Design of the Week (No.18)

Stir-ring my imagination this week is:

(No.18) The MazeCafé by Friend & Friends

I came across this the other day and I'm a bit surprised I haven't seen it before. The MazeCafé is a cup and saucer with a little maze embossed into the surface of the saucer. So when you inevitably spill your beverage, you can chase the dribble around the maze (presumably until it wells in the middle or falls off the saucer...?!).

Nice bit of product photography here!

A-maze-ing! (oh dear!)

I kinda like this, because it reminds me of something I came up with several years back involving an egg and the runny yoke. But then again, is it completely pointless? I guess that's up for debate, but at a boring conference function, it might be just what you need to keep you sane!

Design of the Week (No.17)

Stir-ring my imagination this week is:

(No.17) The Corkcicle Classic

Being a freelance designer who works from home and a Northerner with a Yorkshire bias, I can be a little tight when it comes to central heating. Rather than putting the heating on (which would subsequently warm the whole house) I'd rather sit in my office, shivering with a snotty icicle at the end of my nose. 

As Winter is clearly drawing in, I thought it apt to find a suitably themed product to help us deal with the icy chill. The Corkcicle Classic is designed to fit inside a wine bottle, to chill your wine to the correct drinking temperature. In fairness, it's probably more of a Summer product than a Winter one, but I found the link amusing (forgive me). 

For a further description, I'd like to turn to my favourite designer goods website, Fab.com, who exclaimed that the Corkcicle Classic: 

"...can be used in red and white wine (immersion time is less for red wine than for white and is explained on the box). Corkcicle is made of BPA-free plastic and contains a non-toxic, proprietary freeze gel inside. It’s not recommended you chew or eat your Corkcicle; it’s much better suited for chilling wine than for snacking on."

A timely warning indeed, for those of us who like to chew our icicles. 

Look on the Corkcicle website, and you'll see they have developed this concept further, with colourful Corkcicles, Corkcicles for your beer and the futuristic 'Corkcicle One' which features an integrated cap to pour your drink from the top and a built in aerator: http://corkcicle.com

What do I think of this product? Well it's bonkers isn't it?! Yes, I can see it being a bit fussy to use, but it's great fun and will get people talking. You can get one for about £20. Alternatively (if you live in the UK), place your bottle on the outdoor step and assuming that you don't have thieving neighbours, you'll have a chilled bottle in 5 minutes!