Beautiful wireless charger concept reminds you to take some time off

Wireless chargers are all the rage these days, taking on different shapes, sizes, and functions. Some are simple flat beds for your phone and accessories to lie on, while others raise the design a bit higher, literally, with stands that magnetically hold your devices up. The one common trait that these products have is that they mostly lean towards minimalist design trends, which is good for keeping a clean and tidy look but bad for missed opportunities. Minimalist or not, that wireless charger will still take up some space on your desk or shelf, so why not let it serve another purpose, like this rather simple yet elegant desk clock that does more than just charge your phone; it also tells you to take a break and charge yourself as well.

Designer: Nihoy Lahiri

Although they still need to make contact with a flat surface, wireless chargers, especially the magnetic variety, opened up new possibilities for designs. No longer tied down by charging cables, the only limits are creativity, imagination, and, of course, the laws of physics and electronics. Transforming a charging pad into something that has use even when it’s not charging a phone is a smart way of making use of space, which is what Zenith tries to offer with a subtle spiritual purpose behind its design as well.

Even without a phone, Zenith already looks like a decorative piece that calls your attention not just to the actual clock but also to its design. The gentle curves of its body convey a more organic and less daunting image compared to something that looks completely angular and mechanical, like what many desk clocks look like. The translucent material makes the entire structure look ephemeral and almost mystical, adding to the spiritual character of the design.

The arch-shaped void at the bottom is where you will let your phone lie while it charges. The empty space is a perfect contrast to the roundness and whiteness of the clock above it. It’s a small version of a Yin Yang composition that further enhances the design’s otherworldly appeal. Zenith’s deeper message, however, goes beyond its aesthetic.

By combining a wireless charger with a timekeeping piece, people will be forced to look at the clock every time they lay down the phone to recharge. It visually nudges their mind to take stock of their own internal battery levels, giving them pause and practicing a little bit of mindfulness. With the clock positioned above the smartphone rather than the other way around, it gives a subtle reminder that time should have a higher importance in our lives than tools. It is the zenith, so to speak, that guides our lives, not the phones that, more often than not, send us on a downward spiral of distractions.

The post Beautiful wireless charger concept reminds you to take some time off first appeared on Yanko Design.

Beautiful wireless charger concept reminds you to take some time off

Wireless chargers are all the rage these days, taking on different shapes, sizes, and functions. Some are simple flat beds for your phone and accessories to lie on, while others raise the design a bit higher, literally, with stands that magnetically hold your devices up. The one common trait that these products have is that they mostly lean towards minimalist design trends, which is good for keeping a clean and tidy look but bad for missed opportunities. Minimalist or not, that wireless charger will still take up some space on your desk or shelf, so why not let it serve another purpose, like this rather simple yet elegant desk clock that does more than just charge your phone; it also tells you to take a break and charge yourself as well.

Designer: Nihoy Lahiri

Although they still need to make contact with a flat surface, wireless chargers, especially the magnetic variety, opened up new possibilities for designs. No longer tied down by charging cables, the only limits are creativity, imagination, and, of course, the laws of physics and electronics. Transforming a charging pad into something that has use even when it’s not charging a phone is a smart way of making use of space, which is what Zenith tries to offer with a subtle spiritual purpose behind its design as well.

Even without a phone, Zenith already looks like a decorative piece that calls your attention not just to the actual clock but also to its design. The gentle curves of its body convey a more organic and less daunting image compared to something that looks completely angular and mechanical, like what many desk clocks look like. The translucent material makes the entire structure look ephemeral and almost mystical, adding to the spiritual character of the design.

The arch-shaped void at the bottom is where you will let your phone lie while it charges. The empty space is a perfect contrast to the roundness and whiteness of the clock above it. It’s a small version of a Yin Yang composition that further enhances the design’s otherworldly appeal. Zenith’s deeper message, however, goes beyond its aesthetic.

By combining a wireless charger with a timekeeping piece, people will be forced to look at the clock every time they lay down the phone to recharge. It visually nudges their mind to take stock of their own internal battery levels, giving them pause and practicing a little bit of mindfulness. With the clock positioned above the smartphone rather than the other way around, it gives a subtle reminder that time should have a higher importance in our lives than tools. It is the zenith, so to speak, that guides our lives, not the phones that, more often than not, send us on a downward spiral of distractions.

The post Beautiful wireless charger concept reminds you to take some time off first appeared on Yanko Design.

