Hybrid is a new collection by Seletti created by CtrlZak to reflect the complex history of the production of porcelain and the cross-fertilization between the aesthetics of the East and West. As the Chinese were innovators in the production of ceramics and for centuries, Europe has long imitated their time honored traditions. Over time, this relationship has flipped, with the Chinese products of today imitating that of European origin. This split personality is fittingly represented by dividing each piece into Eastern and Western halves resulting in a surprising contemporary twist.

Via Dezeen.

I’ve been consistently enamored with the work of Death Spray Custom for it’s playfulness and carefully crafted execution. Delight & Destroy is no exception. Using high quality urethane-based paints, rally car hoods are transformed into bold statements about brands and consumption. Motorsports, wit, and design? You had at me at go. According to an interview with the artist, “It’s a Brand Prix and there is no winner.”

Lust, power and consumption are the themes behind Death Spray Custom’s latest body of work. An alternate world has been created where consumer brands are laid bare with a message that could be speaking from their collective subconsciousness. This is communicated by vivid urethane paint on steel and aluminum performance car bonnets. These represent racing car teams without the veneer of pretence, a world where brands, money, consumption and power feed off each other and consumers. The results are striking, high gloss panels that appear almost as lustful totems to modern society.

Images by Neil Bridge.

Poler is killing it with their unique hybrid of campground style and practicality. Poke around their site and you’ll see what I mean. Take the Napsack, for example. Built for everyday adventures, this summer weight bag features zippers at the shoulders so you can stick your arms out and a cinch at the bottom so that you can stick your legs out. A sleeping bag with wheels, so to speak. There are also pockets (and the chest pocket even a pass through hole for your headphones). Whether for around the campfire or kicking back at home, you’ll never have to leave the warmth of your bag again.

I have finally found the perfect extension cord for my office. Meet the Cloth Extension Cord by Best Made Company. Practical and utilitarian, these cords evoke memories of my grandfather’s workshop. Woven in Massachusetts using three copper wires, twisted together, padded, and then braided with a durable cotton weave. The final assembly happens in New York when the cords meet solid brass plug blades set into a simple rubber plug.

Creative Mornings is a free monthly breakfast lecture series for creative types that was created by Tina Roth Eisenberg. Since it’s inception in 2009, Creative Mornings has grown from it’s hometown of New York to include cities all over the world, including the likes of San Francisco, Chicago, London, Berlin—and now, Portland.

The inaugural Portland event was kicked off by none other than our friend, Kate Bingaman Burt. Her talk was an inspiring way to begin a Friday and a fitting beginning to Portland Creative Mornings. I’m still buzzing off it.

Kate’s a tough act to follow, but I’m happy to announce that Ian Coyle and I will be speaking at Creative Mornings on Friday, November 18th. You can RSVP here on November 14. Hope to see you there!

I love the wit of Ligne 13 by Maison Martin Margiela and L’ATELIER d’exercices. Case in point, these half-spectacles. In them, both halves of a pair of glasses become magnifying glasses, one for right-handed and the other for those left- handed. Simple and clever. Check out the rest of the collection here.

This year for the London Design Festival, Outline Editions invited Noma Bar to create an installation. His response, based on a manual embosser, is an interactive sculpture which will allow viewers to create their own prints. The huge punching machine cuts out exclusive Noma Bar designs with the resulting negative space forming the image—a whimsical interpretation of the designers ongoing fascination with what he prefers to call ‘positive space.’ Gallery visitors select from 36 different GF Smith papers, choose from a selection of Noma’s designs, and then manually feed the paper into the machine. Then with four tons of pressure, the press produces a die-cut print that is signed and numbered as part of a limited edition series.

Kemistry Gallery and Fletcher Studio are proud to present Mind Over Matter: Alan Fletcher’s The Art of Looking Sideways – a celebration of ten years of this seminal publication and the work of a true design icon.

The exhibition brings together a collection of original material and notes from Alan Fletcher’s archive, documenting thirty or so years of attentive curiosity by Alan at large – throughout a career that (he asserted) was made from being in the right place at the right time. The accumulation of coincidence, chance and choice, that eventually led Alan to make the book, will pique curiosity and enlighten minds. A truly unique and personal collection of visual imagery, design articles, factual and cultural curiosities and quotations, The Art of Looking Sideways captures the sensory overload of contemporary visual culture, while also acting as a primer in visual intelligence. This book has long been a source of inspiration for me.

Damn, I wish I could be in London to see this!

Make drawings, not war. For whatever reason, I’m digging the Armed Notebooks by Taiwanese design collective, Megawing.

The Seamless & Steadfast enamelware cups by Best Made hail from a factory that was founded in 1907, making it one of the oldest enamel plants in Poland. The cups are made with World War Two era machinery and the design of the cup goes back well over 100 years.

First featured in the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of 1876, enamelware was touted to combine “all the advantages of glass with the strength of metal.” Since then, enamel tin and steel have long been favored by outdoorsmen and cowboys because it is light, durable and easy to clean. Get them while you can!

Given the success of bicycle based clothing brands such as Outlier, it’s no surprise to see some of the big brands getting in on the action. But what is a little surprising, is that the Levi’s Commuter Series is so well done. All of the pieces feature developments that are specifically tailored to the needs of a cycling commuter. The NanoSphere® stretch fabric is water-resistant and odor-repellant. They also have 3M reflective fabric tape details for visibility while night riding that can be concealed while off your bike.

With the weather here in Portland, I was intrigued enough to give the line a try myself. Be forewarned. The fit is a bit tight. Buy large or prepare yourself for returns. That said, I’ve been impressed by the hybrid of technology, function and style. Kudos Levi’s.

There’s always something nice about receiving a letter. Today the way we communicate is dominated by email, text, status updates and tweets leaving many to lose sight of the things that have been around for a while – like pen and paper. Craig Oldham believes it is important that we don’t forget.

Oldham began the Hand Written Letter Project by extending an invitation to the world’s leading designers, design studios and creative thinkers alike to simply share their thoughts in handwritten form on their own letterhead. The full collection now includes over 100 letters and will be on show at KK Outlet throughout August.

A limited edition book of the letters is also available, with all profits going to the National Literacy Trust.