Hasta La Ideas

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.

The post Modern iPhone 4 concept shows what the iconic Apple smartphone would look like if it were released today first appeared on Yanko Design.

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.

The post LEGO mannequin with repositionable limbs makes sketching/animation easier, and can be modified too first appeared on Yanko Design.

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

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.

“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.”

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.

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”.

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.”

“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.”

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.

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.

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

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.

The post Dezeen Debate features “bold and courageous” canopy by Adjaye Associates appeared first on Dezeen.