Cassette Tape Lamps

Image: ooomydesign.bigcartel.com

Cassette Is Not Dead is a Spanish design project dedicated to reviving cassette tapes through interior design. The project aims to curb the destruction of cassettes by refurbishing them as lamps that can be used in homes, making the tapes usable in an age where they are being replaced by more advanced music equipment. Cassette Is Not Dead explains that cassettes are a symbol of a generation and each day more and more cassettes are disappearing, leaving behind a cultural vacuum. Their funky lamps are an innovative way to save cassettes, and keep their cultural memory alive. The lamps are created in a box structure where cassettes are tied together to hold the frame in place. The system works through a trade initiative where people send old cassettes to the design team, and are then given gifts like wallets or lamps in return.
 
 

Coca-Cola Split Can

Image: mashable.com

Image: adweek.com

Throughout their time as industry giants, Coca Cola has always promoted the idea of sharing in their brand campaigns. Joining forces with Ogilvy, the famed beverage company has created a new way to enjoy a sip of Coke. The split can is a can that is connected by two parts, allowing Coca Cola lovers to twist off one half so that they are left with a can in one hand and a can-like cup in the other. It’s always easy to share a bottle of Coke with friends, and Coca Cola has taken this concept one step further by making cans a convenient way to share. The cans have swept through the streets of Singapore, but were not sold via vending machines or shops. Instead a ‘happiness truck’ handed the drinks out to passersby.
 
 

Water Bottle Humidifier

Image: aggift.com

Image: gizmodo.com

No matter where you are staying hydrated is an important way to keep healthy and look fresh. While most humidifiers are too bulky and inconvenient to carry around, South Korean design outfit Amazing Grace has created a portable humidifier that can be attached to any water bottle. Dubbed the Amazing Humidifier, the little device adjusts to fit on the mouthpiece of the water bottle. The system is powered by a laptop or phone charger using a USB-to-mini-USB cable, allowing the humidifier to suck water through its detachable filter, dispensing vapor at a rate of 30 ml per hour. In order to get a good night’s rest, a 500ml bottle of water will provide all the hydration you need. The nippy humidifier automatically turns off after eight hours so the machine won’t be overworked.
 
 

Colgate Caffeine Toothbrushes

Image: news.msn.com

Image: google.com

Colgate-Palmolive is attempting to make brushing a more enjoyable experience by creating a toothbrush that releases a chemical in the mouth when it’s being used. The company has filed a patent application that outlines the design of the toothbrush which has a patch on the back of the head storing toothpaste that is infused with flavourant chemicals. The new toothbrush will push Colgate-Palmolive to the front of the hygiene industry, while providing consumers with a sensory experience that excites an otherwise mundane activity. The patent has yet to be accepted, but Colgate has already begun exploring the flavours of mint, caffeine, and fruits as possible taste infusers for the toothbrushes.
 

Adidas Smart Soccer Ball

Image: popsop.ru

Image: facebook.com

Adidas has debuted the Smart Ball — a soccer ball that tracks a player’s movement and posts feedback via a mobile app. The ball allows players to improve their technique by providing important information about speed, rotation and distance. After three years in the making, the innovative sports company has designed a product that uses integrated sensors to keep players updated on the skills. The mobile app provides immediate analysis, direct feedback, a series of challenges and a record book to motivate technique refinement and an all-round better developed skillset. The automated system acts as a virtual coach, allowing avid soccer fans to produce their best in their own time rather than relying on expensive trainers with busy schedules. If all goes according to plan, the ball will be released in 2014.
 
 

Leather and Wood Lollipop Case

Image: sweetd-life.com

Image: complex.com

Most people love candy and Japanese design studio LIFE has found a way to give your sweet-tooth a fashionable outfit. The designers have created a wearable lollipop case made from African mahogany that is tailored to Chupa Chups. Leather straps are attached to the spherical covers enabling them to perch on your belt. These cases will protect your sweets from roaming hands and keep you looking fresh.
 
 

Game Theory

Game Theory from Ithaca Audio on Vimeo.

