Posts Tagged ‘design’

  • Mon, Nov 8 2010

    As we’re working through the design of the Leveler, here are some images that are inspiring us. Hopefully they’ll inspire you while you come up with some great logo designs.

    The Home Hero:

    The Home Hero takes a very ordinary, utilitarian-designed fire extinguisher, and turns it into a beauty. It’s still just as (if not more) functional than a standard fire extinguisher, but by starting with the base of the normal fire extinguisher form and using subtle curved surfaces and outlines, it becomes an object of beauty. The Home Hero is also a great example of using color pops (red) in two key areas, while balancing the glossy white with matte grey.

    OO Projector:

    This one ends up on a lot of our image boards. From the top it’s a very iconic circle, from the front it’s got that iconic eye popping out at you. When you merge two profiles, often some weirdness ensues, but not with this projector. The curve created by the intersection of the two profiles keeps your eye moving around the whole object, and the surfaces that connect them shift smoothly.

    Harmon Kardon Receiver:

    We’re drawing a lot of inspiration from this one. It’s got clean lines all around, and uses really basic forms. What makes it great is the proportions and material uses. We’re especially loving how the knob is a tight circle with very crisp edges.

    Get to it!

  • Sat, Oct 9 2010

    If you’re in New York this weekend, enjoy a rare opportunity to experience the design and architecture of all five boroughs. The 8th Annual OpenHouseNewYork is opening multiple doors across the city to the public free of charge. Yes, we said FREE! Discover neighborhoods through special talks, tours, performances, and family-friendly workshops. Check it out for something fun, outdoors, and design-y to do this weekend (and don’t forget to visit REFORMSchool too).

    You can also participate even if you’re not in New York. Learn more about the city’s fascinating design and architecture through OHNY’s collection of podcasts, or direct your children to the kids site. It’s never too early to develop an appreciation for design.

    Have a great weekend!

    Photo credit: New York Daily Photo

  • Tue, Sep 28 2010

    Make your design voice heard by participating in the selection process for this year’s 2010 People’s Design Award, sponsored by National Design Week and the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum.

    Chatter by:

    - Nominating a new design.

    - Perusing the submissions.

    - Voting for your favorite.

    And after your voice is hoarse, learn about the agenda for National Design Week, happening from October 9-17. The Cooper-Hewitt is sponsoring most of the New York festivities (and offering free admission!). Check out what’s happening in your ‘hood.

  • Wed, Aug 18 2010

    We’re truckin’ along on manufacturing for the Space Bar, and we’ll be ready to post some progress updates soon. In the meantime, whet your appetite by checking out these awesome new renders*, uploaded today by the Quirky Design Staff.

    As you can see, we’ve made some small design changes to this iteration of Space Bar. We’ve added two USB ports to the back of the unit, along with mini USB and AC power ports. We’re also working on perfecting some small details so we can keep the product’s original sleek form.

    *Keep in mind that these photorealistic renders represent our current plans for the product. The final product may be tweaked slightly during the manufacturing process.

  • Thu, Aug 12 2010

    Move-it!

    By brian at 11:06 am

    I just came across this product concept called “Move-it” designed by David Graham. After recently going through the pains of moving myself, I could relate to the designer’s motivation. “Move-it” certainly has its limits (like a rainy day for example) but I still thought it has great potential. It’s inexpensive, light-weight, portable construction makes it an ideal utility product for the college student or urban dweller.  Here’s Graham explaining where his inspiration came from:

    The inspiration for Move-it came from watching members of the public struggling to carry packages. I was struck by the paradox of modern life; promising everything ever quicker, easier and more convenient, and the reality of what I saw: that there are a million-and-one reasons it doesn’t work out for people.

    Check out the video below for a demonstration.

  • Wed, Jul 21 2010

    Wanna be a part of the magic? Apply for one of these open positions in the Quirky design department.

    SENIOR DESIGNER

    Inspired by an excited community with a never ending flow of great ideas and driven by an amazing team & infrastructure, Quirky brings one great new product to life EACH WEEK.

    Scared? This job probably isn’t for you. Intrigued? Read on.

    If you’re a perfect Quirky person you have a bias-for-action, an innate ability to ‘Get Sh** Done’ and are as honest as the day is long. You say what you think even it is controversial and you strive to do what’s right, not what’s easy. You have extremely high professional standards while being able to create a fun, collaborative environment.

    In order to ensure exceptionally high product and design quality as we grow, we’re looking for a top notch Senior Industrial Designer with varied experience in Consumer Products.

The perfect candidate has 5+ years of experience designing successful to-market products. They can take a product from sketch to manufacturing. They are hell-bent on taking part in creating an amazing design culture at an ambitious start-up. They are very comfortable explaining their design process to others in the team… and to the cameras! We have an aggressive filming culture at Quirky and you could end up on anything from in-house process videos to televised footage….

