Be cool.

A chair is something you’ll be seen a lot in, so look good sitting in one. When thinking ideal, one has to suspend reality that one can afford these chairs…

Be cool some more.

Nothing irritates a human more that an uncomfortable chair. Make sure the lower back feels your love for it – prove it with cushions made of twinkies (added benefit – warmed snacks for the team after about an hour of sitting)

Swivel n Roll

Getting up from a chair to talk with folks should never happen. My chair will swivel and if needed, roll over to a person despite the terrain — I’m talking Tonka truck wheels.

Refreshments

Hydrating is important to staying alive and a chair should not jeopardize my life. My chair will house a tub of watercooler quality liquid.

Stay fresh

Some might want to roll their chairs to you — a chair should help you smell your best and spare you from bathing. The fabric of my chair would be made of wet-wipes.

Reduce number of seats

Why do we need so many personal chairs? Parents know that their baby’s car seat also makes for a great carrier and rocker. My cool-guy chair would have a dual function by latching into my car.

Weather Controls

I barely have to write anything here – everybody knows your back gets hot while your limbs go frigid. Temperature control is a must. While I’m at it, I want a chair that recreates the feeling of being outside during a crisp Autumn day.

Behold the Schafer BoBimBap-Seat 3000…

Now, before we begin, keep in mind this ride is not intended for all audiences. I am a commuter and use my bicycle is primarily for utilitarian purposes rather than leisure or exercise. Also note that I am not a machinist or engineer and while I can design and dream all I want about my ideal bicycle I don’t have any of the skills necessary to build it. (Read: Urban hipsters: please do not contact me asking how you can get one of these bicycles. Engineers/Bicycle makers: please DO feel free to actually build a model of this and notify me immediately.)

Alright, what’s the first feature of my dream bicycle? Well, some of you may wish for a diamond encrusted bicycle, but remember I’m all for the practical and obviously would want my name spelled out in the frame of the bicycle, like so:

Secondly, seeing as how headphones are illegal while operating a vehicle (that goes for you too drivers) I would want the ability to play music on with my bicycle. What better way to make music than have the ability to play records around my wheels?

Speaking of tires, I’m always worried about bicycle safety and not being seen by drivers at night so why not add some snazzy led images to my tires?

On a practical note, I’d like my tires to be self inflating with a built in pump like so:

I would definitely want a pannier or two attached somewhere. Popularmechanics.com describes panniers as “A graduated basket… well worth the expense.”

Living in washington DC has its advantages- lots of free museums, outdoor film festivals in the summer and a fair amount of bicycle lanes to get there on a bicycle. What’s the trouble with that? Bicycle theft. While there has been lots of attempts at designs to quell the would be thieves I think one of the best inventions is to have the lock be part of the bicycle itself (better yet, an essential part). I saw this on a few sites including bicycledesign.net.

Any bicycle worth it’s salt should obviously be foldable – small enough to fit in the space in car trunks designated for a spare car tire. This idea Volkswagen came up with and I’m a big fan. That way you can drive to the countryside and have a leisurely afternoon of biking.

Besides a pannier or two another basket on the front of my bicycle couldn’t hurt- why carry things on your back when you’ve got a perfectly good machine that can hold things?

I would not want my ride to be a strenuous workout like the crazies who ride the ElliptiGo.

Being a social animal I regret that most bicycles are only build to hold one person. Not the case with my bicycle. Mine would have an extra pop out seat and pedals so my friend could join me in a jaunt.

And the final crowning piece of this bicycle? Well, first think of all the musky animals overrunning the streets of any city. I’m talking about squirrels. They’re not doing much of importance, and they’re friendly. Why not put them to work? I’ll devise the inside of my tire so that it’s something like gerbil wheel meets parrot swing. That way my tires can be powered by natural energy and when they get tired of running, they can jump on a tiny hammock and rest while I pedal. It’s brilliant! And think of all (government subsidized) jobs created because people will need to train these squirrels! It’s really a win-win-win.

I’m thinking the final product will look something like this:

To complete the dream machine I would get an airbag hoodie and a stylish nearly stylish helmet.

