I can run all day with the green power of one small finger.
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I can run all day with the green power of one small finger.
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Here at makedo, we have a different take on tape than most. So you can imagine our delight when we saw the clever twist that X-Tape Hinge brings to the equation.
I can make more things, but I’m running out of room on my couch!
The table may have been long, but time certainly flew by at the Makedo Making Party. A hive of activity, there were individuals, design professionals and of course children with their parents… all shoulder-to-shoulder under the soaring ceilings of the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne.
The range of creations was fantastic to see. Familiar makedo favourites like vehicles, creatures and robots soon emerged from the collection of reclaimed materials.
We observed many different approaches to construction. Some kids took on the role of design director, with parents carefully following instructions. Others makers chose a free flowing path, where the materials themselves dictate form and function.
Follow the link to see a few of our highlights from the day.
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I can balance your books with my bevy of blue ballpoint pens.
Join in the fun once again as the State of Design festival hits Melbourne from 14-25 July. The goal of the festival is to increase awareness of the value of design while showcasing how design generates innovation, promotes sustainability and adds value to business and society.
Design Made Trade 2009 image thanks to Leeloo
Last year we launched makedo at Design:Made:Trade with a diverse collection of creations conceived by some of Australia’s leading design personalities. In 2010 it is your turn. Join in the mayhem at a special making party event where everyone’s invited for some playful creativity.
The makedo making party takes place at the Long Table on July 17. You’ll find the Long Table in the World Heritage listed Royal Exhibition Buildings as a part of Design:Made:Trade.
There is also a whole lot more happening with no less than 75 events across the Festival’s four main programs:
**Edit** Due to so much interest in the makedo making party, we have decided to open the floodgates and welcome more people into our workshop. We’re all out of free passes, but to join in all you need to do is make your own way down to the Long Table on Saturday July 17 between 2 and 4 pm.
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Hong Kong born designer Richard Choi has amassed quite a few accolades early in his design career, and with products like this one, it is easy to see why.
The Firebug light is ingenious. Taking two equal sized bottles, you fill one with clean water and leave the other empty. The Firebug connects them spout to spout. Just like an hourglass, the water flows from one bottle to the other and it is this momentum that lights up the Firebug.
According to Richard, one 2-litre bottle can provide up to 15 minutes of continuous light output. Then you simply turn the bottles over to start the process all over again.
There are so many ways that this can be useful. On the one hand, providing light without batteries or plug-in power has obvious benefits. Looking deeper into specific scenarios; imagine if it were a children’s reading light, giving just enough time for one last story before drifting off to sleep…
Thanks Monogocoro
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A house full of cardboard is one thing… but a house entirely made out of cardboard? Surely that is a makedo dream come true! Chilean artist Luise Valdes, aka Don Lucho, spared no detail in this creative installation.
Maintaining his signature illustrative style, the whole apartment is built from reclaimed and recycled materials. There is a warmth and liveliness in his work that draws the viewer in, capturing the imagination.
This is but one example of Don Lucho’s recycled installations. He has also been entertaining passers-by with his social commentaries on the streets of Santiago for some time, building crashed cars, fallen airplanes and superhero mishaps… browse through this flickr collection for more recycled creative whimsy.
Via Inhabitat.
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Glass jars and bottles are transformed in the hands of Slovakian designer Tomas Kral, as he takes everyday tomato and milk containers and turns them into stunning objects of desire.
The idea is to use traditional decorative techniques for crystal glass like cutting, engraving, gilding to “upgrade” existing industrial glass packaging like milk bottles or jars for tomato sauce. I join together the industrial and the craft.
The geometric repetition in this work is reminiscent of mid-century design elements, an effect that is enhanced by the application of gold leaf that appears in some of Tomas’ outcomes. This is a fine example of how considered upcycling can add value well beyond the original intent of the industrial object.
To see more designs and applications, as well as an insight into the workshop process, have a browse through Tomas Kral’s gallery of images.
First making waves on Coolhunting and now re-visited thanks to Monogocoro.
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With the goal of fostering a global understanding of industrial design and all that it encompasses, World Industrial Design Day 2010 came and went on June 29. Contributions, events and happenings were organised across the globe - and one that struck a chord with us was the Student Poster Competition.
Schools were put to the challenge to design a poster that illustrates the important role industrial design plays in producing tangible solutions to world problems. The winning poster (pictured above) was submitted by Ivan Orin Vrkas & Bojan Kristofic from the University of Zagreb in Croatia.
Their entry carries a strong message; one that lies at the heart of issues faced by both designers and consumers. Ivan and Bojan’s process started by looking at the five basic needs of every human being: water, food, health, a home, and energy. The phrase Don’t throw anything away, there is no ‘away’ was then written in items collected from their own domestic lives. The selected objects were chosen for the way in which they represent each of the five basic needs.
The outcome has successfully communicated quite a powerful message, in a considered approach to this complex issue.
The theme for this year’s ICSID World Industrial Design Day was Industrial Design: Humane solutions for a resilient world. Celebrated on June 29, the global event had a focus not only on the elements of design that we see and admire every day, but also the hidden elements that help our world withstand disaster and assist those in need.
“Our ability to build a resilient, safe and controllable environment to benefit all of humanity for the future depends on the innovations we make today; the only limit is our creativity.” - ICSID
As a profession, industrial design is steadily gaining recognition for the role that it plays in our society. In many circles, it does still slip under the radar - and perhaps for many so too did World Industrial Design Day - but you can head to the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID) to see what it was all about.
Also check out Ivan and Bojan’s winning poster in detail.