    General responsibilities:

 
    – Inspire your fellow designers every day; push forward the design culture and broader company culture;

 
    – Help evaluate a weekly influx of new product and design ideas; 
    – Help provide design direction for products;

 
    – Be deeply involved in creating a maintainable brand tie between dozens of unrelated products;

 
    – Work with partners / internal teams on manufacturing;

- Manage a demanding design and production schedule

    Specific Skills 
    – Strong communicator & team leader; 
    – Respect & belief in a rapidly iterative design process;

 
    – 5+ years of experience in an Industrial Design (consultancy or brand);

 
    – Strong sketching abilities (hand and digital); 
    – Advanced SolidWorks modeling skills;

 
    – Advanced skill level with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop; 
    – Familiarity with Hypershot;

 
    – Good creative problem solving and analytical thinking skills;

 
    – Ability to work independently as well as under tight creative direction.

    We’re looking for a resume & portfolio. Submissions without a portfolio (linked or attached) will be overlooked. We’re hiring you for a creative job, so be creative with your submission. IMPORTANT: e-mail subject title MUST be ‘senior designer’. E-mail: seniordesigner@quirky.com.

    Apply on Facebook! (and “like” us too ;) )

    MID-LEVEL DESIGNER

    Are you into making cool stuff? Do you get excited about the chance of giving countless armchair visionaries the chance at seeing their product become real? Can you even fathom the pace of working on a brand new product every week? Scared? This job probably isn’t for you. Intrigued? Read on.

    Quirky.com is an exciting and fast paced workplace for passionate and talented people. If you’re a perfect Quirky person you have a bias-for-action, an innate ability to ‘Get Sh** Done’ and are as honest as the day is long. You say what you think even it is controversial and you strive to do what’s right, not what’s easy.

    Our aim is to become a leader in design and are currently seeking a Mid-level Industrial Designer to join our team. A kick-ass freehand sketch portfolio, an engaging and quirky personality, and love of crazy product ideas are our 3 must haves. Outside of that we’re looking for the following specific skills:

    - At least 3 years of experience in Industrial Design

    - Strong sketching abilities (hand and digital)

    - Advanced Solidworks skills in product design

    - Advanced skill level with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop

    - Solid skills with Bunkspeed Shot rendering program

    - Good creative problem solving and analytical thinking skills

    - Ability to work independently as well as under tight creative direction

    - A good knowledge of plastics manufacturing

    - Willingness to learn

    - Ability to ‘Get Sh** Done’ and have strong bias-for-action

    We’re looking for a resume & portfolio. Submissions without a portfolio (linked or attached) will be overlooked. We’re hiring you for a creative job, so be creative with your submission. Oh yeah, please put ‘mid level designer’ in the e-mail subject line. E-mail: designer@quirky.com

    Apply on Facebook! (and “like” us too ;) )


  • Mon, Jul 19 2010

    Sneak a peek at the development of Go Caddy, our new, versatile folding/rolling shopping cart… now available for just 60 bucks in the Quirky store!


  • Thu, Jul 8 2010

    Wanna see the Quirky Design Staff in action?

    Tune into UStream tomorrow at 9:30 AM (EST) for some live streams of a typical Friday morning in the Model Shop. We’ll be doing some cool stuff — prototyping, sketching, “berthing” products — and we wanna let you in on all the fun.

    Join us now!


    Live Videos by Ustream

    Stream videos at Ustream

    Live Video streaming by Ustream

  • Wed, Jun 30 2010

    Every so often, one of our ridiculously talented interns will share what inspires them to create. Today it’s Jane, a design student at Pratt.

    What Inspires Me

    My industrial design professor, Jong S. Lim

    The happiness of my family

    The beauty in nature

    Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons

    Watching Hayao Miyazaki’s films

    Everything I encounter, even the most random things

    A good cup of coffee

    Being around people who appreciate art & design

    My jewelry/metals instructor, Eun Yeong Jeong

    Abstract architecture

  • Tue, Jun 29 2010

    It’s hard not to be creatively invigorated in an ever-evolving world. And perhaps no New York museum exhibit encompasses that more than MoMa’s upcoming Counter Space: Design and the Modern Kitchen, which opens in September.

    The exhibit will showcase a complete 1920′s “Frankfurt Kitchen,” among other design goodies, and promises to reveal more than just futuristic aesthetic appeal. MoMa notes:

    “Kitchens have continued to articulate, and at times actively challenge, our relationship to the food we eat, popular attitudes toward the domestic role of women, family life, consumerism, and even political ideology…”

    L magazine then collected five additional items with the same transforming qualities. Trust me, you ain’t never seen tea and coffee sets like this one.

    Like with all design innovation (or any other kind for that matter), there’s always something new to discover and explore. Our designers let themselves be influenced by the past while creating for the future. There’s no such thing as inspiration overload here at Quirky!

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