Casting A $20 Million Mirror For The World’s Largest Telescope

Building a mirror for any giant telescope is no simple feat. The sheer size of the glass, the nanometer precision of its curves, its carefully calculated optics, and the adaptive software required to run it make this a task of herculean proportions. But the recent castings of the 15-metric ton, off-axis mirrors for the Giant Magellan Telescope forced engineers to push the design and manufacturing process beyond all previous limits…(Read…)

Vance's Incredible 365-Day Transformation

Vance’s Incredible 365-day transformation will blow you away…(Read…)

Seattle Granny Pad by Best Practice provides living space in unused garage

Granny Pad in Seattle by Best Practive Architecture

Seattle firm Best Practice Architecture has converted an unused garage on a property in the city into a black house for the owners’ elderly relative. Read more

Good Design Gets Better by The Year

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It’s that time of the year, when I look back on the year gone by, and reflect on the many travels that I undertook, and what is the best that I got from to learn from them. The one that stands out the most, is my annual pilgrimage to Japan and the Good Design Awards, or G Mark. Founded in 1957, and in its 61st year, the sole purpose of the awards is to be an advocate of “good design”, and to enrich ‘life, industry and society as a whole.’ What I appreciate the most about the awards is that takes into account not only product design, industrial design and architecture, but also approaches and concepts towards better living and communities. While Product Design is also about solving a human need and making life better, some of the entries that are shortlisted for the 2018 G Mark, reflect community building by providing food boxes for the poor, better hospitality services by involving a whole village and many such examples.

Good Design Grand Award, Good Design Gold Award and Good Focus Award

Most people visit the Special Exhibition of the “Good Design Best 100″ and the pop-up shop showcasing award-winning products. However, my favorite part is the awarding ceremony, where in a very democratic way that the top prize is awarded. Tokens are distributed amongst the attendees and all get a chance to vote from the Top Six entries, the one Grand Prize.

Shortlisted for 2018 were: Sony Aibo, Gogoro Energy and Transportation Platform and Gogoro Scooter, Portable X-Ray by Fuji Film, Hotel Hanare, The landscape of Tokyo Marunouchi station square and Gyoko street area and Temple activities for solving poverty problems [Otera oyatsu club].

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There was a tie between Gogoro Scooter and Temple activities for solving poverty problems, but the clear winner emerged at the second round of counting – Temple activities for solving poverty problems.

This award-winning program revolves around a group of Temple Priests, who collect the food items offered to the temple deity, and distribute it among the poor children of the community. It solves two things – distribution of the temple surplus and elimination of hunger.

When I spoke with Jury Member Gen Suzuki, I asked him this…

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RS: Good Design focuses on public good, so Aibo may not stand a chance, what is your opinion on that?

GS: Aibo can be used to help old people and people with disabilities, so public good can be seen in projects like this. I don’t think high-tech products and public good are contradictory to each other, for example Sony Aibo robots can be used in elderly nursing homes. Maintaining a real pet can be an issue for the older generation, but Aibo is maintenance-free in that sense and can still provide similar aspects as real pets can.

RS: Your reaction to crowdfunding projects that win the Good Design, because Life Long Design Award is an important aspect for the Good Design Awards and hence, you will expect products to last for a longer time.

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GS: We do see failures in design, but crowdfunding projects encourage young designers. And with G Mark, we can help identify the good products with our jury process and validate them. But we can’t be sure if they will be around thirty years from now. It is a chance we can take, and young designers who fail, can look at it as an opportunity to reflect on why they failed, and look for an alternative route to progress.

RS: What was your favorite product from this year?

GS: “Kamado-san Denki” an electric rice cooker that features an earthenware pot made by Nagatani-en. It is one of the most famous potteries in Japan. Kitchen appliances seem to be diversifying and this rice cooker is the perfect example of traditional earthenware married to high-tech – old fashion and high tech fusion.

My Favorites from the 2018 Good Design Awards Best 100 were Gogoro Scooter, Sony Aibo and Bamboo Bicycle

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The Sony Aibo Team said that they are developing an intelligent product and hope to create a new lifestyle of living with a robot. The one issue they hope to solve, is teaching humans to communicate with AI and robotics with more compassion and love.

The current generation of Aibo is driven by an actuator (motor), and they would like to build a model that moves just like how the human muscles moves. This will give Aibo more mobility and the intelligence to move its arms and legs with artificial muscles. This make the Aibo more realistic and more humanized.

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Bamboo Bicycle by Indonesian Singgih S Kartono hopes to solve the daily commute challenge with a bike that uses resources close to home – the bamboo. Collaborating with a bicycle manufacturer is a clever move as he is aware that he can’t match the competition alone. The next steps in evolution is a folding cycle and cycle for women.

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As a designer or manufacturer, I see how you benefit by the recognition this prestigious award brings to you. But what I truly respect is the diversity of topics and initiatives that you can participate with.

Stay in touch for Part 2 of this series, where I showcase YD’s top 15 of the Best 100 Designs, and look for the 2019 Good Design Awards announcement, right here on Yanko Design.

