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Ugmonk's Tenth Anniversary Set
Our good friend Jeff Sheldon is celebrating its 10th year of his Ugmonk brand. Each year, Jeff will design and come up with an anniversary set that will blow us away and this year is simply clean, unique and as we are publishing this article. All the sets are sold out within the first 24 hours! That's awesome! For the lucky ones who were able to snag a set, you will be getting your 10th-anniversary tee, a special notebook, a steel ruler, black leather coaster and more. For the unlucky ones (like myself!), we can always enjoy a 20% off everything sale on Ugmonk. Make sure to use "10YEARS", for a limited time only. The past 10 years has been an amazing journey! In 2008 I had just graduated with a degree in graphic design and had no intention of starting my own business. Now 10 years and 100,000+ products later, I’m thankful for all I’ve learned along the way and all of you who make it possible for Ugmonk to continue to thrive! More Links Ugmonk Site Instagram 10th-Anniversary Gallery
Mission Workshop introducing a Capsule Padded Case, Laptop Briefcase and Laptop Sleeve
We are providing a pretty rad update from our friends from Mission Workshop where I have been reviewing myself The Rhake for the last few months. The review should be coming in a week or so. Today, we would like to introduce a bunch of new products from what they called: The Capsule, an innovative padded case. They are also introducing The Transit Arkiv, a weatherproof laptop briefcase that can be combined with the Radian, R2, R6, or R8 packs as a complete travel system. And lastly but not least, the Spec, a fully-padded laptop sleeve. The quality material used on their products is insanely good and built to endure. In their words The Capsule The Capsule is a padded camera case that fits inside all Mission Workshop backpacks 22-liters and larger to create a durable and weatherproof camera pack. Gear inside The Capsule can be accessed from the top panel or the front panel. The top section is specifically designed to hold a DSLR or mirrorless body with almost any size lens that can be accessed directly without removing The Capsule from a pack. The Capsule is designed to fit perfectly inside our Rhake, Sanction, and Arkiv packs but it also easily fits inside any of our other packs except for The Fraction. It also fits in most packs from other brands that are 22-liters or larger. Learn more about The Capsule The Transit Arkiv The Mission Workshop Transit Arkiv is a weatherproof laptop briefcase perfect for work and travel. The smallest in our Transit series, it is ideal as a daily briefcase or combined with our Radian, R2, R6, or R8 packs as a complete travel system. Organizational features include a dedicated fully padded laptop compartment, internal file organizer, mesh zip pocket, endcap water bottle pocket, and quick-access external zippered pocket for phone, wallet or keys. Learn more about The Transit Arkiv The Spec The Spec is a fully-padded laptop sleeve designed to be used on its own or paired with any of Mission Workshops rucksacks or cargo packs—specifically the Fraction, Sanction, Fitzroy, Rambler, Vandal, or R2/R6/R8. The top flap can either be left open for easy in-and-out use or can be folded closed for more secure storage. It is fully lined, and features an exterior pocket ideal for an iPad, cords, or other small accessories. The Spec is made from either our burly and light HT500 fabric (Black and Gray) or 500D CORDURA® (Black Camo). Learn more about The Spec About Mission Workshop In 2009, Mission Workshop’s humble beginnings took root in an alleyway in what was once referred to as “The Messenger Ghetto,” in the Mission District of San Francisco. Created out of the desire to build gear as tough as it is beautiful Mission Workshop has always been about passion and product. Utilizing nothing but the very best materials, researched designs and stylish looks Mission Workshop sets the standard in utilitarian bags and beautifully tailored apparel made from performance fabrics. Made to endure, guaranteed forever. Learn more about missionworkshop.com
Our Picks: Headphones
