Hasta La Ideas

Over the next months we will be highlighting award-winning projects and ideas from this year’s Core77 Design Awards! For full details on the project, jury commenting and more information about the awards program, go to Core77DesignAwards.com

Designer: Pamela Troyer
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Category: Furniture/Lighting
Award: Student Notable

Sheer Geometry

An ultra versatile, gem inspired structure with the ability to expand over surfaces using a dual purpose magnetic/electric connection. This product is a lightweight feature piece with the ability to achieve grand proportions from a few distinct points, whether symmetrically or asymmetrically, small or large.

There were many things that evolved from the brief, what ended up being the most exciting was analyzing the assembly of the product from the most minute detail in manufacture to the finished pieces working together as a whole. For example, the connector points are derivatives of magnetic purse snaps which have been sanded to a brushed finish and were at first not intended for conductivity in manufacture. Working with both the polarity of rare earth magnets and LED’s simultaneously meant working with the laws of probability—for example, if a piece doesn’t work one way, it will work on the other face of the same piece. It was these sorts of details that led me to an obsession with connectivity, conductivity and how to describe polarity visually.

Core77: What’s the latest news or development with your project?

The project is getting somewhat of a revamp. At the moment I am working with the modularity of the back panels and making it an all around simpler and easier to install piece both for the sake of the design and my own sanity. Further to this, the piece should be on display at an upcoming design show in Vancouver, the IDS west “future masters” exhibit occurring in late September.

What is one quick anecdote about your project?

Perhaps what I will remember most about this project is waking up in the middle of the night with the strange inclination to solder something or work out a bothersome technical issue. Good and less good decisions were made at four in the morning, but they all made perfect sense at the time.

Read on for full details on the project and jury comments.

(more…)

Over the next months we will be highlighting award-winning projects and ideas from this year’s Core77 Design Awards! For full details on the project, jury commenting and more information about the awards program, go to Core77DesignAwards.com

Designer: Design Night – Dominic D’Andrea and Tram Pham
Location: Portland, Oregon, USA
Category: DIY/Hack/Mod
Award: Notable

Nimble

Nimble is a candleholder with a clever twist. The form allows candle wax to pool and dry inside the base. The flexible exterior, when twisted, cracks off the wax. The candle sits in a brass core which can withstand heat. A handle protects your hands and allows for mobility.

We set out to make a candle holder that was beautiful and more importantly practical. We wanted to come up with a solution for an issue that gets overlooked: wax cleanup. Many candle holders mainly focus on the act of holding the candle. After an hour or so, candle wax often overflows and drips onto the candle holder and/or table surface. Cleaning wax is messy and annoying. Nimble solves this problem. The form of Nimble gently slopes away from the center which allows wax to pool and cool in a specific area. Because of the flexible nature of the plastic, a simple twist and the wax cracks off—simple and easy cleanup!

Core77: What’s the latest news or development with your project?

We have enjoyed an uptick to our website hits. We wait for anyone interested in licencing our concept. Umbra, West Elm, Lexon… Hello!

What is one quick anecdote about your project?

The integration of a handle for our candleholder seemed to cause to most debate bordering strife in our process. I’m certain our debate will continue.

Read on for full details on the project and jury comments.

(more…)

Over the next months we will be highlighting award-winning projects and ideas from this year’s Core77 Design Awards! For full details on the project, jury commenting and more information about the awards program, go to Core77DesignAwards.com

Designer: BBMG – Ian Beck, Jess Oswald, Raphael Bemporad, Molly Conley, Mitch Baranowski, and Eve Smith
Location: Brooklyn, New York, USA
Category: Strategy/Research
Award: Professional Notable

Unleashed

In 2008-2009 BBMG issued reports looking at data of a growing segment of conscious consumers: those who “purchase with a purpose.” But wanting to meet and engage more consumers, we created the first online community connecting conscious consumers with sustainable brands, resulting in the first co-created research report in our arena.

BBMG believes branding is in the middle of a paradigm shift from brand 1.0 to brand 2.0. We’re seeing the evolution of branding away a discipline that focuses narrowly on logos and taglines to sell products (1.0) and toward a more inclusive model (2.0) that’s about creating engaging experiences, co-creating solutions and becoming a platform for people to meet their practical needs, realize their values and become part of something bigger than themselves.

At the same time, we’ve noticed through two years of national statistically significant research that consumers are going through their own shift. We’re calling it the rise of the New Consumer: practically-driven, values-aspirational consumers and citizens who we believe are the key to tipping sustainability from green to mainstream.

