Hasta La Ideas

A reworking of the traditional flower stand concept which seamlessly combines a self-watering, corian flowerpot of classic form with a stable wooden b..

Who needs iCal when Muji Calendar promises more legibility? Or Adobe Ideas, if MUJI Notebook picks up the slack with handwriting recognition and different paper grids? Or a calculator, clock, weather display, or a currency converter, when you’ve got MUJI to GO?

Yes, MUJI, the darling of design lifestyle brands, has just launched three apps for the iPad and iPhone. We haven’t had our hands on them for very long, but if they’re anything like all the other Muji products we own and love, we won’t be disappointed.

The launch is timely; we were just wondering how the famously “non-branded”brand’s simple treatment of everyday life would translate to the consumption and production of digital information. These apps may provide a partial answer, though like any new product, there will be kinks. No biggie&mdashlin true MUJI form, the apps are free or very nearly—the Notebook app coming in at $3.99.

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The recent calls for submissions (Feeling Bookish, Foxes) have been really well-received, so I hope you like the next one… Inspired by vintage matchbox labels, I’d love to see your design, typography and illustrations that pay homage to these small treasures of graphic design. Traditionally, the box label messages were public service announcements, recommending citizens “Eat Vegetables” or “Be Careful with Matches” or “Save For Happiness” or “Alcohol Will Sink Your Plans”. Or they celebrate more decorative topics like animals, national sports or fables. What is your modern take in subject matter for a modern matchbox label? Printed inexpensively, specimens from the 50s and 60s have lovely misregistration, overprinting and dot patterns. Feel free to emulate these effects in your design. The best ones will be published in the winter edition of UPPERCASE magazine (Issue #8, out in Jan/Feb 2011).

Submissions should 3″ x 2″ either horizontal or vertical and 300dpi. Please label the file with your last name and include your name, address and contact details when uploading it here. DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 30.

I didn’t have time to scan my collection (yet – see it in the magazine, issue 8), but Maraid‘s photostream is full of thousands samples of inspiration.

Thai design agency Prompt Design have created a range of t-shirts that are packaged to look like food from a supermarket.

Called Here! Sod, each of the t-shirts feature a graphic representation of a type of food or drink, including bread, beef and cabbage.

These are folded inside vaccuum packs, paper bags, plastic wrappers or disposable cups.

Here’s some information from the designers:

Here! Sod created a new line of t-shirts that are sold in simple & distinctive packaging that resemble the packaging of food found in gourmet supermarkets. Each shirt is sold in packaging that resembles different forms of packaging. For example, a ‘pork’ t-shirt is sold in the Styrofoam deli packaging used in the butcher’s section of a supermarket. All the t-shirts in the product line are uniquely packaged to make their products more eye-catching and to create a fun & novel shopping experiences for consumers.

The unique packaging created instant brand recognition amongst consumers which generated large volumes of word-of-mouth advertising.

Design Studio : Prompt Design
Brand : Here Sod
Designer Team: Somchana Kangwarnjit, Passorn Subcharoenpun, Chidchanok Laohawattanakul, Mathurada Bejrananda

See also:

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Food packaged like drugs by Daizi Zheng	Shoes that are food  by R&E Praspaliauskas	Packaging as product  by David Gardener

Relive the glory of grunge with Keds’ limited-edition sneaks channelling the ’90s

Of the ’90s artifacts, “Parental Advisory” labels, Riot grrrls, the Internet and Napster, personal technology like the iMac and Palm Pilot, Donna Martin marrying David Silver in Malibu and O.J. Simpson driving his white Bronco up the 405 stand out. But the cultural backdrop to this prolific decade was a grunge-fueled rock scene, which created both songs to headbang to and iconic fashions like the flannel shirt.

To commemorate, Keds Century Collection created the “Alternative to Everything” limited edition sneakers in light and dark denim lace-ups and plaid slip-ons (women only). The classic rubber soled shoes sell online exclusively from Keds Original Sneaker for $55 for the mens “Champion Grunge” and $45 for the womens “Champion Riff.”