You’ve seen laptop bags before… Meet the first tablet + camera bag that’s changing how we carry gear

Laptop bags are great for most days… but when you want to travel light with your gear, carrying a 4-pound laptop with its bulky charger around with you just won’t cut it. Designed as a minimalist alternative to the maximalist laptop bag, the Grip Sling from Black Ember is a modular daily carry sideways sling that’s wide enough for an 11-inch tablet, and spacious enough to keep a camera and two lenses… should you choose. Created as a compact, lightweight alternative that doesn’t compromise, the Grip Sling still has storage for the rest of your gear. It comes with an easy-adjust messenger-style strap, Fidlock-enabled key-holder, space for your phone/wallet/notepad, and optional expandable storage (with modular dividers) for your camera, headphones, drone, Nintendo Switch, or other gear. In short, everything but that heavy laptop.

Designers: Chris Gadway & Black Ember

Click Here to Buy Now: $119 $149 ($30 off). Hurry, only 3/275 left!

Wear the Grip high.

Wear the Grip low.

Their new Quick-Slide Lever lets you adjust quickly.

The Grip Sling looks and feels like the classic Messenger-style side-sling bag, but comes with a hip new design that’s built around the idea of modularity, comfort, and style. Designed to be worn in a multitude of ways, the Grip Sling features a strap with the bag’s Quick-Slide Lever, an aluminum buckle that lets you easily pivot your bag to the front, back, or hang it off the sides like a sling. Hold the buckle and pull it the way you would an airline seatbelt and the Grip Sling instantly tightens or loosens to help you adjust your bag, bringing it to the front when you want to quickly access something, and pushing it to the side or back when you’re done. Two aluminum pivot points connect the bag to its strap, giving it the freedom of mobility so you can wear the bag however you want, while carefully-designed interiors carry all your gear, organizing them in a way that makes them easy to access.

Made for Mirrorless DSLRs and similar camera sizes.

2 omni-positionable protective dividers.

Padded, magnetic tablet sleeve fits all iPads up to 11″.

A laptop bag’s size is dictated by the size of the laptop going inside it. Nothing else that goes inside a laptop is as big as the laptop, so remove it and now you’ve got yourself a much smaller footprint you can work with. That’s pretty much what the Grip Sling does. Designed around the ‘rest of your gear’, the sling comes with a padded compartment big enough for an 11-inch iPad or an A4 notebook, with a magnetic fixture that locks your tablet or book in place, and a spacious front compartment that fits your other gear, be it clothes, headphones, chargers, EDC, a bottle, or even your camera and lenses. A separate camera insert lets you store your photography equipment in the Grip Sling, with adjustable padded dividers to keep lenses, chargers, and more.

V-buckle compression straps are great for attaching gear.

The built-in key ring features its quick-release fidlock magnetic buckle.

The front pocket is divided into 2 sections with a padded divider.

Like any good bag or backpack, the Grip Sling also comes with dedicated internal and external storage pockets for other smaller gear. Internal pockets are perfect for stationery, wallets, and other essentials that you don’t need immediately, while an outer storage pocket is divided into two sections with a padded wall between them. This outer pocket is perfect for quick-access essentials like your phone, and the Grip Sling also comes with a built-in keyring that attaches to the sling via a magnetic Fidlock buckle. Optional V-buckle compression straps let you also attach additional items like umbrellas or tripods to your sling, giving you the entire gamut of gear in a compact carry-on.

Although built with a focus on style and size, the Grip Sling’s construction shines a light on security and sustainability too. The bag itself is the first ever to use CORDURA® 420D Velocity, the latest textile in the brand’s re/cor™ RN66 fabric collection for its outer clad. Made from reclaimed pre-consumer waste materials that have been recycled into high-quality yarns, Velocity fabric is durable and has a Matte-Shine finish with a water-resistant top coating that repels dust and dirt. The bag is also outfitted with YKK Aquaguard waterproof zippers along with Hypalon locking zipper pulls to keep your gear safe from the elements. The Quick-Slide Lever and Left and Right Pivot Points are all machined from T6 aluminum and are anodized in black to match the bag’s all-black aesthetic. The Grip Sling, like all Black Ember products, is made using the company’s proprietary BOND-STITCH high-precision construction. All textile components are laser-cut for high accuracy, before being bonded and technically sewed for a superior finish and a durable build.

