As we spend a lot of time keeping ourselves up to date with the design industry, through mediums such as magazines, blogs and the news, we tend to come across a lot of projects that catch our eye and really draw us in. The Creative Roundup is a new series where we share projects we've discovered and feel are worth shouting about, focusing on all areas of the design industry from architecture to graphic design, fashion to fine art.
Brutalist flødeboller - KUF Studios
A project that really caught our eye this month was KUF Studio’s exquisite collection of Flødeboller treats. At first glance, these creations appear to be a variety of beautifully textured stones, however once broken open, a soft, marshmallowy filling oozes out the chocolate encased exterior. Kia Utzon-Frank, who practices a variety of design disciplines in her studio, decided to create her own take on these popular Danish treats after being inspired by the Barbican Centre’s brutalist architectural style. She incorporated a variety of techniques to mimic stone-like finishes, such as combining white chocolate with freeze dried fruits and black ground sesame seeds, and explored ways to mould chocolate into these rigid, geometric shapes. We’re fascinated by the way Utzon-Frank has cleverly experimented with processes and found edible mediums that perfectly imitate the textures, patterns and colours of those found on the Barbican and similar brutalist buildings.
Lacoste x Save our Species
As part of the IUCN Save Our Species campaign, Lacoste has released 10 limited-edition polo shirts, including 10 different endangered species embroidered in the place of the iconic crocodile. The quantity of polos produced for each species corresponds to the remaining population sizes left in the wild, with half of the profits made going into IUCN and the other half being invested in communication of the cause. We love the use of the subtle change of the logo to create a big impact and by getting such a renowned fashion brand involved in the campaign, it will hopefully create more of an interest. It seems combining fashion with a cause is successful method of activism, raising awareness in an alternative way to conventional campaigning methods.
E-skin by University of Tokyo
Another project we found really interesting this month is an e-skin developed by Japanese researchers at the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Engineering. The stretchable, rubber ‘skin’ is made up of a 16 x 24 LED display combined with an integrated wireless biomedical sensor system, detecting touch, pressure and temperature. Its purpose is to measure health factors such as the patient’s heartbeat which would then be transmitted to a healthcare cloud or a specific doctor’s device. By introducing this innovative technology, it allows patients to monitor their progress during recovery periods whilst at home, making them feel more at ease being away from healthcare professionals. It’s interesting to see how this technology could develop further, monitoring various other elements of individuals’ health and potentially tapping into the fitness market to give more accurate readings compared to activity trackers. We’re excited to follow this and see how it progresses, potentially offering a solution to the ongoing issue with overcapacity in hospitals.
