Tag Archives: Top Designs 2018

The Top Consumer Electronic Products and Concepts of 2018

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As the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is upon us, we thought that now would be the best time to review what trended in 2018, as we also take a look at how that may shape our 2019. Phones have always played a massive part of the consumer electronic showcase, and this year is no different. We tried to kill the bezel this year, and are one step closer to an all-screen phone. We’re also seeing 5G make its way into our lives. Along with phones, wireless chargers have taken off (except Apple’s AirPower!), and there’s also the occasional folding tablet from both small and big players… And then fast forward to the hottest product of CES 2019, LG’s folding television!

Is 2019 the year the phone peaks? Will we see the decline of the decade’s biggest product? Or will it transform into something new? A wearable perhaps. I don’t know, but isn’t that what we’re here for? To speculate, to conceptualize, to prototype, and to admire?

Until we get a fully transparent display, the Orbit smartphone will have to do! It expands on the trend of bezel-less design with a feature that makes it almost seem transparent – a camera that remains on and constantly reflects the environment behind it.

Project Andromeda by Microsoft explores a one-of-a-kind dual display device that folds down to a pocket-worthy size, and when opened, creates a large squarish screen.

Usually charging cables are an afterthought, but this USB charging and data transfer cable is quite cleverly designed, turning into a stand-of-sorts for your smartphone, propping it up as it charges it.

I never thought I’d say this but… I think I want a landline! I have the Dreyfuss phone to thank for this newfound appreciation. This retro-futuristic phone concept marries the iconic form of the classic telephone with a minimalistic, modern form and material combination.

Designed to work completely in monochrome, the Blloc’s OS saves incredible amounts of power by running everything in greyscale (something the Instagram app does too with its black white and red UI).

The Hubble Phone allows you to not only flip but swivel your phone’s screen, as the camera sat on the hinge, turning your phone into a camcorder of sorts… a format that was a novelty and quite a success back in 2006. Not only does the Hubble Phone experiment with that format, it’s also almost 100% screen… ON BOTH SIDES.

The EveRest smartwatch has not one, not two, but three screens. With two dedicated Flexible Numeric Displays for time/date and for the heart-rate monitor, the EveRest is one of the only wearables that allows you to multi-task.

The Moto Zen reduces the abundance of features on a smartphone down to just the two most important functions, communication and photography. Each side of the device is devoted to one of the two functions, allowing for a very simple and intuitive experience for the user.

Carlo Ratti’s Scribit is a small printer with big ambitions and the ability to take on the biggest canvases possible. Scribit is a robot that allows users to draw on walls, whiteboards, pieces of glass, or plastered drywall.

The Blackberry Network isn’t a phone, it’s your enterprise communication solution. Built to work as the RFID card that you would use to swipe into our out of your office, the BB Network is exactly that size too, and can be hung around from your neck or clipped to your pocket, much like your office ID. It’s even optimized to work keeping your office schedule and needs in mind, giving you access to your tasks, reminders, mails, flight tickets, etc. all accessible from within the home screen.

Small enough to fit in your pocket, the PIQO outshines every projector in its category. It can cast a massive 240-inch screen with a resolution of 1080p on any flat surface, allowing you to turn practically any place you go into your own personal theater.

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Don’t forget to check out YD’s top furniture designs from 2018.

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Don’t forget to check out YD’s top audio designs from 2018.

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Don’t forget to check out YD’s top EDC designs from 2018.

Don’t forget to check out YD’s top car designs from 2018.

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Don’t forget to check out YD’s top architecture designs from 2018.

Top 25 Furniture Designs from 2018

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Furniture hasn’t radically changed much in the last decade, leave alone the year. It’s one of those essentials that’s more or less untouched by technology… so furniture design doesn’t “advance”, per se. However, there’s always a new idea, material, aesthetic, or scenario waiting around the corner. From seating designed to make you healthier, to facades that also integrate plants into them, to furniture from repurposed car parts, to probably the very definition of innovation and creativity, Nick Baker’s Chair Sketches… 2018 was filled with a lot of creative furniture designs, and we can’t wait to see the new ideas that pop up in 2019!

At once sculptural and organic, Helen Kontouris’ Botanical Planter Screens provide a sense natural visual separation to indoor and outdoor spaces alike.

This desk encourages interaction from the user and allows them to configure a workspace that creates a personalized ambience, and is truly theirs.

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The Ovini Balance Stool relies on a hemispherical cushion and a series of ball bearings to give you a seat that allows you to shift and adjust your sitting angle to keep your spine active and engaged.

