Awesome Industrial Design

This compendium from Phaidon combines and updates the three-volume Phaidon Design Classics into a single 592-page hardcover book. A must-own for appreciators of industrial design, the book showcases the most iconic and influential products and objects from the 17th to the 21st century.

Synthesizer maker Teenage Engineering applies their stripped-down aesthetic to a small form factor PC case. The orange sheet metal kit comes flat-packed for easy assembly and has room for a mini-ITX motherboard, an SFX power supply, and a dual-slot GPU up to 180 mm. Computer components not included.

Doehmers Research Lab created this concept electric moped with an awesome retro-futuristic look. Its racer shape is optimized for aerodynamics and a whisper-quiet ride. Designer Torkel Dohmers says he took inspiration from the Honda SS50, melded with synthesizer aesthetics. We would love to see this go into production.

We all have timer apps on our phones these days, but there are still times where you might use an old-fashioned egg timer. MakerPaul takes a look at the flaws in the traditional hourglass design and offers up a new and improved version that tips over when done and can be reset instantly. The 3D printable design is available here.

Designed by Natalie and Paul Sun of Gingko Design, this minimal and modern lamp makes a great addition to any table. Its octagonal base allows for angle adjustment, and it offers a bright and smooth light source with 36 LEDs that runs on a rechargeable battery for up to 48 hours of cordless operation.

This omnipresent stackable chair is known as a “Monobloc,” and it can be found everywhere from suburban backyards to major tourist attractions. What is it about this mundane, yet functional piece of molded plastic that made it so wildly popular? Neo digs into this so-called “context-free object.”

Best known for his work on movies like Blade Runner and TRON, industrial designer and “visual futurist” Syd Mead was renowned for his ability to extrapolate what might lie ahead for society. This silent clip from DistantMirrors looks back on some of the late artist’s many illustrative works.

Graphic and motion designer Vinicius Araujo envisioned iconic industrial designs from electronics brands as Helvetica letter forms corresponding to their brand names. We’d love to see actual products designed this way. Check out the full alphabet in his Behance portfolio.

A smartly designed aluminum case for DIY PC builders, designed by CRYORIG and built by Lian Li. The TAKU provides a home for a Mini-ITX motherboard and all of its components in a minimal, easy-to-upgrade enclosure that doubles as a monitor stand. (Thanks Ben!)

Truly unique six-sided dice which have an open void in their centers. They’re precision machined from anodized aluminum, and weigh just 1.5 grams each. Their unique pip design and balanced weight distribution ensures statistically fair rolls too.

Over the last few years, product designer Gianluca Gimini has asked friends and acquaintances to sketch what they thought a bicycle looked like from memory. He would later go on to build these awesomely offbeat, yet realistic 3D renderings of the bikes.

The guys at TechRadar envision a world in which Microsoft and Sony put aside their differences to collaborate on the ultimate gaming console. One which not only plays next-gen games, but games from past-gen systems.

Combining our urge to crush cans with our bare (not bear) hands with smart industrial design, Emami Designs’ Handycan fits human (and bear) hands perfectly, and crushes like an accordion.

A simple yet stylish timepiece from renowned Dutch clock brand Karlsson Clocks.  The Twin Bell Nude Station combines a modern look with the classic sound of the traditional alarm clock bell.

WXY Architecture and Weidlinger Associates designed the gorgeous Nanhe River Landscape Bridge in Xinjin, China; it features two intertwining bridges that represent the flow of the river.

Bureau Spectacular’s Phalanstery Module is a zero gravity living pod; every 15 minutes, one of the multi-planed surfaces becomes usable (and every 7.5 minutes people inside fall into each other).

Attila Tari and hypo-Design’s entry in the Michelin Challenge Design, the Straddle is an electric version of a horse, meant to bring the rider closer to his surroundings and to nature in general.

There is dynamic contrast to be found in architect Michael Hansmeyer’s Subdivided Column series, which features manipulated doric columns with beautiful, elaborate details. (Thanks Russell!)

The ultra-light Audi Carbon Ski concept is coming soon; the skis have a wooden core sandwiched by layers of aluminum and titanium and covered in carbon fiber, making them more rigid and agile.

Loris Bottello’s Tron-inspired Ring Lamp uses bioluminescent polymers to emit light, and rotating the disk changes the light intensity. Brush contacts transfer the power to the outer copper ring.

André Silva’s concept design integrates a storage device (in HD or SSD versions), along with LED under-body lighting and a top that doubles as a multi-touch trackpad. LaCie, please take a look.

Lutz Pankow’s Rockkit is a pair of aluminum skids that can transform nearly every 4 legged chair into a rocking chair. The skids are screwed onto the legs with rubber mountings and are removable.

Sick of wimpy, underdone toast? Shay Carmon’s toaster concept combines a defibrillator with a toaster, to give your bread that deep, dark crunch that only an intense electrical shock can provide.

Sit back with your iPad and enjoy this artful short by MattsMacintosh which walks us through the major evolution in Apple’s industrial design over the last 30 or so years. My how far we have come.

Created by British designer Kevin Scott, this unusual bicycle has the unique distinction of being able to be bent around a light pole for storage and security, then straightened back out for riding.

This unusual concept timepiece gradually reveals the current time with tactile, dimensional digits for each hour emerging from behind a cloth face. No minute display, but the general idea is cool.