Founded in 1959 as a professional tool manufacturer to support Japan’s burgeoning manufacturing industry, Trusco—a combination of the words “Trust” and “Company”—is still manufacturing some of the best toolboxes, today. While their stripped-down design makes them a must-have for many design aficionados, the pressed steel boxes are ridiculously useful for just about anything—tools or not. Still manufactured in Fukui, Japan, Trusco tool boxes now come in more sizes than ever—capable of whatever storage challenges you throw at them. Trusco Toolboxes — $12.99 – $147.37 Features: Steel body, formed for extra strengthVersatile sizing for specific storage solutionsDouble-hinged construction for smooth openingDividers includedEqually useful in the home, office, or the shop PURCHASE…

Thunderheads above logrolled plains split the night and lit the glitter-swollen veins of the dragon moths. Since we hadn’t yet lit the path torches, we were certain the carts hadn’t been seen, that is unless their eyes had been coated with these heat-sensing links. Glen Johnson – Creator of epic biomechanical and biotronican ecological environments, sculpted in MasterpieceVR, shaped into worlds that shock the oculars. Space Type Generator – A 3D type experiment by Kiel Mutschelknaus. Change cylindrical radius, count, speed, offset. Adjust wave and type effect. French Disco – Stereolab is back with a reunion tour and reissued, remastered albums on vinyl and cd. This is the first [on…

There have been a few developments recently that have brought me to the view that STL file format will slide away quietly. STL has always been a highly problematic format, but at the same time has been used almost ubiquitously in 3D printing. Now there seems to be a crack in that standard that ultimately should kill STL forever. What is STL? It’s a 3D model format that uses the “mesh” principle. To represent a 3D object, a mesh of triangles is defined overlaying the surface of the object. STL is like a “skin” made entirely of triangles. The file format is simply groups of numbers representing the three-dimensional location…

Designing products for clients on your own is fun—but it’s not without risks. For one, there’s the time pressure that comes from working for a company or client; while you have the creative freedom to work with vague guidelines, having to start from scratch can be a daunting challenge for the uninitiated. Second, with great design freedom comes great risk; doubly so if you’re working as a freelance product designer without the ability to bounce ideas off of a larger team. Magnus Skogsfjord is one such brave designer setting out on his own, starting Miror an Oslo based design and engineering firm. After leaving his previous company to establish his…

If you had told me back in the 90s that the “cellular phones” in 20 years would be as thin as a wafer, I’d call you on your bluff. However, here we are— with phones that not only fit seamlessly into our pockets but allow us to stream videos or do our taxes. So why is Avenir Telecom, the company who owns the Energizer battery brand, attempting to pave a new trend in the smartphone industry by making a phone the size of a brick? Spec-wise, the Energizer Power Max P18K Pop isn’t terribly different from its competition. It comes with a 6.2-inch LCD display, 2 selfie cameras (one 16…

With over two decades of experience teaching how to design, draw, and render at the highest college level, concept designer Scott Robertson knows a thing or two about what it takes to make concepts ‘stick’ for his students. And as one of the most widely-recognized design sketching masters, he’s proven these concepts in his own practice through and through. In How to Draw: Drawing and Sketching Objects and Environments from Your Imagination, the Art Center educator consolidates years of design sketching knowledge—from thumbnail sketches and perspective grids to shaded renderings—into a digestible self-study program that can take anybody’s sketching ability to the next level. Frankly, if you’re even remotely serious…