Dezeen School Shows: sustainable packaging for flowers that can be folded into a vase is included in Dezeen’s latest school show by students at Georgia Institute of Technology.

Also included is a collection of nostalgic objects that aim to draw attention away from technology and a lounge chair made from a singular plank of timber.

Georgia Institute of Technology

Institution: Georgia Institute of Technology
School: School of Industrial Design
Courses: BS Industrial Design: ID Studio II, Invention Studio, Product Development and Innovation Studio II and Master of Industrial Design: Graduate Studio B
Tutors: Dr Leila Aflatoony, Wendell Wilson, Stephen Chininis and Kevin Shankwiler

School statement:

“The Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design (BSID) and Master of Industrial Design (MID) programmes at Georgia Tech are structured to strengthen the designer’s role in fostering human-technology interactions.

“The curriculum is rooted in integrating aesthetic, functional, economic, sustainable and social considerations, preparing the next generation of designers.

“Our approach to design is research-backed and provides experiential learning opportunities. With six research labs, workshops for fabrication and prototyping, design studios and interdisciplinary collaborations, students acquire skills with significant industry relevance.

“We emphasise on strengthening the designer’s role in making technology more human-centric, focusing on interaction design, healthcare design, service design, product design and user-experience research.

“In our Master’s programme, students explore these areas in-depth through a thesis-based degree, working with a diverse and internationally known faculty.

“At the School of Industrial Design, we prioritise the end-user and take a multidisciplinary approach to problem-solving. Our program distinguishes itself from others by viewing industrial design as a synergy of design, technology and business.

“The BSID and MID programs are recognised as STEM degrees – CIP code 11.0105: Human-Centered Technology Design – making our international students eligible for a two-year optional practical training (OPT) extension and STEM-specific scholarships.

“Additionally, both degrees are accredited by the National Association of Schools in Art and Design (NASAD).

“As a leading design program in the USA, the School of Industrial Design at Georgia Institute of Technology leverages the resources of a top-tier research university, providing access to distinguished faculty and cutting-edge technology.

“This fosters an environment ripe for discovery, innovation and intellectual exploration.”

Fit U by Chuhan Qu and Yunqi Yan

“More and more people are incorporating fitness into their lifestyles. However, for many, it can be challenging to have a customised workout plan and stick to it due to numerous factors such as a lack of motivation and guidance.

“From research, it can be seen that there’s a lack of a digitalisation methods that can set up users’ workout plans and import them into wearable devices.

“Fit U mainly targets young adults to middle-aged people who want to incorporate regular workout sessions into their lives and live a healthier lifestyle.”

Students: Chuhan Qu and Yunqi Yan
Course: Master of Industrial Design: Graduate Studio B
Tutor: Dr Leila Aflatoony
Email: yyan326[at]gatech.edu

N-4 Police Bicycle by Margaret Lu, Elizaveta Egorova, Akin Tewe and Clarissa Yu

“The N-4 electric bike is a specially designed electric police bicycle to support the daily tasks of campus law enforcement officers.

“It addresses issues officers face with standard mountain bikes, such as agility and safety in urban environments.

“The design makes officers more visible and assertive while remaining cost-effective. It is lightweight yet robust with a swappable battery, integrated lights, ergonomic handlebars, built-in shoulder padding, non-slip grips and a front rack for gear.

“By combining functionality and comfort, the N-4 electric bike has the potential to redefine law enforcement bikes.”

Students: Margaret Lu, Elizaveta Egorova, Akin Tewe and Clarissa Yu
Course: BS Industrial Design: Product Development and Innovation Studio II
Tutor: Kevin Shankwiler
Emails: margaretlu.2018[at]gmail.com, egorova[at]gatech.edu, aakintewe3[at]gatech.edu and cyu376[at]gatech.edu

Mented by William Downs

“Mented is a beginner-friendly fermenter for fruit wine making. Traditional at-home kits are complex, outdated and unknown to many potential users, often leading to errors such as overfilling, which can cause explosions.

“Mented resolves these issues by including a built-in sieve with a fill line indicating how much fruit and liquid to add.

“Its modern aesthetic is more inviting for new users and a sun cover allows for countertop storage, making the process of learning to make fruit wine more comfortable and less intimidating.”

