Dans le cadre du London Design Festival, Studio Weave a construit une serre en arche remplie de plantes qui, selon les prévisions, pourront bientôt pousser à l’extérieur au Royaume-Uni en raison du changement climatique.

Baptisé Hothouse, le pavillon a été créé pour attirer l’attention sur la hausse des températures causée par le changement climatique, ce qui permettra de cultiver de nombreux fruits tropicaux en extérieur à Londres dans les 30 prochaines années. Un projet de design social innovant et qui ne peut que nous faire réfléchir à la création d’un environnement urbain nouveau.

Yes, we all have notes on our phones but has that phased out the use of paper and pen at our work desks? Nope, in fact, most people still prefer to write down their to-do lists because checking it off is gratifying. As a reflex, we always tend to frantically search for a notepad to jot down a number, address, meeting feedback, last-minute lists, or notes during a class. To integrate this existing behavior with the technology we already use, designer Jeong Woo Kim created Ouverture – a conceptual keyboard accessory that is a number pad + a digital notepad when you flip the cover. It has a typing mode which is the number pad and a memo mode which is the writing pad. “The leather cover acts as a number pad on a conventional keyboard. Current from the fingertips passes through the special conductive fiber to the touchpad inside the leather cover,” explains Kim.

A quick survey showed that 98% of people take notes when they are working on computers and 70% of them said it is uncomfortable and 34% complained that their desk tends to get messy or notes tend to get lost. With a device like Ouverture, your notes are saved as image files and your desk remains clutter-free. But it would be interesting if technology also lets you convert it into text for easier transfer of information. Another important point to consider if this goes into production is to make sure it is modular so that the left-handed demographic can also be included – we all deserve to have a chance at being more efficient! Ouverture comes with a magnetic pen on the side so that you don’t need to look for pen or paper anymore – it retains the tactile experience and incorporates it with our digital lifestyle without us having to learn any new behaviors. No more messy desks, paper waste, or lost memos!

Designer: Jeong Woo Kim

Dezeen promotion: Swedish furniture company Hem has launched a new visual identity featuring shapes based on popular products from its archive.

The rebrand reflects “a new chapter” for Hem after a year of growth for the company, during which it relocated to a larger headquarters in Stockholm and opened its first permanent studio in New York.

Designed by London-based branding agency Made Thought, the visual identity includes new graphics, a fresh colour palette and a redesigned typeface.

For the brand graphics, Made Thought selected a series of digital visuals taken of popular Hem products and stripped them down to their basic forms, leaving just flat silhouettes of the items.

Chosen designs include the Alphabeta Pendant Light by Luca Nichetto, the Last Stools by Max Lamb and the Kendo Chair by LucidiPevere.

These shapes will be used to represent key product categories across Hem’s packaging and promotional materials, as well as on its website. They will be used as colour-block graphics on their own or as frames for other content, such as product photographs.

The graphics and branding have been animated with a vibrant colour palette featuring cobalt blue, lemon yellow, bright red and deep green.

These hues are paired with a lighter version of their own colour, apart from the blue tone, which is paired with white.

“The expressive colour palette reflects the unique style and playful tone of the brand, its designs, and collaborations, while also marking Hem’s significant growth and the vibrant position it has earned across the world of contemporary design,” said the company.

“Hem came to us with an interesting challenge: their products are exceptional and their people progressive leaders in the design world, but they felt their current brand wasn’t a true reflection of their ethos or offer,” said Garrett Duncan, strategy director at Made Thought.

“Hem offers imagination and creativity in abundance alongside their obsession with quality and detail,” he continued.

“We wanted to create an identity that stood apart from the more expected visual codes of control and precision and instead focus on expressing Hem’s personality and character, to create a visual language that was engaging, personable and unexpected.”

A new, bespoke typeface was also created for the furniture brand by leading Swedish typographer Göran Söderström.

Dubbed Hem Sans, the font reimagines the Geometric Sans Serif font, with “unexpected shapes” such as sharp corners, squared punctuation and long, curved tails on the lowercase y and t letters.

While Söderström designed the typeface as a homage to the use of geometry in architecture and interior design throughout history, Hem wanted it to also strengthen their digital presence.

“Text is still the single most important part of any digital interface, and in order for Hem to own every detail of that experience we decided to create something new, and bespoke,” said Söderström.

To see Hem’s new visual identity in action, which launched today, visit its website.

The post Hem launches new brand identity by Made Thought appeared first on Dezeen.

Flashback in time and the nostalgia of classic Formula-1 cars racing down the straights, makes you want to time travel that era. Sure, modern driving simulators are one way to satiate your craving but the overall sensory experience is something that takes a hit. Amongst the sea of new-age simulators that traverse you to the realms of a pure adrenaline rush, the TCCT eClassic driving simulator gives you reason enough to feel the heat of the championship battles.

