Good Design

The Value of Good Design

If I only had a few extra days of vacation and a few extra dollars to spend I know what I’d be visiting in the next couple of weeks. MoMa’s “The Value of Good Design” exhibit that is currently up through June 15th. The video below is a fun two-minute look at some of the design and designers featured and some of the more iconic pieces in the show. If you’re in New York or headed there soon, this would be well worth a visit.

Featuring objects from domestic furnishings and appliances to ceramics, glass, electronics, transport design, sporting goods, toys, and graphics, The Value of Good Design explores the democratizing potential of design, beginning with MoMA’s Good Design initiatives from the late 1930s through the 1950s, which championed well-designed, affordable contemporary products. The concept of Good Design also took hold well beyond the Museum, with governments on both sides of the Cold War divide embracing it as a vital tool of social and economic reconstruction and technological advancement in the years following World War II. This global scope is reflected in many of the items on view, from a mass-market Italian Fiat Cinquecento automobile and a Soviet-era East German Werra camera to a Japanese poster for a Mitsubishi sewing machine and a Brazilian bowl chair. These works join both iconic and unexpected items made in the US, such as the Eames La Chaise, a Chemex Coffee Maker, and Irwin Gershen’s Shrimp Cleaner.

Advertisement

Dock It.

One thing that has always baffled me about my iPhone is the why it comes with a wall charger but no dock. Actually I know why it is. It’s all about the money, and by not giving you a dock they ask you to buy one for 40 bucks. The thing is, when I am shelling out the kind of money Apple want’s for a phone, the least they could do is toss in a dock. I hate the wall plug with the power cord snaking out of the wall across my counter or desk.

Thankfully though, if you want a dock you don’t have to give your money to Apple or whoever made your smartphone. You can instead opt for Native Union’s which costs about the same and frankly looks better, especially when it is bundled with their belt cable. I also like the fact that this design gives your phone additional support so the weight of your phone isn’t placed exclusively on the lightning connector and the port on your phone. (I’m pretty sure this is what eventually caused my old phone to stop charging and the port to eventually fail)

iPhone_DOCK_1__40088.1446187659.1080.1200

Dock_foriphone_10__36773.1455695854.1080.1200

iPhone_DOCK_2__53214.1446187660.1080.1200

Cuoiela is Gonna Save My Backside.

The older I get, the less crap I like to carry with me. This means my wallet is supposed to be getting thinner, and more compact. Unfortunately it isn’t, it’s actually gotten a bit thicker which means I can’t keep it in my back pocket when I’m driving or sitting. The thickness makes my butt and lower back hurt. Yes I’m serious. So what’s a guy to do? Look for a new wallet that limits the amount of crap you can carry with you.

20130504-144619.jpg
Cuoiela is a project I found on Kickstarter from Virginia based Nolla Design. This wallet has roo for 2 to 8 cards plus some cash. The design is thin, compact and flexible. It is a cure for the bulky oversized, overstuffed wallets so many people carry with them today. Cuoiela is a completely smooth wallet with no over stitching, that holds your possessions discretely. The Cuoiela wallet is made from high quality Italian leather and elastic fabric band, and has a nice simple look to it. Once again, form and function joined seamlessly to produce a well designed useful object.

20130504-144705.jpg
During my design research, I found that many card wallets are simply about function but if you think about it, a wallet is something that we carry around every day and show off to the world. Thus, I was motivated to design the Cuoiela, the wallet that is not only slim and convenient, but also feels stylish and precious to the owner.

cuoiela from nolladesign on Vimeo.

WTHR, Inspired by Dieter Rams and Braun.

WTHR, you can get it here.

If you are an iPhone user that is crazy about clean design, beautiful simple user interfaces, and clean graphics this app is for you. If you are into design, love Dieter Rams designed pieces for Braun, this app is for you. If you are looking for a simpler wether application for your iPhone, this app is for you. It won’t show you storm track Doppler radar, but it will give you current conditions in a quick easy read.

Designed by David Elgena, this app just got purchased and moved to my iPhone’s home screen.