Whether it’s on public transport, at the office, or kicking back for a round of Fortnite at home, there’s a pretty good chance I’m wearing headphones. And as someone who wears glasses, finding the right mix of comfort, style and sound can be a bit of a hurdle. Luckily, here at ABDZ, we get to test out quite a few gadgets. And out of all of them, there are a few headphones that stood out. Here’s my list of the best headphones to get you through your day, workout, flight, or family dinner. Daily Driver: Bowers & Wilkins PX Wireless when you need them to be. Wired when you don’t. Active noise cancellation. USB-C charging. Premium materials. 20+ hour battery life. Stupidly fantastic audio quality. When you add up the sum of its parts, the Bowers & Wilkins PX makes for an unbeatable combination. Well, for me anyway. The PX’s boast a finish of sturdy metal & soft leather, which is comfortable to wear all day or on long flights (even on top of glasses!) Their sound signature produces crystal clear highs & lows — with a bit more emphasis on mid tones. It’s a very “warm” sound, but not overly bass-heavy like a pair of Beats might run you. And I’m not sure what sort of wizardry Bowers & Wilkins have done, but the ANC feels completely natural. Bose’s QC line often leaves me feeling a bit nauseous after heavy use. But I’ll admit, aesthetically they’re not my first pick. Bang & Olufsen has done some seriously impressive work with their Beoplay line (more on that in a minute.) But when it comes to a pair of headphones you want to get you through a busy day or a cross-country flight, I’d recommend these to anybody. Check them out for $399 on Amazon. Runner-up: Bang & Olufsen H9i Oh God they’re so pretty. But here’s the thing about B&O. I just don’t love the sound. At least in my experience, he H9’s tended to emphasize highs, which felt really exhausting after prolonged listening. It’s definitely a personal preference, but it dampened my experience — particularly after using a pair of the PX’s. The other little nitpick I had about these was the touch controls on the right ear. They’re finicky ... and a little clumsy to navigate. The lack of physical buttons really tripped me up a few times when I wanted to navigate between songs. But that’s not to say that overall these aren’t fantastic headphones. Build quality is excellent, and I’ve yet to see a pair of headphones I prefer looking at. At $499 though, they pack a bit of a wallop to your wallet. Luckily B&O makes a slightly reduced pair of over-ear headphones in the H4’s, which happen to come in an array of fancy colors as well. (Coral!) Check out the H9i’s for $499 on Amazon here. And the H4’s for $299 here. Top Wireless Earbuds: Bang & Olufsen Beoplay E8 Ok, I gave B&W my top spot for my daily driver, but B&O takes the cake when it comes to buds. The E8’s sport huge sound for their tiny package, and look much, much sleeker than their white plastic competition over in Cupertino. More finicky touch controls aside, (I’m sensing a trend with B&O) there’s just no comparison to these in terms of sound and build quality. I also love the carrying/charging case they come with. It’s sturdy with a leather exterior, and an elastic strap for easy carrying when you don’t have pockets. They come in two colors, black, and sand, and sell for $249 on Amazon.
Industrial Design: Bunk - The wireless smartphone battery
Let's take a look at this minimal and colourful concept by Will Kail who is a Product Design Graduate based in Norwich, UK. His concept? A wireless smartphone battery named: Bunk. With the current solutions now available on the market, Will saw an opportunity to create a product that is magically working because of magnetic sticker on the back of the smartphone case. For those who are wondering the Multi-Coil solution will allow Bunk to align with the receiver coil on any smartphone. The concept is also IP67 which makes it water-resistant and you can customize your very own as well. What do you think? Would you be interested to buy one? Bunk is a 100% wireless, hot-swappable battery pack, that snaps magnetically onto the back of your smartphone, providing almost double the longevity without the permanence of battery cases or the awkwardness of separate power banks. In his Words 80% of smartphone users actively take measures to extend their battery life throughout the day, while most smartphones are released with non-removable cell, forcing users resort to using various inelegant solutions to extend the lives of their devices. Development Proof of Concept Various aesthetic prototypes were made from foam and MDF to evaluate size and in-hand feel, while a functioning prototype investigated the performance of the magnets and reliability of the charging system. Learn more about Will Kail Follow Will on Behance Follow Will on Instagram Industrial Design
Industrial Design: Xbox Adaptive Controller for gamers with disabilities
Earlier this week, we have shared the awesome new product by Microsoft with the Hub 2. Today, they introduced another product but more specifically for gamers with disabilities which is makes it even more inspiring with great admiration for them to go down with this initiative. I would be highly intrigued to give it a try myself. You just gotta love it when brands cares of accessibility for everyone and props to everyone from Microsoft who have worked on this project. It's a nice to be involved with technology. Designed primarily to meet the needs of gamers with limited mobility, the Xbox Adaptive Controller is a unified hub for devices that help make gaming more accessible. Connect external devices such as switches, buttons, mounts, and joysticks to create a custom controller experience that is uniquely yours. Button, thumbstick, and trigger inputs are controlled with assistive devices (sold separately) connected through 3.5mm jacks and USB ports. Get a glimpse More Links Learn more about Xbox Adaptive Controller Read more via Microsoft Story Labs Xbox Adaptive Controller