While it might not be the most feasible bicycle redesign, I think it’s better than the fake bicycle from Leonardo Da Vinci’s sketchbook and may just be crazy enough to work.

We have a new enemy

We hope your 2011 is a safe one… the army of detached rabbit heads being mounted to robots might make it a challenge. Only after the Chinese New Year celebration will we know what they want — my guess is either better pay at petting zoos or an end to the campaign to eat rabbits on Easter

As thanksgiving gobbles itself to our tables, we wanted to take a waddle back from our usual writing topic of design and share with you all what we’re thankful for this year.

What are you thankful for?

Hannah:

Michael:

• A family that never stops to amaze and delight me with their kindness, humor and adventure
• Opportunities to witness the creativity and ingenuity of Ashleigh and Hannah
• All of our outstanding clients
• An affordable pupusa place opened down the street

What will you be eating for thanksgiving?

Hannah:

• Mashed Potatoes, salad, cornbread, and probably some form of tofu; pretty much anything except stuffing, green beans and all forms of meat

Ashleigh:

• Turkey, mashed and sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, veggies, and salad I’m sure

Michael:

• Going ol’school this year – straight up turkey, mashed spuds and stuff pulled from the inside of the turkey (pilgrims called it “stuffing”)

Name some goals you have for the thanksgiving break.

Hannah:

• Spending quality family time
• Cutting my own Christmas tree at a farm in Virginia.

Ashleigh:

• Making one funny family memory. Its all about the end result, the specifics are up in the air

Michael:

• We’ll be adding to our love of the DC area by exploring a new destination (yet to be determined)
• We’ll also be getting the Christmas bush and cramming as many decorations as it will hold

Every year, there is a sour pickle in my bowl of jolly cereal. I love football but that pickle is the name of my Washington DC’s team – the “***skins”. I find it messed up that our nation’s capital perpetuates an offensive name but there is a re-branding solution to every communication problem. By removing the offensive “red” from “skin” and replacing it with “potato” — modify the image as shown and everything gets resolved. No fan will even notice but those rightly angered by the name will.

While i’m burying the old team name lets go all the way and declare that the team is not even in Washington but in Maryland – Prince Georges County.

So now we can cheer for the P.G. County Potatoskins with peace of mind that they are both geographically and politically corrected. Have great season spuds!

Interested in sporting a Potatoskin tshirt?

We want to hear from you because we can’t decide if we should print some off! You can vote by hitting the “like” button below.

This Independence day, I ask that you not only enjoy the pageantry of men in grilling aprons, the whiff of a sizzling grill or a heartedly chorus of yankee doodle — I ask you to soak in all the graphics. Our flag in all of is glory, is a really nice strong brand. The colors alone evoke such heavy polarized emotions. Can you name any company, rockstar or athletic team brand that is more recognizable than the USA’s stars and stripes — red, white and blue?

I’m not trying to be a patriotic zealot, bent on displaying egocentric bombastically charged nationalism, I’m just talking about recognizable visual brands. I am partial though… I do heart the USA. I am also aware there are living people in the states that could tell me what the golden arches represent but might not be able to tell me what the stars and stripes represent. By no ignorance on their part mind you, there are just that many companies, federal agencies, clothing lines, auto dealers and so on that are riding the powerful USA brand’s coat tails. Since forever, our national graphical elements have been used to sell so much and convey so many messages — ponder how so many brands borrow from the USA — does it hurt the image of the USA? Or for a designer are these elements trite and to be avoided?

It’s no secret that designers (especially in the DC area) are constantly trying to freshen up the graphical symbols of America but in the end we succumb to the proven graphical elements – stars, stripes, eagles, blue fields… and that’s okay because as you will see this fourth of july, its a strong brand.

The herald Ceagle

Here at openbox we did a mash-up of our beloved majestic eagle and our secondary American love — the cow. We refer to is as the “ceagle.” Will this new image become the seal of a new federal agency… we hope so. Secretaries of agencies, we await your phone call… we await your call too dairy farmer associations.