The Grip Sling imagines a world where laptops aren’t a part of your everyday carry. By ditching the largest, bulkiest gadget in your backpack, it gives you something that’s smaller, lighter, more comfortable, and oozes sophistication with its uniquely customizable wearing style. The Grip Sling is priced at a discounted $119 and ships globally starting June 2023. The camera insert and compression straps are bundled separately, bringing the entire kit to a $179 price tag.

Click Here to Buy Now: $119 $149 ($30 off). Hurry, only 3/275 left!

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Modern iPhone 4 concept shows what the iconic Apple smartphone would look like if it were released today

Designed by Nathan Basset who goes by Reddit username G8M8N8, this beautiful handset merges nostalgia and innovation into one delightful package. “iPhone 4 is objectively the best-looking iPhone,” said Nathan, who designed this new-age iPhone based on its 2010 predecessor’s design language. I’m not one to invoke Steve Jobs’ name at every instance, but I do feel like this is the kind of phone he’d be proud to look at. It has the iPhone 4’s design language through and through but builds on its specs and details in a way that makes it futuristic. You’ve still got the classic aluminum frame with glass on the front and the back, but no raised camera bump like the one you’d see on the iPhone 14. The modern iPhone 4 has two large camera lenses that rest against the flat surface, gently protruding outwards. There’s no Home button, or any button for that matter… all you’ve got are flush control surfaces and a mute switch. There’s a Dynamic Island on the front, and what looks like a USB-C on the bottom. If the iPhone 4 was rebuilt again using the rumors of the iPhone 15 as a reference point, this is what we’d get… and I can’t help but think that Jobs would quite like it.

Designer: Nathan Basset

The phone comes in two color variants – Black, and White, just like the iPhone 4. Glass panels cover the front and the back, although, unlike its predecessor, this one isn’t a slave to bezels. The screen on the front pushes its way to the absolute limits, creating an absolutely seamless display with just a hint of a bezel on the sides. In true iPhone 4 fashion, the bezels on the white phone are white too. There’s a small cutout in the bezel on the top to make space for the receiver, which is a little more visible in the white variant.

The two-camera layout is a tribute to the iPhone 4’s lack of a Pro variant. In doing so, this model sticks to the basics too, however with larger camera modules that let more light in to the larger sensors, capturing pictures with much more clarity and vivid detail.

In keeping with the rumors of a button-less iPhone 15, this model ditches buttons too for pressure panels on the side for power and volume control. The only real hardware element is the mute switch, which is rumored to go on the iPhone 15 too, but Nathan decided to retain it for this concept because Jobs would have probably fired entire teams to ensure the mute switch remained untouched.

Flip over to the bottom and you’ve got yet another symbol of ‘Ghost of iPhone future’ – the USB-C charging port. Sitting between two stereo speakers, the USB-C charging port is perhaps the one biggest change to come to the future iPhone. Included in this concept just for good measure, it acts as a symbol of the future, while reminding us of the iPhone 4, which was the last iPhone with the original 30-pin connector. There’s no headphone jack on this concept, sadly. 🙁

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Looking for a good 3D printer for your design needs? Here’s some advice for you…

Marketing guru Seth Godin has an analogy he likes to call “The Quarter Inch Drill Bit.” In the analogy, he highlights that when a customer goes to a shop to buy a quarter-inch drill bit, they don’t really need a quarter-inch drill bit… They just need a quarter-inch hole. The drill bit is merely a means to an end; an instrument that they require to make a quarter-inch hole in the wall that can then be used to hang a shelf. Now apply this analogy to the world of 3D printers.

