A Brighter Future: The Redesign of Toothpaste

One billion toothpaste tubes are thrown out every year. One billion! I sound like Trump. “Oneee biiiiilllionn.” Sorry, that was terrible humor.

Anyways, I saw an interesting Facebook ad today. I usually don’t scroll through social media all that much anymore. But, I actually got sucked into an advertisement. Clever folks.

Bite is a sustainable toothpaste brand that has eradicated plastic from their entire lineup. Their toothpaste is actually in small tablet form. Here’s a closeup:

The How To steps on their website instruct you to 1) bite down on the tablet, 2) start brushing with a wet toothbrush, and 3) smile and watch it foam up like magic. Now, I’ve never been a religious flosser, and believe me, my dentist has told me I have great teeth (despite me not always brushing twice a day). So, I’m not the best person to be giving advice in the oral hygiene department. But, like my recent post about the plastic-free shampoo company, this company has made it their personal mission to try and balance out the plastic epidemic plaguing the world right now.

I definitely don’t think about the tubes of toothpaste I use. I just Googled it, and the average person goes through about 3 tubes per year. For some reason that seems like a small amount, but when you add up all of your toiletries, that plastic piles up. It’s strange how the smallest, most mundane things in your life are the ones that sometimes matter the most.

Reading the reviews on Bite’s website, a lot of people were saying it’s strange for the first few uses. I can’t imagine chomping down on a dry pill, and then having to brush these weird bits around in my mouth. And despite all of that, it really intrigues me. Some of these companies have brilliant ideas and really stick to their guns. It’s also cool because their tablets come in small glass vials, which can be repurposed in so many different ways.

There’s a part of me that thinks, “I’m perfectly content with my habits right now.” But then another part of me realizes that a company like this is supposed to make people uncomfortable. Habits should be continuously reevaluated. We should constantly be looking at ourselves and seeing how to improve. We do that enough in our school, work, emotional states, dating life, etc. Why don’t we do that for brushing our teeth? I don’t have the answer since I’m clearly part of the problem. But I’m willing to start looking at my routines now. I think, even without actually buying a product from the company, it’s a small success in their eyes.

IKEA in all its Cleverness

Image result for ikea chocolate bunny — @IKEA

If you’ve never been to an IKEA…stop what you’re doing, get in the car, and go right now. Please tell me, once you get back from heaven, how it was.

I would say “in all seriousness, let’s continue” but today’s post is humorous and short. IKEA has come out, in true IKEA fashion, with a build-it-yourself chocolate bunny for this upcoming Easter.

I’ve been to several IKEAs throughout the States, and they never fail to make me happy. It’s the greatest place for semi-romantic 500 Days of Summer dates, quick snacks (hello $1 ice cream cones), and the chance to blow your next paycheck on things you never knew you needed.

Now, why am I writing – more like gushing – about this Swedish brand today? Merely because I have become an expert at IKEA instructions and furniture building (which is a true talent might I add), and I found this chocolate bunny to be especially amusing.

I think brands these days tend to take themselves too seriously (people too, but that’s another topic). It’s refreshing to see a company, especially one as large as IKEA, poke fun at themselves. In their advertisement launch they said, “It’s easily assembled, only three parts. And when you’re finished playing, we bet you’ll enjoy eating it, too.”

I know this post is short. But hey, so is life. Eat that chocolate. Wow, I’m hilarious.

The Silence of the Future

Image result for galaxy buds — @9to5google

We’ve all seen the AirPods. Everywhere. The little white sticks that awkwardly poke out of people’s ears. My roommate has a pair – and she owns an Android. They’ve taken over the market in one fell swoop, and as you can maybe tell by my tone of voice, I’m slightly displeased about it.

I’ve loved Apple for years, but what irks me most about this trend, is that the design hasn’t really changed – if at all (I’ll admit I haven’t done a lot of research on them) – from their original headphones. It seems as if they chopped off the chords, packaged them in a fancy Tic Tac box, added another zero to the price tag, and called it a day. And everyone went freaking nuts.

I’ve tried them in person (thanks roomie), and I don’t hate them. But quite honestly, I’ll stick to my normal buds, or my big noise-canceling headphones. Which takes me to my topic of the day: what should headphones do when they’re not playing music?

Insofar, headphones have been meant for mainly one thing: music. As somewhat of a purist, I’d argue that maybe that’s all we should be looking for in these products. But wait…there’s more! I’ve seen an increase in the amount of headphones that now have specific purposes. My sister received a set of ear pods as a gift last year. Which, by the way, has there been an official ruling of what to call wireless headphones yet? “AirPods” are strictly Apple, “ear buds” have been around for years so it still connotes wires/cords, and just “pods” sounds strangely biological and invasive.

