Spoon & Tamago

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iida INFOBAR A01 by Naoto Fukasawa and Yugo Nakamura

It was by mere coincidence that yesterday I wrote about iida because that night I found myself transfixed by one of the more exciting product launches of the year. And it was being made by iida. The announcement was concerning the release of INFOBAR A01, a new android smartphone re-imagined by its original designer and one of Japan’s forerunners of industrial design, Naoto Fukasawa.

It also comes equipped with a brand-spanking-new interface designed by one of Japan’s forerunners of UI design Yugo Nakamura. It was after watching the below video that I was prompted to ask the bold question, “Did Japan just take back the smartphone from Apple?”

In less than 24 hours the new INFOBAR has already gotten a thumbs up from designers across the globe including Khoi Vinh and Niklas Lindstrom from New York, and Paul Baron and Akihiro Kumagaya from Japan.

Here is a short history of how INFOBAR has evolved:

2001.5　info.bar (concept)

2003.10　INFOBAR

2007.9　INFOBAR 2

2011.5　INFOBAR A01

Source: twitter | iida

Match Striker by Ayumi Horie

May 16, 2011 / Johnny / Comments Off

Hudson Valley-based potter Ayumi Horie has created an adorable video to accompany her series of ceramic match holders that also functions as a striker.

Ayumi is also one of the founders of Handmade for Japan, a charity auction site that has raised close to $90,000 (wow!) to benefit the victims of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

source: newsletter

AC Adapter WORLD OF ALICE

May 16, 2011 / Johnny / Comments Off

Japanese cell phone provider KDDI’s artsy offshoot brand iida (innovation, imagination, design, art) has been courting Japan’s design-conscious consumers since 2009 with their designer and artist collaborations. One of my favorite things that has come out of the concept are the accessories, namely, their efforts to make wiring less ugly.

On that front, their latest product is AC Adapter WORLD OF ALICE (2,200 yen), a power adapter embedded with its own little wonderland story. It was designed by Kento Imamura and Nozomi Miyatake, two young graduate school designers at Osaka City University. And while the last thing us parents want are toddler-enticing electric cables, I commend their efforts in trying to eliminate all the junk out there people buy to hide their cords.

A cord organizer from last year

AC Adapter MIDORI from 2009

source: swissmiss | gigazine | this old post

Tapehook by torafu

May 12, 2011 / Johnny / Comments Off

click images to enlarge

We first showed Torafu’s tapehook while taking a look at the paper tools exhibition (which is still on, by the way!) But the designer duo (Koichi Suzuno and Shinya Kamura) recently uploaded a new batch of images so I thought it was worth revisiting.

Inspired by the way tape curls up, tapehook was created specifically for the exhibition. What’s fascinating about the product is its strength versus its perceived flimsiness. I can’t believe it was made simply from being immersed in water and then dried.

photos by Fuminari Yoshitsugu and Hideaki Okura

source: this old post | twitter | torafu

Related:

House In Ookayama by Torafu Architects

Musashino Art University Library by Sou Fujimoto

May 12, 2011 / Johnny / Comments Off

photos by Edmund Sumner | click to enlarge

Wow. Students at the prestigious Musashino Art University (Musabi) are in for a treat. The just got a gorgeous new library designed by Sou Fujimoto. The massive 2-story library is made entirely of timber shelving, which is covered by planes of glass. Even the hallways emerge from apertures cut-out of the shelving.

Bookshelves that actually dictate the form of the library is, in some ways, a library distilled down to its most basic essence. Lovely!

Fancy library or not, students will still fall asleep in them! ↑↑

Source: Dezeen

+green by sinato

May 12, 2011 / Johnny / Comments Off

Architect Chikara Ohno, who heads up the Tokyo-based architecture and interior design studio sinato, recently completed +green, an organic restaurant in Komazawa. +green (pronounced “and green”) opened their doors to the public on April 1, 2011.

photos by Toshiyuki Yano | click to enlarge

As you enter the restaurant you pass through the open terrace for outdoor seating, a deli/café for takeout orders and an organic grocery store, all on the ground level. Restaurant seating is located a level below and is defined by a warm, natural brick façade with natural light flowing into the space. I like how it serves as a contrast to the stark, white walls of the ground level, while still feeling connected via the open floor-plan and skylight. If you’re in the area, check it out!

