Design Debate

When I saw these beautiful water bottles I just fell in love. So often when using the visual language of purity in design we look at absence, white, blue. I just love how the Mount Franklin sparkling water bottle uses nature, colour and tropical flowers to communicate purity.  The illustrations are by fashion designer  Akira Isogawa . He created a water colour print on silk called Bird Garden which wraps round the bottle in such confident expression. The idea being to create a premium water for high-end restaurants that when produced would create that sense of occasion. The limited addition bottle was produced as a collaboration between Coco-Cola Amatil, design agency Creative Platform and Akira Isogawa. Isogawa, originally from Japan, now lives in Australia and is one of their most celebrated designers. His collections use beautiful illustrations that are so elegant, mixing oriental and western styles effortlessly.  Read more about these...

I think its great when a brand can really be applied to every aspect of a company. I love it when elements can be pulled out so when you enter a space it feels purposeful and not accidental. Thats exactly what designers Mode:lina Architekci successfully managed to do with the Run Colors trainer store in Poznań, Poland. The Run Colors logo is very strong with shoelaces forming an integral part. The idea for this colourful installation is taken from the fast movement of the runner. The colourful lines bounce from wall to floor creating prismatic shapes.  I think the best decision though was the charcoal coloured backdrop. White would have reflected and opened the space, but the dark walls and furniture I feel focus the mind on the product. Very smart! Found via Plenty of Colour . 

I came across this creative collaboration on a favourite blog of mine, Bloesem . Paint and diy company Histor organised a competition in the Netherlands called 101Karakters . The brief was to customise a cabinet designed by Piet Hein Eek, and they had 2000 entires!  The chosen 101 designers were invited to Piet Hein 's workshop to bring these designs to life. What a great idea! The cabinet itself is beautifully proportioned and full of character, but with the addition of the individual designer's artwork these pieces of furniture take on a new personality. It makes me want to get painting, I wonder what I would have submitted! Here are some images, I'm sure more will be available to see here shortly, see what you think.