I’ll be calling them “ear pods” for the remainder of this post, even though I don’t enjoy that either. Regardless, these things she had received, were only meant to play different white noise sounds. I forget the brand, but the premise behind their product was to create a wireless headphone that would put you to sleep – blocking out your immediate surroundings – and gently wake you up. The app that came with it gave you noise options to choose from: waterfalls, crickets, brown noise, white noise, rain, wind, etc. And then it gave you alarm options.

I tried these out – mid airplane flight was probably not the best scenario – and found myself indifferent. Now, if I lived in an extremely busy city with sirens and barking dogs and yelling neighbors, maybe I could see myself wanting to block all of that and fall asleep with these plastic blobs in my ears. I’m still not convinced there’s enough of a reason, or genuine personal curiosity, for me to go out and buy a pair right now.

But, I will say, there is definitely a market for companies to improve upon the horrendous (merely personal opinion) white ear sticks. Take Galaxy for example:

Hopefully you watched the video, because this post is already dragging on, and I won’t do it justice. It’s an interesting idea – having a music-playing product become something that only creates silence. The visuals are great, the technology is cool, and maybe down the line, I’ll understand what the hype is, and pick a pair of blobs up for myself. Until then, I’ll stick to my corded headphones like a 2000s peasant.

I’m in a Creative Block

Image result for creative block book — @amazon

Hello to all my fellow artists and designers out there who seem to be struggling right now. I feel you, and I know your frustration. Even though I’m still in school, I worked in the industry for 6 months last year, and day in, day out, I could feel the artistic part of me shrinking. It’s the strangest feeling – being required to make things, when all the creative juice has been sucked out of you.

Creative block seems to come at the most inopportune times. It’s funny how that always works, right? I have a few fantastic projects to work on for a few classes, and yet, I’ve been struggling to even blog a few hundred words each day. For someone who isn’t in the art world, it might sound like a total cop-out. Believe me, I’ve heard people use the “I’m just not feeling it today” excuse a few too many times to sympathize anymore.

But, quite honestly, I can’t think of many other industries that struggle with this. Sure, science has its research and big ideas; like math though, there is usually an answer that works, and an answer that doesn’t.

Art is different. There is a famous quote from Chuck Close that states:

Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work. If you wait around for the clouds to part and a bolt of lightning to strike you in the brain, you are not going to make an awful lot of work. All the best ideas come out of the process; they come out of the work itself. Things occur to you.

Now, artists can agree with this to some extent. And other times, it seems like our brain wiring lost a connection and nothing works up there. I am not even trying to be dramatic for effect here.

So, where do we go from here? I have no idea, hence my current liminal mental state. I started doing research earlier today, seeing if I could seek out some tools; seeing if there was a hypothetic/figurative chisel I could buy, that would chip away at this impermeable crust that is currently holding my brain captive.

Well, I came across a few pieces of advice (and the book shown above that I definitely need to purchase in the future) that stuck with me. Now, who knows if these will unlock anything, but if you see me posting consistently again, you’ll know something go knocked loose. Here’s what I found:

1. Make for the sake of making, without regard to a finish or outcome.
2. Go outside and take a walk; purposefully look for new things you haven’t noticed in your environment before.
3. Work on something besides art. Put it out of your mind for a bit, and be productive with errands, laundry, or cooking.
4. Read or watch something new. Sounds simple, but you never know what idea will spark you in a creative way.
5. Listen to music with headphones on. Block out the world, and your thoughts too.
6. Make something crappy. Throw it out. Repeat.

Most of the above ideas were taken from this article. I hope this helps even one person besides myself. Tomorrow is a new day, with a fresh start, and an open mind. Let’s get creating.

Single-Use Plastic Packaging is Becoming Obsolete

I recently blogged about new strides in the world of packaging. In that post I had briefly discussed a few companies that had designed their packaging as product enhancement or as a new product sector altogether. I believe packaging of the future will go in two different directions: packaging as a product or the complete elimination of single-use packaging.

Personal care is one of the most overlooked areas in our lives when it comes to sustainability. The amount of product the average person uses in a year – toothpaste, toilet paper, lotion, skin care, shampoo/conditioner, the list goes on and on – is unbelievable. The average person is said to use 3-4 tubes of toothpaste a year; shampoo and conditioner, about 12 bottles for the average person. Now think of all the plastic. Each bottle, tube, dispenser, thrown out over and over again.

