surprise the designer

Every industry has its top firm, the company that does the best work and has the best reputation. Most industrial designers would tell you that that top firm in our field is IDEO.  (Really... go to their website. I dare you to resist inspiration.) IDEO cofounder David Kelley was recently featured on 60 Minutes. It's an awesome segment, something I wish I could show to everyone who has looked at me quizzically when I tell them I'm an industrial designer. Take the 12 minutes to watch this clip—it will be a bright spot in your day.

This post could also be titled: 'Kids are SO cool!' The past year has been a very good one for me. I've gotten to work for a small toy brand that I started out admiring and now downright love. And as a side benefit of that work, I've made friends with a seven-year-old (I don't think there are a ton of 25-year-olds who can say that...) See, the team I work with is a team of freelancers. Each and every one of us works from our kitchen tables and our home offices. Every so often we get to work from each other's kitchen tables and home offices. That means that a couple days a week, I wind up at G's house. If I happen to be there at 3:00, I get to help welcome the kids home from school. Sometimes that leads to grand adventures. More after the jump...

Do you ever get that itch, that feeling that you just need to get in the car and drive? I do. No matter if you call it the ya-yas, cabin fever, spring fever, hay fever, or Bieber fever, sometimes it just feels so right to put some distance between yourself and the normal day-to-day goings on of your life. So last Saturday I took myself to Plymouth (yup, that Plymouth—the one with the rock and the pilgrims). It's a short hour drive from Boston, and a welcome change of scenery. There's ocean, some historical plaques, lots of tourist shops (quiet still at this time of year), and at least a handful of quaint book shops and bakeries. I walked around for a couple hours, taking in the sights, snapping photos, thinking about everything and absolutely nothing. It was a nearly perfect day trip. And just the sort of reset I was looking for. $1 45's at the Plymouth Candy Store That's Plymouth Rock. It's as small as it looks. The Mayflower II Lots of big bol...

In my opinion, TED talks are often unexceptional and a little boring. I think this is rooted in what we are trying to learn about design communications - it is one thing to have a skill set, and another thing to be able to talk about it. Most of the people at TED are not great about talking about it. The video and audio files are still valuable, though, because they give an inside look at the people responsible for a number of stunning accomplishments . They let us, the lowly public, catch a glimpse of people who are innovators, people who are extraordinarily wealthy, and people who are leading our society today. That being said, this talk about the Eames is a good one for anyone interested in design to watch. It has some little-seen footage and touches on the design process. I especially love the photos of prototypes- it makes Charles and Ray seem more real and less like super-human design geniuses. (small disclaimer: I saw this posted on core77 this morning... I don't l...

Squishy Pillow 5/08 Originally uploaded by p_vaccaro While I was in high school a good friend gave me a micro-bead pillow...one of those super-squishy things that were all the rage for awhile. It is one of the best pillows I have ever had, and insures a great sleep every time. Maybe micro-beads are an opportunity, or at least an option, for the chair project...?

a nice collaboration between MOMA and some Italians: too2late

If you are looking for some chair inspiration, check out magis and magis me too (their children's collection.) I know it is not always the best idea to look at chairs when you are trying to make one, but they have some very interesting pieces. I think that the me too collection is really a really successful extension of their brand into products that are more suitable for children but still appeal to adults (and especially the young at heart.)

coolest-dad Originally uploaded by farm pig People walk more in Europe. The cities are laid-out differently, and peoples' mindsets are different. So, when people have babies they walk with their babies, and they often drop a lot of cash on the most deluxe strollers possible. It is an entirely different market than the U.S. Pictured here is the Stokke Xplory, an awesome stroller in looks and function. Also noteworthy is the immensely popular bugaboo line of strollers.

On the way back to Ohio from southern California, my mom and I visited the Dallas art museum. They had an exhibit by Olafur Eliasson full of experimental pieces of art that played with light, color, and a little science- all really cool stuff. You can find his website here.