You could be on the market for a 3D printer, whether it’s for building prototypes, miniature figurines, hobby items, or actual products. Instead of splurging on a 3D printer, however, the folks at Xometry have a better solution – just use their printers instead. A global company based in Maryland, Xometry has a network of over 10,000 CNC manufacturers, 3D printers, molders, and other equipment that you can access. A whole lot easier than buying, maintaining, and upgrading your own personal 3D printer, Xometry’s online dashboard and Instant Quoting Engine let you easily upload your CAD files and have them printed just the way you want and shipped to your doorstep in a matter of days.

Visit Xometry’s website to upload your 3D models and get an instant quote today!

These hyperrealistic pumpkins were 3D printed on Xometry’s PolyJet printers

With its online dashboard and global presence, Xometry makes 3D printing accessible to pretty much everyone… without you even needing to own a printer. Working almost like the ‘Amazon’ of fabrication, Xometry simplifies the prototyping process to a handful of steps and gives you exactly the kind of quality you need, going from basic single-color prints to even detailed prints with as many as 600,000 colors (including those from Pantone, RAL, HEX, and CMYK libraries), and also home-delivers the results to you just like ordering something online. Quite like the way Uber makes transportation easy without owning a car, Xometry makes fabrication easy without needing to own any expensive gear or have elaborately designed spaces for it.

The printers allow for solid, transparent, and translucent prototyping

The 3D printers used by Xometry aren’t your average consumer-grade ones either. Xometry offers eight types of industrial 3D printing using top-of-the-line equipment from Stratasys, EOS, Carbon, Desktop Metal, 3D Systems, SLM Solutions, Concept Laser, and more.

Xometry’s 3D printing and fabrication services are used in an expansive range of industries, from design and engineering to architecture, automotive, aerospace, art & decor, and even the culinary industry. Their 3D printing services are even favored by large multinational corporations, the likes of Bosch, BMW, Dell, General Electric, and NASA, all of whom use Xometry’s platform to quickly prototype ideas to perfection without investing in expensive 3D printing equipment or massive fabrication/prototyping divisions… and honestly, you shouldn’t have to either. Xometry’s online dashboard makes it easy to just upload your design and generate a quote and delivery timeline for your final product. You can modify your process too, opting between regular or PolyJet printing, and choosing your print colors, quality, and material, saving time, energy, and money in the process. Don’t buy a 3D printer. Just rent the services of one out instead!

Visit Xometry’s website to upload your 3D models and get an instant quote today!

Polyjet printing lets you print up to 60,000 colors, layer by layer, allowing for hyperrealistic prints

The various printing capabilities let you mimic shape, size, color, and texture.

Visit Xometry’s website to upload your 3D models and get an instant quote today!

The post Looking for a good 3D printer for your design needs? Here’s some advice for you… first appeared on Yanko Design.

LEGO mannequin with repositionable limbs makes sketching/animation easier, and can be modified too

LEGO bricks are often referred to as an architect’s best friend, but it seems like the company’s uniquely benefitting animators too – not through its series of incredibly fun movies, but by this adorable tabletop mannequin. Used by artists and animators alike, the mannequin is a perfect tabletop accessory to help understand human movement, positions, and proportions. Without needing to have an actual human in the room, the LEGO Artist’s Mannequin captures all the articulation and elegance of the human form. This LEGO set boasts an impressive 22 points of articulation, allowing for the accurate representation of human poses and emotions. Ideal for art enthusiasts and LEGO fans alike, this MOC was built by LEGO Ideas user “The LEGO Dark Knight”.

Designer: The LEGO Dark Knight

The LEGO Artist’s Mannequin is a true testament to the versatility of LEGO bricks. Standing at approximately 9-10 inches tall, this figure boasts impressive articulation, allowing artists to pose it in a wide array of positions. The mannequin’s joints, carefully designed and assembled using LEGO Technic elements, mimic human anatomy and offer the flexibility needed for artists to study and accurately capture the essence of the human form.

