Here's How The VW Beetlesphere by Ichwan Noor Was Actually Created.

Out of respect for the artist, who removed this information from his own website and asked that I do the same, this post has been deleted so as to let the process of Ichwan Noor's artwork remain a mystery. --editor

The Ravens Finally Get Their Bling. A Look At The 2013 NFL Championship Ring.

Earlier this month the Baltimore Ravens presented players and staff with their Super Bowl XLVII Championship Ravens Rings during a private ceremony today at The Under Armour Performance Center. Created by Jostens, the leading national custom jewelry designer and producer, the World Championship Ring commemorates the Ravens remarkable 2012 season and marks the second time the Ravens have brought the Lombardi Trophy to Baltimore.



"Emotions ran high as players, coaches and staff were presented with their rings, which symbolize the determination required to win the Super Bowl," said Ravens President, Dick Cass. "The rings are beautiful visual representations of what it means to be a Raven – physical, tough-minded, hardworking and resilient."




The truly one-of-a-kind ring pays tribute to the rich history and tradition of one of football’s most successful franchises. The design, hand-crafted by Jostens Championship Design team and led by Master Jeweler Miran Armutlu, is fashioned in white and yellow gold and with 243 round cut diamonds. In the center of the ring, the Baltimore Ravens logo is outlined with 40 round brilliant cut diamonds sitting atop a dazzling custom-cut amethyst stone. Behind the logo are two Vince Lombardi Trophies set with 32 round brilliant cut diamonds and two stunning marquise diamonds weighing approximately .75 carats, representing the team’s two World Championship titles.





"Jostens is proud to be a partner with the Baltimore Ravens and to collaborate with them on the creation of a ring that celebrates the team’s inclusive culture, winning traditions and their achieving professional football’s pinnacle triumph, the forty-seventh Super Bowl title," said Chris Poitras, Director, Sports Sales and Marketing, Jostens. "Every element of the ring was designed specifically to highlight the best qualities of each of the materials featured. It’s a singularly beautiful piece of fine jewelry that reflects the ultimate unity of the team."

To celebrate the enduring support of Ravens fans during this championship season, the team collaborated again with the Championship Design team at Jostens to create a custom selection of personalized jewelry and collectibles with designs inspired by the Super Bowl XLVII Championship Rings.


above: Josten's collection of Raven's jewelry inspired by the Super Bowl XLVII Championship Rings

The collection offers every Baltimore Ravens fan the chance to own a piece of Ravens history and, beginning June 7th, can be ordered online at Jostens. 

See and learn more about all the Super Bowl rings to date here

Good Vibrations and F* The Classics! Distorted Furniture by Studio Laviani.

There's been a lot of press about the forthcoming Good Vibrations furniture designs from Ferruccio Laviani for Italian furniture company Fratelli Boffi's F* The Classics! Collection. The new pieces previewed at Salon del Mobile this past April and has had the design world buzzing since.



The New York Times interviewed him about the forthcoming pieces and computer renderings are making the rounds on the internet. Referred to as "Glitch" furniture by i09, HuffPo and Buzzfeed, the pieces look distorted (as if an old VHS tape were paused), but are actually carved into the wood with computer-controlled milling technology.

The following two images are computer generated renderings of pieces from the collection:



And one of the actual produced pieces from the collection:



The pieces remind me of an earlier piece he created for Emmemobili called Evolution in which the ornate chest (below) seems to morph into a pixelated credenza:





As I mentioned earlier, Good Vibrations is part of an earlier collection designed for Fratelli Boffi by Laviani with the name F* The Classics! The collection combines the look of antique furniture with modern elements. Classic and ornate forms with Italian and Asian flavor becomes deformed or distorted with with modern geometric shapes and accents of color.

Below are several pieces Laviani has designed for F* The Classics!











The designer, Ferruccio Laviani:


I look forward to seeing more pieces of the Good Vibrations furniture and will share them with you once they are available.

Studio Laviani
Fratelli Boffi

Another artist who has toyed with computer distortions of furniture is Sebastian Brajkovic:

Check out his Lathe collection here

Actor of Screen and Stage, James Gandolfini Dies Far Too Young.

Best remembered as mob boss Tony from seven seasons on "The Sopranos" for which he won three Emmys, actor James Gandolfini has sadly and unexpectedly passed away. The New York Times reports, with confirmation from HBO, that the actor died Wednesday morning in Rome of a massive heart attack while vacationing with his family.


above: Still of James Gandolfini, Steven Van Zandt, Michael Imperioli and Tony Sirico in The Sopranos

The 51 year old New Jersey native was both a superb stage actor (he appeared as Michael in God of Carnage on and off Broadway) and screen actor who helped to make HBO Sunday Nights an occasion in homes worldwide.

His loss will be felt by family, friends and fans alike.

