Yanko Design - Latest Posts

Posted: 05 Sep 2008 04:20 AM CDT

I had the good fortune to review the BRAZO table lamp by Pablo Designs, winner of a 2008 IDEA award. The BRAZO is a high performance LED task light offering effortless adjustability, calibrated light focus (more on that later), and brightness control all wrapped in a sleek aluminum body. Intrigued? Read on.

Upon first glance, the precision machined aluminum body speaks volumes about the build quality. It’s hefty - in a good way. It comes fully assembled except for the base which you just screw on. Excited I immediately plugged it in and came away with both positive and negative conclusions.

The LEDs are bright. The built in dimmer, cleverly integrated into the fully adjustable arm, quickly ramps up the illumination. We’re talking 450 lumens here. Plenty powerful for a task light and on par with CFL and incandescent varieties. I decided to leave it at a lower setting, just enough to achieve that eery glow.

Adjusting where you want the arm and where to focus the light couldn’t be easier. The stem telescopes from 14″ to 21″. The arm swings 360º effortlessly. The mechanism seems finely tuned. There’s no awkward bounce or tension. Smooth is the best way I can describe it. The glass tube housing the 18 LEDs can rotate to focus the light. Amazingly nothing gets hot. Heat dissipation seems to have been a priority since the glass tube is open on one end.

What I didn’t like was the light color. I know I know, I’m only bias because my eyes are used to the warm glow of incandescents. The stark white, almost medical lab like color took time getting used to. Not to mention there are a lot of metals and woods in my home decor. The harsh lighting did nothing to bring out the warm rich colors. I don’t purport to be an expert in lighting but I would think LEDs could be tuned to cast a warmer color.

At $400 it’s not cheap but you get what you pay for. If you want a cutting edge lamp that bleeds style and quality - go for it. After a week I’m finding the BRAZO lamp has become the most used light in my home office. I may hate the color it casts but in hindsight, it doesn’t compete with my computer screen the way a CFL or incandescent lamp does and that’s super important to any designer.

Designer: Pablo Designs [ Buy It Here ]

Pablo Designs

Too Weak to Open Caps. Need a U-Cap

Posted: 05 Sep 2008 04:19 AM CDT

Plastic caps were designed to keep liquids in. Then at the last minute somebody realized people actually have to remove them to get to the liquid so they threw on some groves around the cap for grip and called it a day. Bah I say! I will admit sometimes I can’t do it! That cap just won’t let go. Maybe I need a U-Cap.

There’s a soft asymmetric curve on one side of the cap, perfect for thumb grips. This single design element transfers more torque as you turn requiring less effort. Designed primarily with the elderly, children, and disabled peoples in mind, the U-Cap would market well for people like me; I guess you could call them lazy. I kid, I kid.

On a serious note, the U-Cap is Earth friendly too. Made entirely of biodegradable polyolefins and starch, it dissolves in long term exposure to water and microbaterial decomposition. Yay for planet Earth and less sore thumbs!

Designer: Jeong Hoon Cha

Jeong Hoon Cha

Zune Phone Finally, Okay Maybe

Posted: 05 Sep 2008 04:05 AM CDT

I know a lot of you out there are just waiting for the Zune phone - Microsoft’s answer to the current king of multitouch telephonic devices. Until they actually confirm, check out the Zune Contact concept by Adam Huffman. He’s revamped the interface, made the body madly thin, slapped on a 5 MP camera and went all touchscreeny. Sure it’s just pie-in-the-sky now but who knows, something similar may come from Redmond Washington. Oh BTW, that big white button at the bottom is really a soft cushy thumb rest. . . yeah.

Designer: Adam Huffman

Adam Huffman

I Want an Avatar!

Posted: 05 Sep 2008 01:31 AM CDT

As many of you have noticed, we now support Gravatars which are globally recognized avatars. All you have to do is sign up. The next time you comment, your Gravatar will appear.

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Sit Down and Relax

Posted: 04 Sep 2008 03:30 PM CDT

Mention rocking chairs and thoughts of summer evenings on the porch and cold Mint Juleps might come to mind. This rocking chair and loveseat from Wilson Scott, however, throws together polyurethane mesh, a cutout spherical shell and curved steel piping for a distinctly modern feel. Don’t know about you, but I could definitely see getting down on one of these and grinding out 10 hours on Xbox Live.

Designer: Scott Wilson

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Mother Nature’s Got Nothin’ on This Light

Posted: 04 Sep 2008 12:12 PM CDT

It is just terrible when the sun is going down and I am still working and I get a headache because I was using the sun for light but it isn’t there anymore! Chris Natt has designed a device that will keep the light level constant! And it looks wild…

As its designer, David Ngo, describes: “[Stimuli 3.0 is] a lighting system whose shape and therefore light output sensitively varies inversely with the surrounding natural light intensity. For example, at dusk, illumination gradually increases as natural light recedes. At the heart of this device is a unique 3 axis gear box which enables this subtle alteration of lighting through an attractive and striking change in form of the device.”

As usual, I love the concept more than the execution, if only because I’m partial to overhead lighting. I wonder if it can be attached to the ceiling? I’ll take several! And I’m all about alternates to the “yellow” light I’ve lived in my whole life.

It’s this or LEDs, what’s you’re choice?

Designer: Chris Natt