Source: architecturephoto | +green

Beautiful Storage | Casa Brutus June 2011

May 11, 2011 / Johnny / 1 Comment

I was thrilled to see the cover of the latest Casa Brutus (on sale 5.10.2011). Are those stairs or an intricate storage solution? Wow. I’m going to try and hit up Kinokuniya later this week for a copy.

click images to enlarge

source: twitter | casa brutus

Pixelated Fashion | Anrealage’s 2011-2012 A/W Collection

May 11, 2011 / Johnny / Comments Off

Conceptual Japanese fashion designer Kunihiko Morinaga, who is better known as ANREALAGE – a combination of the words “real, unreal and age” – debuted his 2011-12 Autumn/Winter collection in Tokyo during April, roughly 1 month after the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Last year, which marked his first showing in 3 years, he chose to rethink the entire form of the human body. This year Morinaga transitioned from the world of 3D to 2D and titled his collection “LOW,” a reference to the low-resolution 8-bit imagery that is so effective at deconstructing form.

In fact, the designer writes that prior to the earthquake he was interested in how low resolution destroys all shape and form. However, post-earthquake, this concept took a 180 degree turn as the designer became more aware of how both shape and pattern, even when deconstructed, strive to maintain their original form. The farther it’s removed the greater the original form is evoked.

Photos by Fashionsnap.com | click to enlarge

photo by changefashion.net

As usual, I love Morinaga’s attention to detail. The pixilated faces totally make the show. I also can’t get enough of those shoes!

source: fashionsnap.com | designboom | anrealage

Framed* by Yugo Nakamura | a digital signage system for displaying artwork

May 9, 2011 / Johnny / Comments Off

This just rocketed to the top of my WANT list. Yogo Nakamura of interactive design agency tha, just last night unveiled his latest work. Equipped with an integrated computer, Framed* is, in essence, a digital picture frame… and then so much more. What’s intriguing is that this is not a new invention. We have digital picture frames and we have digital signs (this is somewhere in between) and yet it’s revolutionary – a great example of how good design, when married with a clear concept, can result in a robust product. As evidenced by Apple, it’s not about who does it first but how they do it.

Framed* is capable of displaying a diverse selection of interactive art, web apps, motion graphics and illustrations. But perhaps most significant is the iPhone app that acts as a remote controller, allowing the user to either select and play art (either in person or away), or to control interactive pieces of art through the touchscreen.

I might have been a different person if this was around when I was in art school. But not only does Framed* have the potential to revolutionize the way artists and designers share their portfolios, I think it could also do for visual artists what the iPhone did for game developers. It could create a whole new market place for the buying and selling of art. In fact, currently artists are creating all types of art that will be available for you to purchase through the app.

I love the details of the site too, like the awesome domain name and this great animated gif.

source: twitter | tha

Related:
Wonderwall + Yugo Nakamura

DROW app lets you share images with the world

May 9, 2011 / Johnny / Comments Off

Much in the same way DJs select and manipulate sound, the DROW app – unveiled today – allows you to mix images on your iPhone and share them with the world via a livestream that can be accessed HERE. I just tried out the free app and it’s really fun. I drew my kitty, Mimi and then watched her dance to the music.

Although I do wish it wasn’t limited to a single stroke, it does force you to be creative and probably cuts back on attempts to broadcast offensive imagery.

It was created by Masashi Kawamura, who, in the West, is perhaps most well known for his music videos. The list goes on, but other contributors to the project include Qanta Shimizu (remember setsudener?) and Zach Lieberman.

source: twitter