Hasta La Ideas

Image: yinzluvsteelers.com

Holly Brubach’s got a really great story today in the Times today on the making of the Steeler’s 6th Super Bowl Ring, delving into the various stakeholders, design constraints, and just plain gaudiness of the thing (cheers to that!) Hard to know what to quote here, but try this on for size:

Although the Lombardi Trophy is produced by Tiffany & Co., Super Bowl rings are designed and made by companies that compete each year for the honor. Only four have produced the rings to date, with Jostens, of Minneapolis, and Balfour, of Delran, N.J., both specializing in high school and college class rings, responsible for the majority.

The contract is awarded by the team. The bill is footed by the league, with a $5,000 allowance per ring, adjusted for increases in the price of gold and diamonds and not including tax. By most estimates, the rings turn out to be a loss leader, with the companies absorbing any overruns in return for the prestige and permission to sell a line of related “friends and family” jewelry.

Read the whole thing in Super Size Me – Steelers Aren’t Flashy, but Their Rings Are. And don’t miss the slideshow.

(more…)

Package designers looking to spec out green materials: Check out NatureFlex. The transparent and glossy film can be used to wrap and seal things for freshness, but it isn’t plastic; it’s cellulose-based, derived from wood, and completely compostable.

It can also be metallicized, as seen above in the Twinings tea packaging, but the material still biodegrades.

(more…)

Material Intersections latest podcast is all about blending digital media (video that responds to stimuli like human interaction, light and sound) with physical forms, such as the interior of a car or a wall.

“In the architectural world, a structure is traditionally created to remain static and unchanged for years,” said Hess. “In this podcast, we use 3D technology to explore the idea of an adaptive environment and how a form that interacts with something external, such as light or human touch, continuously changes rather than remaining stagnant.”

You can watch or download the podcasts here at Art Center’s CMTEL website.

Upcoming podcast topics include Sustainability, Slow Tech, Lightweight, and Durable – so stay tuned!

(more…)

No need to comment about how completely awesome these are. View more of Oliver Bishop Young’s work on Make blog (via Matt).

(more…)