Meet the minimalist world clock that lets you check the time around the world by rolling it

We live in a world that gets a little bit smaller each day as advancements in transportation and communication connect us with anyone anywhere anytime. It isn’t unusual anymore to have family members living half a world from each other, or friends scattered across different countries. Unfortunately, that also means having to keep tabs on different timezones, lest you land in the awkward and embarrassing situation of calling someone at the wrong time. World clock apps have become a necessity for such people, but the information that they offer comes with complexity and inconvenience, especially when you have to dig through a handful of screens just to get the time you needed. You can have one clock for each timezone you’re interested in, but that can get messy really quickly. This minimalist one-handed analog clock, in contrast, offers a solution that is simple yet so clever that checking the time in other countries feels almost like a game instead of a chore.

Designer: Masafumi Ishikawa

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Even at first glance, you can already tell that the World Clock is not your typical desk or shelf clock. Never mind its unusual but not unheard of dodecagonal shape, the clock only has one hand on its minimalist face. The design is intentional, of course, because it gives you just the right information you need when you want to know what time it is in another part of the world. With a quick look, you’ll be able to immediately tell the hour, and a closer inspection could even tell you which quarter of the hour it is.

Of course, this isn’t an ordinary clock that just tells your time, as its name plainly indicates. Without complicated screens or complex mechanisms, the World Clock can easily clue you in on another timezone with a single and simple action. Simply roll the clock on its side until the city of the timezone you want is pointing straight up (a.k.a. the 12 o’clock position) and watch the single hand stay in place, “converting” the current time to the correct timezone. Actually, you don’t have to literally roll the clock on a surface for it to work. The internal bearings ensure that the hand remains in the right position, no matter which side is pointing up. It’s a simple yet ingenious way of converting time without actually doing the math for it.

Each of the 12 sides of the clock has markings for a city that represents a particular timezone, starting with London at UTC+0. Admittedly, you’ll have to remember places with their respective time zones, but putting a name to that time zone is a lot more familiar than memorizing numbers. Unfortunately, if the place you’re interested in falls outside of these 12, you might find yourself still doing some mental math in the end.

The World Clock’s simplicity applies to both its function as well as its design. It uses a simple movement mechanism no different from wall clocks, except for the addition of that bearing that keeps the hand in place when rotating the clock. The clock also has a certain charm familiar to lovers of minimalist designs, allowing it to blend in with its surroundings in a subtle yet pleasant way. More importantly, the manual method of turning the clock to check different timezones gives it a more intentional and personal aspect, creating a stronger connection between the act of checking the time and thinking about the loved one living in that timezone.

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Multifunctional clock moonlights as a security camera when no one is home

Space is a very precious commodity these days, whether it’s a floor, a desk, or any other surface you can place things. We sometimes have to be smarter about the products we buy, often picking things that can serve more than one purpose while occupying the same space. Some things, however, best serve a single purpose only, though that purpose sometimes loses meaning depending on the day. A clock, for example, should only tell the time, but that function becomes meaningless when no one is around to see it anyway. This concept design thus gives the humble desk clock another function when it’s not in use, merging it with another product that ironically loses its purpose when people are actually home.

Designer: Jungmin Park

There are some products that wouldn’t cross paths under normal circumstances, especially when they have seemingly opposite use cases. A clock, for example, is only meaningful when there are people around to actually look at it. In contrast, a home security camera is most useful when there’s no one around. swap is a design concept that tries to smash these two opposite home products together, creating an object that not only saves space but also changes with the owner’s lifestyle in an almost playful manner.

swap almost looks like a toy at first glance, especially with its pastel colors. It even feels like a toy with the way the circular head flips over like a coin, depending on its mode. One side shows a minimalist analog clock face with no second hand or numbers along the ticks. The other side is a nondescript camera that might be similar to common webcams.

The most interesting part of the concept, however, is how smart swap is, or at least tries to be. It can automatically switch between those two modes, showing the clock when you’re at home and switching to a security camera when you’re out. It mostly does so by detecting the location of your phone on the presumption that if it’s out of the house, you’re most likely out as well. Of course, you can also manually switch between modes or lock the device to a specific mode. There will be an audible notification whenever you switch modes, so you won’t be caught off-guard. There’s also an extra feature where you can display a countdown timer to the next schedule on your phone’s calendar app. This timer is displayed on an LED dot matrix on swap’s body.

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You might not be entirely convinced of the need for combining clock and camera functions, but swap, fortunately, serves another, though indirect, purpose. Given its aesthetic, it can also be a cute decor for your desk or shelf, so you aren’t exactly losing space if you place this multifunctional product somewhere in your home.

