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.
Responsive design explained with animated GIFs
Do you know the difference between responsive design and adaptive design? There’s some argument over whether responsive or adaptive designs are better. Regardless, responsive design is the solution most chosen for multi-screen problems. That means designers need to become familiar with the concepts and basic principles for responsive…
A device that simulates tomorrow’s weather in a box
There are plenty of weather apps that you can download to see tomorrow’s conditions, but where’s the fun in that? Designed by Ken Kawanmoto, this fascinating weather device elegantly simulates tomorrow’s forecast in a small translucent box.
What if apps needed pick-up lines?
A lot of time has been spent debating whether pick-up lines are the best way to get someone’s attention or not. But what if your favourite apps and websites needed pick-up lines to get your attention?
Plant this eco-friendly tree book to regrow a tree
A small book publisher in Argentina is offering a book that can grow back into a tree after you’re done reading it.
Pizza Hut box transforms into a movie projector
Movie nights and pizza are a natural fit. That’s why Pizza Hut created a new cardboard pizza box that turns into a working movie projector powered by your smartphone.
8 time-saving templates for creatives
It doesn’t matter if you’re a freelance designer or work at an agency; with countless publications, briefs, other print pieces and so little time on hands, here are 10 useful time-saving templates to help.
21 things worth the price of a Gold Apple Watch
Apple products are overpriced; iPhones are marked up 300%, but people still line up the day before to get their hands on one. And by now you’ve heard the outrageous price tag of the Gold Apple Watch which ranges from CDN$13,000 to $22,000.
These walls splash pee back onto public urinators
To tackle the annoying stench and mess left behind by visitors relieving themselves on random walls in the St. Pauli neighbourhood in Hamburg, Germany, a group of residents have recently started a Peeback Project that hopes to deter public urinators.
Boost your creativity with meditation pods
If you’re feeling stressed or having trouble sleeping because you’ve hit a creative block, maybe its time to try a Float Tank. Also known as floatation therapy, REST therapy (Restricted Environmental Stimulation Technique) or sensory deprivation, floating involves lying in a pitch-black tank containing a salt-water…
Web service turns your rival’s logo into a penis
Does you have a brand rivalry going on with another company? Instead of spending another sleepless night wondering what to do about them, consider turning their logo into a penis. No, this isn’t joke. For a small fee of between US$25 to $35, website Penised will turn…
26 crazy facts about Google you probably never knew
Google is changing the world. I bet you have a hard time remembering what it was like before you could Google something? Chances are now that you use it everyday for work and play. But do you know the crazy facts around Google’s history or its various secrets?
KFC unveils edible coffee cups
Instead of throwing paper cups in the trash, coffee drinkers can now help the environment by eating branded cookie cups. To celebrate its 50th anniversary, KFC is planning to serve up Seattle’s Best Coffee in edible coffee cups that let customers enjoy the warm beverage and eat…
WTF are you doing with your life: This website doles out life advice
Feeling lost and unsure of what to do in life? Then check out this website that doles out useful life advice to get you back on track.
The weird devices found on the Internet of useless things
The internet is full of useful information—and porn… lots of porn. But it’s also full of pointless information and ideas. For every energy-saving smart thermostat and weight-reducing fitness band, there’s a fork that tracks your chew rate, a cloud-connected bookmark, and an emergency pizza slice pouch. And that’s…
Infographic: When to use JPEG, GIF and PNG when saving images
Whether you’re saving images for print or web, it can be tough to know exactly which filetype is the best to use. That’s especially true if you’re trying to save space with file size.
Discover the top 5 web trends expected in 2015
More and more, a company’s website is ever becoming its public face. Web trends show that consumers are doing more research online than ever before when looking to buy. So, if a business has a poorly designed website, that doesn’t work on a mobile device—or worse—they don’t have a…
Conquer the hills of Norway with their ingenious bicycle lift
Bicycling up a hill can be a rather vigorous task, especially when your route has plenty of steep slopes. Now, bicyclists in Trondheim, Norway will no longer have to worry about hills. The CycloCable, situated at the Brubakken Hill in Trondheim, is revolutionizing urban transport.
Draw on your food with the world’s first Spice Pen
When it comes to creating beautiful foam sculptures on top of your milky caffeinated drinks, you now have some help. With this awesome spice pen, you can play and create with your food without getting scolded for it.
The Whisker Dam helps keep your moustache dry
As any moustached or bearded gentleman knows, both food and drink will eventually end up in their facial hair; especially when drinking a frothy beer. Well, now there’s a solution to avoid these annoyances: the Whisker Dam.