The mannequin is not only practical but visually captivating as well. Its sleek, all-white design sets it apart from traditional wooden artists’ mannequins, and the unique brick-based construction adds a touch of LEGO charm. It’s a stunning addition to any artist’s studio or LEGO enthusiast’s collection.

What’s truly exciting about the LEGO Artist’s Mannequin is the potential for customization. As with all LEGO creations, the possibilities are endless. Ambitious builders can modify the design, adding different elements like handheld objects, garments, accessories, or even extra limbs/wings to the mannequin. Additionally, you could also create different body types and proportions to explore various artistic styles.

The mannequin also serves as a fantastic teaching tool, introducing children to the concepts of anatomy and proportions in a fun and interactive way. It’s the perfect blend of learning and play, allowing kids and adults alike to tap into their creative potential. Currently a fan-made submission at the LEGO Ideas forum, the LEGO Artist’s Mannequin has 985 votes from the global LEGO community. You can cast your vote for it on the LEGO Ideas website to turn it from a fan-made product to a retail kit.

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Ouri: Twin

Montreal-based DJ, producer and musician Ouri shares “Twin,” a track that’s at first led by acoustic guitar and featherweight vocals, before including glitchy, ethereal effects. While layered, the track is also sparse and delightfully dissonant. Gentle and unpredictable, “Twin” was partly inspired by, and samples, Vegyn & Danny L Harle’s gorgeous 2022 track “Britnaeys new baby.” Ouri says, “I was driving every day, screaming/singing in the car my new song to my love, while listening to Vegyn & Danny L Harle’s ‘Britnaeys new baby.’ To the point where I couldn’t imagine the song without the sample.”

More Restaurants in NYC Are Becoming Worker-Owned

As the food service industry continues to grapple with the pandemic and its consequences, a handful of restaurants and bars in NYC have adopted new structures to make their businesses more equitable. The worker-owned model—in which employees hold stock in the company equally—isn’t a new idea, but more and more business in the city are adopting it, including Astor Wines & Spirits, Banter cafe, Donna, Brooklyn’s Prospect Butcher Co and the forthcoming Sea & Soil Coop. A 2018 Harvard Business Review study found that employee-owned companies were more resilient economically and can boost profits by 14% while creating fairer workplaces and labor conditions. This has been particularly evident for businesses like Astor Wines & Spirits whose manager likens the new model to a “superior form of 401(k).” Co-owners Andy and Rob Fisher say, “The best succession plan is to entrust Astor to the people who have been so instrumental in building our enterprise.” Learn more about the rise of this labor practice at Eater.

Image courtesy of Astor Wine & Spirits

IKEA’s versatile solar-powered lamp lets you switch on virtual sun in planetary magnificence

It’s high time we adopt alternative energy solutions like solar power for lighting up our homes. IKEA is heedful of this need, and so is Little Sun, founded way back in 2012 by engineer Frederik Ottesen and Olafur Eliasson artist.

The unison between the world’s most recognized home furnishing retailers and the determined creative duo goes back to 2019 when they released a prototype of a solar-powered lighting collection dubbed SAMMANLÄNKAD.

Designer: IKEA and Little Sun

After delays in the launch of these solar-powered lighting accessories for the masses, four years henceforth, the collection is finally ready to hit select IKEA stores from April 2023. There’s an aesthetically designed table lamp and a cute portable light bringing the spotlight to an “alternative source of energy to power everyday objects,” according to IKEA. The essence here is, to make the resounding aura of the sun “tangible in beautiful and purposeful design objects.”

According to Olafur Eliasson, the complete transition to renewable energy in the next ten years demands each one of us “recognize the opportunity of solar energy.” For this vision, Little Sun and IKEA want to raise awareness for smooth energy access and reiterate in our subconscious the “potential to co-shape our world” with SAMMANLÄNKAD (meaning “connected” in English).