Tide X Otter: Beautiful, Sustainably Designed Surfboard
We were lusting after this beautiful surfboard at first sight and then we discovered the wood was sourced from sustainable woodlands and we fell in complete love. As part of a workshop to design and make his own surfboard, Martin Spurway worked with Otter Surfboards in Porthtowan, UK to make a wooden surfboard sourced from sustainable woodlands. The board is designed to mix traditional surfboard construction techniques similar to Tom Blake in the 1930's with a modern design aesthetic. Thanks to Spurway, we're able to showcase his entire design process from preparation as well as the 5 day workshop at Otter Surfboards. To finalize this beautiful project, Spurway partnered with Diplock Phoenix in Wadebridge, UK board to finish and glass the board. Surfboard Design process The workshop consisted of 5 days which started with the inside frame of the board, which was glued to the bottom skin. On the second day and third days the rails were built up from a series of strips. By the end of the third day the top was glued on. From there on it was shaping and sanding the rails of the board and blending in the nose and tail. The top and bottom skins and rails are made using Western Red Cedar wrapped over a poplar hollow frame. Since the board was custom designed, I also wanted to create a bag which not only complemented the design and quality of the board but was also perfectly tailored to fit it and removed extraneous elements of traditional board bags. The bag not only protects the board when travelling with its 10mm padded walls but I wanted to emphasise features such as the fin slot which reflective polyethelene in contrast to the 600 dennier recycled polyester. Extra protection was also added to the nose and tail which is also distinguished with a gloss finish. The board was made by Whasup Custom Board Bags. Via Behance
Product Design: Bringing Back Humanscale Manual from the 1970s
As of late, we've have published a series of revisited things from the past on ABDZ coming from manuals, branding items and more. It's somehow quite interesting because the things are stuff that we haven't even known its existence. It's kind of where I am heading with this Kickstarter Campaign of the Humanscale Manual originally created in the 1970s. To be specific, it was created by the team of industrial design pioneer Henry Dreyfuss and now back by the folks over IA Collaborative to publish the reissue. Give it your support! Behind this project, we have IA Collaborative is a global design and innovation consultancy based in Chicago, IL, USA. Their field of work is all around User Driven Design with research, strategy, prototyping, product development and more. Definitely check out their site to learn more. In their words These iconic, beautifully designed, and visionary tools to design for people are still so relevant today. Published between 1974 and 1981, the materials have been out of print for decades and fetch extremely high prices on the used market due to their scarcity. After finding so much value using Humanscale during the prototyping process in our own design work, we wanted to make them available at a reasonable cost to people everywhere. Photo Gallery Humanscale was published as three separate sets––Humanscale 1/2/3, Humanscale 4/5/6, and Humanscale 7/8/9. Each set includes one booklet and three two-sided selectors. More Links Learn more about Humanscale Manual: humanscalemanual.com Follow Humanscale Manual on Instagram Learn more about IA Collaborative iacollaborative.com
From Waste to Wearables: Sustainable Bamboo Slip Ons
If you've ever had the great opportunity to visit Hong Kong you may take quick notice of the iconic skyline and the amount of cranes constructing yet another skyscraper. In fact, Hong Kong boasts the most skyscrapers in the world surpassing New York and Dubai by far. You may also notice the bamboo scaffolding that looks more like an art display than a centuries-old building technique that locals celebrate. Bamboo scaffolding was first introduced into the building industry in Hong Kong immediately after colonization in the 1800s and widely used in the building of houses and multi-story buildings prior to the development of metal scaffolding. You may also be surprised to learn that most famous landmarks, most notably The Great Wall of China, were built using bamboo scaffolding. Each year, more than five million