Friday, December 15, 2006

Design to Better Relationships (and thus the World)

And now, in the spirit of togetherness and bettering the world and all those good things, web and graphic designer extraordinaire Alyona Makeeva has unleashed her creativity into real space with innovative industrial design. The highlights are her sleeping-bag for two with a built-in journal, couple-mittens and a play-dish for sharing desserts and maintaining eye contact. A future project is a long-distance relationship clock.

Her thesis at Pratt Design School, "50/50: Designing for a Better Marriage," explores the notion of marriage in today's America, as it's affected by social changes and cultural tradition, and how design can bring back the affinity and genuine communication into a family. In the fast-moving world, where values shift and attitudes change, while some old customs and traditions become neglected, she's created products that bring harmony, encourage playfulness and foster communication. She believes stronger bonds can be developed in families through design, creativity and exploration.

Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, Alyona was raised amid Classical and Baroque architecture, the brooding wisdom of Dostoyevsky, the elegance of the Kirov ballet and ubiquitous Soviet Propaganda. This rich tableau suffused her from her earliest days with an enduring love of art, which she's carried with her to New York. After getting a degree in Media and Communication at Hunter, she worked in graphic design and has now turned to industrial design. She envisions a range of functional creations which are emotionally evocative while stimulating the imagination.

And now...presenting...the duo-sleeping bag (and more)!
-- also check out: http://www.mocoloco.com/, http://www.core77.com/