The Design Block
If you're looking for the latest in advertising and marketing, design related technology and lifestyle tips, and art or design highlights then you're in the right place. Find all this and more with the Design Block blog.
Coca-Cola & Carlsberg are making the switch to plant-based bottles
Thanks to a biochemicals company in the Netherlands, plant-based bottles could soon replace plastic ones.
Illusion cake creations will make you look twice
This pastry artist creates stunningly realistic cakes that look like other food or objects.
Starbucks changes cups, hoping you won’t tell the difference
Starbucks is testing a prototype cup with a biodegradable liner in some of its stores.
Pepsi blurs boundaries with new coffee-cola drink
Need an afternoon pick-me-up? Pepsi Café has nearly twice the caffeine as regular Pepsi.
French company releases Star Wars-themed cookware line
Le Creuset is a cookware favourite among chefs and foodies alike. Their latest line, however, caters to Star Wars fans.
Burger King’s 50/50 menu has you guessing if it’s meat or not
Is it meat or not? BK is playing roulette with your taste buds by giving you a 50/50 chance at eating meat or plant.
KFC’s new vegan Imposter Burger tastes like chicken
The Imposter Burger is made from meat substitute Quorn and is coated in the Colonel's Original Recipe.
HBO & Oreo recreate Game of Thrones opening with 2,750 cookies
To celebrate the final season, Oreo has released a special line of limited-edition GoT cookies embossed with the last remaining houses.
Japanese company to 3D-print custom sushi based on diner’s urine
A Japanese company is fusing science and food to create sushi uniquely designed for each diner.
Feel fancier this Valentine’s Day with Ketchup Caviar by Heinz
If you’re not the greatest cook, but you still want to make your Valentine a hamburger and want a fancier form of ketchup, look no further because Heinz is now making Ketchup Caviar.
Baker creates geometric pies with patterns and colour
When we think about beautifully designed desserts, cakes often get all the credit. But you can’t underestimate the power of creative pies. Lauren Ko is a Seattle-based baker who got her start after her Instagram account of pies with unique geometric designs went viral.
McDonald’s introduces its first vegan-friendly Happy Meal
One third of McDonald’s UK customers polled said it was important to them to include more meat-free meals.
Oreo tries new flavours by debuting seaweed cookies
Oreo keeps trying to create new flavour innovations to entice consumers—which can be both good and bad for cookie lovers.
IHOP surprises fans with pumpkin pancake beer dubbed IHOPS
People seem to get excited at the beginning of fall with all of the pumpkin-flavoured foods and drinks. And The International House of Pancakes (IHOP) tends to fill that demands with their Pumpkin Pancakes. This year, however, they’re trying something different with pumpkin flavours.
Last Blockbuster now has a craft beer brewed in its honour
For those who remember a time before Netflix when watching a new release movie meant getting your hands on a physical VHS or DVD, Blockbuster was the place to go.
Domino’s ends free pizza for life deal with brand tattoo
Apparently, the idea of getting free pizza in Russia is a powerful promotion. In fact, it turned out to be so powerful that Domino’s Pizza had to end their promotion as quickly as it began. Domino’s had offered free pizza for life to anyone who got…
Edible worlds created out of everyday ingredients
When London-based photographer Carl Warner was a child, he probably wasn’t listening when his parents told him not to play with his food. The artist uses a wide variety of ingredients, such as deli meats, fresh fish, fruit, vegetables and bread as the medium for his food art landscapes.
Chicken meets doughnut in the newest food mashup: Donug
Move over sushi doughnuts, the Donug is latest doughnut-shaped food trend to grip the globe. If you’re repulsed by the idea of a chicken-flavoured doughnut or, perhaps, have your interest piqued by a doughnut-encrusted chicken nugget, it’s not really either of those things.
KFC to test vegetarian fried chicken with the Colonel’s famous recipe
Vegetarians won’t have to opt for only fries the next time their friends want to go to KFC. The iconic chicken brand says it’s cooking up a new, healthier recipe; one that will be missing the restaurant chain’s most famous ingredient: chicken.
