Heineken Icone Pure

Heineken and French designer ORA-ÏTO teamed up again after previous collaborations. Back in 2002 ORA-ÏTO received the ‘oscar for the best packaging’ for his aluminum Heineken bottle. The outcome of the latest collaboration is a new limited edition set of 100% sustainable aluminum bottles; the Icone Pure.

The new bottle is white with a green dotted inscription and featuring the iconic green logo of Heineken on the front and back. The packaging is successful in branding the bottle as “pure” and “green” while still maintaining the aesthetic of the Heineken brand. 

ORA-ÏTO is the brand name of the designer Ito Morabito. Ito Morabito describes his style as simplexity. He says, 'All my designs look very simple, but I can tell you it is very complex to make it happen.'

Thanks to Minimalissimo for the info and photos!

KAWS x Dos Equis Beer Bottles

Mexican beer company Dos Equis has collaborate with Kaws on a two special bottle designs. Each bottle is representative of Dos Equis’ two offerings, a Lager and an Amber, and featuring Kaws signature “X Eyes” all over. For the moment it looks like the bottles will only be available in Mexico, starting September 2010.

Thanks to Hypebeast for the info!

Murasaki Sports x Nixon The Player & The Rubber Player

Japanese surf and action sports retailer, Murasaki Sports, celebrate their 100th store opening with a collaboration with Nixon on two of Nixon’s popular models – The Player and The Rubber Player. Both styles come in black colorways, one in metal, the other one in rubber, featuring dark casing and faces with neon hands. Available now through Murasaki Sports.

I really love Nixon 'The Player' series. The reason I like these watches because of the simplicity. I think I'm going to get one soon!

Thanks to Hypebeast for the info!

Stüssy x Levi's – 505 Denim & Cargo Shorts

Stüssy works with Levi’s on two exclusive pieces. The first items (above) are a pair of military inspired cargo shorts. The shorts are available in three different hues, and complete with leather patch and dual branding. The second items (above) are a highly distressed pair of 505 Denim, details include multi-colour patches, Stüssy logo hits on the coin pocket and woven inside the waistband, and a genuine leather patch. The jeans are available in indigo and black colours. Check out Stüssy Japan for further information.

Thanks to Highsnobiety for the photos and info!

OBEY x STRANGEco – Mr Spray

OBEY x STRANGEco, are pleased to announce Mr Spray, a new limited edition toy series designed by Shepard Fairey, a famous artist. 

Mr Spray is an original character created in 2004 as a street-art appropriation of an advertising character design of the 1950s, which first appeared in an OBEY print edition. Mr Spray is the first original vinyl figure design by the artist in eleven years and will be released in mid-July 2010.

Mr. Spray vinyl figure is produced in limited editions with four distinct color variants: Black and Red, available at select retailers and STRANGEcoʼs online retail store, plus two special editions: Gold, available exclusively through Obey-Giant and Silver, available exclusively through STRANGEco. Click here for more information.

Nintendo 3DS

The latest generation in the DS platform has arrived as Nintendo releases information/imagery surrounding its new 3DS, yet another advancement for the video game giant. Highlighted features include: wireless communication, internet access, 3D view without the need for any special glasses, a “Slide Pad” that allows 360-degree analog input, one inner camera, two outer cameras, motion sensor and a gyro sensor. Click here for further information.

It looks cool to me! I really want to get one! 

Paul Smith x Burton Vapor Snowboard

 British designer Paul Smith re-unites with Burton once again in a release of a snowboard slated for the 2011 season. The collaborative Paul Smith Vapor snowboard is an exemplification of both labels’ dictum for impeccable shapes and love for colors. On the upper, the snowboard is kept restrained and cool in black, with a pop of color in the channel which allows for use with both the Burton EST and Burton 3D bindings; and on the flip side, things get a little wild as Paul Smith’s iconic rainbow stripes are interlaced with bold Burton logo. The Vapor is a lightweight board which allows for an effortless ride.

