Acoustic iPhone Amplification

{Image of AirCurve via Griffin Technology}

I saw this over at Better Living Through Design yesterday and thought it was a very cool concept. Utilizing the iPhone's tiny speakers to produce more sound; brilliant. However, I must admit that I'm really not fond of the design. Obviously I know nothing about audio, and even less about the properties of acoustics. Though I cannot imagine myself purchasing one of these, simply because I couldn't stand to look at it. What do you think?

I Need All the Help I Can Get

So I'm a very bad blogger, honestly. I have no good excuses for why I haven't been posting just my apologies. However, on a happier note, my other blog Sans Socks - very - recently underwent a redesign and I need all the help I can get with it. I've had a great deal of issues with my past designs for this blog and for that reason I'm asking you my faithful readership for your help. It's really quite simple all you have to do is go to Sans Socks and play around with the site and then leave a comment on this post with any problems. Usability, aesthetics, anything that you see as being a problem I would like to know about it. In turn, I am holding a drawing for a $25 gift card to J. Crew for your efforts. Simply leave a comment before October 1 to be entered into the drawing.

Thank you for your help,

bran

Photoshop for a Cause

{Four early entries from PSDTUTS readers via Flickr}

I was reading through PSDTUTS this evening and came across something I found rather interesting. PSDTUTS is holding a button making contest in support of Blog Action Day and Kiva - micro-financing non profit organization. The premise of the contest is pretty simple, make a web button with an uplifting message in support of "Solving Poverty". The top 10 buttons will be featured on PSDTUTS as well as on Blog Action Day. The top 10 button makers will be given a set amount of credit for Kiva to be lent in whatever way they see fit. The contest ends September 28, so unfortunately due to my not finding this sooner you'll only have a week to produce. However, I would highly suggest entering this contest, even if you have little or no experience with Photoshop - afterall it is being held by a site specializing in Photoshop tutorials. Good luck.

A Product a Day...

{screenshot taken of my Dashboard}

I'm probably preaching to the choir with this one, but I have to say I am a big fan of the Dwell Product of the Day Dashboard widget. If you're on the Mac platform, and aren't already a subscriber I would highly suggest downloading this fantastic widget. For those of you not running OSX they've also developed a Google add-on so you too can share in the joy that is this widget.

Also, check out today's product: the Fruit Loop. A beautiful way to keep fresh fruit in your home.

And the Winner is...

I first would like to thank everyone for participating, and also announce that Recognizing the Need will be holding at least one giveaway per month from now on. Now for the moment you've all been waiting for, the winner of The Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture is Spence. Congratulations to Spencer, who is the blogger over at Nostalgia Revisited. Let's hope that winning this might light a fire under his ass and he'll get back to posting after his few week hiatus. Please email me Spencer to let me know what would be the best way for you to receive your prize. Thanks again to everyone who participated and check back regularly because you never know when I might get a wild hair and decided to hold another giveaway.

The winner of this giveaway was drawn at random out of my destroyed straw fedora by the mysterious girl who has been sleeping on my roommates couch for the past month and a half.

It's Not too Late

It's not too late to enter the giveaway for this wonderful book from Phaidon. Well, not exactly this wonderful book from Phaidon, but one very similar to it but smaller - you would not believe how difficult it is to find a decent photo of the travel edition of this book. But I digress. Take a look at the photos below, these are just some of the wonderful photos that you will be able to look at whenever you want, if you win today's giveaway. I will be writing all of the names down and putting them in a hat at 5 PM (MST) this evening, and will then proceed to find and recruit someone at random to pick a name from the aforementioned hat. I will announce the winner at 6 PM (MST) so check back to see if you are the proud owner of a brand new copy of The Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture (Travel Edition).

As always, thanks for reading,
bran

{photos via Phaidon}

p.s. A special thanks to 3 Dainty Delights and Opinuendo for their advertising of this little giveaway of mine. And if you aren't already avid readers it's never to late to start.

cotw. Pancras Chair

In 2002 Norway Says - a Norwegian industrial design firm, if you can believe that - created the Pancras chair, little did they know that in doing so they would be contributing to putting Norway on the map as an emerging design nation. It won the International Design Award in 2003 for its beautiful function based design. It is one part of the Pancras series, which includes a bench, a table and a barstool. As yet I've only been able to locate one retailer who carries the Pancras series. Visit Funktion Alley for pricing and availablity.

{photos via Norway Says & iform}

The Netherlands Oldest Company

{screen-shot taken from Tichelaar}

Makkum is the Netherlands oldest company, quite a feat I might say. The oldest proof of the company's ceramic manufacturing can be found on a Spanish map dating back to 1572. Essentially, these people know ceramics. They use this extensive knowledge of the craft to fashion extremely high quality traditional ceramic pieces as well as some more modern pieces.

{photos of Work-Series via Tichelaar}

In 2007 designer Dick van Hoff was commisioned to use the company's century old techniques to create pracitcal products. He chose then to use the desk as his inspiration. He created "Work," a series of five desk ornaments. Two desk lamps, a clock, a vase, and a pen-tray. It was an instant success, and has gone on to win coutnless design awards and be featured in even more publications. I don't know about you, but I am very excited to see what else this Dutch company has up it's sleeves.

While We're on the Subject

{screenshot taken from Bembo's Zoo}

While we're on the subject of animals making characters, I thought we might as well talk about characters making animals. Bembo's Zoo is a book that was created by graphic designer and brilliant typographer Roberto de Vicq de Cumptich. The book is dedicated entirely to creating animals using only characters appearing in the animals name from the Bembo character set. He recently however, turned his wonderful book into an equally as wonderful website. Using some of the animals from the orignial with the aid of Flash created an interactive, user friendly type zoo experience. To see these wonderful animals visit Bembo's Zoo, and also check out Words at Play to see more of de Vicq's animated typographic brilliance.