Interested in design?
I’m very interested in design for its own sake and for the practical applications and the smart solutions people find for everyday problems. I do a fair amount of radar scanning looking for things that I can apply to work or home. There are no shortage of websites and blogs for those interested in design. Here are three from the crowd that I think stand out, for very different reasons.
Smartstuff is a Swedish blog that collects unique products you can buy TODAY that solve unique problems. Some are beautiful, some are hideous, some asnwer questions that it is hard to imagine anyone asking, but nearly all are interesting. It is fun to look at these and sometimes wonder what the inventor was thinking and how many people he or she really thought needed a product like this. I like Smartstuff because it is grounded in reality and it speaks to the tinkerer in me.
WebUrbanist has a distinct focus on sustainable living. It isn’t strictly design focused, in fact there is more of a focus on culture art and others, but the “urban design” section presents an eclectic mix of practical and bizarre. They include a mix of products you can buy today and far out concepts that will probably never see the light of day. It is an interesting place to look and see what is hot among the minimalist urban-hip crowd. I like Weburbanist because it represents a narrow focus on problems that could face the future.
Finally dezeen is a pure design focused blog. You will never see most of these products except at an art exhibit or as props in a sci-fi movie set. Still, there are some real gems of design and beauty and it is a terrific trend-watching kind of a site. I like dezeen because it inspires me to look at design in its most artistic state.
