Hasta La Ideas

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].

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…

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

This year a bunch of fascinating architecture came up on our screens–but not all of it was modern. We’ll start this entry off by going back to ancient times, then work our way up to the new stuff.

Creative director Przemyslaw Sobiecki and architect Maja Wronska looked at some of the world’s most famous ancient ruins, then created animated renderings to show you what they looked like in their original glory:

In the 1400s, a very clever non-architect figured out how to erect the world’s largest dome:

This year we took a trip out to L.A., and got to see some crazy, not-for-the-acrophobic cantilevered houses built in the 1950s by architect Harry Gesner:

Also in the 1950s, Frank Lloyd Wright designed a pre-Guggenheim spiral house for his son. It went up for sale this year:

A popular non-residential structure in the 1950s was the nuclear missile silo. This couple bought a decommissioned one–and transformed it into an AirBNB rental:

Decommissioned silos aside, plenty of folks are still worried about nuclear war or other global disasters. Rich folks can wait out the apocalypse in style, as evinced by these floorplans and video walkthrough of luxury underground bomb shelters:

Assuming we are spared the apocalypse, the trend of more people moving to cities will continue, meaning more people will be living with roommates. This year Muji showed off their shared apartment concept of featuring cantilevered wooden caves for bedrooms:

This quirky automotive engineer figured out how to build a perfectly spherical structure for his freestanding home office:

An architect with no place to park his car devised a way to transform a bedroom into a hidden garage:

We got to see an incredible mega-library in China, with one feature that the architects were denied:

Yves Béhar wandered into the architecture lane, designing this customizable system for tiny homes:

This architect quit designing buildings and started designing cakes, with visually stunning and presumably delicious results:

McMansion Hell had a hell of a time critting up Betsy DeVos’ 22,000-square-foot summer home:

And speaking of parodies, here’s a video on what architects actually do.

Brought to you by MAKO Design + Invent, North America’s leading design firm for taking your product idea from a sketch on a napkin to store shelves. Download Mako’s Invention Guide for free here.

Navigating the world of crowdfunding can be overwhelming, to put it lightly. Which projects are worth backing? Where’s the filter to weed out the hundreds of useless smart devices? To make the process less frustrating, we scour the various online crowdfunding platforms to put together a weekly roundup of our favorite campaigns for your viewing (and spending!) pleasure. Go ahead, free your disposable income:

If you’re a photographer that wants to experiment with photographing the night skies, NANO1 is your tiniest, most portable option out there. Capture away!

What do you get when you combine a smart air monitor with a powerful air purifier? Wynd Halo! The Halo monitor tells the purifier exactly how much to clean  after detecting something funky, making this a thorough and discreet way to keep your air fresh at home. 

If you’ve had the chance to watch RAMS, you’re probably wanting a bonsai tree of your own to majestically trim in your garden (or apartment). This Water Flowing Bonsai Kit will give you the upper hand on Dieter, as it incorporates flowing water into the ecosystem. So, not only does it look beautiful, but it also sounds beautiful.

We’ve noticed some of our past favorite projects making their way onto Japanese crowdfunding platforms lately, one of them being Loop. These stylish alternatives to traditional earplugs make protecting your ears during concerts and other events a little less of a drag.

Do you need help designing, developing, patenting, manufacturing, and/or selling YOUR product idea? MAKO Design + Invent is a one-stop-shop specifically for inventors / startups / small businesses. Click HERE for a free confidential product consultation.

Backpacks, although used for their functional features, often cross heavily into the domain of fashion too. If there were five backpacks that did the exact same thing and cost exactly the same, a consumer would end up choosing the backpack that they connected with the most… so while we feature a lot of travel bags on YD, each bag speaks to a different sort of persona. Some bags appeal to the traveling businessman, while others appeal to the wanderlust. The Quiver X appeals to people who like a bit of ‘extreme’ in their lives once in a while.

Made to be the bag you pick no matter where you want to go, the Quiver can be carried on flights, to work, around the city, or even through rainforests. The perfect rectangular format maximizes volume, allowing you to carry pretty much anything you want. Dedicated pockets for laptops and EDC are a standard and the Quiver X does it too. In fact, it goes one step further with RFID-blocking access pouches in the shoulder-straps, and a few several steps further with self-locking zips that automatically stick together when closed, so pickpockets can’t unzip your bag without a struggle (there’s a simple side-pull technique to open these zips). The bag comes with a nylon construction and a DWR coating, giving it a water-repellent property, so you could literally shower with the Quiver X and have all your belongings dry. In fact, the Quiver X was even built to be used in the shower! A separate, see-through waterproof lining allows you to use your phone from inside the bag. The lining is touch-sensitive, allowing you to play music, accept or reject calls while in the rain or in the shower, while a toiletries pouch right underneath lets you swiftly access your toiletries without getting a drop of water on any of your belongings.