Student: William Downs
Course: BS Industrial Design: Invention Studio
Tutor: Stephen Chininis
Email: wdowns8[at]gatech.edu

Imperium by Liyi Lin and Nina Nash

“Imperium is an electronic cigarette that records the user’s smoking habits. This data can be viewed in a human-first interface application, allowing family and friends to connect and support the journey.

“Imperium collects the user’s historical data and utilises habitual behaviour learning algorithms to assess and develop a personalised plan to control or quit nicotine intake.

“This data increases the success rate of the cessation process by providing a human-first plan to combat the addictive traits of electronic cigarettes, benefitting the health of the user.”

Students: Liyi Lin and Nina Nash
Course: Master of Industrial Design: Graduate Studio B
Tutor: Wendell Wilson
Emails: LLyi981023[at]gmail.com and nina.nash[at]gatech.edu

Artifakt by Elizaveta Egorova

“Artifakt is a collection of vibrant statement items that promote social interaction, enhance wellbeing and boost productivity by minimising screen time in the home.

“It draws on established rituals and alludes to objects from the past that evoke feelings of nostalgia and encourage user engagement.”

Student: Elizaveta Egorova
Course: BS Industrial Design: Invention Studio
Tutor: Stephen Chininis
Email: egorova[at]gatech.edu

Go Vase by Huaizhuo Yang and Jinzhi Ye

“Go Vase is a new sustainable approach to flower packaging that provides an improved flower life cycle, an eco-friendly product and a multifunctional ergonomic design.

“Floral waste can contain heavy metals and pesticides that cause substantial water and land pollution. Our packaging is made with floral waste, collected from flower shops and customers, and recycled paper.

“The simple, foldable structure of the packaging is designed to easily transform into a vase while also being convenient to carry. For a small product, Go Vase can positively impact the world.”

Students: Huaizhuo Yang and Jinzhi Ye
Course: Master of Industrial Design: Graduate Studio B
Tutor: Wendell Wilson
Emails: hyang608[at]gatech.edu and eric_jinzhi[at]126.com

Sapele Serenade Lounge Chair by Jared Tieger

“The Sapele Serenade is a meticulously hand-crafted lounge chair made from a single plank of sapele hardwood, renowned for its rich and dark finish.

“Created using tools such as table saws, mills and palm sanders, this chair is a unique and impressive addition to any indoor or outdoor space.

“It combines elegance and durability, showcasing the wood’s finest qualities. The attention to detail in its crafting ensures precision, a polished finish and comfort, making the Sapele Serenade a delightful and functional standout piece of furniture.”

Student: Jared Tieger
Course: BS Industrial Design: ID Studio II
Tutor: Stephen Chininis
Email: jteiger3[at]gatech.edu

Walk for Water by Somesh Sunil Jaiswal and Nihar Devang Parekh

“Millions of women worldwide spend more than a quarter of their day transporting water to meet their families’ basic needs.

“Several products have been developed to ease water transportation but these women still have to walk for miles every day.

“A careful analysis of regions affected by this reveal that an on-site system combining water collection, recycling and harvesting is needed.

“We developed a systematic design that incorporates material engineering to aid in collecting water on site as well as water treatment and groundwater recharge.”

Students: Somesh Sunil Jaiswal and Nihar Devang Parekh
Course: Master of Industrial Design: Graduate Studio B
Tutor: Wendell Wilson
Email: niharpkh[at]gmail.com

Luna Lamp by Nicolette Wendell

“The Luna Lamp was designed following post Covid-19 trends such as the rise of do-it-yourself home improvement activities and craftspeople utilising video-based social medias such as TikTok.

“Targeting the online community of craftspeople who seek easy and cost-effective projects, the design focuses on shareability on social media and accessibility concerning cost, time and labour.

“The final product is a high-fidelity model – a digital crochet pattern for online sharing and a series of TikTok videos illustrating a tutorial and outlining the added value.”

Student: Nicolette Wendell
Course: BS Industrial Design: Invention Studio
Tutor: Stephen Chininis
Email: nwendell3[at]gatech.edu

HerbaBlock by Jason Li and Robert McCoid

“HerbaBlock is a modular and hydroponic-friendly house plant care system that caters to urban dwellers. In urban areas, space and lighting can often be scarce, making it difficult to grow house plants.