Enjoy an espresso or a coffee with the flip of a cup
For most, the need to brew a cup of coffee to start the morning is a given. However, when we need a quick jolt in the afternoon, some turn to a shot of espresso. If you don’t want to invest in separate mugs and cups for your…
A website that helps you match typefaces
To help you mix and match typefaces for your next project, Canva has created a Font Combinations website.
Internet censorship: Where in the world can you see this?
Most people consider access to the internet to be a right, not a privilege. In fact, Canada has declared high-speed broadband internet access a “basic telecommunications service” that every citizen should be able to access. However, for many across the world, internet censorship means they are unable to fully communicate…
This prototype water bottle actually fills itself
Cyclists know that you need to keep hydrated. And to make sure that you don’t run dry, industrial design student Kristof Retezár has designed a prototype self-filling water bottle. How? It turns air into water while you ride a moving bicycle.
Infographic: Famous firsts on the Internet
Email is just one example of the kind of explosive growth experienced by the Internet—making sending a letter almost obsolete. Since the inception of the Internet in the late 20th century, it has quickly evolved into a necessity for our daily lives; providing may famous firsts.
Discover the history of the bra in this infographic
In honour of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, The Huffington Post and Genius 3D Mammography have teamed up. Together they’ve created an infographic that traces the history of the bra.
Get 750 free icons released by Google
Here’s a freebie for all you designers out there. The Google Design team have released open-sourced icons as part of the Material Design system icons pack.
Now and then: Cultural and technology trends
Cultural, lifestyle and technology trends come and go. But some trends end up evolving over time. For example, a smartphone can now do the job of a camera, television, game console, cassette player, and calculator.
A Harry Potter-inspired invisibility cloak
Invisibility is usually the stuff of science fictional, but researchers in the US claim to have created an invisibility cloak. Inspired by Harry Potter’s iconic cloak, scientists from the University of Rochester have created a cloaking device. But, unlike Harry’s cloak, the scientists used a combination of four standard lenses for…
Make crossing the road fun with dancing pedestrian signals
We’ve all done it; waiting for a traffic light to turn, checking to see if it’s clear, then doing the mad dash for the other side of the street. It’s not the safest move. Creatively taking on the question of “how can we make our cities…
An elegant bicycle you won’t be able to steal
Thanks to three engineering students from Chile, we can finally park and lock our bicycles safely in public areas. In The Yerka Project, the trio designed a bicycle that lets you wrap it around a pole or a tree—meaning people won’t be able to steal it.
Jewellery creates electricity through body movements
Jerusalem-based industrial designer Naomi Kizhner has created a jewellery concept that harnesses the body’s kinetic energy. Her hope is that one day it can be used to create electricity.
You’ll end up in a trance staring at these unique GIFs
If you’re looking for a distraction from work, then Texas-based visual artist Hayden Zezula has what you need. He’s created a series of unique, hypnotizing GIFs that you could end up putting you into a trance all day.
Ice cream that changes colour as you lick it
When you think of physicists, you probably think of people who want to better our understanding of the universe. And while some may be working on string theory or quantum mechanics, Manuel Linares used his talents to create an ice cream that changes colour as…
Synthetic Silk Leaf produces oxygen just like a real leaf
One of the main challenges of human space exploration is the lack of oxygen. Here on Earth, trees and other plants take in our carbon dioxide and changing it back to clean, sweet oxygen. But what if we could take those biological oxygen factories into space with us…
Business cards transform into mini bow and arrow
Businesses can be downright cutthroat at times. That’s why Australian communication design studio Filter has designed these weaponized business cards for digital media production company, Longbow.
Dress becomes transparent the more you share info online
Did you know that photo you took with your phone can reveal the exact location of where it was taken? And every time you fill in a profile, blog, share a video, send a tweet, or post a comment, you create a digital footprint that’s both…
What happens on the Internet in real-time
What’s the most popular internet activity? Both social networking (37 minutes per day) and email (33 minutes) are at the top. But how much really happens in that time? By the time you finish reading this sentence, there will have been over 200,000 new Facebook posts, 22,000+…
You can now eat mist that tastes of bacon, cotton candy & chocolate
Have ever wished you could eat all the bacon, cotton candy, and chocolate you wanted without worrying about your calories? Lick Me I’m Delicious, which was founded by Charlie Harry Francis, has created a machine in which you can eat flavoured mist.
Infographic: Crazy shit that people search for on Google
Have you ever started typing a legitimate search into Google, only to have a disturbing, funny, or crazy shit pop up as auto-complete suggestion? Why does this happen?
Suntory Whiskey 3D-milled ice cubes that are works of art
Suntory Whiskey is offering the world’s first 3D-milled ice cubes.