When designers do their jobs poorly, you can’t help noticing. When they do their jobs well, it often takes a minute to register just because it seems so natural and sensible.
But the folks who build our world are looking out for us. They don’t set out to do bad jobs intentionally — who does? — but when they get it right, they deserve some praise .
So let’s give a shout-out to the designers who are trying to get us to enjoy life more.
If you ever visit Singapore, you’ll notice these devices at crosswalks, installed to help out the elderly.
Senior citizens can tap a card here to get more time on the countdown when crossing the street.
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This escalator features a see-through panel along the side so you can check out the inner workings as it moves.
It’s not only educational, but also has to be handy when the escalator needs maintenance.
If you’re into old-school gaming, you have to love this van’s paint job.
A lot of love, and no small amount of creativity, went into making those panels line up just right.
Here’s an ingenious way to show in graphic detail how much sunlight each day gets throughout a year.
The globe scorches a line into a log while the sun is shining — looks like this area gets plenty of natural light.
You hear the word “hero” a lot these days, but I think it applies to whoever decided to package this sewing kit with the needles already threaded.
Yeah, these have been around for a long time, but I don’t appreciate them any less for it.
McDonald’s is trying its best to stay ahead of the curve and embrace the future, including this food conveyor running out of the ceiling.
Apparently there’s a small counter upstairs, and the kitchen uses this track to send food up to it.
And although McDonald’s has a particular design aesthetic across its brand, it won’t bulldoze an architectural gem to achieve it.
I doubt the original architect behind this wonderful Art Deco building ever thought it would be a McDonald’s, but that doesn’t make this less cool.
If you like dipping a cookie in your coffee, you’ll love this sleeve that has a little pocket for your biscuit.
Not only a cookie holder, but a cookie warmer . Mmmm.
At a train station in Japan, staffers will gather up discarded tickets and use them to replicate famous works of art.
It’s the circle of caffeine: To make these mugs, someone gathered up and recycled old coffee grounds.
Or, if you prefer, it’s coffee squared. And here I thought the grounds were only good for composting!
Waste reduction takes a tasty turn at this deli, where the day-old bagels are turned into chips.
Handfuls of them are served with each sandwich as a crunchy, colorful side.
I’m not sure if this works as well as it’s intended to, but in theory, filling the toilet tank with sink water seems like a great idea.
And the sink is offset, so you don’t have to straddle the bowl to wash your hands.
Just for Halloween, Reese’s set up this machine that converts unwanted candy into Reese’s products.
It’s both genius marketing and useful, because peanut butter and chocolate beats every other candy hands-down.
This store’s commitment to the environment extends to its shopping baskets.
They’re not fancy by any means, but they’re inexpensive, easy to replace, and recyclable, so that’s something.
This car’s dashboard features a little Zen garden planter.
It looks pretty soothing to have some fresh greenery there, and as long as it doesn’t obstruct your vision, it might be just the thing to reduce a bit of road rage.
You know you live in a pet friendly building when the windows have balconies just for cats.
And cats are going to use their balconies. How can you not love these?
Here’s some sleek installation: a projector that tucks away into the ceiling and uses a mirror to project images, seen at a public school.
Its low profile means it’s less likely to get damaged or stolen, with a bonus of looking cool.
This parking lot features a different sort of thermometer, which simply turns blue when conditions are ideal for ice to form.
Because ice isn’t always noticeable, it’s always good to have a reminder to be careful in slip-and-fall season.
Just one easy addition to the back seat of this Uber driver’s car made it much safer.
The rearview mirrors by the doors help prevent passengers from opening doors into passing bikes or pedestrians.
In this pool change room, you don’t have to worry about juggling your stuff to keep it from getting wet on the bench.
There are mesh bags you can put your dry clothing in while you change. How handy!
This clever Greggs outlet — a popular food chain in Britain — turned its sign around to take advantage of a popular Christmas window display across the street.
Shoppers looking at the display can read the name properly reflected in the window and know where to go when their stomachs rumble.
Located in Tennessee’s Cherokee National Forest, this viewer allows the color blind a chance to experience the state’s beautiful fall colors.
And it’s beautiful in any season, so this is a wonderful addition.
You have to love a fridge with a see-through door, right?
I mean, you’re going to spend some time standing there deciding what you want to eat, you might as well keep the cold air inside.
In a clever illusion, this place has painted lamps on the wall where the light from the pot lights above cast their glow.
So, at a glance, it looks like the painted-on lamps actually work.