bamboo rods are used by the construction industry. However, due to safety reasons, most of them go straight to the landfills only after one building project. Enter Erth Company who was inspired to make a difference in turning this so-called waste of recycled bamboo rods into the insoles of today's most earth friendly, sustainable slip on ever. The Erth team collect bamboo rods from the construction sites in Hong Kong. They are then cleaned, disinfected and laminated into the insoles transforming "waste" into a sustainably designed shoe you can look good and feel good wearing. They've launched on Kickstarter and introduce two colorways of their bamboo and canvas slip on perfect for summer - Chalk and Uprush. Check out The Erth Company's site to learn more and be a part of the change.
Thoughts on: What should be my design title?
What should be my design title? This is a different approach from our usual inspirational features, hope you will follow along. This question was brought up by a good buddy of mine on what should be his design title? It wasn’t a question of “Fake it till you make it” but mostly what are the industry standards nowadays in terms of what is my title and what are my roles? For this article, let’s go deeper for the case of what are the differences between a UI/UX Designer, an Interaction Designer, and a Product Designer. Shall we? I took this comparison's case because it has been brought up many times during the course of my career and the last few years with the popularity rising of the UX. Whatever if you are a beginner, professional and even if you’re a freelancer. Let’s be honestly, most of us who comes from a background of graphic design and we aren’t being called graphic designers anymore. I know some people who still hasn’t done this switch in their careers and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. As long as you love what you do, nothing else matters. One thing to remember though is there is no ultimate goal in our field, everything depends on what do you wanna do with your career. Image by Ruthson Zimmerman What is UI and UX? Here we go! In the simplest explanation, UI is about what you see and UX is all about what you feel as a user and user experience. This role means that you’re juggling between both what’s visual and the overall experience. It’s one big giant role to be in and some companies do in fact mixed it all up (between UI and UX) which is not always right. From creating your visual path for each screen, page or elements and by the same time following what has been done on the UX side of things. On top of that, you’ll be working at creating style guides and ensuring a design language across the board. Image by Andrew Welch What is an interaction? In my opinion, during the course of a project; this is usually worked near the end from the design process. It’s basically animating all the static design into a fluid transition across the product. Sometimes it can be done for a certain element in particular but overall it’s always been figured it out as we go along. For example, what happens the interface does after a user clicks on this button. How the content appears? What transition effects to use? Motion becomes the main part of the interface by providing visual guesses as to how to use the product. Image by Carl Heyerdahl> Product Design We often say that UI/UX designers do become Product Designers and why is that? In my opinion, it’s an all-inclusive term of being a designer who is involved in every step of the process including what you see and feels but also conducting user research, design UI interfaces and create UI assets. Their understanding of the user and the product itself goes beyond since they have the capabilities to select the problem and address it with either prototyping and even front-end coding. Their role involves also testing in generating solutions to problems. This is the role that we keep hearing about since companies tend to hire designers that understand the user experience, research and visual elements. Voilà! This is what these roles meant to our industry, hope these were helpful during the course of your research or growth perspective. One thing to remember though is there is no ultimate goal in our field, everything depends on what do you wanna do with your career. If your goal is to be that catch-all designer, then you have to step it out so you can understand every single compartment of a product or keep crafting your skills in your desired role. We are lucky to be in our growing community that is not shy to share knowledge or even skills. Hope you have enjoyed this read. More Links Follow my tweets @aoirostudio Follow my pictures on Instagram
Product Design: Wrist Watches