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DIY wall clock is an enchanting way to tell time using prismatic lights

Clocks, especially the ones we put up on walls, are no longer the single-function products of ages past. Many of them also serve as decorations, sometimes to the point that telling the time has become secondary and almost optional. That’s the case for some clocks that look stunning in terms of aesthetics but sometimes at the expense of easy readability of the time. Given how wall clocks are rarely used to accurately read the time down to the minute, however, that shouldn’t be a problem for most cases anyway. That, in turn, allows for a lot more freedom in how to represent time. This beautiful DIY project, for example, almost completely does away with the convention of distinct clock hands, instead using different hues of light to let you eyeball the time to some extent.

Designer: David Tweeto

Like many DIY wall clock projects, this Decorative Analog Clock involves quite a number of small electronics, wiring, and a bit of 3D printing. As the name suggests, however, this clock bucks the trend of defaulting to a digital presentation and clings to the analog way of telling time, at least in theory. In reality, it is completely driven by software, and the three distinct light colors each tell a different aspect of the time, just like physical hands.

Instead of ticking gears, the Decorative Analog LED Strip IoT Clock uses a small microchip that syncs with NTP (Network Time Protocol) server to know the time. This also controls a strip of 120 LEDs that is folded to form 60 pairs of LEDs back to back, running the strip inside a wide wooden ring that serves as the “face” of the clock. Although it would have been easier to 3D print a plastic ring cover, wood had the advantage of not only looking more stylish but also preventing the light from bleeding through.

The light uses the three primary colors of light (not pigment) to indicate time. Red is used to tell the seconds, and it only shines outward from the rim. Green is for the minutes, and its short light is also on the outer periphery of the circle. Finally, blue stands for the hour, and it is the only one that shines inside the hole of the ring.

In practice, this light analog clock isn’t exactly good at giving you the exact time since the lights can occupy more than just a single “tick” in the clock. It can still give you a general idea, though, which is what analog wall clocks are often used for anyway. As mentioned, the actual clock feature becomes secondary with these decorative clocks, and this DIY project definitely fulfills the primary purpose with much success, especially when the lights are dimmed. It creates a beautiful splash of colors on your wall, serving as a piece of light art that some might not even associate with a clock, even with the red light moving around the circle every second.

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This mouse and table clock join to form a cozy egg-shaped decor for your desk

The computer mouse is one of those things that shouldn’t make sense when you think hard about it, and yet it has become a staple of the modern world. Even with laptops that carry touchpads, some people still prefer to use a mouse with a laptop, even if it’s not the most ergonomic thing to do. There have been attempts to change the mouse’s image and design, creating forms that are almost out of this world. This concept design doesn’t stray that far from the traditional shape of the computer peripheral, but it still makes some changes that give it a better aesthetic, especially when it’s paired with its table clock twin.

Designer: Juwon Lee (Dawn BYSJ)

You won’t always be using the mouse all of the time, like when you’ve already stepped away from the desk and have shut down the computer. During these “off times,” the mouse sits pretty much useless on the table, like a mound of plastic that breaks the appealing flatness of the desk’s surface. It wouldn’t be much of a problem if the mouse’s design was something you could call decorative as well, but very few mice are like that.

The SEEK concept design tries to change the identity of the computer mouse a bit by giving it another function even when it’s not in use. The upper surface of the mouse that connects with your hand is covered with a fabric-like material, not unlike those found wrapped around smart speakers. It’s questionable whether using such a material is smart, considering how much dirt and sweat are likely to accumulate there, but it’s hard to deny that it looks stylish. It’s also possible to use some antimicrobial fabric, too, or any other elegant material that looks good and feels good in the hand as well.

While the mouse already looks pretty when left on a desk as normal, its real decorative value comes from joining with its other half. SEEK’s other half is a table clock that stands upright in contrast to the mouse’s horizontal position. The back of the clock is covered with the same fabric material and color as the mouse, while its front has the same terrazzo-like surface as the bottom of the mouse. The embedded monochromatic display gives the clock a minimalist appeal, and like the mouse, it can already stand on its own as a decorative table piece.

When joined together, though, SEEK becomes this curious egg-shaped, fabric-wrapped object that could evoke metaphors on incubation, warmth, patience, and the like. Of course, it’s also a beautiful object that adds a cozy accent to your desk, something that you might want to see after a long day of work or before you start your day. Joining these two halves together could even become a ritual for ending your work day, symbolizing putting a close to the work you’ve done and letting it bear fruit and hatch on the next day.