I know I personally haven’t thought about my container graveyard recently. It doesn’t seem like all that much – until you do the math. I stumbled upon the company Nohbo today, and I’m blown away. They created the first single-use, plastic-free shampoo Drop. You can see the detergent looking pods in the photo above or the sketches below.

To use the product, you run the pod under water in the shower for a few seconds and the water-soluble casing dissolves, leaving you with the shampoo ready to use. How cool, right?!

Now, me being the Devil’s Advocate more often than not, I figured, “Wow this is all good and dandy, but I bet those drops are shipped in a single-use, throw-away packaging that completely defeats the purpose of all this cool stuff.” Turns out, yes they have packaging. But no, it’s not plastic. The external packaging is completely biodegradable, plant-based sugarcane resin. Not sure how that works, but their scientists have figured out some amazing stuff. So I’m very happy to say my fears were eradicated.

The company’s website has a lot of information, so I highly recommend checking it out. It says online they will be releasing conditioner, body wash, etc. sometime this year. I’m really tempted to buy some and experience it for myself. People are amazing.

AI Could Take over Creative Jobs too

NVIDIAâs New AI Tool Transforms Simple Scribbles Into Realistic Landscape Images — @digital.information.world

I’ve been off on blogging for the past few days. This week I had my birthday, and everything with school and life seemed to happen all at once. It’s funny how that always tends to happen. Regardless, during my time away yesterday, a new technology was dropped. And it’s changing everything.

I’m not even trying to be dramatic here. I’m actually emphasizing the importance of this new development to its fullest capacity. The tech company NVIDIA has launched an Artificial Intelligence (AI) software that takes simple abstract art, and creates images from nothing. Now, obviously the images are composited from somewhere, but the craziest thing about it, is that the technology only references the internet image collections. The actual creation of the imagery is done through its own pixel distribution – AI is now creating the way an artist would.

Everyone has been concerned about robots and AI taking over the mundane jobs of the economy (truck-driving, food prep, delivery, healthcare, etc.), but what we all thought was untouchable are the creative fields. Art and Design has always been held at a prestigious level throughout history. Not everyone can be creative, so that innate talent is hard to come by. We’ve seen an increase in the amount of jobs that are being created in the art world, and the stress being placed on the creator’s importance in all aspects of business.

So, this new technology seems to be upsetting all of our preconceived notions regarding AI’s lack of sensitivity to art. Here’s a short video that briefly describes and demonstrates its abilities:

As a designer, this is unbelievably fascinating. I don’t know anything about coding, but I can only image the amount of time and craft that has been put into this programming. However, when the VP, Bryan Catanzaro speaks about “everyone becoming an artist,” I start to become wary. He states right after that, that he hopes this technology will actually aid artists and designers in their new creations. I don’t know how I feel about this just yet. Sure, it’s a program created by artists, for artists. But where does this technology stop? Will AI eventually make the artist obsolete? I don’t think so; but it’s difficult to understand just how soon this program could eat up photographers, digital painters, etc.

I was naive to think the creative fields would remain untouched by such a technology. The future is upon us, and it’s becoming even more difficult to predict.

Color has the Ability to Inspire

I am currently working with Ford in a studio of mine this semester. I had posted about the overview of the class in January, and in that post, I mentioned I would update with progress reports if something interesting occurred. Well, I’m here today, sharing a snippet of my process and some good news!

My goal for the semester is to create a color palette to inspire Ford for the renovations that will occur over the next few years at their new Corktown, Detroit campus. One of the ideas that has permeated the conversations over the last few months, has been Ford’s desire to fully integrate within the existing community. More often than not, when a large company is creating a new campus, the plans are structured around a self-sufficient and free-standing area that is almost completely separate from its surroundings – whether that be residential or industrial.

Ford’s extensive and progressive goals are to create a campus – one of those buildings being the famous Michigan Central Station – that fit homogeneously within the Corktown landscape. One of the most inspiring things I’ve personally observed throughout this landscape, is the unique color palette. It is so unique, lively, and the colors permeate almost every inch of the community. My personal project and goal is to create a comprehensive Color Catalog throughout Corktown by compiling photographs from the area. All photos will be taken by myself – within the train station, and the neighboring streets. I’ve inserted a few from today’s shoot above and below. As you can see, the rusty oranges and warm tans, complemented by the minty greens and hazy blues, are already starting to pattern themselves out.

