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.

World’s first fully 3D printed electric motorcycle

BigRep, one of the leading companies in large-scale industrial 3D printing, has demoed a stunning new concept to show off their manufacturing prowess.

Pantone’s new colour finder helps you find the right hues

Pantone has been a colour leader for a while now, but as designers, there are great many advantages of using Pantone as a colour guide. Designers routinely undergo multiple handovers each time they work on a project, and earlier this year, the company promised to simplify work processes for…

Adobe sued over bug that deleted freelancer’s work

One of the most important things to remember in design is to back-up your work. That being said, sometimes even the those files can be vulnerable to bugs. That’s the case with a freelance videographer who recently filed a class action lawsuit against Adobe.

Dubai Police begin training on futuristic Hoverbikes

Here’s one more sign that the future is catching up fast: Dubai police officers may soon be patrolling the streets with flying Hoverbikes.

Up your gaming interior with Sony Playstation furniture

If you’re wondering what to get the gamer in your life for Christmas, how about official PlayStation furniture like a branded bean bag chair? 

Most frequently used typefaces of hundreds of brands

It’s true that people don’t look like their Instagram shots, or they’re not as happy as their Facebook profiles try to convince us. It’s also true that designers don’t use all those trendy font combinations you might think.

Chinese city wants to replace street lights with artificial Moon

The largest and brightest object in the night sky, the Moon has long inspired curiosity and wonder. And landing a man on the Moon is still considered one of humanity’s greatest achievements.

Eco-friendly dog house design boasts impressive features

Showing that eco-friendly building concepts are applicable to even our canine friends, California-based architecture and interior design firm Studio Schicketanz has designed a dog house unlike any other. 

KFC embraces zero waste movement with edible wrappers

3.5 million tons of plastic and other solid waste are generated each day across the world, according to researchers. Yet, there are a growing number of companies and people who are joining the zero waste movement.

A collection of icons, UI kits and mockups, all for free

Everyone loves to get something for free. And if you can’t get enough of freebies, you’re definitely not alone.

LEGO debuts functional wind turbine made from eco-friendly bricks

Playing with Lego just got better for the environment. After announcing its eco-friendly plant-shaped bricks made of sugarcane, LEGO has teamed up with Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas to create a wind turbine model made from sustainable bricks.

Burger King’s AI-written ads prove tech can’t substitute great ideas

Using artificial intelligence (AI) to revolutionize the future of marketing might be a threat to certain jobs, but Burger King isn’t buying into it yet.

IKEA wants to make self-driving cars that double as cafés & offices

IKEA just became the latest company to announce it’s experimenting with self-driving cars. Well, calling them cars isn’t quite right. While the Swedish furniture giant isn’t looking to become the next Tesla, they’re taking an entirely different approach to the concept.

For better fitting chairs, IKEA wants to 3D-print your ass

Finding a comfortable gaming chair can be tough—especially if you’re going to be playing Fortnite for hours on end. If you’ve ever dreamt of having a chair that was perfect for your ass, IKEA is making that dream come true.

Originally a joke, Adobe Product Manager’s Dogecoin is now worth millions

Dogecoin is a cryptocurrency that was created in 2013 as a joke by Jackson Palmer, an Adobe Product Manager. However, in the past three months, as other cryptocurrencies have started to crumble, it’s roughly doubled in value.

Millennial parents are naming their kids based on available domains

Forget the baby books, there’s a new way to get baby name inspiration. According to a new study, Millennial parents are naming their kids based on available domain names.

Your computer is vulnerable because of Photoshop CC bugs

If you happen to be using early versions of the 2017 or 2018 Adobe Photoshop Creative Cloud, you might want to update your software asap.

App retention is like dating, so don’t end up a one-night-stand

In today’s mobile-first environment, every company seems to have a mobile app and everyone a genius mobile app idea. This is why it is not surprising that the app store is cluttered with underperforming applications by the millions. What might come as a surprise, however,…

Tesla debuts surfboard that immediately sells out

Billionaire Elon Musk has created some interesting merchandise to promote his companies over the years: everything from Boring Company hats to a flamethrower. Last week, Tesla debuted a new product: a limited edition US$1,500 surfboard.