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Tempo helps you schedule your day with a more realistic linear mindset

Many things in life seem to happen in cycles, from the movement of the Earth and the moon to the changing of seasons to the cycle of day and night. These natural events give us the impression that time itself is also cyclical, but spiritual beliefs aside, the reality is far harsher and crueler. We can never reclaim lost time, and the time passed is forever gone. Thanks to this discrepancy of concepts, not to mention the design of analog clocks, many people, unfortunately, develop an almost carefree attitude towards planning and executing their days, postponing and procrastinating on tasks simply because they presume the opportunity will come again. That’s the mindset that this concept device tries to shatter by forcing you to see a day for what it really is, moving forward with or without you.

Designer: Ahmet Berat Akyol

Time pretty much flows in a linear fashion, and there’s really no going back, no matter how science fiction (or even science) may want to make us believe. Maybe in the distant future, we will figure out how to bend time to our will, but for now, we have to live with the cold fact that time lost is lost forever. Unfortunately, many of the tools that we have today seem to dance around that concept or even encourage less productive mindsets. If tomorrow is just another day, we might as well put off today’s tasks for tomorrow, right?

Of course, our lives don’t work that way, and Tempo tries to reinforce the correct idea of how time works by visualizing it not as a 12-hour or even 24-hour clock but as a single, straight, unidirectional line. This way, people will be forced to face the tempo, or rather the music, for what it is, something that you can never recover once passed. Hopefully, facing this reality will also force them to be more mindful and appreciative of the time they have.

As for its design, Tempo is simply a bar with rounded ends inspired by devices like smart speakers and soundbars, a common appearance in many homes today. It has a flat surface on top with a touch screen that shows the flow of time as a straight line with a series of small or large circles corresponding to tasks you have scheduled for the day. In a way, it resembles music visualizers that similar show sounds as a line broken by waves whose height depends on the intensity of the beat.

Tempo does have the character of a musical interface, which is apt for both its name as well as the similarity of beats to the passage of time. It’s arguable whether such a device can help you become a more productive person or reduce your procrastination, but it’s still an interesting insight into how we often view time and take it for granted.

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This alarm clock keeps track of time in a childlike, playful manner

For many people, alarm clocks are critical tools in making sure they’re on time or, at the very least, that they wake up on time. At the same time, however (no pun intended), these devices are often seen in a negative manner and are even portrayed as something most people will smash up first thing in the morning. It doesn’t have to be that way, of course, and sometimes all it takes is changing the way a thing looks to change the way people approach them. This alarm clock and timer in one, for example, looks less like a typical clock and more like a miniature arcade cabinet, reminding people not to take everything too seriously and to inject a bit of play into their lives.

Designer: MUID

A clock’s main objective is to tell time, but such a tool can take on many forms in order to accomplish that purpose. Alarm clocks and timers or stopwatches are simply variants that also do an action at certain times, usually by playing a sound or ringing a bell. There are plenty of ways these can be represented, but most of the designs of clocks appeal to the more serious side of life.

With a name like “Game Boy Alarm Clock,” it’s pretty clear that this concept design goes in the opposite direction. It embraces the lighthearted aspects of our existence, which is probably how you’d want to start your day in the first place. It could still annoy you when you want to squeeze in five or ten more minutes into your sleep, but you’ll hopefully feel a little less stressed whenever you see a reminder of that interruption.

This alarm clock’s toy-like appearance isn’t just for show, though. The way you use it is also like a gaming device, particularly with the lever that looks like a joystick. It can only go up or down, though, mostly for scrolling through hours and minutes. Admittedly, that could be tiresome when you’re going through a lot of numbers, but hopefully, you only need to do that only occasionally.

Operating the device is also easy, with clearly marked buttons for the different functions. Most of the buttons are on the back, though, so that they don’t become visual clutter. Only one button remains on the front, and that’s mapped to starting and pausing the stopwatch function. As for stopping the alarm, all it takes is a simple tap on the top, almost like petting a loyal companion that faithfully wakes you up at the right time. Hopefully, you won’t bring your hand down in wrath, which will probably make you feel guilty afterward for treating such a cute device poorly.

