Design

The Untold History of Ugliness

We’ve all had that moment while perusing a flea market or junk store when you stumble across an item and have to yelp, “Good lord, that is ugly!” So ugly, in fact, you have to marvel that it even got made in the first place. But what is it exactly that makes an object ugly?…

A Gigantic Walking City That Farms the Desert As It Moves

Living in the desert is no piece of cake. So to imagine a glittering city in the desert is to imagine something awesome and fantastical—and maybe a touch of crazy. Like architect Stephane Malka’s, “The Green Machine,” a mobile city on caterpillar treads that farms the desert as it walks. A Walking City is not…

The Huge Mist Cannons That Keep the Air Clean in NYC’s New Tunnels

We’ve followed the $10.8 billion East Side Access project, which will extend the Long Island Railroad from Queens to Grand Central, all year. But now that the tunnels have been blasted, new machines are arriving—and they’re just as cool as the tunnel borers. This month, crews are working on turning empty rock caverns into actual…

This Incredible Reflective Bike Glows Like A Stop Sign At Night

I saw a magical commuter bike this week. It’s called The Lumen, and it’s hand-made by the good folks at San Francisco’s Mission Bicycle Company. By day, the frame and wheels are a beautiful deep grey that barely borders on black, but in night lights—or a flash—they turn retro-reflective like the snazzy part of a…

These Smiley Face Screws Are Wildly Impractical But Utterly Adorable

If ever there was a product designed to bring joy but ultimately destined to frustrate, it is these smiley face screws. They look beautiful, adorable, fun even. But you will shout and swear and stamp your feet every time you need to tighten them up. The Screw:) is the result of a collaboration between Japanese…

How Motorola’s Stunning New Smartwatch Was Designed

Motorola wowed us earlier this week with its sleek and incredibly watch-like take on the smartwatch. Now, Moto’s design chief Jim Wicks has spoken out about the creative process that led to the new device. https://gizmodo.com/moto-360-this-is-motorolas-android-wear-powered-smart-1546422737 Speaking to The Verge, Wicks has described the design story behind the new watch. Here are some choice cuts:…

A Pencil Sharpening Jar That Tracks Your Work Ethic In Wood Shavings

Take out your No. 2 pencils, people. This isn’t a test, necessarily, but this jar will allow you to track exactly how much lead you’re using on a regular basis. Don’t worry: You will not be graded on your progress. The standard mason jar is fitted with a custom cap that has a built in…

I Didn’t Know Garage Doors Could Be This Cool

San Francisco, as everyone who lives there knows, is a city desperate for more space. But making due with a small lot can sometimes lead to amazing things—like this 1,900-square-foot home designed by Craig Steely. The one-year-old house is built atop a 24 foot by 24 foot concrete garage, perched above San Francisco’s Dolores Park.…

This Woodworking Robot Used To Build Cars and Trucks

The auto industry in the US hit a few speed bumps over the past few years, and while many factories have closed, it’s good to see that some workers, like this industrial robot arm, have managed to find work elsewhere. Instead of building sedans, this arm now lathes solid blocks of maple into lovely wooden…

Clever Meat Labels Tell You Which Part of the Animal You’re Buying

Buying meat is hard. Unless you’re a butcher or a chef, it can be difficult to tell what’s what. Does a Boston butt actually come from a cow’s butt? Where is the tenderloin? Smart graphic design can make it a little easier to answer these questions. Just ask Barcelona-based design firm Fauna, which recently designed…

This Wooden Birdfeeder Tries To Thwart Squirrels With a High-Wire Act

Of all the technological and engineering challenges mankind has faced throughout history, none have been as daunting as designing a bird feeder that prevents squirrels from stealing seeds. And even if the wire-suspended Spun still isn’t the perfect solution, at least it looks good while giving squirrels a real challenge. Made from maple and other…

These Architectural Posters Were Printed With Bike Tires And Ink

Biking to the top of the Empire State Building ain’t gonna happen. But hey: Rolling across a sheet of loose leaf can give a pretty fantastic, small-scale interpretation of the Big Apple icon. Seven different inked-up tire tracks came together to make this cool print—it just might be the closest you’ll get to scaling the…

The College Kid Who Built a Secret Tunnel Underneath the Berlin Wall

At its peak, the Berlin Wall was 100 miles long. Today only about a mile is left standing. Compared with other famous walls in history, this wall had a pretty short life span. The Great Wall of China has been around for 2500 years. So have the walls of ancient Babylon—although its most famous part,…

A Soft Squeezable Flashlight That’s Safe To Keep In Bed

For those who need to make frequent trips to the bathroom every night, designer Jung Soo Park has created the Molli flashlight, which is only as bright as you need it to be. It’s also the first flashlight that feels like a stuffed animal, so you can actually sleep with it beside you so it’s…

This Mobile Sauna Will Warm You Up After Surfing A Snowy Beach

Surfing is a thrill but, depending on where and when you hit the waves, it can be cold. Really cold. Like, super cold. And there’s only so much a wetsuit can do. So, in lieu of searching for an endless summer, this customized, completely mobile Surf Sauna is ready to warm you up once you…

8 Buildings Designed to Incorporate the Trees Around Them

Architecture has a rich history of unapologetically demanding massive amounts of land to create man’s vision over nature’s. However, a more conscientious and natural approach to architecture has emerged to quell our territorial imperialism over mother nature. It’s about time. By being inclusive of the natural environment around them, some architects are pursing a more…

This Was the First Modern Organization Chart

The words ‘organization chart’ are usually enough to make anyone’s eyes glaze over—but this, the first modern example of such a visualization, is actually incredibly pretty. The flowery chart was created by Daniel McCallum for the Erie Railway way back in 1855. One of the largest rail organizations of the time with 500 miles of…

Watching These Designer Sweaters Gently Unravel Will Drive You Nuts

I can’t quite describe the feeling I got while watching this simple video from creative misfits Lernert & Sander. They’re systematically unwinding beautiful, designer-label knitwear until all that’s left is perfect balls of wool. And somehow, it’s totally satisfying and strangely unsettling in equal measures. https://gizmodo.com/a-years-worth-of-make-up-applied-in-one-day-is-a-horrib-5818037 The clip is a clever promo for Kiki Niesten,…

Wes Anderson Is Obsessed With Symmetry: A Supercut

Whether it’s Richie Tennenbaum’s face or the Fantastic Mr. Fox’s tree home, Wes Anderson is obsessed with symmetry. Don’t believe it? Just watch this supercut. That’s some very, very impressive attention to detail. [FastCo]

Japanese architect Shigeru Ban is taking a very, uh, literal approach to his $23.5 million Mount Fuji World Heritage Center. The building’s wooden lattice is designed to look like the volcano’s inverse—reflecting its silhouette in pool that will surround the building when it’s finished in 2016. [DesignBoom]