Thursday, November 6, 2008

Yanko Design - Latest Posts

Yanko Design - Latest Posts

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One Size Fits All, Herman Miller Embody Review

Posted: 06 Nov 2008 06:00 AM CST

Over the past decade and a half Herman Miller has firmly established itself “the” company to go to with all your seating needs. The original Aeron Chair came to symbolize the dot com era. Any and everyone had to have one in office to be certified “cool.” The mesh design, fully adjustable design, and 3 sizes to choose from made it one of a kind. Flash forward 15 years and they’re set to do it again with the new Embody chair taking the one size fits all ethos by further improving a number of adjustable features. The design is striking, even a little futuristic. It’ll set you back $1,600 USD but if you don’t have the money to buy one, you can win one. Herman Miller’s ThoughtPile website asks a single question everyday to which visitors are invited to answer with their best ideas. The most popular idea wins the Embody chair. Today’s question is “how can we keep our cities vital?”

The Embody is a huge improvement over the Aeron. A series of complex mesh layers provide ample cushioning. The gridlock maze-like feature on the back is more than just an aesthetic design decision. With a twist of a knob, they tighten or loosen providing the perfect amount of support. The arm rests slide up and down. The seat slides forward for those with longer limbs. Height and drop tension are ingenuously controlled by a knob/joystick combo. The Aeron had multiple switches and knobs to manipulate a partial list of features the Embody possesses. The new control system helps maintain the Embody’s sleek profile by consolidating all those controls.

Build quality is excellent. There are few chairs that can compete with the exception of some ridiculously expensive chairs from Japan and the cradle-to-cradle certified Acuity chair by Allsteel. Still most will probably choose the Embody for the Herman Miller name alone. We all knew the Aeron was to be replaced someday and it seems the company has made huge inroads with their design and manufacturing capabilities. The Embody is in a class of its own.

What we liked:

  • Amazing design, unique
  • Fully customizable options and adjustable features
  • Thin flexible cellulose cushioning repeals heat and moisture
  • Amazing back support using a system of tension points
  • Exceptional build, no squeaking
  • Clean modern design

What could be improved:

  • The price, $1,600 approaches the price of carbon fiber Japanese chairs

Designer: Herman Miller

Win one at Thoughtpile.org!

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Keeping it Hot Hot Hot

Posted: 06 Nov 2008 04:15 AM CST

Are you tired, run down, listless? Do you poop out at parties? Do you wish you had one device that acted as a flashlight, a candle, a rave machine, and could tell you the temperature of your bath water, all the while using everybodies favorite: LED lights? Well all the answers to your problems are in this little product. It’s called the LED Bath Light, and it tastes just like candy!

Before we go any further, I should let you know that this is a full-fledged upgrade of a design that Yanko Design reported on a while ago: [Bath Safeguard]. Check that out if you please, also.

LED Bath Light - The name will need a bit more pepping up, perhaps a bit more zazz, but the product itself is basically tops. Its foremost function is to act as a bath-water device, making your entire tub glow a color according to the temperature, but it also has several other modes:

Flashlight Mode, Color Mode, and Candle Mode.

While in the bath, LED Bath Light shows the temperature with color and with numbers listed around its ring. Flashlight Mode displays a bright solid light that’s used as a simple direct light source. Color Mode makes this product your favorite techno companion as the light moves between a spectrum of different color tones. Candle Mode makes the light imitate a flickering candle. Adjustments in color and brightness can be made to any of these modes.

And it has a charging base! Boffo!

Designer: Kai Chen

Rubber Chair Takes Care of All Your Nagging Green and Chi Personal Problems

Posted: 06 Nov 2008 04:10 AM CST

Rubber tires. How I love thee. Let me sit on the ways. First, I love how you’ve been around the block. Second, it feels excellent on my bottom to sit on your tread. Three, I love the three R’s, today’s being Re-use. Rubber tires, let me introduce you to Jaime Salm, who has created the Rubber Stool to harness your power, and close the loop.

Words from the designer, Jaime Salm:

With a seat made from 100 percent, post-consumer recycled tires, the Rubber Stool re-contextualizes recycled rubber as an ergonomic and pliable material for furniture. The Rubber Stool is designed to use the properties of recycled tires instead of hardware for attaching the seat to the frame. Each stool comes ready to be assembled and adjusted according to the user’s proportions and intended use. With a powder-coated frame and a resilient rubber seat, it can be used indoors or outdoors.

Measurements
Height: 21 in / 53 cm
Width: 21 in / 53 cm
Depth: 20 in / 51 cm

Color Options
Matte Grey, Red and Matte Black

Environment / Social
Recycled Content + Recyclable + Environmentally Preferable Finish

Materials
100% recycled tire rubber, powder coated tubular steel.

Design
Seat is removable for transportation efficiency and ease of recycling. Hardware free mechanism and single material components allows for part replacement and efficient disassembly.

And now I go to figure out where I shall place this new chair, for I, [Chair Collector,] have but one arch nemesis, and that is the Space Taker-Upper Squad! Rubber Stool! Come with me! Together we will fight for the better good of Feng Shui… the Chi Flow is YOURS!

Designer: Jaime Salm of MIO

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Flat Lightbulb Solves all Thomas Edison’s Problems with Two Cuts

Posted: 05 Nov 2008 06:20 PM CST

When I think of light bulbs, I think of how hot they are, how they give me light at night, and how easy they are to break! From Joonhuyn Kim, displayed at the 2008 100% Design Tokyo, here is “Flat Bulb.” Better for stacking and shipping, no rolling away on you, and the best: aesthetically ironic. Simply fantastic!

But why not make a bulb with a whacky new shape, you may ask? Well, let me tell you, we discussed this sort of thing way back a few weeks ago when we spoke about the [LED Light Bulb]; at length. The truth of the matter is: light bulbs that are innovative, cheap, energy efficient, and every wonderful thing you can imagine, still sells less units than the bulbs with the classic light bulb shape, by a lot!

So, lets see if a certain blue-and-yellow Swedish “home products retailer” picks this design up so I can just hop on over to the Mall of America and pick one up! Or better yet, a bunch.

EDIT: Originally this post was titled “Flat Lightbulb Solves all Benjamin Franklin’s Problems with Two Cuts” until our friendly Jason told me that it makes much more sense to use the inventor of the light bulb for the title, not the harnesser of electricity. Thus Thomas Edison replaces ol’ Ben.

Designer: Joonhuyn Kim [ Via Gizmodo & Designboom ]

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