Sony Hana-Akari Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Sony's Hana-Akari (HANAAKARI) lamp prototype uses dye-sensitized solar cells to turn light into energy. Big breakthrough is not only dye-sensitized cells are cheaper than conventional solar cells, they can also be dyed in different colors and shades.
Sony expects to develop the lamp further so it can also power other small devices attached to it. If you take a look at the image above, you can see a small fan connected to a panel to demonstrate this ability. Slated for a 2009 release, SONY has announced that they have ‘big plans’ for the technology.

Source:http://www.gizmodo.com/

http://www.goodcleantech.com/

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Designing The Dress by Nicole, Part I: The Identity

For the better part of a year, my wife has been working on opening up a bridal boutique. It just so happens that she is married to a retail designer (yes, that would be me), so naturally I’ve been working on everything from the business’s identity to the website to the store’s interior. This is Part I of my story, entitled The Identity.

When most people think of a corporate identity, they think of a logo, perhaps a business card, and maybe even custom stationary. In truth, it goes much deeper than that. For starters, you need a name. Buying a wedding dress is an exciting and emotional time for a bride, so we wanted a name that would reflect that, as well as one that would stand out amongst a list of similar-sounding bridal shop names. Many brides say that they are looking for THE dress, implying both that it is the most important dress she’ll ever wear and that there is just one dress that’s perfect for her. We eventually agreed on The Dress by Nicole because it captures that feeling, and at the same time denotes a friendly, personal touch that you don’t get from big box bridal retailers.

Of course, I began working on the logo before we’d settled on The Dress by Nicole, so as the logo evolved it helped us make a decision. I came up with the idea of including the silhouette of a dress form because Nicole wanted something more “feminine” than simple text, and a dress form fit the bill without being too specific to a single style of dress. Plus, it has a personal significance because it recalls my wife’s background in fashion design.

For the logo’s font, I chose a variation of Goudy Old Style for its graceful lines and good readability. The use of small caps and custom kerning for “The Dress” lends visual weight to the shortened name of the boutique, while the smaller, lower-case lettering in “by Nicole” allows supporting text in the same font to tie back to the logo.

The logo is combined with a tone-on-tone damask pattern in black or white, to create a look that is vintage with a modern twist. In printed materials, wherever possible, the damask pattern is created using clear gloss ink over matte-finished paper. In electronic uses and some printed pieces, the pattern is acheived through the use of a subtle gradient over a black or white background. The pattern is also used on its own to reinforce the brand identity without an overuse of the logo.

Putting it all together... the business card.


Check back soon for Part II of Designing The Dress by Nicole, The Shop!
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Holiday Store Design: ANTHROPOLOGIE

I am always impressed with the way Anthropologie re-invents their store every season/holiday. They are especially creative with their use of materials; such as ribbon, colored rope, paper chains, nuts, painted wood chunks. Click below to see some of their ideas for holiday store design from coast to coast. (store images taken from NYC and Southern California)

Each display is very detail oriented. The pictures below show a frosted window that was made personal with the use of a pencil eraser.



Paper chains were also put to use. Perhaps something that you would have made in grade school to bring home to Mom, but works rather well in this imaginative store.



Below is a fun use of cardboard with colored ornaments nested in the loops to perfectly accent the clothing displayed underneath.


And last, but not least, the holiday garland.





Now maybe you’ll be inspired to create fun holiday decorations for your home. Anthropologie’s website claims that they have “a love for making things that inspire the imagination”. I believe they achieve their goal each and every time there is a new display.

www.designspongeonline.com
http://ruthiauda.com/blog/
www.anthropologie.com
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“Never Get Wet” Wonder of Nanotech Fabric

Researchers from the University of Zurich have developed a new fabric that never gets wet. The fabric can be submerged in water for two months and still remain dry to the touch. The secret to this incredible water resistance is the layer of silicone nanofilaments, which are highly chemically hydrophobic. The spiky structure of the 40-nanometre-wide filaments strengthens that effect, to create a coating that prevents water droplets from soaking through the coating to the polyester fibres underneath.
A similar combination of water-repelling substances and tiny nanostructures is responsible for many natural examples of extreme water resistance, such as the surface of Lotus leaves.
Not only could the fabric create a self-cleaning clothing; according to preliminary experiments, it reduces drag in water by 20%. (hint Michael Phelps)

Source:
www.gizmodo.com
www.newscientist.com

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Earth 911

Do you want to recycle, but don't know where to take your cans or bottles? Click the link below and type in what you have as well as your city or zip code to find a recycling center near you. Now there are no excuses!

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Modern Kitchens from the 40's, 50's, and 60's

I came across these images of ‘kitchens of tomorrow’ through various websites. It’s interesting to see what was considered modern in the 40’s, and where we thought we were going to be in the next 100 years.


When one is designing for today it isn’t always a bad idea to take a look at what was classic/modern in the past. In fact, it is how most design is done -- to take design cues from an existing item, and recreate them to make something else that is unique, interesting, and exciting.





Check out the built-in foot pedals for the faucet.



See the video below for a modern kitchen from the 60's.



Thanks to:
www.treehugger.com
www.dwell.com
www.images.google.com

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Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging

Keep your eyes peeled for a new option at checkout the next time you make a purchase at Amazon.com. This holiday season the online retailer is offering Frustration-Free Packaging on select toys and consumer electronics, with plans to eventually offer the packaging option on everything they sell.

Amazon is working with manufacturers to create the packaging, so there is no waste created by repackaging products. The simplified boxes eliminate hard-to-open plastic clamshells, wire ties, and extra materials designed for brick and mortar stores, in favor of efficient, recyclable paper packaging and plastic bags. In addition to being more consumer-friendly, the packaging is better for the environment, as it requires less energy and raw materials to produce, and smaller packages use less fuel to ship. Let’s hope more online retailers follow Amazon’s example.

Check out the tumbler. Sweet.

Check out the efficiency.

Your hands (and the environment) will thank you.

Thanks to TheDieline.com for bringing this to our attention!

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