“...and that’s the only thing we should focus on in life — enjoy the walk, learn about ourselves, keep taking steps and drop the comparisons. You’ll love the journey even more.”
via zenhabits.net
Reads of the Week
Pictorial Recipe
First saw this off Sur La Table's facebook post (orignally from Fast Company), which was in line with the mini 'food theme' my mind is currently in. A different take on recipes, using graphics over words to explain a recipe.
What interest me more though, was the comments and thoughts of the people who saw this. Particularly this one by Mike Harris - "An experienced cook generally needs no more than a mental image of what is being done and this is a technique I have seen in multiple restaurants."
As a designer, the default is often that by simplifying things we are targeting the novice and beginners. But here presents a different take of how simple design actually speaks more to the experts who already have the technical know how and just need a few visual cues. A beginner, having little knowledge of the subject, would need the in depth text.
Jamie's Ministry of Food
I first watched this video a few years back. It was what essentially got me interested in cooking something other than ramen noodles.
Been really drawn into the whole aesthetic of cooking, food, organic farming, etc ever since. The video below is an example of the mentioned aesthetic. Perfect for the coming summer.
Soundpauli by Heldth
Vintage speakers transformed to high-quality and battery-powered mobile speakers, by Heldth.
Love it.
via notcot.org
Achieving Without Goals
“When we fixate on goals, we shut ourselves off to new opportunities that open up in different directions — opportunities that we couldn’t have foreseen when we started out. But because we’re fixated on the goal, we don’t allow ourselves to go in this new direction.”
An interesting read on achieving without goals. For me, through my time at Art Center (going the rigors of a tight deadline and learning how to have a healthy work/life balance), I've learnt to set goals in order to establish a direction to head towards, while leaving my options open along the way. Much like in compass navigation, where you plot a course towards a certain location but more often than not have to improvise along the way.
via zenhabits.net
Muji Column: The Future of Tokyo ～ The Future of Suburban Cities ～
Muji just posted an article on Facebook, with an alternative take on the population situation of the future, one that addresses potential overcrowding problem more positively. While big cities become more populated, smaller rural cities become significantly less populated, creating an opportunity to design such cities into an intra-regional environment structure.
It gives something to think about as designers responsible for building the future. A pleasant contrast to my previous post on micro apartments.
via Muji (Facebook)
Micro Apartments - Is this our future?
An interesting read about living in small spaces. Something to think about, especially when it is predicted that the world population would reach 9.1 billion by 2050. As the human population continues to grow and cities become more dense, designers would have to look into designing for the small home.
It might not just be the spaces that shrink, but maybe even the appliances and household objects that take on new forms and new proportions. This would be especially so with the advent of smart home ecosystems. Probably here in LA people might not feel it that much with the urban sprawl, but I know back home in Singapore the situation is quite different.
Quote of the Week
Rethinking Wheelchairs
An article I came across from Popular Science that caught my eye. A wheelchair that uses planetary gears to allow the user to pull (like a rowing motion) instead of push to propel themselves forward. An action that is ergonomically superior to its predecessor.
Rowheels by NASA scientist Salim Nasser's
I do hope this will create the new standard for wheelchairs. On top of the physical benefits, this product has a chance to do so much more in terms of the emotional and social aspect of wheelchair users.
How can we break the stigma that is attached to wheelchair users? It may not just be the wheelchair itself, but the urban environment too. Like how a design does not exist alone, but is part of a larger system - branding, user experience, customer service, etc. There is so much potential for design in this area.
via popsci.com