Design inspiration: our favourite projects from the last month

We look back on some impactful graphics work, a self-heating lunchbox and more.

Every Idea is a Useful Idea, by Anthony Burrill

This month, BuildHollywood unveiled its latest collaboration for Your Place or Mine – a project which gives artists and designers a space on the UK’s streets through billboards and other ad spaces. This time around it features designer, printmaker and artist Anthony Burrill.

Every Idea is a Useful Idea is a piece in Burrill’s well-known and well-loved no-nonsense typographic style. As a poster, he says it is an invocation to be persistent and overcome obstacles like self-doubt. “Work on as many ideas as you can,” Burrill says. “Even the weak ones will act as a springboard into a new way of thinking.”

The uplifting message will no doubt be useful for any designers feeling uncertain as the new year gets into full-swing, and can be found in London, Brighton, Bristol, Manchester, Sheffield, Glasgow and Edinburgh.


A Year in Acronyms, by Strategy Creative

New Zealand-based design studio Strategy Creative spent a portion of its January 2022 reflecting on the 12 months just gone with its Year in Acronyms poster. A bold red and black design, as the name suggests it pays homage to the events of 2021 through acronyms.

Some of the acronyms will be familiar, though in this instance are repurposed. For example, several seem to reference airport codes like LHR (London Heathrow) and cities like NYC (New York City) – but instead refer to London Has Restrictions and New Year’s Celebrations respectively. Other acronyms are a little more random. ELP and PSC both refer to “moments that [Strategy] wished never happened” – England Lose on Penalties and Protesters Storm Capitol. Meanwhile more refer to unforgettable pop culture happenings like KDK (Kim Divorces Kanye) and WFO (World Facebook Outage).

Strategy says the beauty of its annual Year in Acronyms project is in being able to reflect. “Like the year that has just past, we all have different parts that will stick in our minds long into the future,” the studio says.


Monopoly des Inégalités, by Herezie

Much of the world is familiar with Monopoly, the economics-themed board game which rewards often ruthless gameplay and financial decisions. It’s a game which quickly divides players into “haves” and “have nots”, a quality that helped inspire French design studio Herezie’s latest project with the Observatoire des Inégalités (Observatory of Inequalities).

Designed as an educational tool, Monopoly des Inégalités is an extension of the original game which will form part of the organisation’s toolkit to help children learn about social justice and inequality. Instead of tokens, players are assigned characters and the ensuing gameplay looks to show how opportunities for different characters are often different because of traits, background and personal beliefs.

Some of the differences include girl characters earning less than boys, and certain characters starting the game with a portfolio of properties found on the board. The studio says it is a game that “aims to change mentalities and prejudices and reject stigmatization”, by encouraging tolerance and empathy.


Steambox

With more people projected to return to the office in 2022 following government-mandated working from home, lunchtimes are about to change once again. Returning to a semblance of “normal”, workers will likely be weighing up whether to buy lunch or bring it from home. Aiming to push people more towards the latter is the Steambox, which debuted at CES earlier this month.

As the name suggests, the Steambox is a self-heating lunchbox which uses steam. Usable anytime and anywhere, the innovation means users are less reliant on microwaves, which can alter the taste and nutritional content of some foods.

According to co-founder and CEO of Steambox Amit Jaura, the product design process for the Steambox took two years. On top of the aesthetic of the box, which Jaura calls “svelte and modern”, the technology needed to be effective. The lunchbox’s rechargeable system can heat up to three meals on one charge, and is also app-connected. The app, which provides lifestyle and recipe content, can control the heating process remotely.


Digital Phyllotaxy, by Jason Bruges Studio

Located in Hankook Tire’s new Foster + Partners-designed headquarters in Pangyo, Seoul is Jason Bruges Studio’s latest project. Digital Phyllotaxy is a split-level lighting experience which aims to capture the “culture of innovation” for which Hankook Tire is known.

The studio describes Digital Phyllotaxy as a physical metaphor for a tree – framing the escalators in the centre of the building, the project has visitors ascending through a canopy of dappled light and digitally rustling leaves. As the seasons change, so too will the colours of the leaves, which the studio says transforms the escalator journey into “an encounter with nature”.

Jason Bruges, co-founder and creative director of the studio describes the experience: “The entrance into the building feels like a walking through a forest. It is fresh and alive embracing the principals of biophilic design to create a space that is restorative and supports people’s wellbeing.”

What was your favourite project from January? Let us know in the comments below…

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  • virginia kollaorou February 1, 2022 at 9:57 am

    I vote for Monopoly des Inégalités, by Herezie!

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