Steve Jobs’ Yacht “Venus”

It is nearly impossible to think of singular words to describe Steve Jobs. With many people in the public spotlight, their lifetime and endeavors can often seem to morph into overblown wives-tales, but in the case of Steve Jobs we can pretty much guarantee that he is one of the most influential people in history. He oversaw the development of the iMac, iTunes, iPod, iPhone, and iPad; all of which have had a profound and revolutionary impact on the way we live and communicate.

Jobs was known as a modest person who was the opposite of flashy (i.e. his simple wardrobe/uniform), however he did design one piece of flashy machinery: his yacht Venus. Although Jobs did not live long enough to see his yacht finished, it is nonetheless stunning. Normally we wouldn’t blog about boating, but this ship is just too amazing looking to pass up.

Venus boasts an aluminum exterior, much like Apple’s signature Macbook computers; a beautiful and aesthetically pleasing design feature.

Of course, the ship wouldn’t be complete without five 27″ Mac monitors in the wheelhouse. Overall, an amazing ship for an amazing person.

More photos at Dezeen.

Why Design Sam Hecht & Kim Colin

This week’s installment of Herman Miller’s Why Design series is probably our favorite. Industrial designer Sam Hecht and architect Kim Colin are a husband and wife team who opened the London-based firm Industrial Facility. While Hecht and Colin are great compliments to each others’ style, their perspective on design, and its innate processes, are extremely unique.

Hecht and Colin explain their different approaches and how their micro-versus-macro perspectives are nurtured by their chaotic hometown.

Check out the video; you will not be disappointed:

Debra Sussman’s Passion for Graphics

We found this video featuring designer Debra Sussman and immediately knew we had to share it.

Aside from sporting some very cool glasses, Sussman also shares with us her experiences photographing graphic designer in Germany and her unique passion for graphic design. Her unique perspective paired with her years of experience make her one of the most influential female designers of the 20th century.

Check out the video and you’ll see what we mean.

Herman Miller Envelop

Herman Miller is probably best known for their chairs, and rightfully so. There is not much debate about the comfort and versatility of their chairs, but Herman Miller didn’t just stop with these chairs.

The Herman Miller Envelop system is a cool idea (obviously). While we have come to expect our desk chairs to be adjustable,  has anyone thought of a work desk that does the same?

Herman Miller designed the Envelop system with ergonomic principles in mind; with it, you, your computer, your chair, and your desk all work together to promote a more comfortable and healthy workstation!

Impossible Instant Lab

Remember Polaroid cameras? Remember how absolutely awesome they were? We’re sure that you would probably love to get your hands on one nowadays, right? Well if that is the case, then you will be thrilled about the Impossible Instant Lab.

Your eyes have no deceived you. The Impossible Instant Lab allows you to take your digital photos and turn them into actual photos in an instant. While the younger generation may not have any idea how awesome Polaroids were, this definitely will bring back some memories for both young and older adults.

A release date hasn’t been announced but you can sign up for an alert from The Impossible Project here about a future release date.

More pics of the Instant Lab at Design-Milk.

5 Tips for Job Seekers

While we don’t have the absolute answer on how to find a promising career, we can offer you some tips that can certainly aid you in your search. Whether you’re a recent college grad entering the job force for the first time, or an experienced professional looking for something new these tips can no doubt help you.

However, don’t forget that you are in control of your situation, and you’re the only one who can make it (or not make it for that matter) happen.

We hope our tips are helpful!

1. Be flexible. Don’t pigeonhole yourself into a specific department or role. Moreover, don’t be afraid to share your interests and hobbies. These give you character, which is important in the workplace, and open doors for new experiences.
2. BE ON TIME! In fact, you should be 15 minutes early when meeting a potential employer. Remember that a potential employer is taking time out of their schedule to meet with you, so be ready when its your opportunity to make an impression.
3. Connect with potential employers before the interview. If you’re savvy at social media, you can certainly use this medium to your advantage. Retweet or “like” a potential employers content; if you’re lucky, they could notice which could reflect favorably on you.
4. Research your potential employers. If you are lucky enough to score an interview, one of the first things they will probably ask you is “what do you know about our company?” Do you research and you won’t look like an idiot when they ask you this.
5. Follow up. After an interview make sure to get your interviewer’s (and other colleagues’) contact information to send out thank you emails that day. Also, handwritten letter expressing your thanks will show a potential employer that you do indeed care. Make sure to maintain contact with these people to monitor the process in coming days/weeks.

You’re not perfect, and our tips probably aren’t perfect either, so its important to remember that you’re not going to get every job that you interview for. However, you can use interviews (even unsuccessful ones) as a learning experience, which will make them not so unsuccessful after all.

Why Design Steve Frykholm

Steve Frykholm is a cool guy. That is probably quite obvious since Herman Miller devoted an installment of their Why Design series solely to him.

Steve is a Creative Director at Herman Miller and has been there since 1970. That is certainly sometime to be proud of. Aside from being the first in-house graphic designer – and a good one at that – Steve is very truthful about his success and failures as a graphic designer.

Frykholm is a truly unique individual, and one of those people who we’d all love to meet one day.

Until then, check out his video:

Herman Miller Design for You

In the past we’ve shared our love for Eames products with you. Honestly, how can you not love them? Not only are they extremely comfortable and absolutely timeless, but they are beacons of great design. Even the Eames molded plastic chairs are comfortable; that can’t be said for very many other plastic chairs.

In 2010 Herman Miller asked five individual artists to interpret what the phrase “for a better world around you” meant to them, and display theses images on Eames molded plastic chairs. While the below video isn’t exactly new, it is just plain cool, and definitely worth sharing.

Check out the video to see how the chairs turned out:

What do you think of the chairs, and the design process behind them?

Cork Case for iPad 3

There is no doubt about the absolute coolness of the iPad 3. In all actuality, it is one of the most amazing pieces of technology ever designed by mankind. So, if you have one, why not protect it? And if you’re going to protect it, why not make it look cool too?

If you’re looking for a cool iPad 3 case that’s still going to protect your hardware then the people at pomm have got you covered. Their latest iPad 3 case if made of cork. Yes, cork.

Not only does the cork iPad case look very cool, but it’s a great shock absorber, it’s water resistant, and it’s definitely environmentally friendly. The case features a faceted exterior which only adds to its cool factor!

There will be 4000 cases produced for the iPad 3, which will be available to ship November 2012.

Check out more pictures at Design-Milk.

Herman Miller’s Design Values

We stumbled upon this cool video about the awesome people at Herman Miller. Just like any other video featuring their name and insightful products, it did not disappoint.

One reason we thought it would be a good idea to share this video is because of the fact that it actually showcases many of the products that we have blogged about in the past, like the Aeron Chair and the Compass System for Healthcare. It’s pretty cool to see that we weren’t just talking about nonsense!

You may also notice that during the video the narrator describes Herman Miller as a company that is interested in solving problems. Indeed, they are driven by solutions.

Enough reading; now watch the video!