Welcome to Design This Week!
A weekly roundup of exciting design news and product spotlights. Between the circles I inhabit and my worldly adventures, I'm constantly discovering exciting products and new design to appreciate. I wanted to share my enthusiasm and spread awareness for good design. Hope you enjoy!
Sony LinkBuds
Truly original products are rare in today's personal audio landscape. Just when we thought we'd seen it all, Sony comes out of left field with these things!
The new LinkBuds are an original take on open-backed earbuds. They use a hollow, ring-shaped driver with a hollow center to project sound into your ears without creating a vacuum or isolating you from your environment. Obviously this is the exact opposite of the trend of creating total isolation through seals and active noise cancellation. I find it refreshing.
I discovered Sony’s new LinkBuds from my bud Linus Sebastian in a Short Circuit video that I highly recommend.
Roboto Serif
Typography alert! The internet’s most ubiquitous typeface Roboto finally has a sophisticated serif companion. Roboto Serif offers all the latest variable font goodness and is surprisingly fresh for something related to the 2nd Helvetica. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing this in a lot of portfolios and websites in the next year. Thanks to TypeWolf for the tip off. Specimen
Bath Stones
“Bath stone?” is exactly what I thought when I saw this on a random Instagram add, but now I’m fascinated. Instead of using a porous, absorbent mat that holds water and breed bacteria, this company Dorai creates synthetic “bath stones” out of diatomaceous earth that evaporate water almost instantaneously and stay try and clean. They even feature zen-inspiring minimal patters that I would 100% trace with my toes absentmindedly.
Disney Storyliving
Just when you thought Disney couldn’t own more of your life, you may soon be able to purchase/rent a home in a built residential neighborhood called Disney Storyliving. Call me when I can get Tony Stark’s JARVIS house. If you want to get in line, or are just morbidly curious, check it out. Here’s a story about it from The Verge.
Huskee Cup
I discovered the Huskee Cup in a small shop in Catskill, NY.
Huskee creates reusable coffee mugs out of recycled plastic and coffee bean shells which add a speckled texture. The beautiful form that initially attracted me serves the functional purpose of keeping your fingers away from the hot walls of the mug. The ribs remind me of succulents. The entire product uses 2 materials and is easily recyclable at the end of its life. Huskee have their own recycling program, and partner with small businesses. They offer several sizes of mugs and matching saucers with a unique press-fit function to prevent spills.
I love to see good design being combined with more natural and sustainable materials. Way to go Huskee!
PSVR2
It’s been a big month for Sony. After unveiling the wonderful orb-like controllers several months ago, Sony officially announced the full PlayStation VR2 system, including the redesigned VR headset. The headset follows the form language of the main Playstation 5 system, with organic, layered surfacing. Improved ergonomics, lighter weight, adjustable lenses, and a wider field of view combined with the power of the PS5 should make PSVR2 one of the best virtual reality experiences around. Sadly there is still a cable, but no huge breakout box like the v1.
I’m still most excited about the controllers. The spherical sensors that wrap your hands are a triumph of design and engineering. They look comfortable and clean with a better control scheme that more closely resembles the standard DualSense controller. Bye Move controllers!
