Apple of my Eye: The many apps of an iphone

It won't be the first time we at The Think Tank have found ourselves rather giddy about the many new i-phone apps that currently available for download. It goes without saying that phones are set to be the new computers by 2015; to this fact, we have all resigned. What is so exciting however is the speed and diverse nature to which these applications are being created.

Take for example the creation of the Nike Training Club app (a get fit customizable training regime), the Nash Ramblas app (a guide to the London festival of architecture) or even the Rob Walters Salary Checker (a guide to find out how much you are really worth), it's anybody's guess as to what the next app creation will be. So, let's get guessing!

A Canopy of Colour

Arguably the most colourful food market experience in Europe, Santa Caterina Market in Barcelona has a restored roof made of 300,000 wave like multicoloured ceramic hexagons. These hexagons are be seen as representations of fruits and vegetables in an unique and innovative way; a classic in post modern architecture.

The architect of the market explains, “The first mistake is to talk about old and new. Whatever has managed to survive into the present is current, useful, and contemporary. And it permits us to move back in time in order to continue forward.”

To read more on the inspiration for the design click here

A novel poster: The writing is on the wall

Whether you are a lover of descriptive classical literature, or prefer the shortcomings of a 160 character tweet - we at the Think Tank cannot deny our love of text and the influence these variations can have on our day.

Novel Poster have set up a project to celebrate this diverse mix and evolution of writing with a collection of ten unique poster designs highlighting five classic novels of literary acclaim and five of the most well-known twitter users. The novel poster prints are entirely composed of only the book's complete text, from beginning to end, and are fully legible. The celebrity ones are composed of only the twitter feeds, and are also fully legible.

The interest and popularity surrounding this project has resulted in Novel Poster setting up on Kickstarter to allow people to pre-order the posters via pledges.

Our initial thoughts are, with his extensive twitter feed and many a published book, essay and script, what WOULD the size of Stephen Fry's poster need to be??

Delicious Design from Penguin

You may remember the Penguin on Design or Penguin by Ilustrators series, produced by er Penguin. Well, whether you do or don't, Penguin have an entirely new themed collection for you to chew over: 'Great Food'

This exciting new collection is set to be released in April and the 20 books that make this series are, according to Penguin, 'the sharpest, funniest, most delicious writing about food from the past 400 years.' The covers available for viewing have been designed by Penguin's senior cover designer Coralie Bickford-Smith. Each one draws on a decorative ceramic style relevant to the period of the writing concerned.

Cover for Love in a Dish (picture insert right) and other pieces by MFK Fisher is based on a pattern from a Century side plate by Eva Zeisel for Hallcraft, 1957. All the covers feature embossed lettering and spot varnishes to pick out the of details of the illustrations. Bickford-Smith worked closely with picture editor Samantha Johnson and lettering artist Stephen Raw on the series. Personally, my favourite design aspect is the Penguin logo itself featuring the Penguin armed with both knife and fork ready to devour the content within the pages.

To check out the series available for purchase at £6.99 each from the 7th April 2011 click here.

When Good Design Tastes Good

So you want to eat out in a place where the design looks as good as the food tastes? Look no further than Grüner, a restaurant that 'draws on the affinity between the geographies of the Pacific Northwest and the alpine regions of northern Europe.' It's owner, award-winning restaurateur and chef Christopher Israel, has created this cozy alpine cuisine having been inspired by a lifetime of wanderlust and epicurean curiosity.

Grüner, meaning 'Greener' in German, dishes up sensational signature dishes such as German Apple Pancake, Beef Short Rib Goulash with Potato Dumplings, Pickled Beets with Horseradish, and Buckwheat Spätzle with Rabbit and Chanterelles. On the bar menu is an exemplary burger, artisanal cured meats, a myriad of regional cheeses, and house-made pickles. To view the delectable menu click here.

Tantalise your sight too by clicking here to view the gallery that will no doubt leave you yearning to visit this restaurant.

Brit Insurance Design Awards exhibition now open!

Dubbed the 'Oscars of the Design World' The Brit Insurance Design Awards  is now open at The Design Museum. The event showcases the most innovative and forward thinking designs from around the world, spanning seven categories: architecture, fashion, furniture, graphics, interactive, product and transport.

Min-Kyu Choi was last years' lucky winner with her Folding Plug, a device that revolutionised a humble, but essential, piece of everyday equipment.

