product design

The Public Collection: A new public art and literacy project

This August eight unique artist created libraries will grace the streets of Indianapolis. Under the moniker of The Public Collection these amazing micro libraries will be spread over the city and offer free books courtesy of the Indianapolis Public Library. The Public Collection is a blend of art and literacy.  The goal is to "increase access to books through the use of functional pieces of art in familiar settings. The initiatives are to improve literacy, foster a deeper appreciation of the arts, and raise awareness for educational justice in the community." Tom Torluemke, model for “Cool Books, Food for Thought” (2015) The Public...

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Books by the Glass

Next time your on the hunt for a cool gift for your bookish loved one or for something to spruce up your reading life perhaps some painted wine glasses by Renée at Kudos Kitchen would do the trick. Painted on demand by Renee the glasses would surely add some color to the festivities.  Salute! Harry Potter Mary Poppins Breakfast at Tiffany's inspired by 50 Shades of Gray Book Club Kudos Kitchen by Renée pictured at top: Pride and Prejudice

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A Chair for Paulo Coelho

  Art on Chairs is an international event that promotes design and contemporary creativity as driving forces for innovation in industry and development in Paredes, a Portuguese municipality committed to the production of high-quality furniture. The DUET component of the celebration partners designers with world-renowned personalities and furniture manufacturers from Paredes.  Portuguese architect/designer  Eduardo Benamor Duarte created  this chair based on the work of best-selling author Paulo Coelho. Emanating from Coelho's  “animistic belief that every non-human form has a spiritual essence,” Duarte has created a wild mind-bending chair that is seemingly in constant motion   More: A Curvy Chair for Best-Selling Writer Paulo Coelho | Design Milk. Photos by Inês d’Orey.

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New Hemingway wearables

  The newest offering from Litographs, the company that creates literary merchandise where every "design emerges from the text of a book," is derived from a pair of Hemingway novels.  The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms are now available for your wearing pleasure.  That's right, two classics from Papa's canon, mashed up and made anew. Litographs works closely with artists "to create a new visual experience for classic and contemporary works alike. From a distance, the artwork illustrates a theme, character, or setting from each book’s descriptive pages. Move closer and the text becomes fully legible."  Hemingway is just the latest in...

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Another clue that Barnes & Noble is circling back to its print origins

Coming soon to a Barnes & Noble near you are these newly redesigned shopping bags featuring the first pages from classic novels. The goal of the new design is to promote the physical experience of visiting a store and handling printed books while sharing text and illustrations from select classics. "The bag serves as advertisement and reminder of the bookstore and thus is an essential part of the brand's communications...However, this new shopping bag series does more than promote the brand itself; it reflects the love of books and itself provides a book experience -- you can even start reading them...

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