Suntory’s non-alcoholic colourless beer lets you drink judgement-free
The colourless beverage trend in Japan includes drinks like yogurt drinks, milk tea, coffee, and most recently, beer. On June 19th, Japanese drinks giant Suntory is launching a non-alcoholic colourless beer; packaged in a plastic bottle, the company hopes it will be particularly popular with…
Pastry chef Elena Gnut creates cakes that are true works of art
If you thought that a pastry chef only baked cakes, you’d be wrong. Elena Gnut is a 31-year-old Pastry Chef from Kaliningrad, Russia, who gained over 140k Instagram followers by showcasing her original intricate cake designs.
Spilled coffee and tea turned into works of art
While the rest of us are finishing off the last drops of our morning coffee, Giulia Bernardelli is using what remains in her cup to create stunning works of art in her kitchen.
Starbucks Reserve bar is now selling alcohol in Japan
Following the opening of its first coffee bar in Japan, Seattle-based Starbucks has announced its plans to launch another in Osaka. The new Starbucks Reserve bar aims to please their evening crowds with a menu of beverages spiked with alcohol.
Colourfully textured frosted cakes look like shag carpet
In the social media era, it feels as if new baking trends appear each month; with hundreds of up-and-coming bakers hawking their visual masterpieces on Instagram, it takes something unique to stand out.
IKEA is experimenting with adding bugs to their meatballs and burgers
At the rate we’re going there will be billions more hungry mouths putting a strain on the planet’s resources. However, eating bugs might be a solution. SPACE10, IKEA’s external innovation lab, has begun experimenting with putting mealworms and other bugs into their meatballs and burgers. More…
Pringles releases limited edition Ramen flavour
Two college staples have united in one cardboard tube of dehydrated snacks. Pringles has teamed up with Nissin, producers of Cup Noodles, to make a limited edition Top Ramen Chicken–flavoured Pringles potato chips.
Coca-Cola to launch its first alcoholic drink
Coca-Cola isn’t just about soda, they sell many different beverages including water, flavoured sugar water, milk, iced tea and more. In fact, in the early days of the company from 1886 – 1929, Coca-Cola even had cocaine in it. However, alcohol has never been on that…
Johnnie Walker releases Jane Walker to attract women
Johnnie Walker is the latest company to a release female version of its product. In an attempt to draw more women to the world’s bestselling scotch, as well as acknowledge a broader push toward gender equality, Johnnie Walker has released Jane Walker.
World’s most dangerous ice cream Is 500 times spicier than Tabasco sauce
You might think that it’s too cold for ice cream. However, one café in Glasgow, Scotland is serving up dangerous ice cream that’s more than hot enough to warm you up. With part of ice cream’s delicious appeal being its cool, smooth texture, what happens when you…
Burger King educates customers on Net Neutrality with the Whopper
The repeal of Net Neutrality is a major issue that will significantly affect the average internet user. However, many people still don’t fully understand what it means. So, how best to explain the repeal of Net Neutrality? Burger King has decided to help and explains it…
Spice up your Valentine’s with KFC’s chicken scratch & sniff cards
This Valentine’s Day, KFC wants you to send your crush a special card. To show your loved ones how much you care, give them a fried chicken scratch & sniff Valentine’s Day card featuring Colonel Sanders.
Yogurt and Cola are the newest odd flavours by Pringles
When it comes to potato chips, there are plenty of flavours available for you to choose. And in an increasingly competitive market, having new and unique flavours helps to bring in new consumers. However, potato chip brand Pringles has surprised its fans with the most…
Planetary Lollipops: A sweet way to enjoy the universe
Take a sweet journey through our universe with gourmet candy maker Vintage Confections. While you typically need a telescope to view far-away worlds and swirling nebulas, there’s now easier—and tastier—way to enjoy our solar system.
The first weird food trend of 2018 is the Crossushi
The rise of Instagram has not-so-coincidentally caused people to better decorate their meals. It’s also gotten people to experiment with new dishes as well. And kicking off 2018 is this newest food trend called the Crossushi.
Drake-themed chicken wing bar makes its way through Scotland
Last month, a chicken wing pop-up bar rolled into Finnieston’s DockYard Social in Scotland. What makes that unique? A Wing and a Prayer is a Drake-themed bar where you can enjoy a night out and have some wings.