The snowboard collaboration comes on the heels of three previous collaborations starting in 2005 which has revolved around on-hill apparel. The Paul Smith x Burton Vapor Snowboard will retail for $1,199.95 USD and be available in mid-August through Burton.com. So those who are thinking of upgrading their gear and look, here is a good option to consider before powder season kicks in.

Thanks to Hypebeast for the info and photo!

Innovative Apartment in Hong Kong – Gary Chang

Hong Kong apartments are known to be quite small. Gary Chang, a talented architect from Hong Kong, has equipped his tiny 330 square foot apartment with a sliding wall and panel system that allows him to create 24 different room configurations. As the suspended wall units are shifted around, the apartment transform into a kitchen, library, laundry room, dressing room, and enclosed dining area or a lounge with a hammock.

"A small area means efficiency and user-friendliness." 

Thanks to Toxel for the info and photos!

Double-park x XLarge x Fingercroxx 10th Anniversary Collection

Hong Kong label double-park celebrates its 10th anniversary as street wearer's style and is teaming up with XLarge and Fingercroxx to create a small collection items which include a t-shirt and a pair of mountaineering boots. With XLarge and Fingercroxx having worked together in the past, the designs are a hybrid of each respective brand’s logo. Available exclusively through double-park.

PIXELS Short Film by Patrick Jean

PIXELS is a very cool short film! It's directed by Patrick Jean and produced by One More Productions. The background of the film is present-day New York City. It is about the early 8-bit arcade characters such as Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, Space Invaders and Tetris pieces came to life and destroy us. I hope you guys will enjoy it! Thanks to Hypebeast for the info!

Jailbreak Collective iPhone Magnets

Jailbreak Collective makes a really neat product that at first glance looks like a legit iPhone. If you look more closely, you'll see it's actually a package of iPhone-app-like magnets called App Magnets. They're not actually copies of Apple's designs. They're original artwork, done in-house.

The packaging is smart. It's incredibly low-cost and it's just a simple vacuum formed plastic insert and cover heat sealed to a simple iPhone-shaped card. (The package size is bigger than a real iPhone.) The minimal, copy-less design makes it all the more convincing. I also appreciate how they didn't over-package it. 

For all the iPhone freaks, check out Jailbreak Collective. Thanks for TheDIeline for the info and photos!

PUMA Fuseproject Packaging

Puma has teamed up with America designer Yves Béhar from Fuseproject to redesign the shoe box. They suggests to the consumers to think about sustainability with an eco-friendly packaging. After 21 months, 2,000 ideas and 40 plus packaging prototypes, the team finally came up with this 'Clever Little Bag' solution which combines the two packaging components of any shoe sale – the bag and the box – with high-tech ingenuity. It's not only reduces materials but also shipping costs. 

The bag tightly wraps an interior cardboard scaffolding – giving it shape and reducing cardboard use by 65%. Moreover, without that shiny box exterior, there's no laminated cardboard (which interferes with recycling). There's no tissue paper inside. And there's no throw-away plastic bag. The bag itself is made of recycled PET, and it's non-woven – woven fibers increase density and materials use – and stitched with heat, so that it's less manufacturing intensive. 

Puma estimates the impact of this design will slash water, energy, and fuel consumption during manufacturing alone by 60% – in one year, that comes to a savings of 8,500 tons of paper, 20 million mega joules of electricity, 264,000 gallons of fuel, and 264 gallons of water. Ditching the plastic bags will save 275 tones of plastic, and the lighter shipping weight will save another 132,000 gallons of diesel. 

The roll-out is planned for next year. After that? Hopefully, the design will become ubiquitous. Also go to check out Fuseproject and PumaVISION for more info!

Arial and Helvetica – what are the real differences?

Click here to enlarge!

Many designers like to use Arial and Helvetica in their designs. But do you know what are the real differences between Arial and Helvetica? I remembered I did talk about Helvetica on one of my posts before and mentioned about Arial is a very similar font to Helvetica, but Helvetica is somewhat more refined than Arial, even though each one has the same character width. One of the key differences is the strokes for each character. Helvetica uses primarily vertical or horizontal strokes, while Arial often uses diagonal strokes. 

Above is a diagram showing the differences. Thanks to PULSE for the diagram!

