Hasta La Ideas

Didn’t see this one coming: Apparently SketchBook Pro, the drawing app many of us designers know and love, is also a favorite app of Oprah Winfrey’s. Hence O, The Oprah Magazine and Autodesk have teamed up to release Sketchbook O.

The spin-off app is freely available until March and is launching in conjunction with the “Creativity Challenge” featured in O’s February issue. Filmmaker Miranda July has provided five “assignments” that O readers can choose to illustrate in the app (i.e. “Designate a place for something that needs a place,” “Reenact something you do every day in reverse”) and users can send their illustrations into the O website, with the best to be included in an online gallery.

Of course, that’s not the best part, there’s more. Ready? …LOOK UNDER YOUR CHAIR!

I know, there’s actually nothing under your chair. Sorry, got carried away.

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We like this ESPN story about designer Michael Princip and his self-started project to redesign football helmets, because it shows Princip thinking not only about the design, but the business side of the project as well.

First, the design. The innovation of Princip’s Bulwark design is to segment portions of the helmet in order to dissipate concussion-giving shocks:

Inspired by the vintage MacGregor E & H model helmet form lines, and modern day rugby helmets, the Bulwark helmet is the result of an idea where seam lines, or, a multiple sectioned helmet could be brought back to the modern day and utilize the best in anti-concussion helmet technology. The central focus of this football helmet is a multi-component anti-shock helmet design that has a single shell at the base, then a layer of energy absorbing material (air cells/gel) followed by another layer of multiple, or single hard shell(s).

As for the business side, Princip knows that helmet companies are well-established (Riddell and Schutt are the big dogs) and that he can’t beat ’em, but would instead have to join ’em. As ESPN reports, “Princip doesn’t want to compete with them — he hopes to sell or lease the Bulwark concept to one of the established helmet brands and then be part of the development team that brings it to market.” A smart way to go, particularly since business concussions are even worse than head concussions.

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Audiophiles were all over the place at CES sampling and enjoying a wide range of new, high-end headphones and earbuds, many of which were endorsed or developed in collaboration with celebrities in the music, entertainment and luxury markets. With Ludacris, 50 Cent and Miles Davis-endorsed products in the ring, the line that seemed to stand out was from the House of Marley. The House of Marley’s new line of eco-friendly earbuds, headphones and iPhone/iPod docks were developed to adhere to Bob Marley and the Marley family’s values of equality, unity, sustainability and charity. As Elyse Kaye, Senior Product Manager from The House of Marley explains, “Materials for the products are sustainably sourced, and include FSC-certified wood, recyclable aluminums and plastics. Packaging is recycled or recyclable and a portion of each product sale goes to 1Love causes that focus on charities that benefit youth, planet and peace. Our hope is to create a movement, not just a product line.” Check out the full video of our interview with Kaye below (and enjoy the music!).

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Winning the Best of Innovations Award for CES in the Eco-Design and Sustainable Technology Category was JOOS Orange Personal Solar Charger. Designed to charge all personal electronic devices including cell phones, smart phones, GPS devices, etc., JOOS Orange Personal Solar Charger has a thin, rectangular shape and weighs about 1.5 pounds. It’s also the only portable solar charger that will charge an iPad. Adjustable legs make it easy to point toward the sun and the durable, waterproof design ensures that it can withstand not only the hiking trail, but the line at the airport! As Warren Satler, CEO explains, the product was “designed by a village.” It was initially envisioned as a technology product for emerging markets vs. the mainstream consumer market. As such, Solar Components focused primarily on the technology. As the product evolved, mechanical designer, Bruno Richet and electrical designer, David Blau knew it would be imperative to work with an industrial design team. They selected Mike & Maaike, the San Francisco-based, progressive industrial design studio led by Mike Simonian and Maaike Evers to add their expertise to the product design. Tom Crabtree of Manual San Francisco created the product name, designed the branding and the look and feel of JOOS Orange. That’s one smart village.

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When I was a kid, the volume dial on my father’s hi-fi looked like a schoolbus steering wheel to me. It was huge.

These days most of my audio listening is done on iPhone headphones while walking around NYC, which requires frequent volume adjustment: One block will have jackhammers going, another block will have someone stopping you to ask directions, a third block will have me scrabbling for the pause button while I try to determine if I just heard someone scream out a racial slur. My current headphone volume controls are tiny, like most, so I’m digging Nixon’s Trooper headphones and their huge, chunky three-button interface that looks like you shouldn’t drop it on your foot.

Incidentally, the Chicago Athenaeum has recently slapped the Troopers with a Good Design award. In addition to the fat volume thingy, they’re collapsible, lightweight, feature silicone ear cushions, and the cord is removeable so you don’t have to worry about straining the connection and possibly breaking it when it’s stowed for travel.

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