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Areaware Cubebots 

Donald Rattner WA-AS-TA-HX-CU-1_1

Wiley Prefab Architecture

May 17th, 2012

Grain Utility Card

This is a card for all seasons – and reasons. Simply circle the sentiment you wish to convey by finding it among the letters on the card. Use the back side for any additional communication. It’s a word search type puzzle with a purpose (a brain teaser also known as a word find, word seek, word sleuth or mystery word puzzle).

Grain’s Utility Card measures 4 x 4 inches, is printed letterpress on extra thick tree-free paper that uses cotton fiber waste from textile manufacturing, and comes with a 100% post-consumer recycled content kraft paper envelope. There’s also a handy cheat-sheet to help you find the right words.

And speaking of the right words, here are a few of the options available to get your message across:

Congratulations
Get Well Soon
Happy Birthday
Happy Holidays
Thank You
Mother / Mom
Be Mine
Come Home Soon
Feel Better
Forgive Me
Good Luck
I Love You
I Miss You
Mazel Tov
Wish You Were Here
Fugedabboudit (just kidding)

The Grain Utility Card is made in the USA and comes in packs of 5 or singly. Wow, what a card!

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May 13th, 2012

Brandon Perhacs: Design On the Move

Brandon Perhacs is a designer on the move. Or should we say, is a designer who creates products that move.

Adaptation Vase

Consider his Adaptation Vase, a finely crafted piece that invites a unique approach to flower arranging. It consists of four magnets set in a wood base, plus four glass tubes and four stainless steel spheres. Simply insert the stainless steel spheres into the tubes and place them on the magnets in the base. The tube vases may then be tilted, swayed, and turned into any desired configuration. Add water and flowers to create a unique centerpiece that can change like the seasons – or even more often.

 

The base is made from wood sustainably harvested locally from Bainbridge Island, Washington where Brandon is based. It measures 9 x 2 1/2 x 3/4 in. and was designed in 2009.

Stix+Stones

Stix+Stones is a line of jewelry that gives the wearer the ability to create a diverse array of sculptural compositions using the two fundamental geometries of sphere and rod. The innovative design potential of Stix+Stones is hidden inside the hand-brushed stainless steel rods, or “stix”, which contain invisible magnetic stops positioned at precise intervals along their length.

 

The magnetized design allows the user to play freely with the components, while at the same time ensuring that the parts array themselves in elegant proportions. Available in a 6-piece set with two stix and four spheres, and a 14-piece set with eight stix and six spheres. The neck cord in both versions is sixteen inches.

Ewe2

Clearly Mr. Perhacs is a designer who doesn’t like his products to sit still. As we’ve just observed, his Stix + Stones reconfigurable magnetic necklace can be made to look differently every day by changing the orientation of the pieces. The containers in his Adaptation Vase swivel around to create diversity in the arrangement of the flowers. Here, with the Ewe2 Bracelet, he shows us his softer side.

Made from the finest 100% merino wool felt, the bracelet consists of two interlocking pieces in contrasting colors. The pieces connect in one of two orientations to give the piece variety and changeability. Wear multiple Ewe2s together and mix up the colors for an even bolder look.

Migration

We couldn’t help including the Migration candle set in this round-up of Perhacs’ unique designs.  These modern oil candles can be used as a single statement, or combined for more sophisticated displays.

Obviously related to his Adaptation Vase, this contemporary interpretation of an oil lamp consists of a precision-machined stainless steel torch encasing a durable fiberglass wick. The torch is set within a 1 x 6 in. glass tube, resting at an angle within the base. The base is PaperStone, an FSC-certified composite made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper. The paper is saturated with a resin based on on cashew nut shells, and the fibers are cross-linked under pressure, transforming it to a dense, durable and elegant material.

EweTUBE

It’s back to Ewe. These colorful vases are made from 100% merino wool felt, glass tubes, and go together with black steel fasteners. They are available in 4 bold colors, each paired with charcoal gray.

Vases can be combined in many creative configurations, forming minimal arrangements or elaborate center pieces. Each vase comes with one 1 x 6 in. glass tube and measures 3 × 5 1/4 × 7 1/2 in.

Abstraction

The Abstraction pendant light is made up of 8 laser-cut “leaves” that, when put together form a highly sculptural fixture. All of the leaves are interchangeable with the other colors and shapes in the series, allowing many different creative designs.

The pendant is made of recycled cardboard and measures 19 x 20 x 20 in.

We look forward to seeing how Mr. Perhacs will move with our ever changing times in his upcoming work.