This chair can only be sat on in a certain way, directing the user’s behavior and encouraging a seating position that keeps your back upright, and your legs folded inward. It increases blood circulation and joint flexibility, while strengthening bones, and keeping your back upright. It also aids digestion.

Being able to choose where you want the shelves to be positioned is just the beginning! The ‘zones’ allow for the unit to be used as a wardrobe, storage for wine glasses, shoe shelving or even a small desk!

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The Twofold can be both a wall-mounted shelf or a desk with such relative ease, it seems simple yet striking.

Designed to blend in with your existing home atmosphere, this is what happens when Scandinavian design values meet modern hydroponics.

Made from original Porsche 911 body parts, coated in Arctic Silver automotive paint, and finished with Custom Made American Walnut attachments that complement the car’s contours beautifully, the 911 Writing Desk takes the iconic car’s rear end, converting its boot hood into a writing surface that doubles up as a cabinet for storing your stationery (using a spring-loaded hinge that lifts the boot lid up).

Given the hashtag of #nickschairsketches, Baker uploads unusual conceptual chair designs almost every week. The chairs showcase inventiveness that one rarely sees in furniture design, as concepts take inspiration from quite literally anywhere. Scroll down to see a few of our favorites.

This interactive furniture piece features a crank and loosely connected slats that can be rolled up or rolled out to save space or make room for more people!

COMB is constructed from blown out bike inner tubes and plywood leftovers. The bike tubes form the stretchy surface for the honeycomb-shaped sections that sink in to create a comfy, form-fitting seat when one drops down.

The latest from Kekkilä, the Green series of home furnishings aims to provide plenty of room for all your favorite plants.

Studio NINE’s Lego compatible furniture aims at being a playground for your children.

Features grooves on either side to hold and keep your pens, pencils, stylus or other writing utensils from rolling around. It also has openings dedicated to propping up your tablet, phone or other slim techs for easy viewing that takes up less desk top real estate than laying them down flat.

Designed to bridge the gap between the office environment and communal lounge areas, the large seats are orientated in opposing directions to subtly create privacy for the users.

This lux chaise lounge is named Câliner after the French word for kissing and cuddling! The designer’s intention was to give romantic partners a moment of intimacy, quality time, and a chance to be present and together.

Twoway is an air purifier but also offers a second function, a coffee table; the main body can rotate 90 degrees to create a horizontal surface, or it can be kept upright so it can sit flush against the wall, out of the way.

It’s free of any superfluous elements yet highly functional as a workspace with its organizational details and elevated, usable paper/utensil tray.

This bench is composed of just nine elements including five leg beams, three support slats and a clear top. Without any screws or glue, all pieces can be assembled in seconds and fit together snugly to create one robust and sturdy unit.

The Swan chair takes elegant inspiration from the creature of the same name. Though contemporary in construction, its atomic legs give it a familiar mid-century feel.

The living hinges allow SHIFT to seamlessly transform into a practical yet minimalistic shelving unit and adapt to fulfill the demands of the situation.

The WEE beautifully merges together both a working desk and a playful swing to create an item of furniture that allows the user to stay both productive and active during their busy day!

This wood desk has been crafted with multiple ramps and landings for cats to perch up and play. If you can’t fight ’em, invite ’em!

New Zealander Ben Young’s forte is hand sculpting clear sheets of float glass and different solid materials like concrete and steel. His works are inspired by oceans and seas; and their relationship to land.

The crisp, clean geometry beautifully combines a fish tank, plant pot and sculpture, seamlessly. And most importantly, it does this without compromising the habitability of the environment for the fish.

The Aalo range of furniture travels with you and lets you call multiple places home. Aalo’s unique assembly system also makes it hackable, reusable, and customizable.

Dichroic Film, that both scatters and reflects light, is attached to a transparent plate that’s made from polycarbonate, the combination of these two materials is truly mesmerizing as the light is actualized by a rainbow of colors.

With a series of vertical cuts and a support at the base, the Karekla looks flat before you sit on it, and when you do, takes the shape of your backside as it bends with your weight.

It carries a form that is inspired by cybernetics and science fiction, this is a truly visually exciting and modular place to work.

The client of the table has free reign over what vehicle gets machined into the table – this includes planes, trains, and automobiles.

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Don’t forget to check out YD’s top audio designs from 2018.

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Don’t forget to check out YD’s top EDC designs from 2018.

Don’t forget to check out YD’s top car designs from 2018.

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Don’t forget to check out YD’s top architecture designs from 2018.

