Tag Archives: Huigyu Kim

This Montblanc-inspired motorcycle is the most luxurious crossover ever!

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Here’s what I absolutely love about the design profession. The Montblanc Motorcycle is clearly a concept. I imagine the luxury stationery and timepiece company isn’t even interested in entering the automotive industry… but there’s always the potential for a crossover, and there’s always an indie designer who’s ready to realize that potential. Meet the Montblanc Motorcycle, a fan-made conceptual two-wheeler created by Huigyu Kim who felt that the pen and watch manufacturer’s design DNA definitely had a quality that could be easily carried into bike-design.

The Montblanc Motorcycle comes with the same, uber-luxurious design language seen in the company’s pens. I’m talking clean surfaces, gloss black paint-job with the judicious use of metallic accents. My favorite detail, however, has to be the bike’s headlamp, which directly borrows its design from Montblanc’s pen-caps and watch crowns. The lamp comes with a rounded conical glass cover under which sits Montblanc’s famous star-shaped logo. The edge of the headlamp sports a metallic rim too, with protrusions on the side that make way for the bike’s indicators… features that directly resemble the crown seen on Montblanc’s watches.

The bike comes in all black, with a relatively modern appeal. Chrome accents in just the right places make the bike stand out, while the black-on-black satin text on the bike’s fork-guards helps highlight the company’s branding without being too direct or obvious. The bike’s handlebars and dashboard possess the ability to rise up when the bike’s powered on, allowing you to easily steer… and they lower back into the bike’s body when it’s locked too, adding a second layer of security by preventing the handlebars from turning freely. Even the leg-rests autonomously fold inwards when not in use, and can fold out and slide forward or back based where you want them. Overall, credit where it’s due, the Montblanc Bike is an absolute masterpiece, looking just as slick and high-end as the rest of Montblanc’s products. The use of black and chrome, and the clever reinterpretation of the Montblanc insignia as a headlight feels incredibly clever, and if the company were to ever foray into transportation design, I suggest they should definitely use this fan-made concept as their template!

Designer: Huigyu Kim

This is a conceptual project and isn’t affiliated to Montblanc. Any use of the brand and logo are solely for representational purposes.

No more dreary mornings with this futuristic alarm that substitutes sunlight!

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Have you ever speculated about the future? How our cities, living situations, and public spaces might end up in say 10 years time? Well, product designer Huigyu Kim believes that by 2030, the majority of the future generation will be on tight budgets, living in cramped homes. And to be honest, it does seem like an upcoming reality. The probability does arise that houses in the future may have narrows windows, or buildings could be placed compactly next to each other with nothing but the walls of the adjacent building as a view. In such a situation sunlight will become a rare myth. In fact, even now, consuming a healthy amount of sunlight has become quite difficult. Studies have proven that people who wake up to the rays of the sun streaming in through their windows arise pleasantly, with a positive attitude for the day. Whereas waking up in a dull and dreary environment leaves you lethargic and tired. Hence to combat such a situation, Kim created ‘RISEME’, an alarm clock that might just be a substitute for the morning sun. He has described Riseme as a ‘lighting alarm timer’, an alarm clock that utilizes lighting to wake you up!

Designer: Huigyu Kim

Riseme looks like a wall clock, but with an advanced upgrade. Circular and matte black, Riseme features a singular hand, impressively long and boasting a startling red color. The hand has been equipped with a tubular light at it’s back.

You can sync Riseme with the alarm on your smartphone using Bluetooth. Once the time you’ve set arrives, the alarm timer on Riseme automatically activates, with the hand lighting up and illuminating your entire room!

Another perk is that you can control Riseme physically as well. Equipped with analog sensitivity which is stimulated on touch, the timer can be set by hand. Hence the alarm clock boasts digital-to-analog harmony, controllable digitally as well as tangibly! Though Riseme does seem like the alarm clock of the future, I do believe it is supremely useful even today. I don’t know about you, but my everyday smartphone alarm isn’t the best at waking me up from my deep slumber. But an alarm that rings like a siren and fills up my room with bright light is sure to wake me up in a jiffy! Waking up to rays of light that constitute as sunlight will not only give us all a fresh start to the day, but increase our daily productivity as well.

The weirdly beautiful sensibility of a rectangle-shaped motorbike

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When you start to question why things are shaped a certain way, and what it would take to make them shaped a different way, you unlock a certain potential to design something truly avant garde. That’s the word I’d honestly use to describe Huigyu Kim’s motorbike, the Travele. The Travele isn’t shaped like normal motorbikes because Kim decided it didn’t need to be. Designed as an electric vehicle that champions compactness, the Travele is both boxy yet out-of-the-box.

Every element crucial to the motorbike is contained within Travele’s cuboidal form. The wheels fit into the frame, sliding out when you need to drive the motorbike. A seat folds out from the inclined cut in the back, while the headlight sits within the Travele’s front frame. The handlebars and leg-rests sit flush within Travele’s frame too, folding out once you start the vehicle. Its transformation from a flat, massive suitcase-shaped form to a fully functioning motorcycle really makes you question why bikes are shaped the way they are. All of Travele’s electronics are placed in the vehicle’s base, while an empty space in the upper part of Travele’s body allows you to store luggage while driving, much like the boot of a car. A smaller storage hatch is even accessible when the seat unfolds, letting you stash things like your handbag, phone, or wallet. A square motorbike may seem like a strange idea, but the Travele’s design and format really helps make a case for how cool and sensible a rectangular two wheeler could be. Thoughts??

Designer: Huigyu Kim