SparkBlog by The Hartman Group

Play-Doh Kicks

 Core 77, the site for all things design related, hosts monthly 1-hour design challenges fueled by their devolted team of readers.

This month, they're celebrating shoe designers all over the world with Play-Doh Kicks, tasking readers to recreate or reinterpret their favorite pair of sneakers in play-doh, in one our or less.

So far, submissions have ranged from fun to stunning to the unexpected, including a few ballet slippers and rogue pairs of Crocs. Nikes abound!

Best of all, Core 77 has engaged an entire community of designers with impressive results.

See more over in the gallery.

Office Inspiration

Studio Rita has a sense of humor we can get behind, on this grey Seattle Friday.

(via Core77)

Ketchup + Relish = Dunny

Founded in 2002, Kidrobot creates limited-edition art toys and apparel for grown ups. We couldn't help but fall in love with their latest Dunny series, launched this month. 

Even though you won't find any actual condiments inside these pop gems, we think they'd be a welcome update to the same old packaging of our usual ketchup & relish.

Have Your Cake & Wear It Too

Edible fashion from Italian photographer Fulvio Bonavia for his book "A Matter of Taste." We can see ourselves donning the sardine belt in particular. Many more images on his site. 

Seattle's Best Gets a New Look

We can remember way back when Seattle's Best Coffee was still Stewart Brothers, roasted on Vashon Island a mere ferry ride away from downtown Seattle. Purchased in 2003 by our other local coffee giant, Starbucks, Seattle's Best has been quietly growing under the radar. Well, until this morning.

Driving to the office past Starbucks headquarters in the wee hours, more than a few of us at the Hartman Group noticed a big change to the usual Starbucks signage:

It appears Starbucks HQ has been temporarily taken over by Seattle's Best. We smell a relaunch brewing! Indeed, things are happening on the SBC website and Facebook page, including an explanation of the new look and the promise of a forthcoming video of this morning's draped banners:

While our dedication to making premium coffees isn't going to change, we needed a new look to match our optimistic outlook and simplified approach to great coffee experiences...We plan to show up in new ways and different places. Places where great coffee should be. We hope you join us on this journey, starting today.

Blogs are all atwitter with news of SBC's "new look" today. So far it's been received with mixed emotions. One commenter over at Brand New summed up his feelings about the ambiguity of the logo explaining, "makes me want to donate blood." The Seattle Times described it as "an open-mouthed smiley face with a drip of coffee" (just try to un-see it!). Others have suggested it conjures up a paint company or hardware store. 

No matter what you read into it, we're intrigued to see what comes next for Seattle's Best, which is expanding to Subway, Burger King stores and AMC Theatres this year.

The art of the process

As we enter this new decade, a reminder of the art of the process...

The making of an Eames fiberglass chair

[via Kottke]

For once, truly game changing innovation: Sixth sense technology coming soon

Some have been blabbing on about the much-touted “sixth sense” technology for some time now. Well, the startling news is that it’s finally here, and it was announced last week that it is going to be open source.

Keep in mind that the technology right now seems primitive and not fully scoped out, but given two years of open source development this could prove mind blowing. As shown in the embedded video, need to know the time? Well, imagine simply using your finger to draw a circle on your wrist and an image of a clock appears. So very cool.

Weekly Six: Packaging and innovation from the cool to the creative

12 of the World's Coolest Packaging Designs via Fast Company

Collage of the cool via Superficial Gallery

Anti-theft lunch bags via Think of The

NASA invention for kids: Applesauce on the go via Ambalaj

Meaty Packaging via Lovely Packaging

Credit card-sized Pocket Light folds flat via Dvice

Enjoy!

P.S. BONUS

There's an app for that: Plastic surgery ala iPhone

Single Serving Sites

In the past we've shared a few of our favorite single-focus sites, ranging from charting the progress of our new president to simply informing us if we need an umbrella today.

Today we stumbled upon another single serving site as visually compelling as it is informative. Created by Justin Ouelette (the creator of Muxtape), All The Curry does what it promises, offering a simple solution to a single common problem.

Justin says:

Brendan and I decided to order Thai food last night and faced an all-too familiar problem: remembering which curry is which. With colorful names that may or may not reflect their actual appearance and similar ingredients that aren’t usually listed, selecting a curry can be a harrowing decent into the darkest depths of indecision.

It was time to settle the issue once and for all. We ordered all five standard Thai curries so they could be examined and sampled as a complete set, and challenged ourselves to build a web site with our notes in exactly one hour (cementing the memory and providing future reference should that memory fade).

Certainly more compelling than The Price of a Stamp.

Anyone want to chip in for an order of panang?

The Delicious Crunch of the Past

General Mills appears to have a few Trix up its sleeve (excuse the pun) as it deploys new tactics in the quest for presence at shelf. For a limited time, General Mills is re-issuing vintage box designs of Lucky Charms, Honey Nut Cheerios, Cocoa Puffs, Trix, Kix, Wheaties, and Golden Grahams. The retro boxes will be available exclusively at Target.

While younger cereal eaters may not be initially attracted to the retro feel of the boxes, GM may be reaching for another audience: consumers who have long strayed from childhood brands.

General Mills was wise to pair with Target, who has been setting itself apart with innovative shopping concepts as of late. Millennial Manhattinites recently flocked to Target’s Bullseye Bodega, a pop-up concept store modeled after traditional NYC corner stores featuring guest designers, accessories, beauty products, and housewares at traditional low prices. By offering specialty, limited-edition designs, retailers like Target are able to catch the attention of increasingly brand-averse consumers interested in playful & engaging shopping experiences.

We're tempted to go purchase a few boxes and line our kitchen cupboards with them.