Design + Functionality

While my boyfriend spends his 10th hour in bed, I have already consumed a huge amount of cereal and have gone through less than a tenth of my daily Internet reading. But I did stumble onto something that makes me very excited on a Monday morning (morning for me, afternoon for you).

So, being quite the livejournal whore, I was reading ADIML and this adorable couple from Manchester, UK, had equally adorable mugs on display. Meet the Mocha Dunk Mug! And because I am lazy, and could probably not provide a more adequate description, I quote The dual purpose Dunk Mug is a C&M favorite and a fun addition to any bedtime snack ritual. The Sunday Express calls this clever mug "a must-have for every cookie lover." We concur. A hidden cookie compartment allows you to sip coffee or tea and nibble on your favorite sweets with minimal cleanup. Cookie plates are a thing of the past for us. Take special notice of the white earthenware which lends a solid feel and attractive appearance. Talk about being ingenious.

Time to whip out the credit card and do more shopping.

Have a great week!

P.S You can buy the same mug, or look through other fabulous things at Charles and Marie.

in my designer mode

(not fashion-related)

I have a creative journal due exactly at this time tomorrow. Which means I have 24 hours to submission. Now, in this time I have to do close to almost 40 good entries on my creativity (and I really lost count, but it should be less than 40). The journal is really just supporting evidence and documentation that all designers and / or artists usually have to submit with along with their work. Something like a book on what inspires you, something like your idea creation on how the final product came to be. All designers who attend design school go through this, and they know this component is equally important as the finished product itself. You can add in whatever things you want... you can do it in whatever way you want but it just has to reflect your design. Basically, most designers take this quite seriously.

Sometime during the week, I went down to the library and I discovered Wallpaper* magazine. The magazine is great. There was an article on Dieter Rams, a German industrial designer regarded as one of the most influential industrial designers in the 20th century. Prior to that, I had never heard of him before.

To cut the story short, I was inspired! There was a lovely story in Wallpaper* that featured his tenets of design and how he applied them in his objects. They can be applied to any relative of design. You can see them here.

Note: The writer is a student of Mass Communication (and not in design school, if you were wondering) and is required to do design modules in her first and second year of study. She has no real intention of becoming a designer in the future, but she can appreciate good design.