Let Your Design Journey Begin !

Travellers everywhere recognise the Samsonite brand for it’s mix of style, quality and reliability. Whilst encompassing these attributes, Samsonite Baby Travel, strives to be progressive and unique in catering to the lifestyle and needs of modern, active parents.

W|H|L, manufacturers and distributors of the Samsonite Nursery Collection has organized a competition for the design of an innovative product in relation to travelling with babies and toddlers.

You are free to chose any subject and product relating to the world of travelling with babies, toddlers and parents, and your design should represent real innovations that consider the mobility, ease of use and comfort of the end users.

Categories you may consider but are not limited to, are:

• Transport
• Sleeping
• Safety
• Feeding
• Play Time
• Bathing
• Changing

Judged by an international panel of 5 judges, from the design and infants products industry.

The total prize money is Euro 11.500, divided as follows:

• 1st Prize Euro 5,000
• 2nd Prize Euro 2,000
• 3rd Prize Euro 1,000
• Judges Special Award 5 x Euro 500

Eligibility extends to all students, designers, engineers, inventors, design studios, companies from anywhere in the world. Contestants must be over the age of 18

Competition Details & Registration at www.baby-travel.com/designcomp

Via Design in Central and Eastern Europe

NDB is out for vacation, and will be back 2.1.08. Merry Christmas!

• design girl
  design blog
  (tags: design Blogging)
• Luokka:Suomalaiset muotoilijat – Wikipedia
  Finnish Designers in Wikipedia
  (tags: wikipedia finland designers design)

Flash Designer Mattias Lindberg aka Fakepilot is considered as one of the best flash programmers in Nordic Countries.He states on his site: “Don’t rip off my work like Levi’s, Nokia and Usher did, hire me directly instead”. Okay, we must to admire that his works are very influential. Now we have a chance to talk with Matias, and here is our conversation:

NDB: Hi Mattias, many readers of NDB have seen your works, and these creations are very popular among many lovers of Nordic design and architecture, can you describe the creative process, how these beautiful ideas were developed?

ML: Thank you. It usually starts with music. I always need music to animate or I have to create it myself. My visualization ideas often comes from improvisation based on the music. I see things visually when I hear music. Not very clearly, instead I follow paths, errors, shadows and interesting shapes and forms that I start to draw. If a client provides me with ideas and images, then I use that as a base. If it’s bad… Well, if it’s bad then I … did you know that I have this magic ability to turn shit into gold? It’s true!

The second time I worked with Diddy/Sean John, the clothing brand. I got these really bad songs from Bad Boy Recordings. I got like 20 songs and they where all pretty crappy. Sorry Puff! But it’s true! At least, it’s not my taste, you judge for yourself. It’s not good animating to. I edited the music myself; scratched a little, synced the lyrics in the songs to fit the intro. 

Instead of other more normal work-flows, I even do sound effects before the animation is started. I make sounds of clicks and blips, zippers and more – so that the music sounds more interesting. Then I start to animate by improvising.

It’s strange, when people ask what I do. I don’t even call myself an designer. Nor do I call myself a musician! At the same time, I have cut and edit music for both Beyonce and Diddy! And got it approved. Sure, it’s for the web and no album release… But I like to take credit for this. Hehe…

NDB: Where do you get your inspiration from?

ML: Besides everyday life, dreams and the fact we’re lost in a bubble – I don’t. I see what doesn’t exist and wonder why no one does it. I got some idols, maybe that’s what you want to hear. Banksy (http://www.banksy.co.uk/), Malcolm X, Chris Cunningham, Noam Chomsky, Gandhi. Yesterday was Che Guevaras anniversary . He’s not an idol of mine, I just wanted to mention him, cause many seem to look up to him. I read about him yesterday. To me it seems he was on the right track in the beginning, but later on he got too blood thirsty, killed too many people and even said in some interview that if he would have gotten control over the Soviet missiles that was on Cuba, he would have nuked a U.S. city without questioning. Also read that he wasn’t for democracy but dictatorship or military power. He liked North Korea and North Vietnam. Still have some reading to do, so I might have missed something? You will never see his face on one of my future t-shirts, though. It’s weird, he is symbol of revolution and socialism, but he is used mostly to sell capitalism. People seem to think that they can simply look revolutionary – then they don’t have to be revolutionaries.