“Our space-efficient design can be mounted on walls and incorporates water and lighting features to promote plant growth, making up for deficiencies in urban spaces.

“We want to make city gardening more feasible and encourage urban dwellers to own house plants as they have numerous health and psychological benefits. Our ultimate goal is to help people living in cities to reconnect with nature.”

Students: Jason Li and Robert McCoid
Course: Master of Industrial Design: Graduate Studio B
Tutor: Wendell Wilson
Emails: jli803[at]gatech.edu and rmccoid6[at]gatech.edu

Partnership content

This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and Georgia Institute of Technology. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

The post Ten industrial design student projects by Georgia Institute of Technology appeared first on Dezeen.

This is an unusual project, to say the least. Italian industrial designer Francesco Faccin used a CNC mill and a lasercutter to produce the oldest of old-school objects: A manual Firestarter.

“Re-Fire-Kit is an object designed to reflect on essential human needs. A kit designed for manual fire-lighting, it has been produced using contemporary, widely-available sophisticated tools and production processes.”

“This project is emotionally charged and extremely physical; it cuts across innumerable frustrating attempts to identify the perfect equilibrium between the various components.”

“When I actually managed to create fire with my own hands, I was overwhelmed by a powerful sensation of self-sufficiency and independence: at the end of the day, what else matters…?”

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Toyota’s design team deserves credit, for being some of the few that don’t copy the Range Rover with their SUV designs. This was demonstrated with their latest Sequoia, and this week they unveiled the return of its stablemate, the venerated Land Cruiser.

Coming back to the ‘States after a three-year hiatus, the 2024 Land Cruiser has been redesigned with a fresh, unique look. The design isn’t perfect by any stretch—in particular the front end looks a bit muddled—but the design team is at least doing their own thing, and trying to hit multiple target markets: “Toyota’s North American-based studio CALTY Design Research worked closely with the global development team to establish the design direction for the new Land Cruiser,” the company writes.

Surface creasing has been kept to a minimum, except for one prominent and welcome line that runs from front to back, in an actual straight line; that’s a rarity these days, recalling an honest-to-God beltline of yore.

The angular gestures within the surfacing are mostly rational, though that’s not the case in the form: The steep angle of the A-pillar is jarringly close to vertical, but that’s fine by me, as I recognize it was done for function. (Vehicles with cab-forward A-pillars might look cool, but sacrifice too much visibility in turns.) And this is one of the few SUVs I can think of where the roof doesn’t plunge downwards at the back, which every design team has done since Range Rover launched that first Evoque.

The front end gets a bit strange, with a harsh transition from fender panel to nose. And the prominent body-color panels beneath each headlight are strangely disconnected from the form, as if they’re meant to be easily removed to reveal some hidden function beneath them.

One thing I do like about the front is that the designers have eschewed the gaping-maw grille style that every other SUV maker favors these days. Instead a thick black bar bisects the grille horizontally, leaving a slimmer rectangle to connect the headlights, recalling the ’80s/’90s LCs I’ve got a soft spot for. (Buddy of mine owned one, those things are tanks.)

They’re also releasing a “1958” trim level, that features throwback round headlights (LED, of course). The circular “eyes” are enough of a statement that they draw your eye away from the side-to-front transition, making the design look a lot cleaner.

The interior is clean and rational, providing an aesthetically-ordered result for the task all car designers are faced with these days: Find a place for all of these buttons, and a gigantic screen. Drivers will be pleased to see that there’s a physical, easy-to-reach volume knob to the left of said screen.

The new Land Cruiser will arrive next spring, with starting prices “in the mid-$50,000 range”—another surprise, given SUV sticker creep these days (I’d have guessed $65,000-plus).

Today Pininfarina revealed to the press their Pura Vision design concept, a vehicle they’re calling an e-LUV (electric Luxury Utility Vehicle). “Clients will recognise it as a Pininfarina with its beautiful body, timeless proportions and technical lower body detailing,” says Dave Amantea, Pininfarina’s Chief Design Officer.