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May 2nd, 2012

HEXHIBITION: A Gallery Show at MODULE R

We’re pleased to announce our inaugural gallery show HEXHIBITION: Six-sided Figures in Contemporary Art and Design.

All in-store sales of items in the show receive a 10% discount during the exhibition.

WHEN AND WHERE

May 10th – 31st 2012
11:00 a.m. to 7:00 pm. every day

141 Atlantic Avenue, between Henry and Clinton Streets
Brooklyn, NY  11201

Store info, map and directions here.

T   (718) 360-9304
E   customerservice@module-r.com

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April 29th, 2012

Koji Sekita: “Watching You” Paper Chair


Everyone on this side of the Atlantic knows the meaning of E Pluribus Unum (right?). So maybe we modularians (aficionados of the modular) should adopt its reverse: Out of One, Many. Meaning out of a single module or motif can emanate an inexhaustible supply of formal permutations.

We recently came across an intriguing example of E Unum Pluribus (please excuse our Latin). At the International Furniture Fair Singapore 2012, the Tokyo-based firm Koji Sekita Design presented their project “Watching You” as part of a showcase of young talent. Composed of paper sheets, pieces of cardstock are scored and folded in a zigzag pattern. Each identical piece is then joined, creating the form of a chair. By adding more units the seat could extend to any length – the concepts of accumulation and replication apparently being a signature motif of Sekita.

Even though it’s made of paper, the seat is very strong thanks to the honeycomb pattern generated from assembling the individual parts. Just don’t light a match.

via Designboom

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April 1st, 2012

Thinking Outside the Bento Box

 

ABOVE: Tiffin Box by Vivo.

Note to readers: We enjoyed this unusual application of modular design thinking that we left the piece in its own words with just one exception – a hard thing to do for the likes us of wordy folks!

By Clare McDermott

Bento [and tiffin -Ed.] boxes satisfy the obsessive-compulsive disorder-side of my personality, organizing those fishy morsels of sushi goodness into visually beautiful patterns of color and flavor.

The bento and tiffin box is a great visual metaphor for the role of information design in content marketing. Information design is the art of presenting content on the page (or screen) in a way that makes it easier for your readers to understand and remember your message. Just like the bento box, a well-organized article or report should include highly visual modular elements that separate sections of your work and embellish key points.

The lesson hit home for me personally when Chief Content Officer (CCO) magazine launched in January. A few bloggers pointed out (thank you) that our articles were too long and linear. Readers wanted to be entertained both in word as well as story format. The CCO team gathered and gave me marching orders:

  • Take each feature article and break it into pieces
  • Add sidebars and pull-quotes
  • Add skimming elements
  • Make it more visual and less daunting to read.

Some people refer to this strategy as creating modular content. (‘Modular’ makes me think of boxy-modern, orange furniture. I would rather visualize pieces of sushi snuggled together.) In CCO magazine next month, we are adopting the bento and tiffin box model of content marketing. Rather than having one 1,200-word feature article, we are running articles half as long, supplemented with short-form sidebars and callouts.

ABOVE: Tiffin Lunch Set by Aladdin.

Why is modular content so important?

We are an impatient bunch

Particularly in the context of business content, we are reckless skimmers, racing through web pages and PDFs to find useful nuggets of information.

Content marketers are often writers by profession, and so we are understandably focused on delivering smartly-written, high-value content, forgetting to consider visual presentation. Visual tools like section headers, callouts, sidebars and infographics help your impatient readers decide whether they want to read more and help them arrive at the sections they are most interested in browsing.

Some of us remember information visually rather than in word

That’s why infographics play such a crucial role in relaying complex information. I consider McKinsey to be an infographic powerhouse. Other companies manage to create infographics that are more beautiful or intellectually challenging, but the designers at McKinsey are experts in simple, educational graphics.

Sidebars add depth without weighting down the main article

Perhaps you have a case study or an expert interview you would like to include, but you worry that your article is already too long. Sidebars allow you to add depth and nuance while keeping your main article tight and focused.

ABOVE: Lock and Lock Bento Box by Innobaby.

