Electronics
Design: Science & Sons
Manufacture: prototype
Date: 2010
Photo: Science & Sons
This little prototype attracted a lot of attention at IDS10 last week. Obviously inspired by the CBC’s iconic logo, Radio Canada also pays homage to the national broadcaster’s dedicated listening audience. With a tuner hidden on the bottom of the radio, users can preset their local CBC stations. Once programmed, the radio’s oversized toggle switch flips between Radio One and Radio Two – because what else do you need? (Actually, the radio is compatible with your MP3 player too, so it can also play those Radio 3 podcasts you downloaded.) Appropriately, the case itself is constructed from maple and aluminum, which are both local and loaded with national narrative.
Conceived from the ground up to cater to a niche audience, this design is a direct challenge to the prevailing trend of mass-appeal-products. However, it’s hardly alone in this approach as even major manufacturers are creating locally tailored products (Nike, T-Fal, etc.) and targeting small, but fervent markets (think pre-iPod Apple and hybrid cars). In this light, it will be interesting to see if and how this design is translated for production.
-Michael Erdmann
January 27th, 2010
Design:
Client: Nortel
Date: 2009
December 17th, 2009
Design: Andrew Pommier
Client: Zune
Date: 2009
December 3rd, 2009
Design: Suissa Computers
Client:
Date: 2009
Picked as the number one x-mas gift for techies by WIRED magazine, the luxury PC from Suissa is quite the piece. Obviously and sadly aimed only at the Robb Report crowd, the design is actually deeper than that. I like that something typically designed to be replaced and discarded, has been given immense value with a hardwood case, loads of customization and engineered to be upgraded as new hardware emerges. The look is acquired but the impact is real, what a computer!
-Todd Falkowsky
November 26th, 2009
Design: Alan Wiesniewski
Client: U+ Umbra
Date: 2009
The Tie Clock is U+’s (Umbra’s higher-end division) latest repurposing product. Designed to give Goodwill ties a second life fanned out as a clock face, the style becoming the face of green design (reuse and cascade design). Not sure of the end result, it feels “design schoolish” and immature. With this said, I do think that this piece is coming from a good place conceptually and that the style is worth exploring.
-Todd Falkowsky
November 23rd, 2009
Design:
Client: Leslie Feist
Date: 2009
October 22nd, 2009
Design:
Client: Clairtone Sound Corporation, Ltd.
Date: 1969
Beautiful modern stereo, hi-fi cabinet of veneered teak with brass hardware manufactured by the Clairtone Sound Corporation, Ltd., Toronto, CA. This is a great piece of vintage equipment, the tube amp (with EL 84 tubes) and Garrard turntable will bring out the warm, rich analog tones of your vinyl LPs. Audiophiles everywhere know that digital sound reproduction falls just a bit short; it just can’t compare to analog sound!
Tight wood grain throughout, with a rich, dark patina. Hinged top opens to reveal the turntable and main control console which Clairtone designed for expandability; inputs are provided for external speakers, TV, tape deck, etc. Cloth-covered stereo speakers are hidden by sliding panel doors when not in use. The cabinet rests sturdily on the splayed legs.
Dimensions: 62 in. long x 18 in. deep x 27 1/2 in. tall.
-Stew F
September 30th, 2009
Design: HERO Design Lab
Client:
Date: 2008
Designed to get you off your desktop and working on the floor (like a mouse), this rug manages cables and wires.
-Todd Falkowsky
September 3rd, 2009
Design: Contexture Design
Client:
Date: 2009
Contexture Design has taken the sleek and stylish iPod nano and wrapped it in a lovely nostalgic case made from a reclaimed cassette tape. From their website: “45 Nano Cases are made from reclaimed cassette tapes, gutted, routered and rebuilt to fit your 4th generation iPod nano.”
-John Ryan
August 13th, 2009
Design: Lawrie McIntosh
Manufacturer: GTE Automatic Electric, Brockville, Ontario
Date: 1960s
This was one of the last, if not the last, PBX telephone exchange to utilize electromagnetic relays. All subsequent exchanges used transistors and electronic circuitry. My resposibility was the total packaging of the exchange, including the exterior cabinets, the control panel, as well as some interior changes to accommodate the smaller, lighter and more manageable cabinets. Production began in the mid-sixties.
-Lawrie McIntosh
August 6th, 2009
Design: Lawrie McIntosh
Client: Massey Harris Ltd. (later Massey Furguson)
Date: 1951
Previous cream separators had been manually operated, and these may have been the first electric models. They embody a centrifuge that turns at approximately 15,000 rpm to separate the cream from the milk. There were two models, one table model and one floor model.
-Greg Ball
August 3rd, 2009
Design: Jeff Kao, Robert Lam, Robert Lam, Taneem Talukdar, and Jason Wong.
Client: Ecorio
Date: 2009
July 15th, 2009
Design: Furni and Clubmumble
Client: Furni
Date: 2009
Best known for their retro styled alarm clocks, Furni also has a fantastic and ongoing line up of watches. The studio typically collaborates to design their watches and this piece continues this smart tradition.
Clubmumble, the skateboarding/street culture blog and Furni teamed up to create this slick, ’80s-styled digital design. Each plastic white unisex watch comes with either a black or gray face, gold buttons and accents, and the standard wristwatch things like a stopwatch, alarm, and the classic Furni feature of being “somewhat” water-resistance. My favourite detail is the etching on the back of the watch stating that we should “Work smarter, not harder”.
Good news, when you purchase this watch a portion of the sale goes to the contributor campaign which works to get skateboards to underprivileged youth in Canada, and each watch comes with a 1″ badge proudly stating I am a contributor.
-Todd Falkowsky
July 7th, 2009
Design: Furni and Raised by Wolves
Client: Furni
Date: 2008
Good design always has a great concept, and this trio of watches has an interesting one. Using the anaglyph colours of red, cyan and black, Furni and Raised by Wolves have co-created a themed 80’s styled digital watch collection that pays homage to 3D technology. The watches were launched as a limited edition set, with the first fifty being bundled with a You, Me and 3D – Workspaces in Different Places book, featuring a collection of hotshot designer/artist created stereoscopic images, and a pair of genuine 3D glasses to enjoy the book to maximum and trippy effect. Unbelievably priced at $20.00, the watches are not created as some inaccessible and flighty art project, rather this price point means that we all can gain access to this boutique design project. Nice one Furni and RbW!
-Todd Falkowsky
July 6th, 2009
Design: Furni
Manufacture: Self-manufacture
Date: 2006
Riffing with the bedside alarm clock as their muse, Furni keep coming up with great products that marry a mid-century style with fresh twists. The McGill Flip Clock with calendar, takes us back to the analog age when flipping number clocks where the norm and electronics where not afraid to include wood in their materials list. Very well designed and an excellent blend of the familiar and retro, with enough contemporary details to make our generation happy.
-Todd Falkowsky
June 16th, 2009
Previous Posts