Designers: Jinok Kim & Sanghee Ryu

Since these bikes are a little bit more about the aesthetics than they are about the technicals, I’ll give a nutshell bit of info about each of the artists involved.

Damien Hirst has bank. He’s gained major notoriety for his dot paintings, his frighteningly alive dead animals frozen in their most exciting moment in formaldehyde, and of course, his butterflies. The Trek Madone bike Hirst has designed here he covers with a collection of real butterflies accented with socking pink.

Marc Newson is the designer. He’s worked with Nike, Ford, Dom Pérignon, Cappellini, Qantas, Samsonite, and Jaeger Le Coultre amongst many many others. His furniture bit “Lockheed Lounge” is still the most expensive piece of furniture ever sold at auction. His Trek Speed Concept features a “Stroboscopic” rear wheel that “appears to pulse as it spins.”

Yoshitomo Nara designed the giant dog that sits on the first floor of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. That’s the closest I’ve ever been to a piece of Nara. Nara loves hardcore rock’n'roll, and rocks the hardcore simplicity in cartoon characters who often wield knives and other deadly weapons. Nara’s Speec Concept bike features what you can see in the pictures as well as a phrase on the bike that can only be viewed when Armstrong’s head is “deep in aerodynamic tuck:” Never Forget Your Beginner’s Spirit.

*PS if you don’t follow Lance Armstrong on twitter, do it. It’s so completely worth it just to see how often he gets at it. Check that out here: @lancearmstrong – the @ culture is strong!

Designer: Trek Bikes, Damien Hirst, Marc Newson, and Yoshitomo Nara

What a pretty looking little system we have here! Wilson Song this is just what I’d be using if it were real! The “Samsung WM” has earbuds and pen that clip intuitively into the back panel, a giant screen, and the ability to be tossed on the wrist like one of those slap-bracelets from the 1980s. The controls work with new motion-capture technology and a camera in the back to see what precisely your thumbs and feet are up to.

And it’ made of gold! Or regular materials.

Designer: Wonjune Song

Here at Yanko, we’re definitely into food. Housing it, preparing it, and most of all, eating it. It’s not often that an industrial designer gets to design the food itself. Here in cookies, (and sometimes in chocolate,) the designer’s mind may roam free.

All you need is a cookie cutter or a chocolate stamp. And maybe a drink of that deadly-looking red liquid down there in picture number three. What do you think that is? These “Lucky Ticket” cookies are simple and wonderful – in the same vein as American fortune cookies. The most significant difference being the luck – all the cookie tickets are winners!

Eat em up!

Designer: Art Lebedev Studio

FSC: “The paper used comes from forests under management of the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council), a non-profit organizationestablished to promote the responsible management of our forests.” Wowie. Now check out some of the projects inspired by the box, along with renderings of all three and in-progress pics of the couch and the cellar.

1) Couch by Front Design Boxes stacked and arranged to create an interesting albeit seemingly difficult to clean couch. That’s not to say it’s not splendidly-modern and probably truly comfortable for it’s squareness. Take a peek at the pic that shows one of the designer ladies from Front having a sit on a bit of it : doesn’t she look joyous?

2) Lamp by Tom Dixon: part of an edition of 500 lamps for the greater good of cut-up letters! Slicing graphic design projects up like this can go wrong, but sometimes can go terribly, terribly right. This sort of letters-to-chopped-pattern motif is a trend that’s not quite reached it’s peak yet. It’s still big in the designy-shops in my city of Minneapolis – here Dixon does it right.

3) Cellar by 5.5 Designers: a wall I wouldn’t mind testing out in my house. The repetition works, and so does the brickery motif. Super orangy. Notice how the design of the box becomes the pattern for the whole object. The cellar is built to house the champagne boxes in the same way store shelves are sized to fit them for distribution.

Ideation abound! Fit to win.

Designer: Veuve Clicquot featuring Front Design, Tom Dixon, 5.5 Designers

Jay kay, y’all. Any kind of paper will do. But check this out. It’s called the “Walls Notebook,” and it’s by the dude, the Forlee dude. Flip through the pages of 80 pre-printed New York “clean” scenes that you, the writer, can take command of. “Minus the jail time.”

Don’t get caught.

Designer: Sherwood Forlee

In this surreal situation, a child gets to use his old toys as weapons or tools in a fantasy virtual world where his is the superhero and superpower. The AR TUI allows for the concept to push forth the virtual parameters commonly used in video games like power, life, magic, experience, attack, weapons etc. The objective of this project is to create an imaginative and engrossing environment while still creating value for old discarded toys. Its kinda like tabletop war-game and a strategy video game coming together.

Frantz describes the game play as follows:

- Each player is equipped with a toy standing on a base and Augmented Reality glasses (Head mounted display).
- Before the game begins, players can equip their respective toy with different capacities (health, shield, camouflage, weapons) on a limited number.
- Then, players can prepare together the battlefield (game space) with real objects.
- Both players start on both sides of the battlefield and the party can now begin.
- The game is turn-based, players play successively in a limited time.
- They can alternately move, attack, heal, use stealth, protect themselves with shields, switch weapons etc.
- Each weapon has a specific range of distance and a special power.
- Real obstacles can obstruct the field of vision allowing players to hide themselves.
- The goal is to kill his opponent by strategically using all possibilities of game.

Designer: Frantz Lasorne

You still need a mouse to manipulate your OS’s GUI. The SpaceExplorer is just a complimentary companion designed specifically for 3D applications. Drivers are included but I suggest going to their website for the latest updates. I love the midnight blue coloring. In keeping with their other products, the wrist pad and knob are covered in a grippy rubber. Tiny rubber feet on the bottom keep it from sliding around. There are a total of 15 buttons but before you scream in ambidextrous confusion – there’s a rhyme to this madness.

The buttons on the left basically replicate your ALT/SHIFT/CTRL/ESC buttons along with 2 programmable buttons marked “1″ and “2″. On the right side are standard view buttons; top, left, right, font and 2D. The 2 buttons below the knob are FIT and VIEW which brings up different panels depending on the application environment.

It took some getting used to since my left hand is about as coordinated as my left foot but there is nothing like flying thru your models and environment. It’s all very fluid, fast, and intuitive. The knob is conveniently marked with raised points for tactile positioning. Moving the knob forward and back zooms in/out tho that can be customized. I prefer using it to change and position my camera view. – far more intuitive than a mouse.

I only tested it with Maya but 3Dconnexion supports nearly every major program on the market with more to come. Drivers are available for Windows, OS X, and Linux but at $299 it may be out of reach for some people. Thankfully you can purchase it with a student discount and the improvements to any professional’s workflow far exceeds the initial investment. Would I recommend it? Yes.

What we liked:

• Solid build, grippy and nice touch with the glowing blue LEDs
• Buttons feel clicky and tactile
• Included drivers and software make customization easy
• Beautiful design, unique dark blue coloring
• Offers significant workflow improvements reducing the number of mouse clicks
• Simultaneously zoom, rotate, pan and move without ever touching the keyboard

What could be improved:

• The FIT and VIEW buttons are oddly placed as it requires you to move your hand or contort your thumb to reach them
• Wrist pad is a nice addition but found it uncomfortable while trying to manipulate the knob. The angle and arch seems off
• Cost is slightly prohibitive

Designer: 3Dconnexion [ Buy it Here ] 

Designer: Drzach & Suchy

On the left (morning view) & on the right (evening view)

On the top (morning view) and on the bottom (evening view)