From printing with algae to wearing Facebook on your face, here are some things that made us say “That’s Interesting” in the studio this week.
The prints are alive.
The Milan Design Week marks the start of this year’s design festivals. One interesting thing to come out of it comes from industrial designer, Luis Undritz, who during lockdown created a printer that produces images by projecting light onto algae. Termed ‘phytoprinting’, it can currently print on textiles, ceramic and paper. With not even the ink industry free from negative environmental impacts, perhaps this is the beginning of a more sustainable alternative?
Learn more here
‘Face’book
Facebook is entering into wearables via a collaboration with iconic glasses brand, Rayban. Creating their first pair of ‘smartglasses’ with integrated camera, microphone and voice assistant, users can now wear Facebook on their face! With Google and Snapchat having tried their hand at smartglasses, Facebook is hoping this stylish attempt will fare better with consumers. Apple has proven that style is a requisite for the uptake wearables, but perhaps there’s a limit to how far people are willing to integrate?
Say hello to next-gen Wayfarers here
Colourful voices.
Aesop is known for its calm, earth tones and the aesthetic beauty of its stores. But now – to celebrate London Pride – they’re colouring it up (figuratively), by using their stores to giveaway books by LGBT+ authors. Many brands are accused of rainbow-washing during Pride – with the default option being to integrate rainbow colours into an existing logo. Here, Aesop have managed to provide genuinely meaningful support in a way that reinforces the brand’s aesthetic sensibilities.
Celebrate London’s Pride here
The post-covid era.
The Financial Times has been very close to the pandemic. As it (hopefully) draws to a close, the FT has penned a series of open letters addressing what it sees as the biggest issues facing society post-pandemic. Called ‘Letters to the World’, and with invitations for its readership to get involved, it’s the publication’s attempt to use its clout to set the agenda in discussions of how the world can be rebuilt for the better. The pandemic-reset is a golden opportunity to rectify wrongs. Hopefully someone up top reads these letters!
Read the letters to the new world here