Sketching

I admire those who constantly sketch, and especially those who make it look easy. For some, sketching is a part of their daily life. For others, even some great designers, sketching isn't something they depend on to create great work. Either way, every designer should be great at it regardless of whether they choose to use it or not. Sketches are fast, powerful tools of communication, so as a designer when I don't utilize this tool I get frustrated with myself. In an effort to make sketching come more naturally to me, I've committed to start practicing more. I found a great website called idsketching. Check it out if you haven't already. There's some great tutorials, tips, and contests. Here's a tutorial on using contour lines to quickly communicate form. Below are some snapshots of the tutorial.

Hair dryer ergonomics

Ever wonder why the shape of a hair dryer was so common, but yet so inconvenient. No one uses it the way it was designed, so why not redesign it? Check out Ariane Prin's concept for the Air Hair Machine and her study of ergonomics for the hair dryer. Her process is very inspiring.

Box Bottle Bag

I want this book! It's by Andrew Gibbs, founder and editor in chief of The Dieline.com. The book is hardcover with a matte varnish, the letters are diecut, and the barcode has a glossy spot varnish. Too bad it doesn't come out until March. You can pre-order on Amazon.

The Dieline's top 40

The Dieline has named their top 40 package designs of all time! I really like their choices, but I think it would have been awesome if they included designs that weren't pretty much all contemporary. There has to be some really cool vintage packaging out there.

Book smart

It's genius. A rubber band bookmark with a small indicator arrow that tells you what line you were on. It's the classic, "why didn't I think of that?"

By Propaganda.

Via Moco Loco

Origami

I love this package design by Nathalia Ponomareva from Russia! How fun. I don't think this product is on the market, but the origami is a cool idea. It would be great for special events.

Via Packaging Uqam