Nike Air Max 90 Sneaker Advert Tutorial

Click here to enlarge!

I eventually got some spare time to finish this tutorial. It's an awesome and useful tutorial! I especially like the part about teaching how to draw and customize the wavy lines, and how to use a variety of lighting effects in Photoshop. Click here if you want to learn this tutorial.

Incase Topo Flex iPhone Snap Case

Incase has introduced its new Topo Flex Snap Case for the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS. The case’s flexibility is achieved by overmolding plastic and rubber, which come together to create a signature Topo pattern on the case’s exterior. A functional design element, the Topo pattern provides added grip to the exterior while coating the interior for an extra layer of protection and shock absorption. Other features include open access to the power button, ring/silent switch, camera, headphone port, screen, and Dock Connector port, push-through protectors for the volume buttons, an included s-stand for video viewing, and a rubberized interior. The case comes in three colours – dark grey with black, turquoise with bubblegum blue and white with medium grey, and is now available at Incase. Thanks to Hypebeast for the info and photo!

Wicked Energy Drink

This collectible packaging for Australia's Wicked Energy Drink is designed by Kian Forreal, a talented Sydney-based tattoo artist. Wicked is inspired by the body art phenomenon that is sweeping the globe, and it is an all new energy drink combining tattoo attitude with caffeine and taurine. It comes in a fully illustrated 375ml can, as well as a 475ml fully sleeved PET bottle. Click here to check out more info!

Quinze & Milan x Eastpak Furniture Collection

I've heard of luggage that transformed into a sofa, but I've never heard of a sofa with built-in bags, until now! It's quite strange but certainly very useful for anyone who often put a lot of things around the sofa.

Industrial design studio Quinze & Milan has gotten together with Eastpak to work on a furniture collection that incorporates the bags of the brand. The collection combines Quinze & Milan shapes with authentic Eastpak product characteristics, including bags, zippers, handles, colorful strong fabrics and popular prints. This first range will include special pocket-padded versions of Quinze & Milan design classics ‘club sofa 01′ and ‘primary pouf 02′. Various pockets are incorporated onto the seats and provide storage for your books, magazines, reading glasses, laptop, ipod, headset, remote control, etc.

They’ll be produced in limited quantities with each individually numbered and will be presented at the Milan Design Week 2010 this year. Thanks to Hypebeast for the info and photos!

Schweppes Limited Edition Slim Cans

New limited edition for Schweppes Slim Can: metallic white with an explosion of simple geometric and coloured forms designed by french creative Fred & Farid. This special limited edition of Slim Cans are to be served only in clubs and bars and are treated to glow in the dark.

Thanks to TheDieline for the info and photos!

Google Android Toys

Illustrator and toy designer Andrew Bell has teamed up with a few friends at Google’s Android project to bring their green mascot to life. Presenting Android mini collectibles series 01! Each 3” vinyl figure sports one of 12 different possible designs and features a rotating head and arms. Packed in “blind boxes” so you don’t know which design you get until you open it up. Pick one up and take a chance or grab a case for a near-complete set. Available in an initial limited release later this month from dyzplastic and specialty retailers.

Thanks to TheDieline for the info and photos!

Duck Sauce x Fool’s Gold Toy

DJ heroes A-trak and Armand Van Helden have turned their musical collaboration “Duck Sauce” into an ultra-cool, limited edition rubber duck toy now available at Colette France. “Duck Sauce” is the 2009 EP that found A-trak and Armand Van Helden crafting brand new mixes inspired by their favorite vintage disco house tunes. The record sleeve to “Duck Sauce” and video to their widely popular single, “aNYway” both feautre a cocky, baseball-jacketed, vinyl-toting, duck mascot designed by Fool’s Gold art director Dust La Rock who also created the packaging. The beautifully sculpted, hand painted rubber duck is not only fun to look at, but it actually floats in water as well! There’s a limited edition of only 1000 pieces so be sure to act fast if you’d like to own one. For more information on the Duck Sauce toy and to purchase, be sure to visit Colette’s website. Thanks to Hypebeast for the info and photos!