Archive for the ‘News’ Category

Samsung Sveta Pushes Refrigerator Product Design

Monday, June 14th, 2010

Inspired by the soft light of the northern and southern polar regions, Samsung Electronics bring you the Sveta RL52VE. It seeks to combine unique, sleek and Scandinavian-esque product design with the high electronics that Samsung have become known for.

The result is undeniably impressive – an appliance that seems to have the same aesthetic value as a piece of beautifully designed furniture. Combining the practical with the visually attractive is not always easy, but it seems that Samsung have done a good job here.

A key part of the design is the effect that the blue light has on those around the refrigerator; the designers sought to create a calming, energising feel to the fridge – something that such a humble kitchen appliance might not normally be associated with.

Breaking New Ground in Shelf Product Design

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

The humble shelf may not seem like it deserves the attention of cutting edge product design, but Tom Pawlofsky begs to differ with his innovative Zinfandel shelf.

The idea of the shelf or shelving unit is often imbued with rigidity and bulkiness. We don’t often find that our shelves are particularly easy to transport – but the Zinfandel changes all that. The product is a highly flexible grid in which rigid boxes can be inserted. This design enables the owner to essentially create their own shelf space – making it is as large or small as they wish. Most importantly, perhaps, is the ability to fit the shelving unit into any space necessary.

It is this kind of flexible thinking that excites Applied Product Design, where we love ideas that push the boundaries of accepted product development. And of course this means you have to try new things, apply innovative thinking. As Einstein said, “If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn’t be called research, would it?”

Touch Technology Applied Hearing Aid Product Design

Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

While the traditional hearing aid has improved many people’s lives, for many, it has not always been the most usable piece of product design. Specifically, adjusting volume and digital listening modes can be particularly problematic. As technology has advanced, hearing aids have gotten smaller and smaller – which has left some users feeling frustrated by their inability to control their aids.

hearing aidBut a new take on this legendary piece of product design has been developed by Stuart Karten Design (SKD) and Starkey Laboratories, Inc, aimed at addressing these issues. Starkey’s S Series behind-the-ear (BTE), with its Sweep Technology, enables the wearer to adjust their hearing aid with just the sweep of a finger. The entire bottom edge of the hearing aid’s spine area is touch activated. This control area is ten times larger than traditional volume controls, and five times bigger than the usual memory button size.