YD Handpicks: The Top Audio Product Designs from 2018

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I’ll admit, I have an affinity for all things audio, so this list was bound to happen at some point! Audio isn’t, however, just a passion of mine… it’s also a massive industry that grows as the smartphone industry grows, because music and entertainment play a major role in the smartphone experience. We’ve seen a lot of growth in the truly-wireless audio wearable department (I even got my hands on the TicPods featured below… review pending) as well as the smart-speaker making its way into the homes of as much as 60% of all smartphone users, indicating a massive growth for the voice assistant too.

2019 should see voice-search really kick off, with the user being able to talk to their homes, cars, and everything else. 5G may just deliver on that promise, allowing products to communicate with each other effectively, while we finally learn to talk to our machines, rather than press buttons or type in commands… but I digress. Let’s take a second to appreciate how good 2018 has been for audio, both personal and domestic… and let’s hope we see some great products in 2019, including the new edition of the Apple AirPods!

The Infinitum takes the existing design and tweaks it to create a new and improved experience. The iconic sound-hole is bid adieu for four ‘vents’ on the front and back that allow the sound to emanate outwards in a way that makes it easy for the player as well as the audience to hear the music.

Is that a new iPod?! Nope! It’s the new Apple Watch in its coolest, old-schoolest external case yet!

The knob on the left controls volume, while the one on the right, rather interestingly, allows you to adjust noise-cancellation, pretty letting you decide the volume of external noise too.

The Red Dot and iF Design Award winning TicPods make a bulletproof case against most wireless earbuds, especially the AirPods.

The geometric form of the body is aggressively interrupted by the asymmetric cut-out, where the vinyl is positioned, creating a sense of imbalance and suspense that elevates the visual interest of the device greatly!

The Stylophone is a tiny, pocketable electronic synth you can play anywhere you go.

A cross section of wood taken from an ash tree, the Barky’s base has wooden age-lines that match perfectly with the shape and nature of vinyl, creating something that looks absolutely surreal as you begin to notice the biomimicry of sorts.

Designed to look like ornaments, rather than those Bluetooth headsets you see businesspeople and security details wearing.

The Pal retains the boxy aesthetic of the Traditional Cassette Player while allowing for a more up-to-date listening experience. Contained in the sections where the batteries would usually be housed is a set of Bluetooth headphones.

In a world where we’ve got in-ear, on-ear, and around-ear style headphones, the DP-2 breaks the mold as it holds onto the earlobe in its signature fashion by twisting open and closed.

Stepping away from the usual plastic and metal construction, the Maverick smart speaker uses cutom-knit fabrics, distressed leather, and genuine wood too, to give you a speaker that conforms yet doesn’t.

Titled the SoundCube, Eric Guack’s concept headphones for Lenovo literally come with a hexagonal design. Yes, the cups are hexagons too!

Designed to rest against a wall, this turntable comes with a mesh door that holds the vinyl in place, and the needle is built right into the door itself.

Rather than fitting snugly into the user’s ears, they instead comfortably fit around the outside.

The LG G7 ThinQ phone boasts of an unusual feature. Resonance speakers. The phone doesn’t come with speakers of its own, but rather, IS the speaker. It vibrates to the audio you play on it, and if you’re holding the phone, you hear the music almost running through your body.

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Don’t forget to check out YD’s top EDC designs from 2018.

Don’t forget to check out YD’s top car designs from 2018.

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Don’t forget to check out YD’s top architecture designs from 2018.

YD Handpicks – The Best EDC of 2018!

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What would we do without EDC? EDC is literally one of the most important categories of product design, given that they’re as invisible and as necessary as the air we breathe. An abbreviation for Every Day Carry, EDC is quite literally anything you’d carry with you or on you everyday. It comprises everything from your keys to your wallet, to a watch, to even a pen, or a multitool that you may keep on your person, to get out of tough fixes. Anything you’d carry with you every day, only because getting through your day without it is near impossible.

The 2018 throwback looks at all the EDC from this year that’s wowed us, pretty much with the only hope that 2019 can match up to the spectacular standard this year has set by providing us with innovative, incredible, and indispensable EDC that makes life easier and more enriched!

The way Caswell’s Morphing Karambit knife opens and closes is a thing of sheer beauty. It uses a parallel motion linkage, as opposed to a single-point swivel.

Integrated into the end of the pen, a finger fidget mechanism allows users to turn the wheels, press buttons and feel the intaglio to their subconscious heart’s content!