Some people love their wrist watches. I usually don't use one, but I sure enjoy a well designed clock. When it comes to the product design of clocks, we can find thousands of models online and it's just a matter of taste to find the perfect fit for you. Here I've selected some awesome pieces of product design for you. Some are quite different, and it's great to see the variety of details in each one. Don't forget to tell us on Facebook what's you favorite from this list, or any other watch you might want to share. I hope you enjoy this selection. Cheers! ;)
Gather by Ugmonk: Minimal & Modular, your Next Desk Organizer
Your desk, is it organized or just a cluttered mess? Most desk organizers on the market always on either ugly, badly designed or/and cheap-made. Well, our good friend Jeff Sheldon over Ugmonk is introducing Gather. A minimal, modular organizer that cuts clutter and it's amazing. We've been fans of Ugmonk for a long time, we always admire his avant garde entrepreneurship and his care of good design. This time, it's a beautiful and useful product design currently live on Kickstarter, we would like to congratulate Jeff on getting it funded in less than one hour. What a milestone of something that has been in the works for the last 3 years. Behind Gather, we have Ugmonk also known as Jeff Sheldon is the face behind the brand. A designer based in Downington, USA who has been creating products, moments and stories for the last 7 years. What is Gather? Your browser does not support the video tag. GIF Action Why Gather? (In Jeff's Words) Clutter. You don't want to think about it, but it always creeps in over time, making it impossible to find things when you actually need them. As a designer, I spend most of the day working at my desk and reach for the same things over and over. I try to stay organized, but by the end of the day my desk is a complete, cluttered mess because there's no central place to put everything. I searched for a product to solve this problem, but all I found were ugly, cheaply-made organizers. What I wanted was a beautifully-designed, minimal organizer. Something to gather all of my essentials into one central place. So I designed Gather. Gather adapts to your workspace and workflow to make sure the tools you need are always within reach. Product Shots & Prototypes For the past 3 years, I’ve worked through dozens of prototypes and sketches to dial in every detail. I went from chopping up rough foam models with a pocket knife all the way to working with industrial design engineers to produce 3D-models and technical drawings that are ready for mass manufacturing. More Links Support Gather on Kickstarter Follow Ugmonk on Twitter Follow Ugmonk's pictures/stories on Instagram
Mumu: A Set of Play Toys based on Taiwanese Cultural Lifestyle
With the era of how technology has evolved, young kids have started to be pretty familiar with our smart devices and companies have started to build smaller and yet more interactive things. Well, Dualai Studio had another concept; setting aside our smart devices and introducing Mumu. Inspired by Taiwanese Cultural Lifestyle, it's a set of play toys to build their own little house structure with magnetic interchangeable parts by trigging their freedom and joy to simply play. Behind Mumu is the work from Dualai Studio. Dualai is a design studio based in Taipei, Taiwan, they have been focusing their work on multiple areas of design including: Industrial Design, Product Design, Interface Design and more. You should give them a follow via Behance. There is a tremendous variety of pretend play toys in Taiwan’s market, however, the customers are disappointed because of a lack of choice which demonstrates the Taiwanese lifestyle they are familiar with. The lifestyle in Taiwan has its own uniqueness, and it is worthy to be cherished. We aim to make mumu a hub which connects the collective memory of families through play.
Mujjo is bringing its Full-Grain Leather Case for the Samsung S8/S8+
With the arrival of the newly Samsung S8/S8+, Mujjo is bringing its full-grain leather case for the occasion. We've featured them before and now they are back with its unique case to the market. With a super slim fully leather-wrapped silhouette, you'll have an interior lined with the finest Japanese microfibre. Last but not least, you'll have enough chamfer for effortless use of fingerprint sensor. Coming from the mighty folks from Mujjo, they provide leather tech and travel accessories from Netherlands. As I quote from the Co-Founder (Remy Nagelmaeker): "Part of what makes the cases so unique is the premium quality of the materials and design which is at once simple and elegant." You should definitely check out their store. Part of what makes the Mujjo leather cases so unique is the premium quality of the materials and design which is at once simple and elegant. After the massive success of Mujjo’s iPhone cases, and with Samsung’s release of the S8 and S8+, we feel now’s the time to bring our renowned cases to Galaxy.
