August 2009 Archive

Supernatural

Ross Lovegrove is one of our favourite designers here at Katapult. He has an uncanny ability to find the organic structure in any project whilst avoiding the cliched sameness of some designers.

His latest effort is a beautifully minimalist task lamp called 100% for Danese, the iconic Italian furniture company. The 100% lamp is crafted in a crisp modern style from 5mm aluminium sheet, painted white and features an embedded touch sensitive dimmer.

The lamp is so minimalised that even the electronics to control the OLED light source are exposed at the rear to form part of the visual aesthetic. Simple, modern and beautifully refined, this design epitomises what clever industrial design is all about.

Get assistance with your next design project from us.

Lebron's got new shoes

Nike have released the latest installment in it's Lebron James inspired range of shoes, The Air Max Lebron VII.

Now although the LVII is not something the Katapult crew would normally get around in, it is worthy of a mention here because of the beautiful design and clever use of cutting edge technology.

The signature range is the first Nike basketball shoe to feature a full length air bag cushioning system. Perhaps even more striking is the flywire upper that uses a high tensile-strength cable to provide stability. This creates an extremely light, yet stable shoe.

The designer, Jason Petrie, was inspired by Lebron's love of luxury cars to produce a striking look which includes many intricate details to exude quality and high performance.

For a more detailed explanation of the design process see this interview with the designer. A classic example of design and technology coming together to create a big leap.

Katapult joins Designers Accord

Katapult Design has successfully applied to join the Designers Accord.

The Designers Accord is a global coalition of designers, educators, and corporate leaders, working together to create positive environmental and social impact. It is made up of over 170,000 members of the creative community, representing 100 countries, and each design discipline.

Started in July 2007, the Designers Accord has a stated mission to "catalyze innovation throughout the creative community by collectively building our intelligence around issues of climate change and humanity, and tackling those challenges with optimism and creativity."

In a nutshell, we're concerned about the environment and want to do our part, so we have committed to sustainable product design as a priority and we will continue to champion it with our clients.

Sustainable skating

These new Eco in-line skates from K2 are a great way to show off your "green" street cred.

The sustainably designed skates utilise a bamboo frame, recycled PET upper, liner, webbing & laces and reduced packaging to minimise the product's environmental footprint.

In addition to being more environmentally friendly, the bamboo wheel frames benefit from the natural strength and flex of the material to provide a dampened ride, smoothing out the vibrations of the road.

Whilst it is almost impossible to make in-line skates 100% sustainable, the elimination of harmful PVC's and the inclusion of more eco-friendly materials means this product goes some way towards that goal... and they look fantastic!

This is a great example of a win-win situation. Improved environmental footprint and performance using a smart combination of recycled and natural materials. Could we do the same for your product? Contact Katapult.