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Software: Microsoft’s Dirty Santa IM Bot Talks Oral Sex

Sad and fun in some time, this time developers from Microsoft were not able to curb their Santa’s bad behaviour… Why this post is here? Finland is well know as Santa’s Home.

Via GIZMODO

In September we wrote about Electrolux Design Lab 2007 competition finalists. Today one of their representatives contacted me and asked to pass further some additional information related to this competition:

Tomorrow in Paris a panel of internationally renowned experts from the environmental, design, and technology communities, are speaking at the International Forum on Design and the Environment presented by Electrolux Design Lab 2007.

Design Lab is an annual global design competition open to undergraduate and graduate industrial design students. This year they are invited to present their innovative ideas for eco-friendly and sustainable household appliances and solutions for 2020.

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• New Minimalism in Web Interface Design - Rainfall Daffinson
  (tags: 2007 article blog blogs color cool CSS design designers development webdesign inspiration interface web)

• Swedish Porcelain
  Very useful site for collectors of stylish Scandinavian porcelain.
  (tags: porcelain sweden tableware)
• Sägen Butik
  Design shop, many tasty things.
  (tags: design sweden butik)
• ORNAMO | open
  Ornamo foundation (Finland)
  (tags: design finland database designers association)

Gefle Sweden Pergola 1975

Originally uploaded by kenneth together.

Gefle Porcelain Factory

The Porcelain Factory in Gävle was found in 1910/12-79. In first years was known as Gefle Dutch tile factory, later Forsells Dutch tile- and faience factory. Later advanced in producing of quality porcelain. Was bought in 1936 by Upsala-Ekeby-koncern. Arthur Percy was art leader 1923-59, factory’s big baiting time. Factory produced art- and design ceramics and tableware. 1927 introduced the black glaze that became a big success. Designer: Herbert Perje about 1911-­55, Eugen Trost chef decorator 1922-63, Arthur Percy 1923-60, Anna-Relief Thom son 1933-52, Maggie Wibom 1933-34, Märta Willborg 1936-?,


Vicke Lindstrand 1942–50, Helmer Ringström 1942-80 of part of glaze decorations, Lillemor Mannerheim 1949-57, Ingrid Atterberg 1944-63, Mari Simmulson 1949-72, Sven Erik Skawonius 1935–39 and 1953–57, Eve Staer-Nielsen 1952, Kjell Blomberg 1953-57, Dorothy Clough 1954-57, Berit Ternell 1957-72, Göran Andersson 1960- number, Paula von Freyman 1962-64, Jackie Lynd 1970-s. Ivar Johnsson from 1930-s.

Some time ago I wrote about Aurland Look Out that become a big architecture sight in Norway. Designed by Todd Saunders and Tommie Wilhelmsen, Aurland Look Out offers a spectacular view of one of the largest fjords on Norway’s west coast. In one of previous articles on NDB I have published an interview with Tommie Wilhelmsen that has evoked big feedback and interest among NDB readers. After this interview I felt that we must to publish an interview with Todd Saunders, but due the my tight business schedule this article was postponed. Finally, I found some gap in my activities and come to Todd with a request of an interview and he was so kind to answer to few our questions:

NDB: Hi Todd, many readers of NDB have seen pictures of Aurland Look Out, and this creation is very popular among many lovers of Scandinavian design and architecture, can you describe the creative process, how this beautiful idea was developed, and how the collaboration with Tommie Wilhelmsen influenced to final result?

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