Photographer and designer Philipp Schmitt has created a concept camera called ‘Camera Restricta’ with a unique feature: it won’t allow the user to take a picture in an area where too many other photos have been taken. Read more
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Products & Packaging. ]
The strange ongoing controversy around RePack has reached a conclusion, with Royal College of Art determining that the accused student is technically guilty of plagiarism and misconduct. While the subject is arguably a revolutionary innovation for the future of sustainable retail, RePack turned out to be repackaged (pardon the wordplay) copy of an existing brand’s idea, in all but name, which remained the same.
RePack (as shown in the two images above) is a reusable packaging startup based in Finland, boasting a “sustainable system for online retailers and shoppers whereby delivery packages can be conveniently and easily returned, and then re-used.”
Meanwhile, design student Yu-Chang Chou developed a thesis project (pictures above and below) with not only the same name and concept but even some of the same descriptive text, which came to the attention of the RCA after its publication on Dezeen.
Similar to its Finnish counterpart, “The customer would opt for for the packaging when they make their purchase. Once they receive the product, they simply fold and reseal the Repack bag and post it back to a central address, in exchange for a refund of the deposit they paid when ordering.”
The oddest part of the whole affair is the school’s declaration that the plagiarism was inadvertent, which seems a stretch in this situation. One could imagine that a brand name and concept could be accidentally duplicated, but additional text suggests that the student must have had some knowledge of the original project. Regardless, the institution has reached its conclusion and removed the project from their website, declaring the investigation at an end – the student, meanwhile, has already graduated.
The Finnish RePack seems to have reluctantly accepted the situation, and affirms that, regardless of the specifics of this case, they are glad that students are exploring sustainable packaging designs along similar (if not exactly the same) lines. Either way, wherever one weighs in on the plagiarism part, these ideas could give rise to a renewed usefulness of post boxes turned into de facto recycling centers, and may allow packages to be reused up to hundreds of times without having to be discarded. And, in the end, ideas get recycled a lot – perhaps it is the execution that matters.
It is a strange (but vital) fact that Coca Cola is so widely distributed it is easier to obtain in some parts of the developing world than clean water.
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Everyone loves tea or coffee – some of us enjoy both. But you’ll enjoy it even more when it comes from these tremendously entertaining and inventive packages.
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The first of its kind in the country, this German supermarket strips away wasteful packaging and sells its goods in bulk to customers who bring or borrow …
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[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Products & Packaging. ]
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[ By Steph in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]
London could become much more bike-friendly with SkyCycle, an elevated route for bicycles only that runs along the existing rail network and would enable commuters to see the city in a new way. Never mind sitting in your vehicle inhaling exhaust while you’re stuck in traffic, or battling the perpetual jam of vehicles on your bike, which has proven to be a dangerous proposition. 14 cyclists died in traffic accidents in London in 2013 alone.
Designed by Foster + Partners in collaboration with Exterior Architecture and Space Syntax, SkyCycle is a 136-mile route with over 200 entrance points that can accommodate 12,000 cyclists per hour. The fact that the route follows the train system is actually ideal, since the railway lines were built for steam trains and follow contours that avoid steep ups and downs.
The route could speed up treks across the city by up to half an hour by avoiding traffic and taking more direct lines from one busy area to another. If approved, the routes could be in place within 20 years or so.
The High Line in New York City, an elevated pedestrian route built along disused railroad tracks, is a great example of what can happen when a project like this is integrated into a busy city. Not only is the High Line a popular route for foot traffic, it also helped revitalize large swaths of industrial land that wasn’t living up to its potential.
