YumSugar

Literal Fruit Juice Packaging: Love It or Hate It?

YumSugar — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 05:50:53 -0700

Japanese industrial designer Naoto Fukasawa has designed fruit juice packaging that literally illustrates what fruit the juice came from. Not only is it a contemporary concept, but it's also a nice reminder of where fruit juice is actually derived. How do you feel about the designs? Are they fresh or a little too freaky?

Source

Have Your Food and Sit On It Too?

YumSugar — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 15:49:39 -0700

Conceptual designer Adrian Rovero has come up with a new line of pasta called Sedie. At first glance you're reminded of old-school Campbell's alphabet soup, or maybe even slightly more grown-up, wagon wheels. However, upon closer inspection you'll see that they're actually little chairs! The pasta is extruded from the machine and are formed into little chairs. Just don't sit on them, okay? Something tells me they're not quite sturdy enough.

Source: Core 77

Keep Your Beverages Warm

YumSugar — Thu, 17 May 2007 03:08:21 -0700

Oh those industrial designers always seem to impress me... This time it's the portable beverage heater designed by Seungheon Lee. The molded plastic, single-use device is clipped to the side of a mug and creates heat via fuel cells. The long portion stays immersed in the liquid and thermographic ink changes the logo when the beverage is hot. It's just a concept design at the moment, but I can see something like this coming to market in the future.

Source: Yanko Design

My Other Half Wine Glasses: Love It Or Hate It?

YumSugar — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 00:00:19 -0700

British product designer, and recent art school graduate, Jim Rokos, has come up with a clever idea called "My Other Half" which comprises of a pair of wine glasses connected by a tube. The liquid fills up and forces its own level line which tries to balance the glasses. The glasses have to be held up to mouths simultaneously or the wine will spill all over the person who was too slow to raise their glass. Translation: if you don't play nice, neither of you will get to drink the wine and the slowpoke will end up covered in it. Interested parties can order a set for £220 + S&H ($440 + S&H).

What do you guys think? Love it or Hate it?

Source: Tastespotting

Design Your Own Pepsi Can - Win Big Bucks

YumSugar — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 00:03:19 -0700

Think you've got a keen eye for design? Then head over to Pepsi's new website where you can design your own can. Submissions are shown on the Pepsi website where five finalists will be chosen and then voted on by users. You've got until May 10 to get your design in, so get cracking! And don't worry; if you don't know what to do with an .eps file or don't have the tools to do it at home, they've got a way to design your own online. So no excuses! Besides, the winner could receive $10,000 and who wouldn't want that?

To promote this contest, Pepsi has asked Pharrell Williams, The All-American Rejects, and Big & Rich to design their own cans. Interestingly enough, Pepsi has only changed its can 10 times in its 109-year lifetime, however this year it will change more than 35 times.

“This is part of our global brand restyle,” said James Miller, Pepsi's marketing director, referring to a campaign to change Pepsi can graphics every few weeks. “Every time a consumer buys a Pepsi, they're getting a new experience.”

Source: PRNewswire and Reuters

Vacuum Bag Ice Cream Holder

YumSugar — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 08:01:03 -0800

Sometimes the best products are the ones that are sitting right under your nose. This design group based out of Switzerland takes regular everyday objects and turns them into something else. For example, a funnel becomes a coat rack, tissues become tea bags, and my personal favorite, vacuum bags become an amazing ice cream cone holder. I actually don't speak German (is this even German?), so I'm not 100% sure what's going on. However, the products are pretty neat looking (if not somewhat surreal) and definitely worth checking out.

Peter Som Cooks Up Sweet Designs in the Kitchen

YumSugar — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:08:23 -0700

What happens when a renowned fashion designer trades the runway for a kitchen? Just ask Peter Som, who recently ditched his stylish suits in favor of chef whites.

Som, who is known for effortlessly chic womenswear, attended a Saturday morning cooking class led by Adour Alain Ducasse pastry chef Sandro Micheli. There, the Manhattan-based designer told Women's Wear Daily about his home-baking hobby and affinity for cooking. "I watch Food Network like it's [the only thing on] TV," he said, adding, "I used to bring pies to the office. I can't eat them all myself."

The class was difficult for even the most advanced of home cooks: "Wow, he's intense," Som said of his teacher.

Within two hours, the 10 students had created madeleines, financiers, chouquettes, chocolate chip cookies, pâtés de fruit à la fraise, and absinthe-flavored marshmallows. I've long been an enthusiast of Som's designs, but had no idea that he joins the likes of Kate Winslet and Mandy Moore in his culinary affinities. Are you a fan of any other celebrities who cook?

PartySugar Behind the Bash: Dining By Design

partysugar — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 13:15:33 -0800

On Monday night I was lucky enough to attend a preview of DIFFA's Dining By Design. The fundraising event, sponsored by Elle Decor, invited designers and corporations to create one-of-a-kind installations of dining tables set for dinner and the surrounding room. While the food was practically non-existent, the four floors were filled with over 40 incredible tablescape designs. From the avant garde to the extravagant, each table represented a different design concept. Here are some trends I noticed in table designs:

Table tops made of anything but tables. A piece of a wall, a door, glass, mirrors, even a stove top were some of the objects that replaced the ordinary table top.
If you didn't have an alternative table top, the table was definitely covered. Fur, moss, fabric, and paper were popular choices.

Creative napkin rings. Rope, fake diamonds, strands of stems, and even disco ball reflective mirrors were used instead of your average napkin ring.
Bold prints - paisley, animal, Moroccan - were present everywhere as plate designs, placemats, tablecloths, and chair covers.
Nothing was minimal, everything was over the top and detail oriented.
Interesting chairs were all the rage. The ones with fur were Medieval-esque, while the tree stumps and open hands conversation provoking.
Favors were an important piece of the table setting with books, gift boxes, and candles being the most popular. One table even had a gold fish in a bowl at each seat!

If your looking for inspiration on how to create a gorgeous Thanksgiving table - or wedding table- look no further! Check out a huge gallery of the tablescapes when you read more

View 119 Photos ›

Which Designer Glass Will Win?

YumSugar — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:15:09 -0700

If you love a sleek, but unique martini glass, you'll probably be interested in the Bombay Sapphire 2008 Designer Glass Competition. It's an annual, international event held in London. Right now the folks at Bombay Sapphire US are looking for a glass to represent the United States. They have narrowed the field to 10 finalists and need your help choosing one. So who are you going to vote for? A few of my faves are above, but there are definitely some unique glasses in the running! Voting ends May 26 and the winner will be announced on June 5.

Take a glance at last year's winning glass, then look through all the options and let us know which one should win this year!

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Burger King Gets a Makeover

YumSugar — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:15:47 -0700

While one fast food chain is temporarily closing stores, another has begun remodeling them. Hoping a facelift will invigorate sales, Burger King announced a major effort to redesign its 12,000 worldwide locations.

Burger King is betting that rotating red flame chandeliers, LCD menus, and corrugated metal and brick walls will encourage customers to sit down and enjoy a meal rather than simply passing through.According to Chairman and CEO John Chidsey, who describes the overhaul as "contemporary, edgy, futuristic . . . like an upscale restaurant," the 60 outlets that have already been revamped have generated 12 to 15 percent more sales.

The "20/20" design transformation, as it's called, is a huge risk for Burger King. The overhaul will take several years to complete worldwide, and will cost franchisees a whopping $300,000 to $600,000 per restaurant. Check out new store pictures. Could a redesign coax you into buying more BK?