Designer: Pilot Labs