In terms of ingress/egress, there’s a lot going on:

Interestingly, they refer to that center section of the roof as a “biscuit:”

“An innovative panoramic roof adds to the sense of sophisticated luxury. Its fixed ‘biscotto’ centre section is illuminated by a ring of gentle LED lighting and links the expansive windscreen at the front with the tailgate at the rear. The central ‘biscotto’ supports the large curved single-piece side windows, which form part of the Lounge Door openings on each side, while also ensuring PURA Vision is instantly recognisable from above. They hinge dramatically upwards and, in combination with the pillarless opening and rear-hinged back doors, provide unrestricted access to spacious 2+2 seating. The Lounge Doors were inspired by the pillarless design of the Lancia Florida saloon, which was penned by Battista Farina in the Fifties and was a favourite of Pininfarina’s founder.”

“Exterior jewellery showcases the attention to detail for which Automobili Pininfarina is renowned. These elements include a precisely engineered anodised aluminium beltline around the glasshouse, which begins at the windscreen and traces an elegant unbroken arc around PURA Vision. The roofline is defined by an aluminium element on each side. It incorporates the rear-facing cameras that replace conventional door mirrors, at the front, and bears the PURA Vision signature at the rear.”

“The rear features ultra-slim horizontal LED lights and the glasshouse tapers in plan view, accentuating PURA Vision’s crisply defined haunches, where the body rises sharply from the wheelarches – this vertical muscle has more in common with a sports car and contributes to PURA Vision’s unique stance.”

“Lower down, the technical appearance of the exposed carbon fibre bumper echoes the front end, and contrasts with the pure surfaces and sculptural forms of the upper body.”

The vehicle will be publicly unveiled at Monterey Car Week later this month.

People have seemingly taken a greater liking for personal mobility these days, ranging from hulking motorcycles to sophisticated e-bikes to traditional yet versatile bicycles. Regardless of the type of two-wheeled transportation, they’re all bound by one common trait and the same weakness. They naturally rely on their wheels to get you places, and the ride is immediately over once you get a flat. You are unlikely to have a spare with you, and the nearest gas station might still be blocks away. You could bring an air pump with you all the time, but their convenience comes at the cost of portability and performance. Not unless you get this unbelievably small air pump that easily slips into your pocket while still delivering the air pressure your tires need, multiple times over.

Designer: MINI PUMP

Long gone are the days when bicycle tire pumps were tantamount to getting some exercise, coming in long metal cylinders that are just begging to be left behind at home. There are smaller versions these days, of course, that utilized motors to give your arms a break, but they’re still not that convenient to stow in small bags. Tiny electric pumps have started popping up left and right, but they sacrifice actual usefulness just to boast about their size.

The MINI PUMP seeks to address all those problems with a small package that belies its functionality. For an accurate size comparison, the MINI PUMP is just as small as the AirPods Pro case, the gold standard for pocketable accessories. At only 115g in weight, there’s no longer any reason for you to leave the house unprepared for any eventuality, especially when you can just slip this deceptively simple product into your pocket or your EDC kit. You might even want to leave one near your bike all the time, ensuring you’ll never panic ever again when you notice your flat tire.

Despite its unassuming size, the MINI PUMP is well equipped to inflate a wide variety of objects, not just tires. It can generate as much as 100 PSI of pressure, which means it can even pump motorcycle tires in a pinch. For an average 700x25C road bike tire, the MINI PUMP can put out 0 to 80 PSI in just 70 seconds so you’ll be back on the road in no time. With a 350mAh battery, you can inflate three road bike tires on a single charge. A unique design lets you swap out nozzles to be compatible with a variety of tire valves, including Schrader, Presta, and Dunlop.

The MINI PUMP can do more than just inflate tires though. It can also pump flattened balls or even blow away dust from camera lenses or hard-to-reach cracks. Its built-in battery charges from zero to full in just 25 minutes, so you won’t be wasting time waiting for your new traveling sidekick to be ready. Save yourself from the stress of having a flat tire or ball at the most inconvenient time and place with this small and lightweight MINI PUMP that packs a large punch, only $70 on Kickstarter.

The post This incredibly lightweight tire inflator is just as small as an AirPods Pro case first appeared on Yanko Design.