Click here to book exhibition tickets and to see the nominations for the Brit Insurance Design Awards 2011.

Twitter: The bird still sings along to his own tune

It has been some years now since tweeting became as much part of our daily routine as cleaning one's teeth or eating one's dinner; it is therefore hardly surprising that this social media power house currently has175 million tweeters who produce 95 million tweets every single day.

Yet despite these impressive statistics, the company is not really making any money as it attempts to keep up with the demand for micro-blogging site. So what is the attraction of larger companies such as Google, Facebook and Apple seeking to acquire Twitter? Potential advertising target of course. For further details and breakdown of the estimated advertising value of Twitter click here.

Fortunately the $3.7m it is valued at is till significant enough to prevent larger companies from buying it outright. The little birdy therefore will, for now, live to tweet another day his own way.  

Photograph: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images  

Good design that transcends time

When good design is good design, it transcends time. For a stunning example of this look no further than the 1972 Munich Olympic Stadium in Munich. 

For more images, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, along with additional detail, visit arch daily

The Dinosaurs are Unleashed at the O2

Reminiscent of the classic film 'One of our Dinosaurs is Missing' the dinosaurs arrive at The O2 for the opening of the UK's latest family attraction, Dinosuaurs Unleashed 2011.

The Think Tank has been working hard in preparing all the marketing activity around this event, set to kick off with a celebrity and press Preview event on Saturday 19th February.

With more than 20 lifesize animatronic dinosaurs and loads of interactive experiences, Dinosaurs Unleashed at The O2 is going to the event of 2011.

See the dinosaurs arrive below or click here to visit the Dinosaurs Unleashed web site.

Bone Collection: Dino Drives, Card Cases and Wonderful Wraps

As Design Director of Bone Collection Reads Lin puts it, 'don't just think different, be different,' a comment in direct response to Steve Jobs' (Chief Executive of Apple) motto of 'think different.'

We at the Think Tank are rather big fans of all things 'different' and Lin and his team have created some seriously cool, yet practical, 'things different.' What better way to protect your pad/pod/phone than with a unique and seriously cool case? What better device to entrust with the storing of all your most vital information than a dino usb drive?

Cool Hunting have also cottoned on to just how cool these are and clever in their ability to set themselves apart from the $1b+ industry for apple accessories too. Click here to find out where to buy your quirky added extras from and set yourself apart from everyone else now.

Et Voila - vola!

So you want practical space, dry towels and good bathroom design? You want this all in one purchase without compromise? Et Voila - Vola.

The Vola towel warmer is a built-in unit where all the technical units are hidden behind the wall, leaving only adjustable bars to be positioned where you personally choose. This very tidy, state of the art equipment won the Good Design Award 2009 and is also nominated for the German Designpreis 2011. Oh and it caters to any aesthetic preference, coming in high polished chrome, brushed chrome and brushed stainless steel. 

Visit Vola to order yours now!

Happy Chinese New Year

As the volatile year of the Tiger makes way for the more prosperous year of the Rabbit, predications allow for more tranquil times; wild peaks and troughs replaced by gentler hops. So if last year proved something of a challenge for you, then the good news is this year will be more ongoing and peaceful.

What better way to celebrate than with a bout of digital creativity as produced by Benji Davies and Jim Field of Frater Films? So, to all from us at the Think Tank Gung Hay Fat Choy: Best wishes and Congratulations. Have a prosperous and good year!

The world turned upside down: A New York with no ads

Whilst we at the Think Tank love nothing more than creating ads and visual marketing, Morgan Spurlack are doing quite the opposite as they seek to de Ad the city that never sleeps. The bright lights, and infamous advertising of the Big Apple, are being photoshopped out in a No Ad: New York campaign led by Morgan Spurlack, an internet based effort to remove all visual advertising from Times Square.

The inspiration? Sao Paulo's ban from outdoor advertising on the basis of visual pollution. If you agree, grab your mouse and click onto Morgan Spurlack's site and clean up the streets yourself. There is even the option of de advertising your own city. So, who wants to take on The Big Smoke??

Social media gets serious

If LinkedIn's recent news is anything to go by then Social Media really did just get serious. LinkedIn is looking to go public - conveying an expansion of the role of social media as an advertising space.