A color palette proposal will be created by color sampling from this catalog I’m compiling. My goal is to help give inspiration to Ford for upcoming projects so that the renovations directly assimilate colors from the community into the campus. Here is a piece of inspiration I found from a fellow student of mine. He directly sought out green in the Detroit area and created swatches that could then be used for the project’s final:

My goal is slightly different – I want to see what comes out of the cataloged photos. Instead of directly seeking out a specific hue, my mission is to shoot as many photos of color in the area as possible, and see what trends form by themselves. Especially in the light of these new renovations, the last thing I want to do is force my own voice, perspective, or motive onto the catalog. The colors will speak for themselves.

As Ford tries to integrate their campus within Corktown, incorporating the existing neighborhood colors into new buildings will help establish a more seamless and culture-appropriate approach. I received great feedback for my proposal during our pitch meetings today, and I hope my project fulfills a gap I think is currently missing in this new age of the Corktown landscape. Color is such a driving force within cities and communities and I am extremely excited about the prospects. Will update as more surfaces!

Shoes are Changing the Long Term Fashion Game

Womens Footwear Preview: Summer 2019 4 — @nike

I’ve had my favorite pair of Chucks for almost 9 years now. So you could say I’m pretty loyal. But, I’ve recently started buying other sneakers. And I won’t say it doesn’t pain me to cheat on my worn-in classics, but man, there’s some cool stuff out there in the sneaker world that’s hard to resist.

Adidas had announced a few months ago, their goal to reach 100% recycled material usage for all of their shoes and clothes by 2024. This was a huge undertaking not only for a company that large, but by a brand that is so iconic and well-loved. When someone says recycled or sustainable, there is a small part in each of us that doubts a product’s ability to perform the same as a non-green one.

The green initiatives by large companies might not have to be as ambitious as Adidas’ however. Take Nike’s upcoming summer launch: The Plant Color Collection.

All dyes for these shoes will be completely plant-based. Sounds stupidly simple – and it is. But sometimes the simplest ideas can be the most stunning. Not only do the preview photos show a particular craft-like feel to the designs, but I think it is starting to transform the way we even consume shoes.

There has always been an animus towards the fashion world for its fast-paced trends and this undying need to have the next best thing, right away. More often that not, these fads fade quickly, leaving consumers with piles of usually unused and out-of-fashion pieces. So how do these shoe launches change that?

To me, it signifies that the long-term vision we see fashion companies often disregard, is being reversed. I haven’t heard a lot of people talking about this, and quite honestly, I’m glad it isn’t blowing up. When something goes viral, the integrity and oftentimes the real soul of a product or movement disappears. It’s the cool thing to do, so everybody hop on the popular train.

Adidas and Nike show us that these sustainability goals are meant to provoke long-term conversations. Yes, some could argue that as money-making businesses, if they don’t keep churning out new designs and pushing their products on consumers, they’ll stop making money. But it gives me hope, knowing certain creative people are thinking of big ideas, and making something meaningful because of it.

A watch that doesn’t tell you the Time

Is anyone else sick of Apple watches? Quite honestly, I’ve never felt they were anything to write home about. I mean, technically I’m writing about them here, but I ain’t going home with one.

Watches have one purpose: to tell the time. Call me old fashioned, but I don’t need a gadget strapped to my wrist to tell me where I should eat for dinner, and what astrological sign my friend who just texted me is. I’m exaggerating for emphasis, don’t worry. But, I only need a watch to tell time. Plain and simple.

I may eat my words here a little bit, because there’s one watch-like product that intrigues me enough to actually try it. The company is called Doppel, and they produce “watches” that can help with mood. Now, before you call this some voodoo bullshit magic, check out the website that tells you all about the psychology and science behind the wizz-bang devices.

I’m serious, they actually whizz. Check it out below:

The mechanism inside the watch device is supposed to mimic heartbeats. Placed directly against the inside of the wrist, it sends almost unnoticed vibrations to your body. Considered one of the most instrumental rhythms to humans, the heartbeat can influence mood by simply slowing down or speeding up. When the (completely silent) mechanism slows its beat, the wearer is said to experience a more calming sensation. When sped up – again, completely silent – the beat is said to induce a music-like excitement within the body.

Doppel applies research in psychology and neuroscience which shows how humans respond intuitively and naturally to different rhythms. Research shows that slower tempos result in calm and positive emotional states while we associate fast rhythms with emotional states such as joy, excitement and surprise.

This is extremely fascinating to me. Amongst the largest opioid epidemic plaguing the United States, you see initiatives like this to create something completely natural, bio-memetic, and successful.

