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Hi guys! I have these amazing giveaways for you, sponsored by Microsoft. Before I go to the prizes, I would like to mention that Microsoft is having a web event called Make Web, Not War ‘09 in Toronto on Jun 10th (full day), and Vancouver on Jun 2nd (half day). Visit their site for details and registration. Write a comment about the event before Jun 12, in this post, for a chance to win: Microsoft Expression Studio, Gears of War 2 (Xbox game), or 250GB LaCie External Drive. (more…)

Snowboard bindings? What! It’s getting into summer when I’m posting this, so it’s a bit strange to even think about snow - but hay! Like a good Minnesotan, in summer I wish for winter, and in winter I wish for summer! These bindings are split down the back, adjusting the cant of the high back for “greater support and control.” Better for your ankles? Better for your mind. But you can’t be too furry! It’ll get caught in there.

Also check out the aluminum block holding all the straps and high back in place. What’s up with your knowledge of straps? In skateboarding, as well as with snowboarding, the only thing the average first-time buyer of a setup is the design of the board. Pretty skulls and gore and knives and whatnot. Are these designed for you, the audience reading this post?

Also, what kind of bindings do you use now?

Designer: Joshua Benjamin Harris

Yet another “twist” on something we twist everyday. Designer Jess Han has re-imagined the simple door handle with a DaVinci Code style lock that denies entry for all but the chosen few (cue: dramatic music). This intuitive door handle dubbed the “NUMLOCK HANDLE” features a numbered dial-lock that re-shuffles and locks itself after every successful entry. Get the code incorrect and Tom Hanks gets punched in the gut by an albino assassin.  The numbers can be replaced or supplemented with braille for that extra level of mystery.

Designer: Jaeseok Han

Just clapped eyes on this music video for The Dead Pirates track, Wood, directed by mcbess&Simon and produced by The Mill.

mcbess, whose real name is Matthieu Bessudo, did not simply co-direct this animated promo with fellow director at The Mill Simon Landrein –  he wrote and recorded the track under The Dead Pirates moniker, and he also provided the illustrations for the video too. A talented man indeed. Bravo!

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This charming stop motion animation is by director Chris Gavin. Using only a retro signage board and a set of plastic letters, Gavin has conjured up an epic jungle adventure...

Research Studios is currently finishing work on the titles for the forthcoming Michael Mann film, Public Enemies. Taking inspiration from the Works Progress Administration posters of New Deal-era America – which were often created by untrained designers – the studio has developed a bespoke typeface that reflects the unrefined aesthetic of the WPA

Jeff Knowles and Neville Brody have been working on the project, having previously created the typeface for Heat and The Insider. Public Enemies follows the exploits of American gangsters John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd during the 1930s and goes on general release in the UK on 3 July (1 July in the US).

"For this film we designed a bespoke typeface with references to the graphic art created around the time of the President Roosevelt's New Deal programs, initiated in the mid-1930s," says Knowles.

"Our graphic references were the associated promotional work program posters that were put together during the time, some of which were created by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The interesting thing is that the posters were not always completed by professional designers, so occasionally the typefaces and typography are quite crude and unrefined. So we had to figure that into the typeface that we designing for the film."

Knowles cites the collection of New Deal work held at the Wolfsonian museum in Florida as being integral to their research.

The New Deal typeface is being used on posters and will be used for the main titles of the film which we are currently designing. The trailer can be seen here.

In a little over a week's time, CR is hosting Portfolios - a two day event for art directors, designers and commissioners of photography and illustration in London's Central Hall over 9 & 10 June.

As well as the show, which is free to all, there are three ticketed seminar sessions - which are filling up fast. 

The Paul Arden tribute seminar is very close to sold out (just 15 tickets left at the time of writing!) and tickets to both the James Jarvis talk and the We Make Magazines session are also being snapped up. In order to avoid disappointment we advise booking tickets in advance from the dedicated portfolios site .

Really Smart eh? Can you recall all your recipes by heart; tell me exactly how many calories are there in the dish that you are preparing; the amount of protein, cholesterol in it; are the ingredients fresh enough? NO!! NO!! You’re not a SMART Chef then. Actually you never can be, coz then you’d be this computer with an intelligent cutting board and integrated scale. The wise guy here can connect with local farmers and farmer’s markets to help you procure the seasonal produce. It can even help you share recipes, formulate diet plans etc. The unit is made up of a bamboo surfaced cutting board element containing the SmartChef’s computing and food scanning hardware, while a portable touch-screen tablet provides a kitchen-safe interface that can travel throughout the kitchen and home.

Technology has invaded our kitchens and smart refrigerators and ovens are a proof of it. Envisioning a smart cutting board is not too far fetched, it’s just the question of us accepting and getting used to it. I know there are several issues that need to be addressed, like juices that come out of the veggies that we cut and how will an electronic board tackle that. With such similar issues resolved, I’m sure some Smart company will see the potential and come up with the apt board.

Designer: Kaiju Studios

If you think urban density is bad now, wait until 2037. 70% of the French population will inhabit urban metropolises. That’s a whole ‘lotta people so one future automotive trend are vehicles that provide a sense of escapism; to find one’s zen by momentarily moving away from the hustle and bustle of city living. The Nervastella concept looks like it’s coming and going at the same time. Just you in the cockpit enjoying life with just enough space behind you for luggage.

Designer: Adil Benwadih

Well here is a novel concept. The Expansion Loudspeakers are a set or rings docked to a base station connected to a computer via USB. Each ring contains its own power source enabling you to take them anywhere. The idea isn’t exactly new. There are several wireless speaker docks on the market but none with cuff-like wearability. Knowing me, I’d probably wear all of them to become a human boom box. FYI, I do not think putting one around your cat would be wise. Hit the jump to see what I mean.

Designer: Miriam Liébana Yeste