Relying on a system that uses positive and negative shapes (think: jigsaw puzzle, or key and keyhole), Linx allows you to simply slide the keyring in and out of its holder by matching shapes.

Designed to be a tiny, square-shaped object when not in use, the FOCX smart wallet comes with an elastic band that expands to hold as many as 5 cards.

The Manmower needs no electricity, no shaving cream, no water, and no prep. Just pull it out of your pocket and roll it across your jawline (you could practically do this in public too) and the Manmower cuts away at your beard, giving you a uniform stubble in no time.

Made for designers, engineers, technicians, and the MacGyver in all of us, the Alt Pen is half pen, half multitool.

Built from reclaimed industrial files, the Kiridashi by OriginHG features a small pocket-friendly design and even a nice knurled grip, courtesy the industrial file’s abrasive surface.

Maker Blade comes with a unique sliding design that’s actuated from inside the handle… and no matter how hard you press against the blade, it doesn’t retract until you tug on the slider inside to pull the blade back in.

“The Writer” replicates its owner’s signature by using historic cam technology and a complex series of 585 parts, assembled and finished by hand.

At a mere 0.4 inches thick, the Ekster 3.0 can hold cards, cash, and even a GPS tracker that lets you locate your wallet using your phone. It comes with space to store as many as 12 cards, featuring an engaging trigger mechanism that allows the cards to instantly pop out of the wallet for you to pick.

Not only looks incredible with its skeletal, bare-basics look, tilt it just a bit and the sapphire crystal’s refractive index creates a beautiful diamond-like glimmer around the edges.

The Snarl has two ways of gripping it. Traditionally, holding the area behind the blade like a handle, or using its finger-hole for far more dexterity and control… allowing you to go about all sorts of tasks with it by holding it in a fashion that works better for you.

Touted as the smallest phone charger in the world, the Chargerito is literally the size of a car key-fob, and transforms swiftly and smoothly into two prongs and connector that you can plug into a socket and charge your phone.

The MyKee 2.0 sports over 20 unique functionalities built into one compact unit you can take with you just about anywhere.

Focused on only the visual essentials of reading time, the band features 60 seamlessly integrated multicolor-LEDs that count down the hours and minutes.

Made to accompany your favorite EDC knife, the Knife Maintenance Tool is small enough to fit right into your pocket, strapped to your keychain.

A series of slanted cuts, spaced apart to provide a balance between flexibility and rigidity without breaking apart, are placed in the arm of the carabiner.

Designed to be the thinnest and lightest wallet we’ve ever seen, the Micro Wallet is just 2.3mm thick, is durable, waterproof, eco-friendly, comes with space for 8 cards and cash, and even integrates RFID protection.

The Pocketbands 3.0 is a replacement for your chunky, clunky wallet. It holds your keys and loose change, strapping them to your arm so you know exactly where they are, and it uses your wrist, a resource you always have, instead of a pocket, something that one may or may not possess depending on the clothes you’re in.

The Horizon puts the entire day on your wrist with its 24-hour format. The way it does it feels completely natural as compared to most 24 hour watches that need getting used to.

Don’t forget to check out YD’s top car designs from 2018.

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Don’t forget to check out YD’s top architecture designs from 2018.

The Top Architecture Posts from 2018

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While yesterday’s throwback looked at transportation, or moving spaces, today’s annual throwback looks back at architectural spaces through 2018. This year’s seen a whole tonne of prefab living and especially a lot of out-of-city homes, to escape the hustle and the bustle of the city life.

Our prediction for 2019 is to see a lot more sustainable living, and probably a departure from cities themselves, as roads get better, and as transportation gets easier with flying cars and self-driving automobiles. We may just see the disintegration of the nuclear city as we know it, not to forget initial stages of what human’s first Mars colony may look like! 2018’s been pretty interesting, but 2019 should be an absolute treat!

The OPod Tube Housing is low-cost, stackable micro-homes manufactured from concrete pipes. These pipes would be slotted in between building gaps rather similar to a game of Tetris. These concrete pipes are of course that of water pipes, transformed into a gorgeous 9.29 square meter home.

The Panorama Glass Lounge is all glass. Instead of beautifying its interiors with trinkets and furniture, it uses the outside’s natural beauty to make the interiors feel complete.

The Svart hotel actually generates more energy than it consumes, making it a powerhouse for sustainable energy. The hotel generates its own electricity using solar panels and geothermal wells, making it 85 percent more energy efficient than traditional hotels.