Image: vimeo.com

Game Theory is well-known as a system of strategic decision-making, but Ithaca Audio has twisted this concept to create an audio visual mashup of famous songs, games, and movie clips. The piece was performed live using re-wired video game controllers. Ithaca Audio created Game Theory as a tribute to 35 years of video game music (Space Invaders, released in 1978, was the first game to feature a continuous soundtrack). The creatives took a walk back through time and delved into the video game music of the past and present to mashup this dizzying sound-movie display. They also incorporated some of their favourite current tunes to add some zest to the clip.
 
 

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People People Transparent Speaker

Image: wired.com

Image: peoplepeople.se

People People has designed a transparent speaker than can blend in any room with any décor. The simple, innovative electronic can provide big sound quality while taking up a small amount of space. No matter what colour your walls are or how much room your furniture takes up, the People People Speaker can fit in anywhere. The nippy device is also compatible with wireless systems, which means there’s no need for tangled wires to clutter your interior. The eco-friendly design is built with glass panels that can either be replaced or recycled, making the speaker a home-companion that will last for a very long time.
 
 
 

Doll Art by Bohyun Yoon

Image: juxtapoz.com

Image: juxtapoz.com

Image: juxtapoz.com

Virginia-based artist Bohyun Yoon has deconstructed dolls and taken their parts to create a suggestive shadow display. The installation is titled ‘Unity’ and features various parts of the dolls’ anatomy being strung up and suspended from a ceiling to create alluring shadows of the human body and its flexible capabilities. Made from silicon rubber, wire, steel and a spotlight, the piece evokes a visual that sees silhouetted human bodies entwined in a provocative dance against the backdrop of a plain white wall. The artist spoke about his artwork saying, ‘my art utilizes the body as the tool for an intensive investigation of the public and private’.
 
 
 

MacBook Wood Keyboard

Image: gizmag.com

Image: gizmag.com

Apple designed the MacBook Pro to be the cutting edge of modern computing architecture, but Rawbkny has created a crafty accessory for Apple enthusiasts looking for something different. The MacBook Wood Keyboard is a fitted add-on that can cover your keys in either rosewood or bamboo. The wooden keyboard gives the laptop an organic and homey feel that helps thaw its techy industrial look. Although the wooden kit adds some extra height to the original keys, Rawbkny has said that the keyboard will not damage the MacBook Pro’s screen as there is still a slither of space between the keypad and the display when the laptop is closed.
 
 
 

Balloon Sculpture by Jason Hackenwerth

Pisces balloon sculpture by Jason Hackenwerth from National Museums Scotland on Vimeo.

Image: thisiscolossal.com

Jason Hackenwerth is renowned for his latex balloon sculptures and his latest spectacle has created a colourful splash at the Edinburgh International Science Festival. Using 10 000 balloons, the New York artist produced a piece a called ‘Pisces’ which is inspired by his interpretation of the Greek mythological story of Aphrodite and Eros. In the tale Aphrodite – the Goddess of Love – and her son, Eros, escape the wicked monster Typhon by transforming into a coiled spiral of two fish that has now been blown to life by Hackenwerth and his team. Three of Hackenwerth’s staff members spent almost six days blowing up the balloons that Hackenwerth and his assistant, Leah Blair, would weave into the bright three dimensional kaleidoscope of ‘Pisces’.
 
 
 

Baby Colour Ultrasound

Image: mashable.com

Image: mashable.com

GE Healthcare has launched the HDLive ultrasound which allows expecting parents to see their little one in a colour 3D display. Parents can watch their babies in utero while doctors can accurately track the fetus’s health and development. The system creates a moveable virtual light source that produces shadows and definitions to highlight every bump, fold and detail of the fetus’s body and face. Advanced skin rendering is also embedded in the technology to create realistic human-toned colours. Expecting parents no longer have to agonise over who their baby will look like, as the GE HDLive provides all the details.
 
 
 

MetService Weather Billbaord

Image: admedia.co.nz

Image: admedia.co.nz

Popular New Zealand weather forecaster MetService has collaborated with Y&R NZ advertising agency to create a structure that frames real-time weather. The billboard is designed to look like a web browser while giving a visual of actual weather conditions to emphasise that MetService is the most reliable forecaster in New Zealand. The clever ad has received 30 000 Facebook likes, featured on Reddit’s front page and been named BuzFeed’s ad of the month.
 
