Time on Your Hands

A Truly Functional Design

Haptica, a concept timepiece for the visually impaired designed by David Chavez, relies on a series of dials to represent military time in Braille. Users draw their finger across the tastefully integrated channel to read the time represented in raised dots.

The idea has already garnered international awards including a 2008 Spark Award.

The steely tones and stylish tech lines call to mind the abstract pattern designs of brands like Nooka—a good look on any metropolitan wrist. The Haptica is a thoughtful fusion of form and function.

U.S. Treasury Acquisitions

Our latest list of inane musings from the Brainstorm office white board:

Top 20 Products Billy Mays Should Advertise?

1. Wahl clippers on Wahl’s Facebook wall
2. The Ron Popeil Pocket Fisherman Bass Competition
3. A UFC ShamWow Sponsored Cage Match Between Ron Popeil and That ShamWow Guy
4. U.S. Treasury Acquisitions
5. Columbia School of Broadcasting
6. Lexus
7. Royal Palms Resort & Spa
8. NYSE
9. Godiva Chocolates
10. Colon Cleansing Agents
11. Miracle Ear
12. Apple Computer
13. Zymbalta (Cymbalta)
14. Ice-Cold Beer at Any Sporting Venue
15. Mr. Microphone
16. Vince Offer
17. Björk
18. Bjerk
19. iWörk
20. Indianapolis Raceway Park

See the entire board

Sipho’s image by Fabian Biasio

Sipho Mabona, the origami artist
behind the Clio Award-winning film,
In Pursuit of Perfection.

Simple Vehicles; Collaborative Vision

Often the simplest elements allow viewers the most latitude to add their own vision to and create engagement with your concept or message.

The Nordpol+ agency of Hamburg, Germany created In Pursuit of Perfection, a short film honoring Asics founder, the late Kihachiro Onitsuka.

Central to the Clio award-winning short is the work of Swiss origami artist Sipho Mabona. Devoid of extraneous color and detail, Mabona’s hand-folded works add a human quality, proving the perfect medium to express the essence of the Asics story, from Onitsuka’s initial vision through its rise to today’s global sporting goods heavyweight.

A Tiger, a Microscope, an Octopus, a Foot…

Using only single sheets of square paper, Mabona worked on-site at Nordpol+ for five weeks, producing 17 models. He consulted as his designs were combined with stop motion photography, leading-edge motion control and 3D animation.

“The initial sequence featuring the tiger and the house, and the final trophy sequence are the scenes I am most proud of,” Mabona told .think.

More Mabona

Mabona produces custom-made models, animation, events and workshops for clients such as Antalis, Siemens and Epson. To learn more about Mabona and his work, visit his Mabona Origami web site.

via: A. C. Riley

Those who have, buy?

A Call to Quality

In late 2008, Motorola released the Aura, a $2,000 cell phone. What it lacks in modern-day feature-rich gadgets, it makes up for in austere styling, quality materials and precise engineering with a Swiss-made main bearing and 130 precision ball bearings; tungsten-carbon-carbide-coated main gears; chemically etched textures and patterns; a mirror finish; and a scratch-resistant 62-carat, grade 1 sapphire crystal display.

Reality Check

In the midst of a recession has Motorola gone mad, or will their release of a $2,000 phone prove to be a timely decision?

In an October Washington Post article, Bain & Company Partner and retail expert Darrell Rigby said, “Contrary to some popular predictions, high-end retail is not recession-proof. There’s not a retailer in the country that isn’t taking this downturn seriously.�

However, an alcohol distribution manager recently noted while his mid-range clients are buying slightly less prestigious brands and low-end consumers are opting for the lowest possible price point, his upper-end clientele’s purchase of top shelf brands has sharply increased and profits are up.

Likewise, a custom home builder reports sales increases so great they have more business than they can handle and said this has been their experience in past recessions as well. The high-end builder cites low material costs and attractive interest rates available to affluent, asset-rich customers, as driving forces.

My father once told me he believed that during bad economic times affluent people spend money as a means of escape—a self-administered reassurance, a distancing from the dark realities around them.

You Make the Call

Time will tell if Motorola can successfully circumvent the recession by developing a phone that transcends it. If branded properly, the Aura may have the proper cachet to attract wallets still overflowing with disposable income.

Visit the Aura Microsite or, if you’re already sold and have what it takes, buy it here.

The Spork of Tomorrow,
Here Today

The Forgotten Spoon

A recent visit to the deli counter at Target yielded an interesting consumer experience brand extension. It’s a small detail, yet answers a very basic quandary.

Ever leave a deli or carry out without a utensil with which to eat? Enter this little innovation.

Forget Finger Food

The lid of the food container has a small thermoformed cavity that’s roughly the shape of the head of a spoon. In this cavity is a “folded” spoon with a living hinge and a snap-fit tab that transforms it into a fully functional utensil roughly 2/3 the length of a normal plasticware spoon.

Putting a Finger on Innovation

A need was identified and with some simple ingenuity a smart solution was borne. While it won’t change the world, it is genius.

[ image: illig ]