The Tesla Model S

My favorite thing about Tesla Motors? It's a progressive car company that goes against the pressures of selfish and manipulative big-oil corporations and produces only high-quality, long-lasting, and green(er) all-electric vehicles. They recently unveiled their second production car, the all-electric Model S. It's not the super sexy sports car that the Tesla Roadster is, but it's much more reasonably priced ($50k after a $7,500 tax break—half the price of the Roadster) and family-friendly.

So why electric? Battery-powered electric vehicles are a cleaner alternative to those that run on petrol-based fuel. Pollution from oil-powered motors has burdened this planet tremendously up until now, and will continue to cause problems for us, our children, and our biosphere for centuries to come, unless we do something about it. Advancing technologies and the development of greener technologies over the recent years show us that there are people and companies out there who still value our planet's future.

How is the performance? Any auto enthusiast will tell you that no matter how pretty a car looks on the outside, the engine needs to perform up to par. The Model S has a single-speed transmission that will go from 0 to 60 in 5.5 seconds.

Electric vehicles (EVs) like the Teslas don't even have traditional engines that need to constantly run to power the car. They take the energy from rechargeable batteries as needed to accelerate. The Model S has interchangeable battery packs for 160-mile, 230-mile, or 300-miles ranges in one charge (depending how much you want to spend).

EVs are more efficient and have much fewer parts that need to be maintained, repaired, or replaced than with traditional combustion engines. I don't know about you, but I hate taking time and money to get maintenance for my car. With an EV, all you need to do is take it in every 5,000 miles to get the tires rotated and the windshield fluid refilled. (According to Wikipedia, Toyota Prius vehicles have been known to go over 180,000 miles without ever needing a battery replacement.)


What's with all that space? Since electric cars have smaller engines, the area under the hood is just a cosmetic big vacant space. The Model S has its trunk in the front, so there is extra room in the back for more seating (for a total of 7 passengers). I was most impressed with this little factoid: the cabin can fit a mountain bike with its wheels still on, a surfboard, and a 50-inch TV—all at the same time. How spacious! I had no idea that taking out the engine of the car would free up so much space. The dashboard also comes with a 17-inch touchscreen monitor that connects to the Internet via wireless 3G. No buttons touchscreen? This is how modern technology should be implemented. (You can find a list of the rest of its features over at Autoblog.)

And I love how the entire roof is transparent! It's like the front and back windshields extended to connect with one another. I can imagine myself in a parking lot somewhere just to watch rain splatter on top of the car. Or maybe stargazing when it's cold.

The Model S side-by-side with the Tesla Roadster

Will I really save the planet by driving an EV? If not for the lower cost of operating the vehicle in the long run, having a lower environmental impact is the best reason for going electric. Of course, there's no thing as zero environmental impact, especially when it comes to mass-production automobiles. But even with the energy it takes to make the batteries, EVs are zero emission vehicles, are much more efficient in utilizing the energy, and are driving the market to develop better technology for the future.

If all-electric cars are better for the customer, better for the planet, and better for advancing technological research, then why aren't there more of them on the road?



I recently watched the documentary Who Killed the Electric Car? (IMDb), which shocked and angered me to see how power-hungry big corporations are. They banished the electric car even though it was cheaper to produce, was more environmentally friendly, and highly desired by consumers. Why? The auto industry is tied to the oil industry, and electric cars do not benefit oil companies. Instead of putting out efficient clean-air cars, they decided to market Hummers and the like, driving gas prices up and the economy to the ground.

I believe that when people are aware of and understand the facts, they will, on average, make the choices that benefit everyone. Large corporations have been manipulating the market for decades by misleading the public by with skewed information. Now, with the expansion of the Internet and other news sources, it looks like information is slowly being brought back into the hands of the people.

In the third grade, I remember a music teacher who came in once a week and taught us a song about the electric car and how amazing it (the technology) was. Growing up, I often wondered why I had never seen an electric car out on the road, even though the technology had been developed and highly praised.

Seeing companies like Tesla break the mold and bring back the electric vehicle really warms my heart. The development of cars like the Model S shows that there still are people who care to invest in technologies and the environment.

As designers, we are all responsible for one important task: to improve the quality of life. I think cars like the Model S will be much better for posterity than gas-guzzlers, don't you?

The question is, should we be producing all these cars (electric or not) in the first place?

Related links:

• Tesla Motors
• The Tesla Model S at Autoblog.com
• Model S gallery at Engadget

Modernizing the Art of Tea

Totem cups from Imm Living

I love it when designers take an unvarying tradition on a fun and modern spin. The art of preparing and drinking tea is rich in history and culture. This ancient herbal beverage is associated with elegance, sophistication, and tranquility, but today, artists are cleverly redesigning various facets of this tradition to suit our modern taste for inspiring and effective designs.

Totem cups

Terrorist Tea Pot from Miss & Lady

Many of these innovative designs are functional as well. The Terrorist Tea Pot comes with a ski mask cozy to keep its contents warm for longer, while the colorful Tea Dam Cups enable you to drink your tea while allowing it to steep slowly.

Tea Dam Cups from Holycool

Sharky by Pablo Matteoda

What I love about the design behind the Sharky tea infuser concept is that it effectively utilizes the natural properties of diffusing tea to create a fun Jaws-themed environment in your teacup.

Smilecup by Studio Psyho

Tea bag coffin by Jonas Trampedach

How clever! After steeping, my tea bag usually sits awkwardly on a platter—if I have one—or drips inconveniently as I struggle to find a good place to place it. Jonas Trampedach observed the awkwardness of dealing with a used tea bag and came up with this wonderful solution. The Tea Bag Coffin provides a thoughtful and respectable resting place.

These are all some really clever ways to put some fun into our daily routines. I drink tea a few times each week, and can definitely see myself using something like the Sharky infuser. My favorite tea is mint tea—made from dried spearmint leaves—but I will go for black tea whenever I need that extra boost in the morning. I'm pretty caffeine-sensitive, so I only drink herbal teas later in the day.

Do you drink tea? What's your favorite kind? Do you have your own way of steeping and drinking?

Packaging Design - Chocolate

Tina Alster's private label for Après Peau

Who doesn't love chocolate? Everyone who says they don't is lying to themselves, in my oh-so-humble opinion. Therefore, it is ideal when the covering for this incredible sweet confection perfection is just as wonderful. Here are some great packaging for the chocolaty goodness that we all love (or should).

The Brooklyn Brothers is a design company with loads of personality. They have a distaste for the general style of advertising, and created a design for a chocolate that has no ego, and loads of chutzpah. I love the graphic snout on the top of the chocolate squares, so plainly snouty in spite of its simplicity. The name "Fat Pig" is also hilarious, which makes it even more awesome.

TCHO has an extremely simple design for their chocolates. It looks incredibly natural and biodegradable, with an effective minimal design.

Miller Creative uses delicate lines and feminine grace in this redesign for NYC's Lush Toffee. I like the color palette chosen and the tabs on top. The L is especially beautiful with its flowery embellishment.

Meg Gleason is a student who came up with an innovative design for her chocolates. The strawberry shapes are adorable little containers for the sweet treat, while the matching box with curvy window has the shapes and colors to suit my fancy. I especially enjoy the strip with colorful writing.

No matter how tasty the cocoa based treat may be, it can always be made more delicious when wrapped in a confection of colors, shapes and textures. 

Nothing is Original

Design by Mark Malazarte

Nothing is original—is it true?

Personally, I'm not sure I agree with this quote entirely, but I think it does a good job generalizing most things art and design. It's a beautiful quote on a beautiful design and I thought I'd share it with you.

(via swissmiss)