Slick 60s Package Design Re-Lived

I was recently visiting friends who were in the process of cleaning out their late grandma’s house. Apparently, grandma was a bit of a collector during her day, keeping everything from broken vacuum cleaners and air conditioners (they might, after all, see a day when they could be repaired and reused), to Canadiana antiques, to a broad selection of complete sets of dishes and kitchen knick-knacks, dating back to great, great relatives of sorts. The treasure trove of family finds was mind-boggling, as said grandma had a very large house in which to store all of the above and more.

It was my good fortune that brought me to my friends’ house, a day or so before the closing of the house, which had to be emptied of all its belongings. As such, my friends whose own house is now bursting at the seams with much of the contents of grandma’s house, were eager to find homes for some of the less sale-able odds and ends. After dinner, I was offered to take home with me one of the many recouped bottles of liquor, from the many cases they’d uncovered.
Apparently, grandma liked her gifts sets… and so I selected this James Bond styled gift box, that came beautifully wrapped in a gold lame box, with blue velvet interior. Accompanying the bottle of imported Boodles British Gin, were two Crystal d’Arc glasses, suitable for the finest of any smoking room. I leapt at the opportunity to own a piece of this kitch… a veritable piece of packaging design history. I suppose my hosts detected my excitement, as they then offered me a second bottle of booze: a bottle of Bolshoi Vodka.

Beside the intricately designed glass bottle with the fancy top (these tops were clearly all the rage… notice the similarly fashioned one on the gin bottle), my favorite part of this bottle is the fine print on the label (“Distilled from an original formula under government supervision by Distillers Corporation Limited, Montreal, Quebec”) and on the seal (“Bottled in bond under government supervision”).

Why they use the word “formula” in lieu of “recipe”, I have to wonder. True to the days of the iron curtain, there’s an element of secrecy about this ornately designed package. I suppose I’ll never know the exact ingredients, but it’s certainly a form of slick (dare I say tacky?) 1960s art that I will continue to marvel at.

Food for thought for any packaging designer, thanks to my friend’s late grandma.

How to Make, Create, Design... Stuff

Always on the look-out for new projects, I found this web site, Instructables, that promises step-by-step instructions on how to make... well, just about anything. From Food to pets, to art, to the offbeat, ideas about. Users submit their own "how to" instructions, photos and all. Get inspired--in a cast? paint it into a funky high-top sneaker, like this one. Teach yourself how to divide, throw a punch, enroll your kid in school in San Fran, or teach your dog tricks.

Cubicle Coolness

Scott Adams of Dilbert cartoon fame, designed the ultimate cubicle. I suppose it's only natural that the person who spent years drawing little office-themed boxes on paper (his "cubicle farms" cartoons), would eventually want to develop a real-life box, so that real people can actually sit in and operate out of it, in comfort and style. The glowy honeycomb look & feel of this box beats all cubicles I've ever worked in, hands down, bar none.

Fashion Twist: Orthopedic Grandma Shoes

Who, but Dr. Zen, would design a shoe that "helps in the prevention of skin breakdown and other foot problems"? This design of leather-like, pudgy material boasts a secure closure, which "ensures the shoe stays on", and a fake lace velcro flap. How practical is that?

Cool Car Design Befriends the Environment

Imagine driving your car for an entire week, and only spending a few dollars to fill up ... with clean, breathable, compressed air. No carbon emissions, no mess. The only emission, is air.

Moteur Developpment International (MDI) is designing and building the prototype for this new invention, a city car which boasts 110 km/hour, with 200 km to get out of tank in back before refilling at compressed air service station. There's talk of a fuel hybrid, which would allow you to get from Los Angeles to New York, on just one tank--a welcome relief from today's high price of gasoline. The French engineer who designed the car used to design Formula 1 cars.

Orb Watch Design Concept

Travel through time and space with these sleekly designed watches. The ORB bracelet--designed by Serbian student in Torino, Italy, Djordje Zivanovic--cleverly indicates time by the movement of coloured lines that circulate around the smoothe plastic bracelet.

Watch out for this talented designer!

All That Snow: Design Your Own Wall

If you run out of place to put all the snow you've been shoveling lately, why not stack it upwards? This winter has been especially snowy in the east (where I live), and many of us just don't know what to do with the next snowfall... but apparently this Ottawa resident (a carpenter) figured it out: build a "fence"! Read the chilling details here.

Dashing Desktop Designs

Are you tired of the same old desktop design, everytime you boot up? Maybe your computer's operating system (Mac only, I'm afraid... sorry, Microsoft users) didn't ship with the right image to make your world turn. Well, if that's the case, you can choose from a multitude of awe-inspiring (and not so awe-inspiring) designs at Desktoptopia. The concept is that one subscribes to a series of desktops, so that your desktop changes regularly. You might find something that tickles your fancy, and for designers, it's a wealth of cool effects to look at.

Yet Another Wooden Bike...!

Okay, since I've started this blog, I spend a fair amount of time looking up new (and hopefully interesting) material to write about. On my informational journey, I think I've uncovered a new (at least to me) phenomena: the wooden bike. It seems that--while I was so busy with my urban life--I'd never noticed these hand-tooled creations before. Much to my surprise, I've now uncovered a third one in as many weeks. Photographer, Harley Palangchao, says this pic was taken in the Phillipines.

This is the meaning of freedom, and according to what the near-naked, buffed riders are (or are not) wearing, there's not a whole lot of protection, should they take a spill--I mean, look at the first guy's hair, and the blur of the bushes behind them... Clearly, these mean machines pick up speed!