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Design Inspiration: Four Beards One Pencil. Vol. 2
Great news! Batteries just got a new design, meaning they’re even safer and more effective than they were before. In other Design Inspiration news, you can buy planets and 3D print whatever you want at home for a fairly affordable fee.
4 min read
Design
This week James tells us what has tickled their beards.
N.B. – The growth of facial hair is not a requirement for working here.
Missed Design Inspiration vol. 1?
1) App design of the month - Medium's 'Series' feature:
The latest update to Medium has brought to us an onboarding of its new ‘Series‘ feature.
We’re excited about the potential for creative storytelling and living articles that are in line with how people are used to consuming stories on Insta and Snapchat.
2) Tech inspiration of the month - Improved battery design:
94-year-old John Goodenough, co-inventor of the lithium-ion battery that is used in most consumer electronics, electric vehicles, and exploding Samsung phones, has improved upon his original (good enough) design.
Using glass electrolytes, this solid-state battery avoids the safety issues that can cause fires and explosions in Li-ion batteries. This happens because liquid electrolytes form whiskers over time and this leads to a short circuit overheating the battery cells in a cascade effect.
Hopefully, solid-state battery technology will mean no more exploding devices 🙂
3) The drink that fuels our inspiration - Conker Spirit Cold Brew:
Last week in Volume One we told you about our favourite coffee. But this week HUGE news came from our favourite local gin distiller Conker who has announced they are adding a coffee liquor to their product range. We can’t wait to try it as our two favourite things combined!
4) A design trend that we're loving - The magic of microcopy:
This article has got us talking about how good microcopy can lift a user experience. From irreverent quotes to cheeky action text on buttons, well thought out messages peppered throughout a user journey can make products memorable.
5) Website obsession - Logobook.com:
A one-stop site for logo inspiration, Logobook is like a visual dictionary of logo glyphs categorised into letterforms, shapes, business sector and more.
6) A Kickstarter we can't stop talking about - Snapmaker:
Snapmaker is an all-in-one 3D printer, CNC and Laser Cutter that we’re super excited about. It’s got an incredibly reasonable price tag too. A first step towards everyone having one at home?
7) "We want one of those things” of the month - Little Planet Factory:
This awesome brand Little Planet Factory creates various size models of planets, moons, and suns. Globes can be as tiny as 10mm and can reach 200mm for those who want a more detailed surface. We think these are perfect for anyone’s desk when you’re busy procrastinating at work.
8) Innovative expansion of the month - Duolingo Bots:
These have been around for a while, but with a recent expansion into new languages, we’ve had the chance to have a good play with them. It rounds off Duo’s already awesome offering with more emphasis on everyday conversations.
Published on March 15, 2017, last updated on November 19, 2020