The solar-powered table lamp piqued our interest due to its cohesion with the movement of planet earth at an angle and path around the sun. Thus, the half-sphere-shaped light is encapsulated by a reflective metal plate and the Earth’s planetary motion is closely mimicked by the two metallic rings. Ultimately it’s an enactment of a planetary symphony that any astronomy enthusiast would deeply appreciate, without ever getting bored.

The icing on the cake, well, the $98 lighting accessory doubles as a pendant lamp thanks to the adjustable metal frame. The light source can be removed from the housing for use as a torch if need be.

The portable lamp with a yellow strap, on the other hand, is tailored for outdoor use and comes with a price tag of $11. Both the lighting accessories can be charged via USB-A or USB-C ports if you hit a patch of cloudy days.

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Doublespace Photography captures Ricardo Bofill's Muralla Roja on its 50th anniversary

Two children playing on Muralla Roja roof

Canadian duo Doublespace Photography has released images of Spanish architect Ricardo Boffil‘s iconic Muralla Roja apartment building to mark 50years since its completion.

To mark the anniversary, photographers Amanda Large and Younes Bounhar of Doublespace Photography travelled to Spain to stay at an apartment in the complex for six days, in order to capture it in different weather and light conditions.

Pink stepped roof with ocean in background
Canadian duo Doublespace Photography travelled to Spain to photography Ricardo Bofill’s Muralla Roja

“Each nook and facade changed throughout the day, depending on whether it was bathed in direct sun, in shade or reflecting the colour from an adjacent facade,” Bounhar told Dezeen.

“The play of light and shadow was mesmerizing. In all honesty, that alone was enough of a draw for us.”

Pool on Muralla Roja with pink sky and ocean in background
2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the iconic building

Completed in 1973, Muralla Roja was an early work by late architect Ricardo Bofill sited in Alicante, Spain.

Encompassing 50 functional apartments, the structure is known for its playful geometries, bright colouration and its dramatic perch above the Medditerean Sea.

Bofill, who passed away in 2022, described the project as a “maximum expression of critical regionalism to the Mediterranean coast,” according to Gestalten‘s monograph of his work, Visions of Architecture.

Children playing by the pool on the rooftop with pink structures in background
The structure still holds 50 fully functioning apartments

Scores of people travel to the site every year, and it is a popular destination for photographers who are attracted to the cross-shaped, postmodern structure.

Bounhar told Dezeen that they saw people from all over the world who were “drawn to capture its magic” and that the crowds were not “not limited to the architectural geek”.

Pink walkway leading to tower with ocean in the background
It is a noteworthy work from Bofill’s early career

The structure’s jagged edges cast shadows on its blue, red and pink-painted walls that form a series of spires, which surround an interior courtyard.

On the roof of the building are a series of parapet-like extrusions that flank public space and swimming pools.

From a distance, the structure appears assembled from a variety of different shapes, with arches, window boxes, cut-outs and staircases, which Bounhar described as “Escher-like”, all contributing to the surreality of the structure, which is compounded by the adjacent Xanadù, also designed by Bofill.

“We were really taken with the general playfulness of the design,” said the photographer.

“The complex is designed in such a way that it doesn’t reveal itself all at once – every turn brings a new surprise.”

Pink stairways of Muralla Roja at night
The photographers captured the building at different times of day

“You might find yourself in a dark corner with only a bright spec of colour appearing from an adjacent opening and, from there, either happen upon an explosion of light and colour in the middle of a courtyard, or discover a breathtaking view of the Mediterranean,” continued

“In the end, it is a place that is both ahead of its time and timeless.”

Muralla Roja pink inset stair with sea in the background
“It is a place that is both ahead of its time and timeless,” said the photographers

With the advent of image-sharing platforms like Instagram and changing tastes, projects from the last century have gained new fans, driven often by photographers recapturing the buildings for 21st-century audiences.

Recently, Anna Dave photographed Javier Senosiain’s El Nido de Quetzalcóatl, a snake-like apartment complex in Mexico.

