Exploit the Smoke & Mirror Technique

Japan based, Satoshi Itasake, of H22o430 Studio designed The Balloon Bench to be suspended in mid air. The design was visually inspired by the feeling of floating that the main character felt in the French movie, “Le Ballon Rouge”(1953). This film tells a story about a little boy that befriends a red balloon and romps through the streets of Paris. In reality the bench is suspended from the ceiling by 4 anchors concealed by the balloon shapes. Thus successfully creating the illusion that the bench is being lifted by only a few balloons.

Create a false idea of your own. Leave a deceptive impression. Or trick the senses. But play on the fact that things are not always what they seem.

Heat as Creative Catalyst

Innovative artist and designer, Tom Price, specializes in modern furniture, sculpture installation and lighting design. This London native's unique Meltdown PVC Hose Chair, was created by heating and pressing a seat-shaped former into a ball of clear PVC hose. The hose begins to melt as it comes into contact with the heated former, and due to prolonged exposure to heat it starts to burn. Once cooled the seat surface looks charred and brittle but remains flexible and comfortable to sit on.

Take a spark from Price's book and introduce heat as your creative stimulus. Burning. Molding. Melting.  And shaping your way to innovation.

Go Minute to Innovate

American based, native Brazilian, Dalton Ghetti challenged himself to create the smallest possible carvings that he could see with his naked eye and started carving a working pencil. Dalton's work is a recycling process with most of the pencils found on the streets and sidewalks. Carved mostly with a sewing needle and a very sharp, triangular, small, metal blade it can take months or sometimes years to complete. Sculpting pencils is a hobby and a form of meditation for Dalton who chooses not to sell it.

Challenge yourself to make your product small. Then make it  even smaller. And then decrease the size to the smallest it can possibly be. Unexpected innovation might just linger in this tiny scale.

Reinterpret the Ethos of a Bygone Era

Bristol based basket weaver, Dail Behennah, utilizes found objects in a contemporary way. Inspired by the 17th and 18th century ethos of valuing skill and time, Behennah spends hours stitching and weaving her plates, made with re-used, gold-plated guitar strings, which are intended for display, on the wall. Traditional porcelain plates were often decorated with gilded edges that glowed in the candlelight; two of Behennah’s plates consist solely of this border, representing the most recognizable remnants of this jewelry for the wall.

So take a trip down memory lane and delve into the history of your craft. Delve through the chronicles. Roam your avenues of interest. And locate a concept. Idea. Style. Or quirk. And reinterpret it in a repurposed material to give it a contemporary slant.

Inspired By Nature

New York-based Japanese designer Nao Tamura's unique solutions are more than simply design and possess a rare balance of innovation and beauty. Her gorgeous, collection of dishes inspired by cherry leaves is a prime example. The silicone kitchenware is perfect for anyone who enjoys a bit of nature indoors. The dishes can be rolled up, used in the microwave or oven, and are dishwasher safe.

Seeing that trend forecasts predict that nature will have a major influence on design in 2013 it might be time to dabble with the blue of the sea, to investigate the shape of the pebble, or to follow the curve of a wave.

Eco - Mini 2013 Consumer Trend

In 2013, there is   great symbolic value in creating new, environmentally beneficial life out of a consumer product. In line with increased ecologically sustainable activities there is now a phenomenon of products and services that quite literally contain new life inside. Rather than being discarded or even recycled (by someone else), these products can be planted and grown, with all the eco-status and eco-stories that come with that.

Sprout is a pencil that wants to be a plant when it grows up. Once the pencil becomes too short to use it can be planted: a seed capsule in the tip of the pencil dissolves upon contact with water, allowing the seed inside to germinate and grow.

So conjure a product that contains new life and remember symbolic, even playful statements of your values will resonate with consumers, too. Especially if they are seen as expressions of larger intent to take more meaningful action.

For more 2013 trends have a look at Trendwatching.com's 10 Most Crucial List.

Moss Painting Directions & Recipe - Growing your own design

Join the green graffiti movement and grow a design on your wall. You can mix you own moss paint using a cup of live moss (scraped from moist areas but without any soil), two cups buttermilk with 2 cups stale beer or water. Add 10 grams dissolved gelatin or 1 egg white and 1 tablespoon of syrup for the moss to feed on.

Choose a shady wall and paint, stencil or mold your design onto your wall. Accelerate the growth process by gluing dry moss (available from most florists) into your design. Water several times a day with a spay bottle to increase growth and watch your design come to life.

Anna Garforth incorporates a diverse range of natural and recycled materials in her installation work. She has a great deal of experience in design, illustration and typography to expand on for her many public eco projects, community gardens and exhibitions. Garforth’s works are a playful experimentation with materials, language, rural communities and porous social boundaries.