The Quiver X comes with a handle and detachable shoulder straps, allowing you to carry it in your hand, sling it, or strap it in. An additional luggage strap lets you fasten the Quiver X to your wheel-in suitcase to make traveling with luggage easier. Don’t want to overdo on the carrying? The bag even comes with its ‘wingman’, the Nock Pack. The Nock Pack lets you travel light, allowing you to carry things like a change of clothes, or stuff you’d put in your pockets but don’t have the space for. Made to be waterproof too, the Nock is the perfect Robin to the Batman that is the Quiver X. It handles the small-time problems, leaving the large, heavy-duty activities and adventures to the highly-capable, durable, and trustworthy Quiver X.

Designers: CK Koh & Mandy Chan

Click here to Buy Now: $123 $163 (25% off). Hurry, only 14 left!

Quiver X is the ultimate 3-in-1 everyday carry bag that is designed for the daily commuter, active gym-goer and frequent traveler.

It enables you to move seamlessly from place to place – from indoor to out, from work to play; in just one pack.

With an enhanced lightweight material for the G hook, you can now switch between different styles effortlessly. Sling it, backpack it or grip it.

This all-weatherproof bag is your constant companion.

Infused with a DWR coating, Quiver X’s nylon fabric shields your valuables come rain or shine.

Quiver X’s Auto-lock zip mechanism secures your valuables. Simply touch the zips together and the bag is locked! Want to unlock it? Just pull it to the side and voila.

Quiver X’s 180 shower compartment comes with dedicated pockets for your toiletries and clothes. Navigate your phone even in the shower, thanks to the integrated waterproof touch-sensitive fabric.

Quiver X is packed with interior and exterior organizational pockets, dedicated compartments for both a laptop and tablet, plus a quick access card slot pocket with RFID protection.

A special nook for your glasses…

… and ajustable chest straps.

Whether you’re pitching in the field or the boardroom, the Quiver X has enough space to carry all your gear.

The Complete Features of Quiver X below.

Click here to Buy Now: $123 $163 (25% off). Hurry, only 14 left!

Backpacks, although used for their functional features, often cross heavily into the domain of fashion too. If there were five backpacks that did the exact same thing and cost exactly the same, a consumer would end up choosing the backpack that they connected with the most… so while we feature a lot of travel bags on YD, each bag speaks to a different sort of persona. Some bags appeal to the traveling businessman, while others appeal to the wanderlust. The Quiver X appeals to people who like a bit of ‘extreme’ in their lives once in a while.

Made to be the bag you pick no matter where you want to go, the Quiver can be carried on flights, to work, around the city, or even through rainforests. The perfect rectangular format maximizes volume, allowing you to carry pretty much anything you want. Dedicated pockets for laptops and EDC are a standard and the Quiver X does it too. In fact, it goes one step further with RFID-blocking access pouches in the shoulder-straps, and a few several steps further with self-locking zips that automatically stick together when closed, so pickpockets can’t unzip your bag without a struggle (there’s a simple side-pull technique to open these zips). The bag comes with a nylon construction and a DWR coating, giving it a water-repellent property, so you could literally shower with the Quiver X and have all your belongings dry. In fact, the Quiver X was even built to be used in the shower! A separate, see-through waterproof lining allows you to use your phone from inside the bag. The lining is touch-sensitive, allowing you to play music, accept or reject calls while in the rain or in the shower, while a toiletries pouch right underneath lets you swiftly access your toiletries without getting a drop of water on any of your belongings.

The Quiver X comes with a handle and detachable shoulder straps, allowing you to carry it in your hand, sling it, or strap it in. An additional luggage strap lets you fasten the Quiver X to your wheel-in suitcase to make traveling with luggage easier. Don’t want to overdo on the carrying? The bag even comes with its ‘wingman’, the Nock Pack. The Nock Pack lets you travel light, allowing you to carry things like a change of clothes, or stuff you’d put in your pockets but don’t have the space for. Made to be waterproof too, the Nock is the perfect Robin to the Batman that is the Quiver X. It handles the small-time problems, leaving the large, heavy-duty activities and adventures to the highly-capable, durable, and trustworthy Quiver X.

Designers: CK Koh & Mandy Chan

Click here to Buy Now: $123 $163 (25% off). Hurry, only 14 left!

Quiver X is the ultimate 3-in-1 everyday carry bag that is designed for the daily commuter, active gym-goer and frequent traveler.

It enables you to move seamlessly from place to place – from indoor to out, from work to play; in just one pack.

With an enhanced lightweight material for the G hook, you can now switch between different styles effortlessly. Sling it, backpack it or grip it.

This all-weatherproof bag is your constant companion.

Infused with a DWR coating, Quiver X’s nylon fabric shields your valuables come rain or shine.

Quiver X’s Auto-lock zip mechanism secures your valuables. Simply touch the zips together and the bag is locked! Want to unlock it? Just pull it to the side and voila.

Quiver X’s 180 shower compartment comes with dedicated pockets for your toiletries and clothes. Navigate your phone even in the shower, thanks to the integrated waterproof touch-sensitive fabric.

Quiver X is packed with interior and exterior organizational pockets, dedicated compartments for both a laptop and tablet, plus a quick access card slot pocket with RFID protection.

A special nook for your glasses…

… and ajustable chest straps.

Whether you’re pitching in the field or the boardroom, the Quiver X has enough space to carry all your gear.

The Complete Features of Quiver X below.

Click here to Buy Now: $123 $163 (25% off). Hurry, only 14 left!