Great design

11.31.21am GMT Sun 30th Dec 2007

A Bollard in Spain. More than your usual lump of cast iron.

Art Lebedev have hit the techie radar for their reconfigurable keyboards. Some or all of the keys on Optimus Maximus can be replaced with organic LED (OLED) displays, which are configured using software (albeit only Windows or MAC!)

http://www.artlebedev.com/everything/optimus/

http://store.artlebedev.com/computer_add-ons/optimus/

I'm also very amused by their pointer-shaped mouse.

http://store.artlebedev.com/computer_add-ons/mus2/

They don't only do geeky things; there are train carriages, consumer goods ..their site is a treasure trove of great design. I'm prone to taking photos of lamp posts and benches .. someone spent time designing their form and deciding on materials and finish, and if the end result is good - why not? This design house is proud to put their design on public display ..

http://www.artlebedev.com/everything/

While Ikea and others have brought 'designer' if not 'design' to the masses, the world continues to be constructed without adequate consideration for the people who have to live in it, or if changes are even fit for purpose.

This isn't only about whether particular individuals have a particular flair for innovation. Its about training people to design for the customer, and challenging, scrutinising, and managing them to go beyond the absolute minimum.

The part of their site I most like is the 'mandership' section.

http://www.artlebedev.com/mandership/

Its a commentary on good and bad design, and reaches into the world of publishing as well. Amongst other things, they design fonts, and take issue with arbitrary stretching and squashing of text:

http://www.artlebedev.com/mandership/134/

On keeping websites topical:

http://www.artlebedev.com/mandership/129/