In September 2016 we wrote about 10 cool product designs of 2016, and the article quickly got very popular. This year we wanted to wait until the end of the year for our 2017 feature, and that also meant to make some more room for the products.
That’s why we came up with a total of 20 product designs for this year. Of course, there have been hundreds of good designs that were released this year, but we wanted to showcase the ones that we liked most and hope that you’ll also find them interesting. Enjoy!
BORA Professional 2.0 (Cooktop Extractor System)
You don’t get to see true cooking innovation that often. This made me particularly happy to spot this product by BORA that leverages a novel system to extract steam with suction into the cooktop.
Mushroom (Household Oxygenerator)
When you’re in need of medical devices in your own home, it’s already bad enough as it is. While the design of medical products that support healing is not relative to their efficiency, an appealing look can reduce frustration. Mushroom has been designed by ND Industrial Design (Jingzhou Wen, Tianyu Xiao) for Yuwell.
Camelbak Quick Stow Flask (Soft Water Bottle)
With the Camelbak flask you can prepare water for the day at home, and when you drank all of it, there’s not as much space in your bag that’s lost. It’s thermally insulated and has a leak-proof lock as well so you can use it for sports. This soft bottle has been designed by Kaydee Boone from Camelbak.
Face_Zero Air (Flush-to-Wall Plate Radiator)
I don’t know about your place, but in most places, heating radiators are just a terrible sight and steal space. The Face_Zero Air radiator is mounted on the wall and looks appealing too. Indeed a design object and not only a heater. The Face_Zero Air has been designed by Antonio Citterio and Sergio Brioschi for Irsap SpA.
LiftUp 26one (Magazine Bit Holder)
Every handyman and handywoman know “bits” for their usefulness as screwdriver head that can be easily swapped. But where to store them? In a box that lies nearby? Scattered on the floor? Wiha Werkzeuge GmbH has designed a neat solution. A bit holder that actually sits inside the handle of a tool. Highly efficient and cool!
EVERSWEET (Smart Drinking Fountain)
Drinking fountains for pets are often regarded to be not very hygienic or healthy. The designers C Zhang, Yiwei Zhang and Xiaoqing Ma from PETKIT wanted to build a smart drinking fountain that doesn’t only appeal to our eyes but also keeps our pets hydrated and healthy with a triple-filtering system and oxygen-enriched water.
LED Work Lighting
There aren’t really a lot of good designs out there for work lights. Of course, some got a hanger, and some come with a tripod but this is neither appealing nor a very smart way to build a product. Aixia Bian from AEC Lighting Solutions has designed this LED work light the user in mind. It comes with special focus lenses and filters to provide better more ways to use the light.
Qatar Foundation Avenio Tram (Light Rail Vehicle)
Many of our current transportation systems and vehicles were built decades ago. Sometimes they are refurbished but let’s face it, this is old stuff without much innovation and probably not much thought for design. The QF Avenio Tram was designed by Yellow Window for Siemens and with a lot of focus on making the ride comfortable for users in hot climates. Beautiful!
Precision Paintbrush
Design is an art but does art see a lot of design? The Catino agency for design developed this new paintbrush for Orkla House Care. This design will be used for a new product with a focus on comfort and precision work.
Perfect Corner Cabinet (Kitchen Furniture)
If you ever put a new kitchen in your home, you might be familiar with the problem in corner space. Usually, you have to compromise in this area, or you’re not able to use the space at all. The in-house designers Xue Yuan Pang and Chunbo Liu at Daeshin worked on a great concept to tackle exactly this problem in a great way. No more blind corners!
Cupcake (Babyphone)
This cupcake isn’t for eating, it supports parents to stay aware of how their babies are and not only hear what’s going on but also watch if everything is alright. With it’s soft, natural design it fits great into a nursery, and it also provides reporting functions on when the baby slept, drank or got changed. The design was done by inDare Design Strategy for Shenzhen Unixe Electronic Technology Co.
Hover Camera (Drone)
The Design of the Hover Camera is really unique. It’s boxy, foldable and cool. The cage that frames the drone rotors prevents it from hurting people while it hovers around, recognizes people and snaps photos of them. The design has been realized by Mengqiu Wang and Guanqun Zhang from Zero Zero Robotics, and it allows even users who aren’t tech savvy to easily operate the drone with gestures.
SUPER-ICE (Ice Dispenser)
The main attraction of the SUPER-ICE dispenser for ice cubes is the dome in the center that is shaped a bit like a diamond. It emits the feeling of clearness and freshness and therewith supports the overall effect of the product. The in-house product designers Dongsu Kim and Jongyoon Yu from SK Magic have crafted this concept to be a future key model of their product portfolio.
Rice Expert (Rice Cooker)
The Rice Expert is a rice cooker with a rather unusual but really fresh design. The rounded corners remind us of traditional rice cookers and thereby link to the product heritage. The Rice Expert is an IoT solution that lets you start the cooking while you’re still on your way home, so you can eat freshly cooked rice as soon as you step into the door. The design was done by Peng Xi and Yuan Yao from Midea.
Witbox Go! (3D Printer)
This portable 3D printer from Mundo Reader has such a friendly design that you could almost think it’s a toy or some kind of cosmetic accessory. It’s great to see that such a relevant technology becomes increasingly affordable and is increasingly also found in homes where it then serves as a design object and not just a clunky tech catastrophy that gets stored in a shoe box under the bed. The conception was done by in-house designers Eduard Villar, Julen Pejenaute and Ricardo Barriendos.
Fun Fun (Multifunctional Night Light)
The agency Stylepie Lifestyle prepared this design for the manufacturer Chocolight Technology. Fun Fun is a beautiful night light that also displays the time if you put it on the side. The playful design invites young and grown-up users alike just to pick it up and use it, and the charging plug is concealed in the silicon handle.
ROG Maximus IX Extreme (Motherboard)
Many of you might be familiar with the Republic of Gamers (ROG) gaming products by Asus. When you want to build desired gaming hardware, you need to deliver not only top performance but also a futuristic design. Their Maximus IX Extreme motherboard is really appealing, and the design also supports the function of the system. The design was done in-house by Asus, but unfortunately, we don’t know exactly who was working on it.
Walnutt Commuter Backpack (Skateboard Backpack)
Using a skateboard to get around but not sure where to put it when you get to the campus or the office? The Walnutt Commuter Backpack allows their users to easily strap up their skateboard when they’re not riding it. In the backpack, you can also store a laptop, a tablet and other important things. It’s very fashionable and wouldn’t even break a business outfit. The design was done by Wei Gu, Jiao Ge and Chao Jing from Hefei XIVO Design and Yik Hang Pang from the manufacturer Walnut Technology.
Mark (Smart Working Glove)
Hans Christian Sittig from Workaround GmbH has been working on this smart working glove. By combining work gloves and scanner systems, they have built a cool wearable that can help increase productivity in the logistics industry.
AVE 2 (Birthing Bed)
This new and innovative birthing bed by BORCAD Medical has been designed as a collaboration between Jiří Španihel from Descent and Pavel Šipula. Of course, we need innovation in hospitals and delivery wards. It’s essential to reduce the stress of birth as much as possible and also make sure both mother and child go through the process of birth unharmed. The AVE 2 allows being set up to support various birthing positions. Doctors and midwives have optimal access to doing their work as well thanks to the u-shaped cutout of the bed.
What do you think of our selection? Have we missed your favorite product of 2017? Share your thoughts with us and drop a comment below.
Photo credit: Photos are owned by all the respective designers and manufacturers as attributed above.
Editorial notice: The list has been created in collaboration with Pupu Liang.