You have heard it from us before, but what happens in the B2C market really will at some point be relevant in the B2B. Don't believe us? Check out the B2B Marketing website for further info on the real market value of these sites in the future...

b.e. Architecture: Down Under

What happens when the concept of bookends meets architecture? The Tivoli Road house in Melbourne Australia.

Located on an exposed corner, this building is a private residence and was built as a means of creating both visual and acoustic privacy for the residents. The locally sourced bluestone material chosen for the building has visually created a seamless construction with low production costs.  Where the bluestone is used externally, timber is deployed so internally at the request of the client. The wooden cranked Blackwood stair is one of the most interesting design elements to this building, creating a modern reference to the traditional spiral staircase.

b.e Architecture  with Good Constructions have made interesting use of filtered lighting throughout the site; internal light courts being used to filter the light within the interior.  To view photographic examples of this light optimisation in action, view arch daily.

 © Mein Photo

In pursuit of Imperfection: Designers in Residence

Do you love good design as much as we do? Have what it takes to impress Peter Kelly (Editor of Blueprint) and Deyan Sudjic (Director of the Design Museum)? Then get your thinking caps on for the following brief:

In Pursuit of Imperfection

For a century and a half mass production has done all it can to make perfect objects in large numbers that are all exactly the same. But now we have the ability to make objects, or messages, or experiences in quantities that are not ‘perfect’, but rather are unique, or particular, or responsive to their users and owners. We would like product / furniture / graphic/ interactive / furniture designers to explore the idea of the imperfect in an object, an environment, or an experience.

For previous winners, further details on this year's entry and to download the application form, visit the Design Museum site. Deadline for submission is 5pm Monday 28th February so there really is no time like the present!

Sustainable Kettle Mug: The coolest way to heat up your water

It's no secret that boiling a kettle takes an enormous amount of electricity, but did you know that the energy required to boil this amount of water is sufficient to power 50 light bulbs?

Designer Rio Soetanto has been tackling the issue and created the ingenious 'Sustainable Kettle Mug' based on induction heating which conserves energy. This innovative kettle is apt for everyday users and is personalized with six mugs for the entire family. The kettle is made of lightweight, not-toxic, recyclable ABS plastic and can withstand very high temperatures of 105 °C (221 °F), while the induction system helps in improving the boiling time.  As the water is boiled in the mugs themselves you don't even need to pour anything. Eco friendly and uber cool, putting the kettle on has never been such a good idea.

Breathing some fresh air into TV

Channel 4 are taking on a new lease of life as they put a breath of fresh air into, well outside of, their offices. Hannah Gourlay's iconic new scultpture was inspired by yoga paced breathing exercises with the intention of creating 'a brief moment of calm for passers-by and Channel 4 staff, a moment to pause for relaxation, reflection and renewal.'

Gourlay and FreeState collaborated with structural engineers Atelier One and Architen Landrell, a tensile architecture specialist to create the installation. Each section of the Big 4 has been wrapped in a fabric from Dartex Coatings Ltd, which is more commonly used for NHS bed mattresses but chosen here for its ability to stretch sufficiently and then revert to its natural shape. The creative review highlights more of these technical details.

At night, the 4 will be lit from within to give a golden glow in colours reminiscent of those used in the first idents created by Martin Lambie - Nairn.

Best of British Buildings

When strong architectural design meets strong cultural significance, there will always be an element of excitement involved.  The future does indeed seem bright for architectural design as The Department of Culture NI has now begun to view architecture as a leader of the creative industry sector and that achieving design excellence is embedded as an ambition in Northern Ireland.

With restorations of old buildings taking on a modern new shared design, and significance, it appears that NI seem truly ready to look to the future. For further details on the buildings undergoing re-design and restoration please visit http://bit.ly/f0SGPs

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Archetto Seating

Look no further than London for an answer to all our creative yet practical seating requirements, epitomised in the Archetto Seating design.

The balance between functionality and open spacing enables this design created by Sybarite, to be used in arenas from leisure, hospitality, entertainment and business alike. Seeking to create privacy without a barrier is the key concept underpinning this creation. Sybarite, together with leading metal and stainless steel company Marzorati Ronchetti, have created enough flexibililty to enable the seat to take on a variation of different colours and technology, ensuring it really is able to cater for diverse purposes.

To view the full press release click here http://bit.ly/hplBzY