The main difficulty with an all encompassing design competition is that, ultimately, it does not compare like with like. Some of the entries are life changing, or could affect us all in the future. Others seem more of an artistic expression, designed purely for our amusement. There is the added complication that, whilst some of the […]
The Scots aren’t the only ones playing with disruption. London’s Design Museum doesn’t stop at giving airtime, or in this case museum space, to emerging young designers, it also helps them along the way with advice, suggestions and, presumably, access to some very useful contacts. In this case it has also asked them to be […]
Craft workers and product designers are rapidly becoming the new elite of the art world. Master craftspeople, working with basic materials like wood, natural resin, wax, stone, metal, glass, leather, wool, paper or clay, create practical objects, as opposed to functionless art. Practicality and ease of manufacture is seen to outweigh the need for refined […]
The Japanese philosophy of Wabi-Sabi sees imperfection as a form of beauty – a product can actually be enhanced by its irregularity. Here we take a look at some designs which celebrate the imperfection of handcrafted work. In the spirit of our previous post, Kaixi Lin reuses discarded materals to create functional woven textiles. Inspired […]
Adults have become frozen in time, wishing to remain childlike for as long as possible. Women are putting off having children until later in life, if at all. Playful pets have become substitute children for many. Dogs have become a part of the family – people may share their bed with their dog, feed them […]
The Designs of the Year 2014 exhibition, sponsored by international law firm Bird & Bird, starts today and runs through till 25th August. The Design Award nominators are practitioners, critics and academics, scouting for the very best designs – seventy-six of which have been chosen in this the seventh year of the awards. The disparate array […]
The second issue of Visuology Magazine is now available to order for delivery in 5-12 days. Be first to see 148 pages of sustainable summer style, with product picks encompassing fashion, textiles, art, craft, accessories, furniture and lifestyle designs. Discover inspirational new trend ideas and colour combos. Visuology offers a uniquely independent blend of trend forecasting […]
Pearls have fascinated for centuries and the popularity of the exhibition at the V&A reflects the universality of their appeal. Pearls are the inspiration for one of our product trends for Autumn/Winter 2014-15. In Elizabethan times, pearls were both a symbol of virginity and of fertility. The latest pearl embellished products capture this curious dichotomy […]
The video below shows a small snippet from our latest presentation. A previous Curious Trends report highlighted some of the bee and honeycomb inspired product designs spotted during 2011. Sarah Burton’s Alexander McQueen collection for Spring/Summer 2013 also reflected the beekeeping theme. Bees and honeycomb designs were common features of Elizabethan embroidery. They are now appearing […]