Playground
Audi
Tags: Design, General, Technology,
Apple
Tags: Design, Technology,
Apple granted patent for “flexible iPhone” with foldable display
In a move reminiscent of the Motorola Razor glory days, Apple has been granted a patent for a flexible iPhone with a foldable display. Issued by the US Patent and Trademark Office, the document describes a phone that can be “opened and closed like a book”.
As well as the folding screen, the patent also highlights how screens using an OLED display could bend to face each other or fit back-to-back. While Apple is renowned for filing patents that never see the light of day, it often provides a small glimpse into the company’s future plans.
Following complaints of a fault that meant the iPhone 6 and 6S bent when in peoples’ pockets – an event that became known as “Bendgate” – Apple could potentially be looking for a way to improve the durability of its hardware.
‘The SHED Project’
Tags: General
Property management company Lowe Guardians has teamed up with architecture firm Studio Bark for ‘The SHED Project’. This involves designing self-contained micro homes for installation inside vacant buildings across London.
These low-cost, flexible housing options are going up in empty warehouses and office blocks to protect such buildings from trespassers, vandals, and deterioration. They serve as alternatives to property guardianship, where people pay very little rent to stay in deserted buildings.
Lowe Guardians’ founder Tim Lowe thought up the idea after witnessing the squalid living conditions of these places. He said, “The reality has always been that turning vast, open spaces into private rooms for guardians has always been both tricky and time-consuming.”
These micro homes can be quickly assembled in a day using only a mallet and a drill. Similarly, they can be easily disassembled, transported and reassembled.
Kodak
Tags: General, Photography, Typography,
Kodak is the latest company to undergo a retro rebranding, reverting to its symbol of 34 years. The Kodak “K” is back, originally designed by Peter J. Oestreich in 1971 and used by the photography brand until 2006, though the new iteration by Work-Order uses stacked capitalised type for the word Kodak inside the letterform.
Capitalising the type is “the clearest departure from the past” says Work-Order, as Kodak has always used lower case. “The symmetry of the capital letterforms creates a molecular flexibility that allows the wordmark to be stacked,” says the design studio. “It is reminiscent of film perforations and street signage. It acts as a manufacturer’s stamp: the logo is the first read and the name is the supporting mark. When small, the name is removed leaving just the icon.”
The rebrand uses Kodak’s trademarked yellow and red, bringing a strong colour palette and unified branding across every aspect of the company’s packaging and visual identity.
Kodak joins Co-op and NatWest in a swathe of brands to recently return to a vintage graphic identity.
McDonalds
Tags: Art, Design, General, Technology,
To celebrate the 22nd birthday of the Mcflurry, McDonalds Canada has partnered with the University of Waterloo’s Audio Research Group and industrial designers Stacklab to develop the McDonalds Boombox. The portable speaker was available for one day at an event in Toronto and turned drinks trays into a portable, disposable speaker compatible with smartphones.
The 100% recyclable boombox can reach a decibel level of 70.4 dB using double-cone polygon speakers. The ten-sided cones are foil lined, reflecting the materiality and performance of brass instruments.
“When we changed the shape of the cones of the McBoombox, the difference in sound levels was 50 percent,” says Janelle Resch, a PhD candidate at the University of Waterloo who developed the project. “When we used the reflective material, you increase the sound level by 43 percent. Inserting your phone increases the sound level by 101 percent.”
The launch of the McDonald’s Boombox coincided with KFC India announcing that it had developed a bluetooth enabled games controller combined with its famous chicken box.
Rechargeable Electric Wheels
Tags: Design, General, Technology,
An Argentinian team has created a quickly folding electric bike with full-size wheels—one that pretty much knocks out every excuse you’ve had for not biking to work. The weatherproof rechargeable bike is made from lightweight aircraft grade aluminum (weighing a total of 17 kg) and offers 40 miles of electric assistance on a single charge, meaning you can effortlessly pedal straight to that afterparty atop a hill, without breaking a sweat. Additional features include a pedal-powered smartphone charger, lights that automatically turn on when your phone detects darkness plus integrated rear lights.
Lexus hoverboard finally launches
Tags: Technology
Lexus has launched its hoverboard, Slide. Lexus worked with CHI&Partners to create the board, which is more than a year in the making, and uses what Lexus describes as “magnetic levitation” – a combination of liquid-nitrogen-cooled super-conductors and permanent magnets – to make it float. A new promo video for the product was launched last night showing skateboarder Ross McGouran teaching himself to float. Shot by director Henry-Alex Rubin, we see Ross tackling the Smuggler custom-built hoverpark.
Carlsberg
Tags: Advertising, General, Technology,
Carlsberg Creates A Poster That Dispenses Free Beer To Passers-By.
How would you create the best poster in the world? For Carlsberg UK, it decided to turn it into a working beer tap that dispenses actual booze to passers-by.
According to The Guardian, people were limited to one beer each, and there were “plain-clothes security guards” to keep order.
This awesome, beer-dispensing poster was created with the help of advertising agency Fold7 and digital agency Mission Media.
Volvo Lifepaint
Tags: General, Technology,
Volvo Cars presents LifePaint. The best way to survive a crash, is not to crash. Life paint is a unique reflective safety spray. Invisible by daylight, it shines brightly in the glare of car headlights. Making the invisible, visible.
Apple Automotive
Tags: Design, General, Technology,
Apple has several hundred employees secretly working on creating an electric vehicle, reported the Wall Street Journal on Friday, citing people familiar with the company’s plans. Code-named Titan, the project currently sports the design of a minivan.