Looking For Great Tech Product Design and Packaging? Go Full TYLT.

above composite image by if it's hip, it's here

Every once in awhile a new brand comes along that has it all going on. Impressive product design, packaging, branding, even a well designed website with functioning e-commerce, good photographs and plenty of useful information. That's the case with TYLT, a California wireless accessory design and development company that has combined innovation with style. Their current product offerings include power products, audio products and protective cases.



above: examples of the package design for TYLT by NewDealDesign

Established in 2011, TYLT focuses on the world of mobile devices, providing you with about 20 convenient products for your mobile phones and tablets. Like many of you, I'd never heard of TYLT until they sent me three of their hip products to review with the understanding that if I did not deem them worthy, they would not be featured on this blog. No money was paid to me in exchange for a review, and believe me, none was necessary. A big thank you to TYLT for the three awesome products reviewed later in this post.


above: TYLT's home page

When the POWERPLANT portable battery pack, the YCHARGE, a dual USB Car Charger and TUNZ, a rechargeable bluetooth speaker arrived at my doorstep - one look and I knew they were gonna be blog-worthy. Once I got past the beautiful packaging created by NewDealDesign LLC, and tried out the products, my enthusiasm only increased.

I'm not alone, TYLT already boasts 3 CES Innovations Award winners at CES 2013 including: the Y-CHARGE Car Charger, the BAND Car Charger and the BAND Travel Charger. And reputable tech blogs such as Engadget, Slash Gear, CNET Asia and Tech Crunch have all lauded various products from TYLT.

The POWERPLANT:


Small (smaller than my iPhone), portable, lightweight (just over 5 ounces) and stylish, this is a 5,200 mAh battery back-up charger that has the capacity to fully charge your smartphone twice.



And with multiple ports (Universal USB and either Apple Lightning, Apple 30-Pin, and Micro USB versions available) it can charge more than one device simultaneously.



It packs the power it claims to and works with all Apple mobile products and Android mobile products. The appearance and functionality of the TYLT Powerplant do not disappoint.

Tylt Powerplant video:

Prices $69.99- $89.99, buy it here

The Y-CHARGE (2.1 AMP):


This little lightweight device is intelligently designed to charge two smartphones at once (or one tablet) in your car. The split Y-shape places the USB ports on each side so that the driver and passenger can each easily plug in their mobile phones and charge them simultaneously.



The silicone covered device weighs less than an ounce and comes in the four colors (bright apple green, bright red, bright blue or black) that appear on several of TYLT's products. The Y-CHARGE is also available in a 4.2 version and with a two foot Syncable.



TYLT Y-CHARGE video:

Price $24.99 Buy it here

The TUNZ Rechargeable Bluetooth Speaker:


A nice looking compact wireless Bluetooth speaker equipped with two x 3-watt drivers and a passive radiator for exceptional bass, TUNZ has a built in noise cancelling microphone making it perfect for phone calls as well as music. The 2800 mAh battery takes about 6-7 hours to charge and can chat or play music (with the volume at 50%) for 20 hours -that's 10 hours more than the Jawbone Jambox. The design allows you to seamlessly switch from music to hands-free calling and the touch-free controls for Volume, Play, Pause, Answer & End Calls are very convenient. The speaker comes with three different colored (black, blue and red) vibration-cancelling silicone bands that also function as an attractive stand. And with a 1Amp output Universal USB charging port you can use it to charge other external devices.



The sound is impressive, delivering volumes up to 80dB. It's also NFC Enabled - includes Tagstand NFC launcher App for Android. TUNZ is priced less than the MSRP for the comparable Jawbone Jambox, a $180 speaker that helped create the portable category the new Beats by Dre Pill, a $200 model from the popular headphone brand, making it even more desirable.

Tylt Tunz video:


Price $149.99, buy it here.

All in all, TYLT products are well-designed small, lightweight and portable, but feel substantially made. Both the packaging and the product design are visually appealing, and the products feature the latest in technological innovations and compatibility. Priced neither outrageously nor dirt-cheap, they receive consistently favorable reviews from tech gurus. You can find several video reviews on youtube, almost every single one of them favorable. Therefore, my advice is to go full TYLT.

Here's a peek at a few other beautifully designed and packaged products from TYLT (shown in green for consistency):



TYLT is dedicated to shifting consumer expectations through best-in-quality accessories which innovate briskly to stay a step ahead of the fast-paced smart product launches. They have several more products including the impressive Energi Backpack.



See more and shop for these fine products at  TYLT.

The Graffiti Fishtank by Artist Dean Zeus Coleman

London Artist Dean Zeus Coleman (aka Zeus) is known for redefining traditional Graffiti with his three dimensional sculptures, paintings and typography. One of his unusual projects I simply had to share with you, given my fondness for aquariums, is this fabulous three dimensional graffiti typography fish tank.


detail:

From the back side as seen in an exhibit:


Zeus is incredibly talented and works in several different mediums. Here's a look at just a few of his sculptures, paintings and installations I find compelling:







all images courtesy of the artist

There's much more to see over at his blog. Go check it out.



Dean Zeus Coleman