Core77: What’s the latest news or development with your project?

We’ve received more than 1,500 targeted downloads to the report since releasing.

What is one quick anecdote about your project?

In the past our agency has released printed research reports, but for the sake of environmental sustainability and creating a more engaging piece, we experimented with an interactive PDF format. The design challenge of the report was twofold. We wanted to create a fully interactive experience but faced issues with file size and mobile/desktop compatibility. We had to get creative at times to make specific functionalities of the piece work, such as embedding videos alongside rotating slide shows and animated diagrams. The other challenge we faced was thinking how to illuminate and enhance the storytelling of the report without creating technology and visibility challenges for our readers. We found that the interactive format helped add real value the report by allowing readers a more in-depth journey into the new consumer mindset, including consumer video narration, interactive photo diaries and personal values statements. Telling the consumers’ stories was a fun and exciting journey, and we’ve heard lots of positive feedback not only about our report contents, but its format, design and interactivity.

Read on for full details on the project and jury comments.

(more…)

Over the next months we will be highlighting award-winning projects and ideas from this year’s Core77 Design Awards! For full details on the project, jury commenting and more information about the awards program, go to Core77DesignAwards.com

Designers: Matthew Ryan & Tim Geoghegan
Location: New Lambton, Australia / New York, NY
Category: Design for Social Impact
Award: Winner

4th Amendment Wear

Now there’s a way to protest those intrusive TSA X-ray body scanners without saying a word. Underclothes printed with the 4th Amendment in Metallic Ink. Let them know they’re spying at the privates of a private citizen. The 4th Amendment to the US Constitution is readable on TSA body scanners.

4th Amendment Wear made a statement without having to say a word. It’s what we considered ‘technological Judo’ – it used the very act of invading someone’s privacy to communicate a message that questioned how far Americans were willing sacrifice that sense of privacy. It didn’t outright condemn the search – it just raised questions. It gave the wearer a sense of individual liberty to be able to express their concerns, while not causing a disturbance.

Core77: What’s the latest news or development with your project?

Matthew Ryan: The public response to 4th Amendment Wear has been tremendous. I don’t want to say too much… some very exciting plans starting to take shape.

What is 1 quick anecdote about your project?

Matthew Ryan: 4th Amendment Wear has been an amazing journey. From inventing the metallic ink formula to launching a clothing line readable on TSA airport body scanners. Everyday had a new set of challenges, having to figure out each step from scratch to create something that had never been, done before!

Lots of late nights!!! Lots of fast food!!! but all the hard work was definitely worth it. It showed me that anything’s possible when you’ve got an idea you personally believe in, and one that you’re convinced will engage people.

Read on for full details on the project and jury comments.

(more…)

Over the next months we will be highlighting award-winning projects and ideas from this year’s Core77 Design Awards! For full details on the project, jury commenting and more information about the awards program, go to Core77DesignAwards.com

Designers: Paula Kuhn, Alex Scott, Shira Kates, Arash Shirinbab, Amy Gustincic
Location: Oakland, California, USA
Category: Design for Social Impact
Award: Student Notable

The SPARK Project

SPARK is a hyper-local system that connects people in defined geographic areas, creating sustainable community by engaging human potential. A benefit of knowing your neighbor is easy access to limitless variety of skills that people have, but since people don’t know their neighbors this all goes to waste.

Research shows that people in Western societies are gradually losing connection to their neighborhoods, and issues around loneliness, isolation, depression and detachment to community are increasing. This lack of connection and relation to community have negative impacts on individuals and society, including excessive individualism, alienation, violence, abuse and mental illness, ultimately leading to lower quality of life and lack of accountability to other people and the environment. This is a picture of unsustainable community.

People told us that they want to know their neighbors more than they currently do. If people know their neighbors, they have greater access to skills, support, community and resources. People use less, purchase less and feel more supported when personal connections are built.

Our team become excited by the notion that by creating human connections we can help to engage people more in their neighborhood community, bringing back a sense of cohesiveness, support, and belonging that leads to a thriving and sustainable community.

Core77: What is 1 quick anecdote about your project?

SPARK is a project about creating community in a world where many of us don’t know our neighbors. We were surprised when we learned that one of our team members, Alex, lives just a few blocks from the sister of another team member, Paula, and they had no idea. Even though the project had not launched it was already helping people to make connections.

Read on for full details on the project and jury comments.

(more…)