Monday, December 1, 2008

Yanko Design - Latest Posts

Yanko Design - Latest Posts

Link to Yanko Design

Yanko Welcomes the Age of Mobile Kawaii!

Posted: 01 Dec 2008 12:24 AM PST

Next in a long line of contenders for the so-called “Smart Phone.” Featuring a very limited button selection, camera, color screen, and hiding feature, (and not much else,) here comes the “Cute Phone!” It requires only one more feature to be true to the culture: a hole to hang colorful keychains and blinky beads!

Blinky trinkets is what this phone needs! You know, the kind you buy in the whole of Europe, street vendors in Rome, London, and most important: the entirety of Japan.

A quick lesson in Japanese! The word “Kawaii” in Japanese is close to the word “Cute” in English. The difference is, there’s a large “counterculture” tied to Kawaii. A whole lifestyle!

Your first example is this post. The images you see here depict the “Moto Concept” by Mr. Liang. It’s inner workings and functions he leaves to us to guess. The cuteness is clear!

Super Kawaii!

Designer: Joseph Liang

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AMOLED Touchscreen Courtesy of Cowon S9

Posted: 01 Dec 2008 12:08 AM PST

What started as a concept earlier this year is actually coming to fruition as a real retail product this December. The Cowon S9 will retain all the proposed specs; sleek body, curved back, 3.3″ AMOLED touchscreen display with 16 million colors, 500Mhz DUAL CORE CPU (hello!), T-DMB, bluetooth, FM radio, voice recorder, dictionary, USB 2.0, T.V. out, and tilt sensors. Hardware wise - it’s a win. Now lets see the interface. If it passes that, the only thing holding it back is price but knowing Cowon, it’ll be surprisingly affordable.

Designer: Cowon

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This iPhone is “Touchier” Than Most

Posted: 01 Dec 2008 12:08 AM PST

As wonderful as the iPhone is, it leaves out anyone visually impaired. This Silicon Touch iPhone case works in tandem with an app to allow special accessibility functions like text to speech and moon type tactile feedback. The case is engraved with modified bas-relief buttons each corresponding to a modified home screen on the iPhone. None of the phone’s functions are compromised. Multi-touch and finger flick scrolling are all intact. BRILLIANT!

Designer: Bruno Fosi

Smells Like Noon

Posted: 01 Dec 2008 12:07 AM PST

And you know what that means right? LUNCHTIME! Everyday at noon butterflies flutter around this clock called “Scent of Time” because they’re drawn to the sweet smell of roses in bloom. Lets extend that concept further by allowing you to designate what each hour smells like via tiny fragrance capsules. Once you train your brain to the hourly smells, you’ll be able to gauge the exact hour of the day. Mmmm 7 AM smells like toast and eggs. YUMMY!

Designer: Hyun Choi

Design Your Own Bike

Posted: 01 Dec 2008 12:06 AM PST

Okay, maybe not from the ground up. You do start with a Trek bike (name synonymous to race quality) but you choose the colors, the components, and accessories. It’s bike couture because it’s custom fitted to you, not just aesthetically but for your body too. I built mine to a cost of $4,500 with a 30-day build period. Even if you can’t afford one, it’s fun just building out your dream bike.

Link: Project One

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Need a Solution? Ask Nature

Posted: 01 Dec 2008 12:05 AM PST

It’s true, whatever problem you’re working on - nature probably already solved it thru billions of years of “trial & error.” Need a way to stop calcification in water pipes? Look at clams. They’re totally made of calcium yet they somehow control their own calcium build up. Ever wonder why plants have an uncanny ability to stay clean? Maybe their solution can be applied to our buildings and cleaning agents

The science is called biomimicry and it’s shaking up the design world. A site called Ask Nature just launched (in beta) where you can search for the best solutions to your problem. The database is still growing so give it time. I think this is a valuable resource for anyone interested in real sustainable design.

Resource: Ask Nature

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