The company was showcased in the Nature Scientific Reports in 2017. In the article, they delved into a scientific report (duh, Sydney) that concluded participants (in a private study including over 50 adults) wearing the device were found to experience less stress and be more productive in nervousness-inducing situations than those who didn’t wear the watch. Pretty amazing, scientifically backed, stuff.

Now, I’m not saying this watch can replace opioids. But, I have heard horror stories from friends about their battles. A doctor shouldn’t be signing off on a prescription after one visit with someone who is struggling with mental health issues. A doctor shouldn’t be shelling out pills to hopefully patch up someone who quite honestly has no control over anything at that time. There should be efforts to create things, like Doppel has, to at least attempt to deter the use of medical drugs. I’m not an expert on these situations, products, medications, etc. but I can tell you, I’m really happy there are people out there trying to change the norm – one heartbeat at a time.

One of the Strangest Things I’ve Ever Done, is Float

I would consider myself a fairly adventurous person. To me, I value experience a lot more than physical things nowadays. It’s taken me a long time to get here, for sure. Quite honestly, I fully owe this mentality to my parents.

Growing up, my family and I were never big into gifts. It’s not that my sisters and I would ever say we didn’t want presents. I would pine for iPods at Christmas; coming into school after winter break and not having anything to show off, that’s a weird predicament as an adolescent. I had years where I never understood my parents. They decided, when I was approximately 12 or so, that we would start spending Christmas abroad as a family. Over the week or so for our break, my two younger sisters, my parents, and I, would go to a new location – typically somewhere warm. It was incredible, seeing other cultures, foods, beaches, plants, architecture, and more. But being so young, and caught up in the world of other kids having these physical things, I felt almost gypped. Stupid. Honestly, I’m kicking my younger self in the ass right now.

Now, even today, I question some of the things my parents tell me. I hate to admit it, but it’s a deep rooted flaw most children will always have. But I finally understood their motives about a year ago today actually.

I went on an alternative spring break trip to Haiti with a few fellow students. We prepared for months for our trip, and yet, it wasn’t until we were there when it actually hit me – I’ve been outside of the country more times than most of my peers on the trip had been out of state. And that rocked me to my core.

As a kid I was so invested in this image I thought other people perceived. “What did you get from your grandparents?” “Why didn’t your parents get you anything?” “Didn’t you ask for presents?”

I’m not judging the outcomes of those kids. Quite honestly, I have no idea what 99% of the people I went to middle school with are doing today. I’m sure most of them turned out just fine. But my parents – they should be given an award. They showed my sisters and I the importance of being in the moment; of seeing the world. There is so much to explore and learn. It’s not about what you have. It’s what you’ve experienced, loved, and deeply felt.

Which brings me to my topic today. Floating.

Living in Portland alone, I took it upon myself to experience the most unordinary things I could find. It was a colleague of mine that first told me about float tanks. He was raving about this strange salt “device” that would submerge (that’s a punny word in this context) you in this almost sleep-like state. He sounded like he was on some heavy drugs. But then again, a lot of people in Portland did.

So, being intrigued, I decided to research this salt tub nonsense. Turns out, the cult following surrounding float tanks is insane. Picture this big people-sized clam shell, filled with water. When you step into it, eventually sinking yourself into the tank, you bob up onto the surface instantly. Each tank holds hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds of salt, making you float. It would be physically impossible to drown in almost 2 feet deep water.

So what’s the point? It’s allegedly used for re-cycling your circadian rhythm, inducing meditative states, helping chronic pain sufferers, and more. Once you’re in the clam shell, you float, doze off, wade, etc. All while being in complete darkness. It’s main purpose is to rid you of all your senses: floating, suspended, without thought and feeling. Sounds kinda creepy and almost dystopian. Especially when you finally see one:

I mean, c’mon. Doesn’t that look like something out of the Minority Report?? But in all seriousness, it was totally worth the experience. Most people haven’t even heard of these things, let alone paid to be in one. My session for an hour and a half (a typical one is about 90-100 mins) cost me $80. Yes, I scoffed at that, and almost slightly regretted it afterwards. I never fell asleep, and quite honestly it was very unnerving for the first half until I calmed down. But man, I will never say no to experiences like that again.

All I can say is – even as a young, dumb person still living out in the big scary world – go do that thing you were always scared or unsure of. Indulge your alter ego, make a (somewhat) rash decision, and never look back. I don’t have a bucket list, because I don’t want my life to be this To Do List in which I just instinctively check boxes off. But if I did, I could check the “Big Salt Clam Shell Pod Thing” box off, for sure.

observations + rambles from a design student

I blog when I find something interesting. Welcome to a small part of my brain.