Blue jagged staircase
It has a mix of pink, red and blue paint on its facades

Last year, Jack Young released a book of his photography showing the “beauty of London’s council estates”.

The photography is by Doublespace Photography. 

The post Doublespace Photography captures Ricardo Bofill’s Muralla Roja on its 50th anniversary appeared first on Dezeen.

Fully-electric M One electric moped folds into its frame, easily fits in the boot of your car

The pint-sized Honda Motocompo scooter manufactured in 1981 could easily fit inside the boot of a car, and understandably over the years, there’ve been many iterations inspired by this design. Another resounding nod to the 49cc folding two-wheeler in the electrified era is the M One e-scooter.

Designed by Shanghai-based startup, FELO, the electric scooter is an electric Motocompo that urban riders have been longing for so long, and finally bestowed with one. The two-wheeler made its first appearance at the ongoing 2023 Tokyo Motorcycle Show which apparently is also the 50th anniversary of the mega event.

Designer: FELO

The compact moped is a tad lighter than the Motocompo weighing just 82 pounds and similar in dimensions measuring 45.6 inches x 22 inches x 33.8 inches. Of course, it gets a major overhaul (for comparison’s sake) in the form of a 400-watt 1.34-hp hub motor powered by the 48V, 20-Ah Lithium-ion battery pack. Just so that you know, the battery pack has a 220VAC 50Hz outlet that can power up your gadgets or household appliances courtesy of the V2L (vehicle to load) capability.

According to FELO, the M One will be able to churn out a range of 62 miles on one full charge if the rider maintains an average speed of 15 mph. Although there is no mention of the top speed yet, the e-bike could max out at around 20-30 mph on the speedometer. That’s very similar to what Motocompo could eke out, and no one’s complaining since top speeds aren’t a major talking point with such a compact set of wheels by any stretch of the imagination.

The whole point of a small folding moped is to have a commuter that can make the quick trip to the local market without getting stuck in traffic or maybe driving on congested roads that aren’t big enough for a four-wheeler or even a standard bike. That novelty of folding down the handlebars, footpegs, collapsible fork and seat into the robust magnesium-aluminum body frame, allows the M One to easily be hauled in a family car or the bed of a MUV.

M One’s compact form factor gives it a huge advantage in urban setups and the fact that it will hit the roads in Q4 2023 – initially in China and maybe Japan as well – makes it an even more exciting prospect. The fully electric two-wheeler will be priced at around $2,900 which is not a bad deal for times when city commuting demands compact vehicles like this one.

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Dezeen Debate features "bold and courageous" canopy by Adjaye Associates

The latest edition of our Dezeen Debate newsletter features a giant canopy created by Adjaye Associates and Daniel Boyd for a public plaza in SydneySubscribe to Dezeen Debate now.

Architect David Adjaye and First Nations Australian artist Boyd have created the Sydney Plaza & Community Building, which features a huge canopy that filters light through circular openings.

The project aims to highlight the Aboriginal heritage of the site, drawing attention to its origins – it was once home to the Eora Nation clan, the traditional custodians of the place we now call Sydney.

Readers were divided in their reaction, with one describing the canopy as “pointless”, whereas another thought it was “a bold and courageous move by the architect”.

Exterior of Floating House in Vietnam by SDA
SDA completes flood-resilient concrete house in Vietnam

Other stories in this week’s newsletter that fired up the comments section include an elevated concrete home in Vietnam, a house in Mexico City featuring a dramatic cantilever and an interview with construction material expert Benjamin Kromoser.

Dezeen Debate

Dezeen Debate is sent every Thursday and features a selection of the best reader comments and most talked-about stories. Read the latest edition of Dezeen Debate or subscribe here.

You can also subscribe to our other newsletters; Dezeen Agenda is sent every Tuesday containing a selection of the most important news highlights from the week, Dezeen Daily is our daily bulletin that contains every story published in the preceding 24 hours and Dezeen In Depth is sent on the last Friday of every month and delves deeper into the major stories shaping architecture and design.

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