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This stunning wooden wall clock is like a metaphor for time as a gift

Although clocks are purely functional by nature, there was a time when they became elegant and elaborate art pieces worthy of becoming heirlooms. While mechanical logs still retain that mystifying character, modern analog clocks have seemingly devolved back to their purely functional purpose. Of course, their simpler mechanisms also offer the perfect opportunity to turn them into something more than just time-keeping appliances. Wall clocks that also function as wall decor have been on the rise recently, adding some flourish to a wall that goes beyond telling the time. Some tend to be minimalist in line with current design trends, but once in a while, we come across an elaborate piece of art masquerading as a wall clock, such as Nomon’s Ciclo.

Designer: Andres Martinez (Nomon)

A clock’s main purpose is to tell the time, but you won’t always be interested in that all the time. That means that a clock, whether on the wall or on your desk, spends most of the day unused and pretty much unappreciated. It’s hard not to appreciate the Ciclo, though, which looks like a wooden ribbon stuck to your wall. There’s almost a metaphor here about time and the present being a gift. Regardless of whether that was intentional or not, it’s hard to argue that it would definitely be a great gift to others or for yourself.

Many designer wall clocks these days tend to eschew the traditional circle that encompasses a clock’s face, or at least makes them subtle or invisible. The only circles you’ll find on the Ciclo are the round pips that mark the hours. These can be the same wooden material as the rest of the clock or made from metals like brass. Whatever the material, they still stand out, sometimes ever so slightly, to make it easy to actually tell the time.

The centerpiece of the clock is, of course, the wooden strips that make up its body. These thin sheets of wood are bent at their center and then arranged in a floral pattern to create the semblance of a round face. The wedge-shaped gaps between each strip not only create interesting whitespace to break the monotony of the wood but also provides color contrast, especially if the clock is affixed to a wall with a light hue.

Each Ciclo is made by hand, and the wood is sustainably sourced forested wood. That almost makes the wall clock completely sustainable if not for the electronics it needs to actually fulfill its function. It’s still better than many of the plastic-based wall clocks that litter not just markets but even some designer shelves.

The Ciclo is definitely a work of art and a handcrafting masterpiece, one that can easily breathe life into a barren wall. Admittedly, telling time becomes secondary with this design, but it combines function and art in a way that will continue to serve a useful purpose, even long after the clock’s batteries or electronics have died out.

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Kehai wall clock makes you look at the passage of time in a different light

Being able to tell the time of day may have been critical to survival in ancient times, but our modern lifestyles have unsurprisingly put a different twist on that. More often than not, the ticking of the clock, literal or figurative, is a source of stress for some people, a glaring reminder of how little time they have left in the day or in their lives. Minimalist clocks have tried to change our attitude towards time by changing the way we look at clocks themselves. This wall clock continues that tradition by applying a good measure of Japanese minimalist aesthetic to create a timepiece that tries to make you feel more detached from the burden of keeping time.

Designer: Makoto Koizumi

It starts with the very shape of the clock, a simple and familiar circle. The custom aluminum frame is made in Japan using a casting technique to create a thin yet durable container for the wall clock. Available in white, yellow, and gray, the clock almost disappears into the wall if placed on a surface that nearly has the same hue. Without any extraneous marks inside or outside, the minimalist appearance of the clock’s frame tries to avoid inducing stress whenever you look at it.

The clock’s hour and minute hands are not only plain, but they’re also literally flat and look almost broken. The two together almost give the clock a skewed face, as if the hands were floating in some murky soup of time and space. The frosted glass on top adds to the obscurity of the hands and the clock in general as if making it harder to read the time. Its ambiguous design, as the designer called it, tries to make us rethink our sometimes unpleasant view of time and the clocks that represent them.

In contrast to the rest of the clock, however, the second “hand” easily stands out and calls attention to itself. It’s just a big red dot that looks almost like a zit on the clock’s otherwise pristine face. It is so unlike traditional seconds hands, not just in appearance but also in movement. Where most hands move either in staggered motions or sweep swiftly around, the size of the red circle means it travels smoothly and more slowly as it circumnavigates the clock’s edge. In some sense, it removes the tension when watching the Kehai clock, unlike the gripping suspense of watching the second hand hit 12 as seen on TV.

Kehai is a simple and beautiful interpretation of a clock that is both Zen and playful at the same time. In a way, it almost represents that same ambiguity we have towards clocks and time itself. The murky glass is seemingly creating a barrier between us and the clock, while the red dot tries to remind us that every second counts. Time passes at the same rate, whether we rush or not, and this clock tries to blur our skewed perception of it while also giving any wall and any room a unique character.

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