According to the Journal, Apple CEO Tim Cook approved the project about a year ago, putting product design Vice President Steve Zadesky in charge. A former Ford engineer, Zadesky has been a long time Apple employee who helped create the iPod and later the iPhone.
Zadesky is said to have created a team strong of 1,000 people, which tends to prove that Apple is serious about the project, rather than considering this electric car a hobby.
But of course, until we get an official confirmation from Apple, project Titan remains just this: a project that may or may not see the light of day. Besides, the technology developed for the project could very well be used for other products (think batteries, a technology in real need of a breakthrough). Either way, if Apple decided to go ahead with Project Titan, it would probably take years for an actual car to go into production.
This report comes a few hours after the Financial Times published a similar story earlier today, claiming that Apple had hired former President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Research & Development Johann Jungwirth, a report that has now been corroborated by the Wall Street Journal.
The rumors of Apple working on a car project started last week when mysterious vans equipped with cameras spotted around the country had Apple’s name attached to them. Two days later, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in an interview Apple was trying really hard to hire employees away from his company. It’s now easier to connect the dots.
Note the image attached is a concept and doesn’t reflect Apple’s design, if the company is indeed working on such a project.
Kodak
Tags: Advertising, Art, Photography, Technology,
After years of looking like it’s going to fade into irrelevance, Kodak has just announced that it would be releasing smartphones in 2015, which will no doubt ride on the brand’s heritage in photography.
LandRover DC100
Tags: Design
Land Rover unveiled the DC100 Sport Concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show on September 13, 2011. The concept captures the flexibility, adaptability and configurability that have always been key attributes of Land Rover and continue in today’s Defender.
Audi
Tags: Design
Audi, the company that brought you hybrid-diesel racecars, has an intriguing two-wheel concept vehicle: an ultra-light carbon fiber electric bicycle that has WiFi built in, can hit 50 mph, and even has a Segway-like mode that lets it run on just its back wheel (apparently clever computers and gyroscopes will keep you balanced).
Instagram
Tags: Photography
Physical ‘Instagram’ Camera May Become Reality.
Apple x Volkswagen iBeetle
Tags: Technology
Chameleon Clock App
Tags: Technology
The Chameleon Clock app for the iPad and iPhone uses each device’s rear facing camera to blend with its natural surroundings. The end result is a seemingly transparent device with a bold clock display. The clock’s numbers can be displayed in either white or black to match your device’s color.
MINI ART BEAT
Tags: Technology
As part of its ‘Not Normal’ campaign, car brand MINI took art to the streets and unveiled a car that plays videos on the go.
Called the ‘MINI ART BEAT, the ride is a MINI Countryman fitted all over with 48,000 hi-res LEDs, so that it’s able to brightly light up like a mobile billboard.
The installation lets fans ‘pimp up’ the car, by streaming a short video through MINI’s Facebook app, or tweeting their Vine videos with the hashtag #MINIartbeat.
On top of lighting up the vehicle with their videos, fans can add custom designs and music—for the car to cruise down the streets in style.
An ingenious new way to advertise—will we see LED-lit cars as ad spaces in the future.
Volkswagon’s Underwater Beetle
Tags: Technology
Volkswagen has teamed up with Discovery Channel to create this awesome “underwater car” that’s actually a mobile shark cage.
Latest News
Matt Lee - Latest News
Getty Images – 27/05/2014
::Matt's recently been taken on by Getty Images.
SQUINT
Matt's work can be found on SQUINT. A curated site showcasing the best of new and established talent in art and photography.
::Test
Sometimes your test ideas can change considerably from the initial thought process. This particular location was finally shot at dusk, before rendering a 1970's Lotus Esprit into position. The completed image can be found under the Cgi headline on the main website.1975 Viscount Aerospace Sport
A personal project of a retro racer that belonged to my dad. With a small amount of restoration complete, I thought it necessary to photograph.
Saatchi
A recent commission from Saatchi. Initially part of client advertising pre-testing. The idea didn't roll out into a campaign but Matt was privileged to be asked all the same.International Representation
International Representation ::Really pleased to see International Representation by Circleist. http://www.circleist.comSQUINT
Matt's work is currently being shown at Geometry Global, part of the Squint Showcase. Please take a look, if you're around Westbourne Terrace W2 6JR.
http://www.geometry.com/ukWebsite Launch
Matt has a refreshed looking website thanks to Design Religion. Please take a look when you get a mo. Thankyou.
Getty Images
Thanks Getty. Another exciting email from Getty Images!!
::Postcards
Matt's had a series of postcards produced with various social networking addresses to find his work. Whizz over your details and we'll drop a pack in the post to you!!One Eyeland
::Matt's work can be found on One Eyeland. http://oneeyeland.com A photo gallery showcasing the best photographers in Fashion, Product, Portraits, Beauty, Landscaping, Advertising, Car, Editorial & more.
Portfolio Update
A few updates to the portfolio folks. Thanks to Plastic Sandwich for their continued support with the presentation of my work.
Animated Gif Sequence
IMG_3574 Quirky animated gif sequence : Model: Jo Duggal. Mua: Katy Bird. Representation: Alan Sharman Agency.
Formula 4
::Always great to see your work promoted on social media. Formula 4 Championship Driver. Zubair Hoque.Adobe Stock
A selection of Matt's images can now be found on Adobe Stock.