20 Great Ideas That More Designers Should Take Note Of

I can't help but be super impressed by the design ideas some people come up with. They can be so clever or useful, that it ends up being surprising that you don't see them more often.

I think if we saw more of the amazing design ideas in this list, then the world would be a better place. Here's hoping they take off!

"A very literal half pint."

If more beer glasses looked like this, I'd probably want to drink beer more. Okay, maybe not, but I still appreciate the design here.

I wonder if it would make storing them easier, or harder.

"My co-worker is using a phone mount as a hand sanitizer-holder."

To be honest, having hand sanitizer in your car is probably a good idea (you have to fill your car up with gas, after all). This design is... unintentionally awesome. I wish I had one in my car, now.

"This champagne vending machine in my hotel lobby in Paris."

I really love the idea of specialty drink dispensers like this. We have them for soft drinks, so why not something more refined like champagne? The possibilities are endless here!

"This maintenance guy's shirt doubles as a sign."

A clever shirt, indeed. It even has arrows pointing in either direction, you know, so this guy can cover all his bases. But... what happens if he's working on the only door? I guess you'd just have to wait.

"Biscuit tin that has a working clock built into the lid."

I'm not really sure why you'd need a container that's also a clock, but I can't help but love this thing regardless. Maybe just treat it like a clock, and leave the container part as some kind of secret compartment?

"These chairs have little socks on as scratch guards."

I'm not gonna lie, these little socks are super cute. I with they were more readily available, instead of the little pads you put on the bottom of chair and table legs. They would make our furniture a lot more endearing, I think.

"This hybrid lamp/wireless smartphone charger I made for my design thesis."

This is honestly such a cool design. It looks like there's a halo around the phone, which makes it a lot more angelic. I'd love to see actual lamps/chargers like this one in stores!

"Liked how they put the design over all 4 parts of the series."

This is such a satisfying design. The way each volume continues the design from the last, all without looking uneven or anything. It makes me really tempted to go out and buy this book set for myself.

"The sign my work posted on how to use the new door sensors."

Sure, the sign that says the exact same thing as the actual sensor is a bit redundant, but I can't help but appreciate how cool the design itself is. So much better than having to touch a button, that's for sure.

"Found in a clothing store dressing room."

I wish more places had a means to organize clothes like this. It'll definitely keep you from accidentally giving back a piece of clothing you actually wanted to take home. And it'll make the change room a little bit less messy (maybe).

This pair of tongs with a built-in rest.

This is actually so cool! Understated, sure, but really cool. If you don't want to rest the ends of the tongs directly on your counter for whatever reason (and there are plenty of reasons), then these rests will be your saviors!

"This Hot Wheel with a hidden bottle opener."

There's a lot going on here. Some of it cute and kid friendly, and some of it a bit more adult oriented. But hey, who says a thing can't be two things? Even if those two things don't really seem to go together.

"This shelf designed to look like it's phasing into the wall."

I can't believe I've lived my entire life so far without ever seeing a shelving unit like this before. You may not be able to use it for storage, but it makes for a really incredible statement piece!

This reclining chair built right into a dock!

I feel like I know a lot of people who would love to have something like this (both the dock itself and the built-in chair). Hopefully, though, there are no dock spiders lurking around...

"I combined my TV and piano stands."

This is... actually so cool! It looks like a regular stand for an electronic keyboard, and then bam! It's also a hidden TV stand! It seems like such a cool idea for those of us who are more musically inclined.

"Hanger Display at Walmart."

Okay, so it's not like a place like Walmart needs to go above and beyond to sell their products. But they really saw an opportunity here and took it, and I can't be mad at that. This display is actually awesome.

Suddenly, I feel like I need to get new hangers...

"The design of this DVD case."

Sure, DVDs are a bit of a thing of the past, but that doesn't mean that they can't make for cool collectors items. And the awesome reflection design in this DVD case is definitely the kind of thing I'd want in my collection (if I had one).

"An office with a helpful size guide."

I really do feel like there are a lot of people out there who could benefit from this size chart. People who use a lot of shipping boxes, for example. After all, the last thing you'd want to do is get the wrong size.

"CVS has magnifying glasses throughout the medicine aisle so you can read what the medicine packaging says."

This. This right here. This is going to help a lot of people out. People who have forgotten their reading glasses, for example. Or people who don't know that they're farsighted (but are about to find out).

This park bench/streetlight with an umbrella attached.

Not only would this help keep you (somewhat) dry during a rainy day at the park, but the whole bench/streetlight combo is super cute! If anything, I'd want these around my town just because of how they look.

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