One Liter Limited

1ℓimit faucet looks more like an elegant test tube inverted on top of a tap. The glass tube holds exactly one liter of water, sufficient for a quick handwash. The theory being that we waste almost six liters of water and use only one, while washing hands. Once the stored one-liter is used up, you have to turn-off the tap till the next one...

Pontiac Solstice 2.0?

Never mind that Pontiac is a dead and a defunct company. Designer Dejan Hristov has his vision for the next Solstice and I’m wondering if it could have been enough to save them. Sure, Pontiac’s problems had more to do with GM’s legacy policies but nevertheless I like this car. I always felt Pontiac went out on a good note. The Solstice was...

HP Exec talks design, shows off new Touchsmart

This video can be tough to get through because it sounds like it was recorded in a bus depot, but it's interesting in that HP executive Randall Martin breaks down their design process. Unsurprisingly they've gone with the focus-group-based design approach rather than Apple's Henry-Ford-faster-horse methodology, but it's a step in the right...

Cavalier Essentials asks: What kinda stuff does Steve McQueen carry?

Miles of styleCavalier Essentials is a line of vintage men's products described thusly: "If Steve McQueen carried a beat-up leather duffle bag on the back of his motorcycle, what would be in it and how would the products look?"The resultant campaign, masterminded by art director Taylor Pembertonand shot by Collin Hughes, is pretty drool-worthy:(Only...

More on GM's Damsels of Design

We've highlighted the Damsels of Design before, that group of nine female designers hired by Harley Earl, GM's Design Veep, starting in the '40s and running into the '50s. But there's a new article up--commissioned by a Michigan-based Chevrolet dealership, of all things--providing more information on the women, all of whom were trained in...

Furniture and objects by Michael Stolworthy, a multicreative worthy of the name

Designer and artist Michael Stolworthy puts the "industrial" in industrial design, and when it comes to being a multicreative, he's got one of the more interesting backgrounds we've seen:[Stolworthy] has studied advanced organic modeling techniques, dynamically driven surfaces, 3-d animation, media arts, arboriculture & horticultural...

Welcome to the Party: 'Socializing' Design

Design discourse often strikes me as analogous to a family get together. It sets out well enough; optimistic with an undercurrent of reconciliation, but it can turn sour. A casual remark or offhanded comment cuts quick, unearthing volumes of unresolved conflict and lingering baggage. It can be disquieting and, at times, maddening. But generally...

Case Study: Leveraged Freedom Chair, by Amos Winter, Jake Childs and Jung Tak

Most able-bodied folks probably don't spend a lot of time thinking about how people with disabilities navigate the world, particularly in developing countries. However, Amos Winter did, and still does. Winter, a recent PhD graduate from the MIT department of Mechanical Engineering, went to Tanzania as part of his work in 2005. He wanted to...

Oregon Manifest 2011 :: Kick-Off Party

Last night the Lizard Lounge in Portland played host to the Oregon Manifest launch party along with organizers Shannon Holt and Jocelyn Sycip. The event was a festive start for the project - featuring free beers, a full-on thicket of bike industry peeps and a dramatic unveiling of jurors and creative collaborators.Check out Bike Portland...

Book Review: Exposing the Magic of Design, by Jon Kolko

In our last review of a Jon Kolko book, Thoughts on Interaction DesignDonald Norman wrote in the comments, "OK, you convinced me. I've ordered the book." We can't be sure that our review influenced his newest book Living with Complexity, but since Norman's work centered on frustrating objects, the extrapolation into systems was bound to happen....