Tag Archives: angular

The art of paper-folding originated in China and Japan hundreds of years ago, and has evolved into a masterful artistic genre. This simple method of turning a two-dimensional pattern into a three-dimensional form has been (for us Westerners) a delightful source of little paper swans, jumping frogs, boats, and tiny...

Rapid prototyping has been a tool used by the design, engineering, and architecture fields since the advent of computer-controlled fabrication systems in the 1990’s. The basic methods have been either additive (stereolithgraphy, 3D printing) or subtractive (CNC machining). Additive methods slowly “grow” the part within a build chamber out of...

It’s hard to invent a new aesthetic. That’s probably why it happens so infrequently. However, that did not stop a young Milanese (Ettore Sottsass) and a small group of other European designers from giving it a real shot. In 1981, their Memphis aesthetic debuted at the Salone del Mobile furniture...

Traditionally in design, an object’s form takes priority. Once a form is finalized, then it is subsequently broken up into pieces for production, via parting lines, panels, segments, or assemblies. With the Paneled Surfaces trend, the construction methodology becomes the aesthetic: arrays of discreet panels interlock to define a surface,...

The interplay between the organic and the geometric is at the heart of the Geo-Organic category. This trend is very closely related to Geometric Form/Organic Matrix, but inverts the relationship between form and structure. Whereas the previous theme employs highly rational, primitive, geometric forms supported by a chaotic cellular internal...

We’ve posted several trends about the interplay between the digital and physical worlds. One aspect of the digital aesthetic that has emerged, coinciding with a broader revisiting of 1980’s design cues, is the Vector Line. Originally, this element was introduced via early 1980’s (even late 1970’s) arcade graphics: Asteroids, Tempest,...

Many industries have relied on forms constructed of rigid angular geometries for ages. From bicycles to bridges, designers and architects know the value of the inherent strength and economy of resources that characterize this method. In recent years, designers in many other categories have adopted Angular Frameworks in fresh and...

There are only so many ways to turn a corner. Although furniture makers have long used intricately-routed edges as decorative motifs, for decades product design was married to the all-mighty Radius. If a designer needed to transition from one surface to another, the only real decision was what size that...

In keeping with this category’s exploration of the interplay between the natural and man-made worlds, Organic Facets highlights a specific surfacing technique that embodies this tension. This method was inspired by the Stealth Fighter of the 1990’s, that matte-black, wedge-like assortment of triangles that seemed not only unable to fly,...

Technology is increasingly becoming a visual motif in our lives. Just as the ancients adorned their objects with natural images of their surrounding environment, we are seeing visual representations of the digital age become ornamentations. In every product category, the most readily recognizable embodiment of this is the flowing, jogging,...