 
 

Dove Real Beauty Forensic Drawings

Real Beauty Sketches from John X. Carey on Vimeo.

Image: realbeautysketches.dove.com

Image: realbeautysketches.dove.com

In a campaign run by Dove and marketing firm Ogilvy, FBI-trained forensic sketch artist Gil Zamora shows women they are more beautiful than they might think. The Real Beauty campaign traces Zamora’s work as he sketches numerous women and compares their descriptions of themselves to the descriptions given by strangers. The artist first sketched an image of the women based on their perception of themselves and then a second image from the perception of a stranger. The striking differences illustrate that women see themselves differently and less beautiful than what others see them. The marketing campaign speaks to Dove’s brand initiative as a supporter of natural beauty, yet Dove still controversially stands by its animal testing policy. Dove’s parent company, Unilever, has defended cosmetic testing on animals in the past saying: ‘currently, a very small amount of animal testing is still necessary to deliver innovative products that provide consumer benefits and are market competitive’.
 
 
 

Sandwich Bikes

Sandwichbike Ready to Ride from Sandwichbikes on Vimeo.

Image: facebook

Image: facebook.com

Bicycles carry different meanings to different people: some use them as a means of transport, while others ride as a hobby or for health and fitness purposes. Whatever the reason, bicycles can be a pricey piece of equipment. Sandwich Bikes has found a solution to this predicament by manufacturing a bicycle that can easily be built at home with a minimal shipping fee. The Dutch-designed stylish ride is delivered to your doorstep in 50 pieces, with the two weather coated plywood frames being the primary structural element of the bicycle. The frames are held together by ‘smart cylinders’ that ensure a durable, fresh ride. The Sandwich Bike has yet be released, but it is estimated the bicycles will be hitting the streets later this year.
 
 
 

Alternative Limb Project

Image: lookinart.com

Image: obviouswinner.com

Losing a limb understandably creates insecurity and low self-esteem in patients who have endured amputations. Prosthetics aren’t always the most attractive designs and often appear too industrial or manufactured. To answer this problem, The Alternative Limb Project has partnered with ProActive Prosthetics to create a vibrant line of prosthetics that allow amputee patients to wear their prosthetics as fashionable limbs. From henna tattoo arms to floral leg limbs, The Alternative Limb Project aims to help their clients get noticed for more than their absent body parts. The alternative limbs can give a personality to their wearers that allows strangers to see them as more than disabled.
 
 
 

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Just as Roberto Rossellini dissected the lives of the common man to expose realism, an unorthodox and ground-breaking campaign has been launched by Ogilvy’s 1984 to tell the diverse stories of M-Net’s MK audience.  Taking a brutally honest look at the South African youth culture through the eyes of a lens, the hope is to expose the undefinable nature of individuals.

The campaign, titled ‘MK is…‘, is based on the observation that much like its audience MK is many different things, but that ultimately it simply is.  ‘Mk is…’ the journey of three individuals followed over the course of 20 days allowing a voyeuristic view into their lives and identifying similar and dissimilar aspects of life. In this way the audience is able to draw their own conclusions about Mk based on their own experiences and parallelisms. Adding to the interactive nature of the campaign, Facebook posts are synchronized with each episode which will fill in the timelines and movements of the characters on whom the spotlight focuses on.

In keeping with the theme of realism the 60 episode campaign was shot with no script, no schedule, and a single video camera in the capable hands of renowned American Apparel photographer Purienne, who made the long trip from LA simply because he fell in love with the idea. The resulting footage is gritty, unrefined and honest, and more often than not, pretty controversial too. The only link the MK has to the show is that it’s screened on the channel,  choosing an interesting new angle on promoting the show by dropping all logos and slogan. However seeing as it’s an MK show, the music has been a priority to the production and as such choosing to showcase local artists was of the utmost importance. The episodes feature original tracks by some of South Africa’s lesser-known artists that are making great waves abroad: from ex pats living in Taiwan, to bands releasing 12 inches in Chicago, each episode actively seeks to broaden South Africa’s musical horizons.

Ogilvy has turned the traditional approach on its head, choosing instead to let the audience draw its own conclusions about what, and who, ‘MK is…’