Coat your lips this winter with Pop Tart Lip Balms
Lip balms are important during the winter months as the air tends to be dryer. Therefore it’s essential to keep your lips moisturized. So if you want to kiss your dry lips goodbye, Mad Beauty has the perfect solution.
Dolce & Gabbana launches their own designer pasta
If you’re into all things designer, Dolce & Gabbana are marking the holiday season with designer pasta. The Italian fashion house has teamed up with family-run pasta brand Pastificio Di Martino to release a limited edition set of festive pasta tins.
Taco Bell is now testing a Kit Kat stuffed quesadilla
Taco Bell is testing its latest food mashup in the US: a quesadilla stuffed with, not cheese, but a Kit Kat. Released last month, the fast food restaurant announced that it’s experimenting with Chocodillas in Wisconsin.
Halloween-themed blue burger is filled with ants and mealworms
Australian burger chain Huxtaburger will be offering a distinctly creepy burger on Halloween. And just so you know, the extra crunch in this burger isn’t from the crispy lettuce. Rather, it’s the healthy serving of mealworms.
Young woman’s spectacular 3D latte art is almost too cute to drink
For 17-year-old Daphne Tan, coffee isn’t just a beverage, it’s also her canvas. The Singapore-based artist is quickly whipping up a storm on Instagram for her spectacular 3D latte art.
Delicious Cake Popsicles are almost like works of art
Cake on a stick? Why hadn’t anyone thought of this before? Melbourne-based, self-taught baker and cake decorator, Raymond Tan has created Cake Popsicles that almost look too good to eat.
Heineken-owned craft brewer is making marijuana beer
These days, you can find marijuana infused in everything from bath bombs to pizza. In fact, once Canada finally legalizes it next year, expect to see a lot more edibles on the market here. However, already legal in California, marijuana beer has debuted.
Heinz creates Chicago Dog Sauce for the city that won’t use ketchup
People put a lot of things on their hot dogs in Chicago; the one thing they absolutely won’t put on is ketchup. Most Chicagoans opt for mustard, relish, onion and pickled condiments instead. Where this rule originated is a mystery, but one by which natives of the Windy…
KFC creates $20,000 Zinger Burger from a meteorite
We live in an age of viral pranks where companies will do almost anything to get your attention. Some go with the trends, like Starbucks’ Unicorn Frappuccino. Not wanting be buried under all the social media hype is KFC, which just released a new line of…
For your long weekend: Interesting facts about beer
Anyone of legal drinking age has no doubt downed a beer (or six). But how much do you really know about this alcoholic beverage? Probably not as much as you think.
For those who like it darker: Black ice cream
Ice cream comes in almost any colour and flavour you can think of accept black – until now that is. After gaining a bit of a cult following last summer in the US, black ice cream has made its way north of the border.
You can buy this bikini made from real pizza for $10,000
Whether it’s to celebrate a victory or a quick way to feed the family, pizza is an incredibly popular food; especially in Canada. But why eat your pizza when you can wear it? To celebrate National Bikini Day today, restaurant chain Villa Italian Kitchen has partnered New York-Based food stylist Jessie Bearden to create…
Korean barista turns coffee into incredible Cremart
Latte art is nothing new; your barista at the local coffee shop probably serves up drinks adorned with hearts or flowers. In South Korea, the latte art scene is growing at an astonishing rate. And spearheading the movement is Lee Kang Bin, a talented barista. His latte art, which he…
McDonald’s puts its drive-thru on wheels
If you’re in a hurry, getting lunch at the drive-thru is a convenient way to get your fast food. But what if that wasn’t convenient enough for you? Well, McDonald’s isn’t going to wait for you to come to its brick-and-mortar; rather, it’s taken the initiative…
Brushstroke cakes are the latest hit on Instagram
Do you eat cake for dessert? Or is it something you only have on special occasions, like your birthday or divorce? Russian cake designer Kalabasa recently ignited the latest social media cake trend with her brushstroke cakes. Also known as feathers, they’re true masterpieces of food…