It’s amazing how little it takes to make a good idea great. Just a tiny tweak, a cut here, a trim there, and you can take an idea to the next level.
But, you have to have the vision and the experience to know just where to cut and where to add, what to hide and what to show. The folks behind these ideas definitely know what they’re doing, and they did it right.
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These running shoes are high visibility without broadcasting that they’re high visibility.
When light hits them, they shine brightly, but otherwise they look like normal, black running shoes. No need to buy neon yellow running shoes to be visible to cars at night!
This hotel alarm clock displays the time on the side as well as the front so you don’t have to crane your head to see it from the bed.
And it also features plenty of USB ports for all your charging needs.
Thorny bushes stacked up around this plane’s wheels so wildlife won’t chew on the rubber.
Apparently to hyenas, tires are basically big Kong toys. Since nature is just giving away free deterrents, why not use them?
Here’s a bold, visionary attempt to solve tangled headphones at last: making the wires a zipper.
I think these might eat a lot of hair, but I could be wrong. It’s definitely worth a try, right?
A hidden pattern shows up on this raincoat’s fabric when it gets wet.
It’s decidedly appropriate for showers to bring out flowers, don’t you think? At least, that’s how I was brought up.
This pizza shop uses a knot of garlic bread instead of little plastic tables to keep the toppings off the lid.
A nice little bonus, plus it reduces the need for plastics. Genius.
This ice cream parlor puts a mini marshmallow at the bottom of its cones to plug them up so they won’t leak precious ice cream as it melts.
And it’s a tasty little extra treat!
These street musicians provide headphones for their audience instead of pumping their performance through an amplifier.
Folks can enjoy the tunes if they want to, but the neighborhood doesn’t get drowned in their sound.
Bar codes don’t have to be boring, as this milk carton shows.
Its bar code reflects its origins with a happy little barnyard design. It’s not a game changer, but it’s nice for those who notice it.
A pretty perfect solution for a profoundly imperfect situation — if you clog this restaurant’s toilet, you can avoid an embarrassing encounter by using a card.
Seems about as ideal as it gets.
This soda dispenser’s nozzles are clear, so you can easily see whether they’ve been cleaned recently or not.
Such a simple, subtle tweak that makes old technology so much better and safer.
This handrail has a few well-placed bumps on it that don’t mean much to anyone unless they know Braille.
The bumps are a big deal to blind folks because they count down the number of steps to the bottom.
This fire station uses shadows to cast its signage on the building.
It doesn’t even need to be daytime. Even at night, the streetlights out front are enough to make the sign show up. Nice way to save on electricity!
This footrest in a Jeep has a hidden message in Morse code: “Sand, snow, rivers, rocks.”
Not exactly the most useful thing in the world, but it fully keeps with the brand and is a neat little touch.
This laundry basket has all the laundry symbols and their meanings written on it.
Not exactly sneaky, but so clever. I absolutely need, like, three of these in my life.
Just to make sure you’ve got absolutely everything before you leave, the overhead bins on this plane have mirrors in them.
Until then, that was the only time being tall on a plane was a good thing.
Police in Sweden have almost gotten too clever with their unmarked cruisers, tucking the roof lights away in a roof box.
Unless you look pretty closely in your rearview mirror, you probably wouldn’t even know those lights were there until the sirens started blaring.
The best of both worlds come together in this movie rental place, which has an order window for the pizza place next door inside.
You have to be clever to keep a movie rental place in business these days, and this sure qualifies.
Rooms at this hotel have two peepholes, one at standing height and one much lower.
The lower one you don’t see very often, but it’s a nice touch of accessibility.
One of the most welcome upgrades I’ve seen in a while: adding an air freshener to a toilet paper holder in a public bathroom.
Every public bathroom needs these, stat.
The one place where a bathroom window at toilet height might be welcome: on an airplane.
Nobody’s going to see you there, and it makes those cramped bathrooms feel a bit less claustrophobic.
Who knew you could make a skateboard that folds up?
Because it’s not always practical to push your board across town, and it can be a pain hauling it around — with this, you can just stuff it in a backpack.
I like this idea of adding a recipe to the back of a shampoo bottle to make what the shampoo smells like.
I don’t know what the shampoo maker gets out of it, and I think that’s why I like it so much.
Here’s a USB drive I’d love to have on hand — it uses electronic ink to show how much storage has been used.
The meter will update every time you plug the USB in, and stay at that level when you unplug it.
This accordion bus has an accordion painted on the side of it.
Well, what else are you supposed to paint on the side of an accordion bus?
These inmates are spending their rec time walking rescue dogs.
This is definitely a worthwhile situation for everyone involved. The dogs get out for some fresh air and exercise, and the inmates get to interact with some beautiful puppers.
“This car has windshield wiper heaters to melt the ice and free your wiper blades during winter.”
No more waiting for your car to defrost or trying to bang the ice off your wiper blades yourself. This would be a huge time saver!
This pub’s toilet comes with an extra special addition for those patrons who’ve had a bit more to drink than they should.
It’s a sink exclusively for puking.
This jacket is making jogging at nighttime much, much safer!
As demonstrated with the camera’s flash, it’s reflective so car headlights will definitely be able to spot joggers on the side of the road.
Never forget your glasses or wallet in the bathroom again.
These toilet stall doors have a little catch-all tray on the locks for you to place those little accessories you don’t really want to hang onto while you use the facilities.
And since you can’t unlock the door without seeing them or touching them, you’ll never forget them!
Customize your very own 24-pack of crayons.
This is a really creative and fun idea, especially if you know you will never use certain colors (yeah, I’m looking at you white crayon.)
These aren’t just your average adult swing-sets. They serve a real purpose!
This train station lets you plug your phones in and go for a swing, or let other people enjoy the swings. Either way, the swings will charge your phone for you!