Designed in close quarters with Zagato and Pininfarina – the two big names in car design – this simulator brings classic vintage car racing to a new dimension. TCCT eClassic Club members can drive precious classic cars for the racing rush by participating in the club’s racing programs and championships. Amateur users can use the support services offered by the racing academy to improve driving skills and then, later on, take on the pros for bragging rights. Using today’s technology to experience the thrill of yesteryears – the TCCT eClassic driving simulator is created by Racing Unleashed. Unlike other racing simulators they’ve been accustomed to creating, this one is draped in classic elements for obvious reasons. The steering wheel has a wooden crown, the gear shifter is a manual transmission and the interior leather upholstery carries that 70s vibe.

To immerse the driver in action, eClassic simulator has active hydraulic pistons for experiencing every sharp turn and bumps on the chicanes. One of the simulators takes the form of the two-seater Cisitalia 202 GT having the flowing aerodynamic design. Combined with the panning 46-inch ViewSonic screens for visual awesomeness, you are in for the ride of your life once the engines start.

It is befitting that the simulator carries a price tag of approximately $7,130 (6,000 euros). Though you can only get a seat aboard one in 2021 when it is slated to be available!

Designers: TCCT with Pinnafarina and Zagato.

With an emphasis on empowerment and representation, this artist produces images she wishes she had seen growing up

Phoenix, Arizona-based photographer Idara Ekpoh‘s career “started as a side hustle, and then I fell in love with capturing people,” she tells us, when we connected after her involvement in Apple’s briefing on the new iMac (which launched last month). A first-generation Nigerian-American, Ekpoh utilizes her passion and talent to explore identity and capture moments of beauty.

After taking high-school photography, she wanted a camera to shoot graduation photos for a bit of extra money. Her mom caved, and bought her a Canon Sl1 Rebel. This early portraiture planted the seed for her future projects that mostly center on Black people. “Representation is really big for me,” she tells us. “Growing up, if I had seen more positive images of Black women, it would have meant a lot. It’s important to me to create the art that I wanted to see as a kid. I want Black kids to see and feel the radiance we have.”

Whether her lens is pointed at school children in Akwa Ibom, Nigeria or a cast of Black women for her An Ode to Black Women project, Ekpoh understands the gravity of the resulting image. “Anything I can do to capture someone and tell their story—that’s what I love to use my work for now,” she says. To tell these stories, the shoot environment must be easygoing and friendly, she explains, and the subject needs to feel fully involved and powerful. “I show them the photos as I go and their confidence goes to an all-time high,” she says. “They relax and feel good.”

Since the pandemic paused shoots and grounded trips, Ekpoh tasked herself with a new project: to take self-portraits every week, a challenge that proves difficult given she’s forced to prescribe directorial notes to herself. The resulting images, she emphasizes, are far more than selfies.

“In a season of self-isolation, Self Portrait Sunday was birthed as a way to explore the concept of identity,” she explains on the project’s landing page. “Self-portraiture has allowed me to explore my identity as a Black woman through visual storytelling. I control my narrative and my images are a reflection of that. I have become my favorite muse.”

Furthering her mission of producing the images she wished she’d seen growing up, she’s centered herself in her recent work, acting as the “photographer, muse, creative director, makeup artist, hair stylist and whatever other titles exists in order to bring a vision to life,” she says.

“I wanted to create so I became all of the above… I realized that I didn’t need other people to create the art that I wanted to see,” she adds in the project’s introduction. Her photographs are vibrant, multi-dimensional and tender. They’re also the product of an evolved process. “I love making the self-portraits, but I miss planning and executing portraits,” she explains. Shot on a Canon EOS 6D (with Sigma 35mm 1.4 and Canon 50mm 1.4 lenses), the resulting images spotlight her immense talent and transcend expectations of an entirely self-produced project.

As far as on-set assistance goes, Ekpoh needs little, if any. “I shoot with natural light,” she says. “As long as I have a window, I’m good.” She’s also well-versed in the software available for post-shoot editing. The new 27-inch iMac’s Retina 5k emphasizes the details of a high-pixel photograph, plus the machine’s expanded memory and storage make maneuvering high-usage applications like Lightroom and Photoshop easier—all of which Ekpoh uses. “In post, I start by exploring to see what I like and don’t like. I let myself have that freedom which is sometimes good and sometimes not,” she says.

The ability to be nimble proves a vital component of Ekpoh’s style and process, even when taking photos of herself. Shot to shot, she captures the subtleties, nuances and beauty of Black individuals. “I want to give people a space to be captured,” she says. “I love giving people that space to capture their true beauty.”

Images courtesy of Idara Ekpoh