A unique green retreat and pedestrian pathway is set to rival elevated parks around the world, including New York’s own High Line, right in the heart of … Click Here to Read More »»
Here are some extreme city sports you aren’t likely to see in a sports stadium – fasten your seat belt and strap on your helmet for seven really wild rides. Click Here to Read More »»
London could get a new floating airport in the Thames River with underwater tunnels connecting passengers to European rail service, in this proposal by Gensler. Click Here to Read More »»
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It’s not uncommon for photographers to feel much more at ease behind the camera rather than in front of it. Duo, a concept from Chin-Wei Liao, a Korean design school graduate, aims to transform the person behind the lens into photographer and subject simultaneously. Each half of the Duo is an individual camera. Assembled as one unit, pressing the shutter will record and an image while capturing a picture of the person using the camera. Click through to read more about this modular camera system.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Animated flipbooks have been around for nearly 145 years. With just a slide of your thumb, these books allowed you to view a few seconds worth of animation. Now, a new concept camera known as the GIFTY allows you to record video and print a flipbook instantly. The only problem: you can’t buy one yet. (via Yanko Design)
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
[ By WebUrbanist in Conceptual & Futuristic & Technology. ]
Forget the trailer and start trailblazing – this emission-free and fully-electric vehicle can juice up just like its Tesla cousins, but can also use photovoltaics and solar sails to recharge well off the beaten path.
Picture the three-wheeled Ecco as the latest in a long-standing series of streamlined and transforming vehicles for dwelling in, starting with Dymaxion and continuing to Airstream and through Volkswagen. Except, for the first time, conventional fuel is not required.
A light aluminum-and-class frame unfolds, stretching fabric into place and expanding the living space when stationary. This action also allows the driver to tilt up the sun-gathering elements for maximum charging capabilities.
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What is an ideal camera for today’s smartphone generation? Designers Vincent Sall, Dae jin Ahn and Chun hyun Park have created designs to explore the question. Inspired by the Leica X2, Vincent Sall envisions a Leica X3 that is an extremely mobile version of the high-end compact that folds up and communicates with a smartphone to share its images. Korean designers Dae jin Ahn and Chun hyun Park have put together a modular camera design calling it the Equinox. It reminds us of the Ricoh’s GXR modular system. The ‘core’ consists of the sensor and lens mount that can be attached to various kinds of camera body shells to step it up from a compact interchangeable lens camera to a large DSLR. (via Yanko Design & Petapixel)
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
The Instagram Socialmatic concept camera, first announced in May 2012, could become a reality by next year following some recent agreements between Socialmatic LLC and C & A Marketing. The two companies would work together to bring the device to market under the Polaroid brand name. Intended as the Instagram app icon come to life, the stand-alone digital Polaroid Socialmatic Camera would both share images on the popular photo-sharing social network and print them using a built-in system. Read more about the proposed specs on connect.dpeview.com.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Ricoh exhibited a concept camera at CP+ that captures spherical panoramic images and sends them wirelessly to smartphone or tablet. Apparently produced mainly to gauge market reaction, Ricoh released no technical info on the camera apart from the fact that it uses two opposed 180-degree lenses whose images it combines into one spherical panorama. Users can zoom in on the image elements and swipe to look around the sphere; they can also zoom out to a circular image. The company imagines printing images on spheres as a potential product concept, and is considering video capture as well as stills.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Some cool visual art images:
Album art concept I
Image by Mkleyne
Unused CD design concept I had lying around. I’ve highlighted this cover concept in a two part blog post which you can find on my website. I am personally quite satisfied with it so I figured I’d post them up so they don’t go to waste entirely.
The Barber Institute of Fine Arts – torch
Image by ell brown
This is the The Barber Institute of Fine Arts building on the University of Birmingham main campus.
It is listed currently as being on University Road, and no longer Edgbaston Park Road (I would assume that University Road is the road that goes from Edgbaston Park Road into the University grounds proper).
It is a Grade II listed building built between 1935 and 1939, designed by architect Robert Atkinson.
It is an art gallery and concert hall, and is an Art Deco building. It was opened by Queen Mary.
1935 completed 1939, architect Robert Atkinson. Sophisticated design marrying
elements of traditional institutional classicism with Dudok inspired stone
dressed brick modern. A 2 storey compact block with shallow full height portal
wing to right hand of front. Ashlar faced ground floor and blind lst floor of
brick with flat coped roofline. The horizontal emphasis of the strip
fenestration of the ground floor is suavely combined with the vertical accent of
the slightly battered portal. The latter is complemented in small scale by
ashlar panels carved with symbols of the Arts on the first floor and reflected
by the visual stop of the larger panel at the end of return east elevation.
The banding and strip fenestration of the front follows round on to the side and
rear elevations giving a crisp linear definition to the design.
The Barber Institute of Fine Arts – Heritage Gateway
A torch on the Barber Institute.
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