One thing that always excites me is getting to see cool and unique design ideas. The world doesn’t have to be boring and same-old, same-old. There are plenty of ways to be creative .
This list shows off some pretty awesome ideas. They’re the kind that’ll make you wonder how they aren’t already super common. You know, because they’re just that good.
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“This sign in Mexico.”
Simple, yet elegant. It tells you exactly what you need to know. Using a cellphone while driving can be distracting and dangerous, and you shouldn’t do it. We need more simple, universally understood signage like this.
“The LEGO Adidas Shoe has you stepping on a LEGO printed on the insole.”
Clever? Yes. Cruel? Also yes. If you aren’t expecting it, you might think you’ve accidentally doomed your foot to minutes of LEGO pain. But don’t worry, it’s just a fun little detail in the shoe.
“This baking chocolate bar tells us how much each piece weighs.”
This is a really nice design choice. Not everyone knows how much 10 grams of chocolate is just by looking at it, and they never make it clear enough on the packaging. More of this for sure.
“This bench designed specifically for people that want to chat to strangers.”
I guess there are some people who really want to chat with strangers. And you know what? If they want to, they should be able to without the rest of us having to deal with it.
“The barcode on this box of tea is in the shape of a teapot.”
This is yet another clever way to transform a barcode into something cool. I’ve never seen one that had a teapot shape on it before. I feel like every barcode should be dressed up to match its product.
“Light up, pedestrian pads so you never have to look up from your phone whilst crossing the street…”
I mean, you should still probably look up when crossing the street, but this is a good idea because it’ll remind people to do that. Or it’ll give them an excuse not to look up. Either way, it’s cool.
“Our new washing machine has a programme for Lego.”
I never thought about it before, but LEGO and other toys should probably get cleaned often (especially if your kids are really little). Sticking them in the washing machine and leaving them to get clean? Yes, please.
“Gas station near me has local honey vending machine outside.”
This is such a cool way to sell local honey! That way, if you’re one of those people who really craves honey in the middle of the night (I won’t judge), you’ll be able to get that fix.
“My Laptop’s expansion slot has a little multitool for when it is unused.”
So I may have just checked my laptop to see if it had one of these. It doesn’t, but I really wish it did. What a cool multi-purpose idea! What will they think of next?
“Business shirt shop in London has the pegs for clothes as collars.”
You just know that this shop sells fancy clothes. After all, how many stores have collars instead of hangers in their changing rooms? Just looking at it makes me feel so sophisticated.
“The bathroom at this arena has a spot to put your beer.”
I… don’t love the idea of taking a drink into the bathroom with me. But I still feel like this is something that a lot of people out there would appreciate. Maybe not if you’re going number 2, though…
“This soap dispenser makes little shapes on your hands.”
I feel like something like this would really appeal to kids, who definitely don’t wash their hands as much as they should. Also, it’s just really cute and fun to look at. I wish my soap dispenser did this…
“Morse Code on my Happy Holidays cookie.”
You know what? I think we should bring Morse Code back. There’s no reason not to, after all.
Okay, maybe I’m just saying that because this cookie is really cool. Or maybe I’m right.
“My throat soothers have braille on the box.”
I can’t believe how long it’s taken for braille to start appearing on more things. But this isn’t over yet! There are plenty of other surfaces and packages that need braille on them. Accessibility for all!
“Chairs in Helsinki railway station bar called Minute bar say how long it takes to travel to a city with train.”
I love when little design details like this are also educational. Did I ever wonder how long it would take to travel from Helsinki to Peking? Nope. But I’m still glad I know.
“This Starbucks sign is in sign language.”
I feel like sign language is one of those things that more of us need to learn. And even though knowing how to spell Starbucks in sign language won’t get you very far, it’s still a great start.
“This is a pen.”
I absolutely love pens that don’t look like pens. Like, this one is so much fun! Just as long as everyone knows that it’s a pen, and not a needle. I think knowing that is pretty important.
“CVS vending machine in Boston, MA.”
This would be such a cool idea in neighborhoods that don’t have 24 hour pharmacies. Just grab what you need at any time of day and go on with your life.
This is probably one of the coolest vending machines I’ve ever seen.
“The outside of my school became the inside when the gym was added.”
There was really no point in knocking that exterior wall and entrance down, I guess, so they just included it in the final design. To be honest, though, it’s super cool! It probably makes the school feel really unique.
“My microwave oven explicitly asks you to put a spoon in a cup of liquid before reheating it.”
A lifetime of being told not to put cutlery in the microwave makes this seem wrong, but when heating up liquids, it’s safer to have something in the cup to break up the surface tension.
If you don’t, the water could end up superheated and could literally explode if you agitate it before it cools a bit. Safety first.