Robotic planter chases the sun to nourish its plant in sunlight

Do you have a hard time maintaining your plants? Not to worry. A Beijing-based startup has developed a robotic planter that’ll make it so you’ll never accidentally kill a plant again.

Google marketing overhaul could put marketers out of business

This year is set to be an important one for advertisers currently using Google’s digital marketing services. On June 27 Google turned the digital marketing world on its head when it announced a complete rebrand of its advertising products.

Facebook’s new AI ‘opens’ eyes in photos where they’re shut

It’s a common problem with having your photo taken: your smile is wide but your eyes shut just as the flash goes off. Not to worry, though. Facebook’s new AI can now open your eyes in photos where they’re closed.

Blue, the most popular colour on the internet

The web is a very blue place, and not metaphorically, either. The Internet’s most heavily trafficked websites are literally coloured with nearly twice as many shades of blues as that of yellows and reds, and three times as much greens. But is the colour blue enriching…

AI uses wireless technology to sense people through walls

For decades, scientists have been looking to create x-ray vision to see through walls. And, in the past few years, they’ve succeeded; they created technology that uses WiFi to sense people through walls.

World’s first 3D-printed concrete houses are coming to the Netherlands

It appears that technology is finally catching up with the construction industry’s ambitions, as a handful of 3D-printed projects inch closer to fruition. The Dutch city of Eindhoven will be the first in the world to have habitable 3D-printed concrete houses.

Volkswagen anti-texting & driving campaign turns crashed cars into phone cases

Taking your eyes off the road while driving, even for a second, could lead to disaster. When it comes to distracted driving, texting is becoming the number one concert. In fact, Canadians say that texting while driving is one of the biggest threats to their personal…

Dolce & Gabbana transforms kitchen appliances with colourful patterns

Black, white or stainless steel kitchen appliances no longer exciting you? Now there’s a new option to turn your kitchen into a fashion statement—and drop a little cash while you’re at it. Dolce & Gabbana has collaborated with Italian appliance company Smeg to create a…

11 design elements to build a perfect landing page

As a technique that helps boost conversion rate, the use of landing pages is at an all-time high. A landing page can help you achieve your marketing goals be it increasing email subscribers list or generating better leads for specific products.

The Met releases 500+ free art books for download

Over 5000 years of art history has just been made available online for free by New York’s biggest museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As well as releasing more than 400,000 artworks for personal and commercial use, the Met has made over 500 free art books available for your…

Pantone car interior mood lighting that changes colours as you drive

Pantone and Korean automaker KIA have announced they’re collaborating to create a multi-coloured, dynamic mood lighting system for the 2019 K900 luxury sedan.

Bold yet minimalist Adidas footwear inspired by architecture

Sometimes, architectural influences seep past the walls and into other mediums. Adidas has borrowed from the grid designs of urban planning, architecture and nature, once featured in its silhouettes from the 80s. Their new footwear, the Deerupt, embraces a fresh take on the concept for 2018.

Website generates random briefs for you to practice logo design

What’s so difficult about creating a good logo? They’re usually simple, sometimes complex, but mostly something you should be able to do lickety-split. So, no problem, right? When you only see the result of a designer’s efforts, logo design can look like it was a…

LEGO to launch first ever plant-based plastic pieces

Later this year, LEGO will be launching new botanical elements such as leaves, bushes and trees made from a plant-based plastic. In the company’s bid to reduce their plastic waste, the new pieces will be made with a plant-based material sourced from sugarcane.

