magisso teacup, laura bougdanos and vesa jaasko

item: magisso teacup
designers: laura bougdanos and vesa jaasko
photos via: magisso
comments: this design is brilliant in its simplicity. the bottom of the teacup is angled which provides dual functionality. when the cup is tipped to one side you are able to steep the tea. balance the cup on the other side and you are able to drink the tea. so well done. the tea strainer is built into the cup so everything you need is there, just add tea and water. beautiful. bravo.

oversized clutch, by phillip lim

item: over sized clutch
designer: phillip lim
photo via: the fashion spot
comment: this bag is the ultimate blend of beauty, simplicity, and utility. enough said.

urbncal 2012 helsinki by jollygoodfellow

item: urbncal 2012 helsinki
designers: jollygoodfellow
photos via: urbncal
comments: this beautiful calendar is made from photographs of numbers throughout helsinki. the designers, esa and lisa of jollygoodfellow, describe it as a combination of architecture and typography. lovely. each month is made of a particular section of the city. there is an appendix which notes the location where each number was photographed. this is the third calendar they have created. each year they focus on a new city which creates an interesting visual catalog specific to that location. please check out the urbancal and jollygoodfellow websites (links above) to see more of this duo's work. nice.

folding techniques for designers: from sheet to form, by paul jackson

item: folding techniques for designers: from sheet to form
designer: paul jackson
photos via: daily icon
comments: i have been dreaming of this book for awhile. thanks to a late birthday gift, it now resides with me. yes! paul jackson has a background in fine art and origami. he has created origami patterns, written many books on paper folding, taught folding to a number of design schools, and consulted with many design related companies. this book is a compilation of the folding exercises he has taught. what's interesting about this book is that it focuses on individual types of folds more than the finished model. this allows the reader to combine and or alter the folds according to their needs. elegant, modern, geometric, i can't say enough about how beautiful and useful this book is. here is a not-so-short list of the types of people who have benefited from his workshops: designers (fashion, graphic, architectural, industrial, jewelry, and interior), artists (sculpture, ceramics, printmaking and fine art) and engineers, model makers, mathematicians, and scientists. wow, it's impressive how far reaching the exercises in this book are.