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Design Job: We R Xhibits Is Looking for an Exhibit Designer in South Bend, IN

A Designer at WRX must: -Meet with clients to interpret needs and create concepts to fit their needs -Ideate 2D designs which develop into full-color 3D rendering, to provide the client with a clear model of the future design -Develop concepts and designs to be

View the full design job here

Design Job: Dust off Your Portfolio! 3M Is Seeking a Senior Industrial Designer in MN

3M is driving creativity and design as a competitive platform for innovation and brand globally to enhance design-driven solutions for people and the world. We are looking for a Senior Industrial Designer for our Health Care Business Group to enhance the design function at the 3M Design Center, located in

View the full design job here

Reader Submitted: Five Machines Explore An Alternative Narrative of Human-Machine Relationships

Five Machines is an exploration of an alternative narrative of the existence of machines in our life. Through building 5 machines with different intents and behaviors, the project attempts to propose a new human-machine relationship.

Machine 1 in work

Machine 1: protecting privacy

Machine 2: articulating opinions

Machine 4: longing for serendipity

Machine 3: trading energy

Machine 5: eager to debate

Machine 5 in work

View the full project here

Our Favorite Transportation Posts from 2018

The field of transportation covers a lot of ground, and offers a lot of opportunity for designers. Technology, manufacturing, concepts, classic styling, craftsmanship and stunning visuals are just a few of the aspects up for debate and discussion. The impact of transportation on the environment adds a level of urgency as well, ensuring that the level of innovation in this industry will continue at breakneck pace through the future. Here are a few stories that caught our eye through the year, a compelling mix of old and new, high- and low-tech, that will keep you moving.

Auto Design Mash-Ups: A Dodge-Chevy, Nissan-Porsche, BMW-Lamborghini & More

NeoMam Studios took the time to design and render a series of concept cars that speculate on a world where competing car brands join forces to create mash-up vehicles that incorporate the styling cues from each brand. The results are as awesome as you’d expect.

Volkswagen’s New California Camper Van is Packed With Utilitarian Design Featuresp

We took a look at Volkswagen’s new California Camper Van, and the cleverly designed features and accessories that go with it. Mobile living here we come.

Turn Your Two-Wheel-Drive Car into Four-Wheel-Drive by Adding Hubless Orbis Electric Wheelsp

Ring-Drive wheels from Orbis can turn any car into a hybrid, AWD vehicle. All while using one of the design worlds most polarizing objects, the hubless wheel. Love it? Hate it? You decide.

A Simple, Portable Object that Easily Frees Your Stuck Car

While we’re on the subject, if your new, or current, two-wheel or four-wheel drive vehicle gets stuck, the Grabber Traction Device easily adds the tooth your tire needs to get out.

Reader Project: Revolve: The Wheel in Foldable Formp

The Revolve folding wheel project, designed by Andrea Mocellin, takes a standard 700c bike wheel and allows it to collapse into a small object that can be easily transported and stored. The design of the wheel has a unique aesthetic, and opens up new opportunities for collapsable bike design.

Robert Bollinger Discusses the Design Process Behind the Bollinger B1 Electric Sport Utility Truckp

Back in March we caught up with Robert Bollinger and he detailed some of the design process behind his new electric sport utility truck. The dual-tailgated vehicle opens at both ends to allow a full tunnel through the body, opening up a world of transportation options.

Car Design Fans: Check Out This Free, Downloadable 372-Page Catalog of Rare Historical Porschesp

It’s no secret that designers love Porsches. It’s also no secret that most of us will never be able to afford one, and certainly not one of the rare vehicles sold at a 70th Anniversary Auction in October. So instead of driving a million dollar+ car, you can have the pleasure of downloading a PDF of the catalogue and keep dreaming.

A Designer Buying a Car, Part 4: Subaru Forester, Aesthetics and Practical Considerations

Coming back to reality, our intrepid editor took a designer’s eye to a more realistic vehicle, the Subaru Forester, and was not happy with what he found.

Our Favorite Skateboard Designs from frog’s DECKxDESIGN Challengep

For NYCxDesign in May, frog teamed up with Art Start and invited members of the NYC design community to design and create skateboards, which were then auctioned to raise funds for Art Start. The results did not disappoint!

CeramicSpeed’s Bearing-Based Chainless Bicycle Systemp

The Driven concept bike drive train system, created by CeramicSpeed in conjunction with the University of Colorado’s Mechanical Engineering Department, shows how hard it is to replace the traditional chain and derailleur system we’ve been using for 100+ years. But it looks cool.

On the Floor with Core: The 2018 North American Hand Made Bike Showp

Finally, for those of you not lucky enough to make it to the North American Hand Made Bike Show, we went in your place and took a bunch of photos for your enjoyment.

Oregon Zoo's Babiest Moments of 2018

“From goat kids to painted dog pups, 2018 was a year of adorable babies at the Oregon Zoo.”..(Read…)

OMA unveils plans for largest football stadium in the Netherlands

Feyenoord Stadium in Rotterdam by OMA

OMA is planning to build a 63,000-seat stadium in its home city for football club Feyenoord Rotterdam. Read more