Measuring at 9 feet wide, 12 feet high, and 16 feet across, the Mono Cabin is literally homely. I mean literally. Shaped like the icon for a home, this pre-fab cabin comes ready to live in, and can be carried and placed literally anywhere your heart desires.

The LAX 2.0 is built for planes with vertical take-off abilities, reducing the need for a landing strip, and therefore allowing the airport to assume a non-linear shape, in this case, circular.

The Nolla doesn’t use any fasteners to hold it in place, but rather, pieces together like a massive puzzle. The cabin can be transported and assembled without the need for heavy machinery, and it comes with adjustable pedestals, giving you the freedom to set the Nolla up on any sort of terrain.

The Trudo Vertical Forest in Eindhoven, Netherlands, comes with 125 housing units where each apartment will have a surface area of under 50 sq.m. and the exclusive benefit of 1 tree, 20 shrubs, and over 4 sq.m. of terrace space.

Designed to resemble the iconic temple of Athena, the Parthenon Seawall was created to harness tidal energy, turning water current into usable current.

Designed to tickle your childlike fancy, the Treetop Cabin models itself on the concept of a treehouse, and the stylings of a triangular prefab.

This cabin in the woods hides in plain sight, thanks to the use of one-way mirrors.

Don’t forget to check out YD’s top car designs from 2018.

The Top Car Designs from 2018. #Automotivation

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You’d expect this round-up to be populated with self-driving cars and flying manned drones, but 2018’s list of top car designs still has a good amount of diversity. You’ve got bicycles without chains, Tesla-built helicopters, wheels with changeable treads, tractors from the future, and so much more. Transportation design is so incredibly diverse, and this list is a testament to that!

With companies now showcasing a wide variety of self-driving concepts, our prediction for 2019 is to see more car interiors, because the interior gets more importance in a self-driving car. We’re also bound to see a lot of advancements in eVTOLs, as companies like Uber are now trying to take on the skies. Whatever the future may hold, it’s sure going to be an interesting ride!

CeramicSpeed’s new drivetrain removes the ubiquitous chain that’s synonymous with two-wheelers for a drivetrain that’s mess-free, low on friction, and amazing looking. A rotating shaft replaces the need for a greasy chain, and it works spectacularly well, say the people at CeramicSpeed, reducing friction by as much as 49%.

The Pocket Rocket is clean, compact, and well thought through. The thick tubular column on the top becomes a perfect surface to sit on, once you’ve got a saddle in place, and right at both ends, you’ve got the headlight and taillight.

Created by a worldwide team of nearly 2000 designers, developers, and engineers, the Karlmann King SUV is based on the Ford F-550 chassis and packs a 6.8-Liter V10 gasoline engine.

Built in a time where Tesla’s batteries will be able to power large manned airborne vehicles, the Tesla Helicopter carries the company’s DNA, both physically and spiritually.

This tractor’s unique symmetrical structure enables instantaneous switching between moving directions. Additionally, each of its “limbs” can extend or contract to accommodate varying needs and spatial requirements.

Streamlined and aerodynamic from front to end, the Ethec Electric Motorcycle’s body transitions wonderfully from headlamp to the tail, rarely breaking form anywhere in the middle.

The guys at Thrustcycle believe that flying bikes aren’t particularly far away. In fact, they’re all set to build their own, which comprises two propellers for vertical lift-off, and two gyroscopes for stability.

Technically classified as a trike (a contraction of the word tricycle), the Nobe 100 electric trike looks retro and feels futuristic.

A simple zipping mechanism allows you to add a secondary, tougher tread on your tires, letting you go from riding on smooth asphalt to traversing through tough terrain.

The Hoverboard 2.0 can switch between being a regular hoverboard and a Segway, thanks to its telescopic handle system that occupies an incredibly small footprint when folded down.

Almost feeling like a palace on wheels, the EZ-ultimo is a magnificent melange of black and gold, and uses glass, mosaics, concentric patterns, and interiors that are more reminiscent of a luxury hotel than a luxury car… showing what one would consider to be clear architectural inspiration cues.

The Honda MODULAR concept explores how urban dwellers of all ages might travel in the year 2030. The transforming design consists of a single-passenger cockpit and two wheels fit with a gyroscopic system for balancing.

Is it a bike? A trike? A scooter? The TF1 is actually all three!

The ESCIS unicycle harkens back to a bygone automotive era. The vintage look is achieved by a glossy monocoque shell, pinstripe tires, and chrome detailing throughout.

This is Stator, the self-balancing, fully electric, an absolute monster of a machine that you never knew you wanted, until now!