Shazam-like app identifies plants and animals in your photos

If you’ve ever gone hiking and come across plants and animals you were unfamiliar with, and wanted to know more, there’s now an app for that. You could try to describe what you see and type it into Google. But you might not get the…

Ecocapsule: The futuristic self-sustainable micro-home

With energy rates going nowhere but up, maybe you’re looking to live off-the-grid; or you’re someone who dreams of traveling with a self-sustaining mobile home. If size doesn’t matter, then the Ecocapsule might be your perfect earth-friendly dwelling.

Instagram trial lets users see who takes screenshots of their stories

Instagram recently began testing a new feature that Snapchat helped make famous: notifying users when other people take screenshots of photos and videos in Instagram Stories.

Adobe XD releases 3 FREE icon collections by design legends

Last week at Awwwards, Adobe unveiled a sneak preview of vector graphics support in Creative Cloud Libraries coming soon to Adobe XD CC. What this means is that Adobe Illustrator users can conveniently drag graphics from their CC libraries and drop them right into their XD canvases. As well,…

Kodak is getting into cryptocurrency for photographers

Even with the current volatility of the cryptocurrency market, Kodak is looking to make its mark. The company recently announced that it’s joining forces with Wenn Digital to launch its own cryptocurrency for photographers called KODAKCoin.

Learn about the 7 eCommerce design trends for 2018

Last year, global eCommerce reached US$2.3 trillion and is expected to double by 2021. In the United States alone, eCommerce represents almost 10 percent of retail sales. Even as the general public is increasingly coming to prefer online shopping, many websites still face unique challenges to their success.

Find your painting doppelgänger with Google Arts and Culture app

The Google Arts and Culture platform hosts images of millions of pieces of art, ranging from prehistory to the contemporary. The app, which first appeared in app stores back in 2016, has mostly gone under the radar until now.

Facebook rolls out face recognition to protect your privacy

Facebook wants you to know about and control the photos of you that people upload—even if they don’t tag you. Much like the social media company wanting you to upload your nudes, the purpose of this update is to protect users’ privacy.

A personal mini fireplace that’s powered by candles

With winter comes cold. This is the time of year when we want to sit by the fireplace and enjoy a cup of warm cocoa. In fact, the act of watching a fire lowers blood pressure, according to new University of Alabama research. This enjoyment may…

Treepex device transforms polluted air into fresh oxygen

Polluted air has grown 8% globally in the past five years. Now, billions of people around the world are now exposed to dangerous air; this according to data from over 3,000 cities compiled by the World Health Organization.

Water manipulating fountain uses colourful lights to shape-shift

If you’re looking to create a relaxing ambience in your home, the sound of water is said to have a calming effect on people. Another way to create that ambience is with light. The lights in your home can make a difference to the way…

AI tool enhances low-res pixelated images into hi-res

You see it in cop shows like CSI all the time. The police are trying to enhance pixelated images to read what seems like non-existent details in photos. As far-fetched as it may seem, researchers have been artificial intelligence technologies to help fill in missing…

Bring to life Photoshop and Illustrator images with Adobe Character Animator

Do you love creating characters in Photoshop or Illustrator, but wish you could make them come to life? Adobe has come up with a solution that’s now part of CC: Character Animator.

Design studio tries to reinvents the zipper

We use it in out everyday lives and probably don’t give it much thought. The zipper is used in clothing, luggage and other bags, sporting goods, camping gear, and other items. The design hasn’t changed much in the last hundred years, but one design company is looking to change that.

A unique watch made of lightweight and durable concrete

Concrete may seem an unlikely design material when talking about consumer goods, but the Masonic aims to change this perception. This debut watch from Aggregate Watches is the first to utilize a traditionally industrial material in a refined way.

Swedish train passengers ditch tickets, opt to be microchipped instead

Gone are the days of fair collectors asking to see your paper ticket on the train. One Swedish train company is offering passengers the option of being microchipped by having a biometric chip implanted into their hand.

Quickshot photo app help you shoot better photos

There are times when editing you photos gives them that final boost to show their maximum potential; which takes time. That’s why Lightricks, the developers behind Facetune, Memoji and Enlight, has launched the Quickshot photo app.