Make it Modular

Here’s a quick information design checklist to walk through during your next content marketing assignment (sidebar, baby!):

  • Consider a quick-hitting summary presented up front that allows readers to decide whether they should read on (could be included as a secondary title, a short executive summary, or a sidebar). PricewaterhouseCooper’s 10 Minutes series does this well.
  • Make it modular with sidebars. Are there sections of your article that could stand alone as a sidebar? Sidebars shorten your main article, pull out key information visually and allow you to expand on more complex ideas.
  • Use section titles that allow your readers to skip sections or locate key sections, and use callouts to highlight key concepts or quotes.
  • Use bold print (judiciously) to highlight key phrases or sentences. This is a tactic CMI uses in its daily blog.
  • If your article contains complex information (could be quantitative, a multi-step process, a series of decisions, a cost-benefit analysis) consider an infographic to simplify the information.
  • If your article is educational in nature, consider a half-page self-assessment that allows readers to test their knowledge or test their company’s level of sophistication on that topic. This is a great reinforcement tool.
  • Make it easy to share with a checklist or synopsis. Pull it all together with a beautiful PDF checklist (don’t forget to brand it). See Ahava Leibtag’s content checklist as a great model.

Our July issue of CCO magazine will truly be the first issue that embraces this new modular mantra.

via Content Marketing Institute

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March 28th, 2012

Smartsquares

Smartsquare, created by Milan-based designer Pietro Russomanno, is a beautiful multifunctional piece, allowing for many intriguing configurations. Made of bent plywood, each square module can be easily connected through slots in its side. Different hues are available, so you can play with combinations of color, as well as with orientations and arrangements.

via Shoebox Dwelling

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March 11th, 2012

Tag You’re It: A Modular Shelving System

This fun and unusual bookcase was created by Italian born and South Africa-based architect Aram Lello of Lello Design. The piece, called Tag, is a modular system that allows many exciting configurations. And because it looks equally good from all angles (and angles are the name of the game here), you can use it as a room divider as well. The modules also can be taken apart and used as stools or side tables. Or very large bow-ties. Or an advertisement for equilateral triangles.

Tag comes in a variety of bold colors, but if you are against acid colors on principle there are tamer wood finishes available.

Via Shoebox Dwelling

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March 7th, 2012

8-Objects: Rethinking the Chair

We usually think of modular and reconfigurable furniture as something built out of various partial or abstract components which are to some degree incomplete  until they’re combined with other units. Well, it seems that Korean designer Seung-Yong Song has shown us a new way to explore the possibilities of transformable furniture.

His collection, called 8-Objects, uses eight chairs which, when assembled together, form a bed. Even as separate pieces, each module has a function: a bookshelf, a desk, and a clothing rack among them. On his website, the designer gives us an idea of his work’s inspiration when he writes: “I climb on a chair. I put books on a ladder. If things are freed from their own unique functions, we might agonize over how to use this objects.”

We were never ones to agonize over furniture, but we get his drift!

via Shoebox Dwelling

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March 5th, 2012

Design your Desktop: Rhombins

Rhombus (noun):
A parallelogram with opposite equal acute and obtuse angles and four equal sides.
Any parallelogram with equal sides.

Rhombin (proper noun):
A really cool modular system based on the rhombus shape, used for creating an organized and playful desktop.

Arrange the modules in flexible configurations to meet your ever-changing storage needs, while making a graphic statement that will make your desktop smile. Place the modules side by side, in a line or go vertical in stacks – the possibilities are endless.

Made in California using Cereplast, a plant-based bioplastic. Good for the environment, good for your stuff, good for you! Designed by Eric Pfeiffer and Scot Herbst of Pfeiffer Lab design studio.

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March 1st, 2012

Shape Up or Ship Out: Cargo Containers

Designer Daniel Ballou happens to call one of the world’s busiest ports home: Long Beach, California. In an homage to his city’s shipyards, he has created Cargo Container, a scaled down version of the prefabricated modular boxes that have radically changed the transportation of goods and fueled the globalization phenomenon.

Ballou’s containers are available in sets of two: a Blue and White combination, or Gray and Orange. Like the industrial form that is their inspiration, they are used for safe, efficient and secure storage, and can be stacked. Only on your desktop or kitchen counter, instead of in a shipyard.

Each ceramic container measures 8 x 3 1/4 x 3 1/2 inches (20.3 x 8.2 x 8.8 cm).

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MODULE R is a concept store focused on transformable art and design. We collect pieces from all over the world that are customizable, reconfigurable, expandable, stackable, interchangeable, interactive and modular. Our catalogue includes accessories, books, furniture, children’s playthings, cookware, jewelry, lighting, storage systems, space dividers, floor and wall coverings, and artwork. In bringing this collection together – and authoring this blog – we hope to promote flexible design as an ideal way of making things in an age that prizes personalization, multi-functionality, economy and experience.

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