Hasta La Ideas

That sunny clock on the cover of this month’s issue of Real Simple? It’s the work of Harry Allen, whose witty/creepy take on the piggy bank has become a modern design classic. Real Simple creative director Janet Froelich commissioned four designers—Allen, Boym Partners, Scott Henderson, and Alan Dye—to create clocks for the magazine’s time-themed tenth anniversary issue. While Allen, Henderson, and the Boyms crafted tangible timekeepers that appear on the three different April covers, Dye designed a virtual clock in the form of a colorful screensaver (download it here). Allen took the magazine’s life-simplifying mission to heart with a cast silicone clock whose lone hand separates past from future. It’s a wall-mounted reminder of the power of now. “The dually marked hand, with the words ‘past’ and ‘future’ on either side, makes it clear that the present is now—a message that I hope will inspire readers to approach every moment with optimism and vigor,” says Allen. “The sunny yellow color of the clock and its Frisbee-like tactile quality also help to convey this positive message.” Still lacking in positivity? Follow the magazine’s lead and transform your Crocs into unsightly hanging planters.

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