Yanko Design - Form Beyond Function

When earphones become your MP3 players

Posted: 01 Feb 2017 12:00 PM PST

Wait. Earphone Charging Cases can be controllers too?!? Why didn’t anyone think of that! Instead of having touch sensitive earphones (with all their single-tap/double-tap commands that are heckin’ difficult to remember) just put controls on the case, right? The AK G-12 does precisely that. The charging case also acts as a controller (with a dedicated volume dial), a screen (that displays what song you’re playing), and even comes with microSD card support (allowing you to play all your music directly out of your charging case!). Bluetooth earphones ultimately rely on the mobile phone for music storage and playback, but the AK G-12 allows you to put the music IN your earphones, making it truly revolutionary.

I also give the design major points for the pen-clip detail on the charging case that allows it to fasten easily to pockets and more importantly, look like a harmless old LAMY pen (that’s less likely to be stolen). Brilliant!

Designer: Jeongdae Kim

A Glimpse at the Electric Nissan of the Future?

Posted: 01 Feb 2017 09:10 AM PST

Cars are heading in two distinct directions these days: electric and autonomous. The E-tech, a project sponsored by Nissan, takes a look at what we might expect from the manufacturer in years to come. It’s packed with plenty of Nissan-ness, especially the brand’s unapologetic experimentation with interior and exterior style.

The exterior is defined by aerodynamics and smoothness. Low-slung with sharp edges and exaggerated curves, it’s aggressive and mean. The interior reflects this same sharpness across the cabin. It’s roomier than you’d imagine with wrap-around interactive screens for entertainment and system controls.

Designer: Michael Garcia Lopez

Your Yearly Planner Banner!

Posted: 01 Feb 2017 06:16 AM PST

The only plans that materialize are the ones that have deadlines. And deadlines only work when they’re constantly staring at you in the face. That’s why we present to you the SuperYR Calendar. It lasts forever (unlike your planners that are only good for 365 days) and it’s much better than those pesky reminder/planner apps on your phone that stay hidden and jump out to scare you only when the deadline is approaching. Think of the SuperYR calendar as an essential for any student, professional or team looking to plan, execute, and achieve the impossible!

The greatest thing about the SuperYR is its size. It fits the entire year into its large canvas, giving you a complete overview on your year, allowing you to really plan things efficiently on a larger scale. The SuperYR comes with a transparent outer layer that allows you to go directly at it with a whiteboard marker. Plan daily, weekly or even monthly events by scribbling across the calendar’s 30inch X 40inch banner-sized canvas. Feel free to stick a post-it or two too. The SuperYR can take as much ink and repositionable glue you give it and can wipe completely clean with a single stroke of a duster or cloth. The SuperYR even comes with a magnetic sub-surface, allowing you to indulge your creative side and stick notes, prints, and even photos using magnetic pins.

You actually get two SuperYRs for the price of one. The calendar comes with a double sided print, one in portrait and another in landscape. Depending on your work environment or your space constraints, the SuperYR adapts to fit comfortably into your professional life.

The SuperYR is perfect because it’s (as its designers say) obnoxiously big. Imagine being able to visualize your monthly, quarterly, or even yearly plans at one go… being able to make updates, changes, add notes, snippets, etc to really capture plans, deadlines and events all on one massive canvas. So whether you’re an individual professional with a tight schedule, a student who really wants to manage their time, a creative who wants to achieve everything they set their mind on, or a collective team with great visions and goals, the SuperYR is perfect for you, because BIG plans require a BIG planner!

Designer: SUPERGRAPH

BUY IT HERE: $29.00 $49.00

Concrete Doesn’t Get Much Cuter

Posted: 01 Feb 2017 03:38 AM PST

“Boulders” is a bold pendant lamp that simulates the fusion of two boulder-like concrete stones in a codependent cuddle position, challenging this rigid, robust material to be gentle, soft and even a little loving! As gentle as the two lights’ embrace is, the aesthetic is also gritty and masculine.

The single cast concrete body of the lamp is fitted with two separate LED light sources. Their separate positioning allows for a larger spread of light, making it ideal for dining areas, workspaces and other elongated areas.

Designer: Dror Kaspi of Ardoma Design

A Roomba for Golf Balls

Posted: 01 Feb 2017 12:11 AM PST

Golf Pro does the dirty work so you can practice your swing all day without interruption! Designed for driving ranges, this automated robot utilizes an intricate sensor system that detects the location of balls throughout the range. The electric, dual-wheel unit can traverse different types of terrain from flat top grass to sand pits to retrieve balls from almost anywhere. Entirely autonomous, it allows golfers to concentrate and ensures they’ll always have plenty of balls to keep practicing.

Designer: Ho-Hsiang Chang

No, it isn’t a Dyson watch!

Posted: 31 Jan 2017 02:00 PM PST

it isn’t, but it sure feels like one, doesn’t it?! The ASIG Concentric watches embrace their design in all its hubless glory. Each hand comes in a ring-shaped design that rotates on an invisible axis. Outcrops on these rings form the ‘hands’ of the watch that allow you to tell the time despite the presence of any numeric markings on the watch’s face. Although, I don’t blame the watch… it barely has a watch-face to begin with! Absolutely loving this Dyson-esque donut timepiece!

Designer: Simon Williamson