Industrial Design: Disney Camera Concept
Let's take a look at this colourful industrial design by Soo Mok of a really kid-friendly design of a camera for kids by Disney. The idea/concept behind this design is quite fitted for kids as I quote:"The Dream Camera aims to make kids’ get-a-way in Disneyland more ideal." It's a really cute MOD design where I can see kids using and looks pretty solid, wouldn't be worried if it would fell on the floor. What strikes me the most is the different colour scheme that would represent some of your favourite characters! Which is your favourite? Published on Behance, we are following the work of Soo Mok who is an industrial designer based in Seoul, Korea. It's nice to see Soo getting out of his comfort zone from his latest designs, definitely worth checking out his work. According to the veteran photographer, David Hurn, photography is a perfect tool for overcoming shyness. In this sense, if some kids feel shy or even afraid of uncomfortable circumstances, e.g., confronting characters, a camera could be a highly useful icebreaking tool to overcome barriers in their mind by letting children taking pictures. There is no need to pose Then when you come home they will still have a picture to remember meeting the characters but don’t have to pose for a photograph.
Industrial Design: AE1 Hand-made Premium Film Camera
AE1 is a concept industrial design and product design project created and shared by Jun Semin on his Behance profile. The beauty of this project in my opinion, lies on the pursue of a classic and premium look resulting on a super clean product. It brings a lot of references in terms of style and aesthetics from Leica, as you can see from the images below. Jun even uses that as reference during his design process. Jun Semin is an industrial designer from Seoul, South Korea. His design work is a think tank wrapped in the “Idea” & “Story” with the simplicity and exclusivity as well as humor not seen in the conventional commercial design elements. Listening to user's story and learning from their experience is crucial that when designing a new product – not to mention that it’s very interesting and fun. Not only he provides you with a logical, reasonable and systematic approach, it also brings you the most eye-catching objects. AE1 have created the look of a hand-made premium film camera. The detailed finish and smooth lines look great with the interior decoration of every car. Classic black and mystic colors satisfy the sophisticated tastes of urban car drivers. Industrial Design
Industrial Design: L-Rod Monitor for your Laptop
Being on-the-go is something we all strive for and being able to be mobile for all occasions is an addition as well. Imagine having a portable screen? We are taking a look at industrial design of a monitor concept named: L-Rod. Coming with a minimal bezel and a curved display, this concept is aiming with a single USB-C cable to both be used as power and image data. It’s an interesting approach for an external screen, what do you think? Designed by Hyunsu Park, he is an industrial designer over at the Kookmin University, Seoul in Korea. Hyunsu focus his work also in product design and UI/UX. Let’s keep an eye on him for his future projects.
Product Design: Anicorn Hidden Time Watch
I think most of us shared our love for gradients. As a designer, I do! What if it shares the time through a gradient on a beautiful watch?! This is the product design we are sharing today named: the Hidden Time Watch. It’s a play on the colour contrast of the gradient to tell the time, it’s quite a genuine concept. It almost feel like an optical illusion and I think it’s such a cool factor. Currently on Kickstarter, the watch is unisex and comes in three colours including rose gold, black, and white. Published via Kickstarter, this is a design by Jiwoong Jung and according to him: "“My research on how to naturally pass time began with how hiding occurs in nature, which led me to one of the best known examples––the chameleon’s protective color. Their defense mechanism is a kind of optical illusion, but a simple and effective way to have two things together naturally when superimposed". Hidden Time's watch face features a beautiful gradient display under a crystal covering where numbers are firmly printed. As hours pass, the hour gradient disc rotates and “hidden time” is revealed.