THERE were bigger movie stars milling around the Sunset Tower here last weekend, but this night was all about Eddie.

He was tucked in a dimly lighted corner of the hotel’s plush restaurant, but hiding is impossible in Hollywood when you’ve got heat. And so Eddie Redmayne, who plays Marius in the film adaptation of “Les Misérables” and has modeled for Burberry, was politely interrupted by one power player after another.

The “Guilt Trip” producer John Goldwyn (grandson of the G in MGM) dropped by the table, for instance, to tease Mr. Redmayne about being a boldface name on a party invitation he had just received. “I circled it,” Mr. Goldwyn said, “and in fact I think I may have drawn a heart next to it.”

Ah, yes. Moviedom has a new crush.

Excerpt from “Eddie Redmayne, Talk of the Town” by Brooks Barnes for The New York Times.

Yes, Eddie Redmayne is swiftly becoming one of the most notable new actors to emerge in recent years.  A cursory glance at Eddie makes it hard to imagine that he could be anything but a star, but reflecting on the inventory of Mr. Redmayne’s past accomplishments, supported by that beautiful mug of ginger freckles, remains a testament to why we see him as the crux of great design.

Eton College, the famed British preparatory school as well as Eddie’s alma mater, has produced 19 British Prime Ministers and a slew of notables, ranging from greats such as Hugh Laurie to Bear Grylls.  700 year old Eton has been noted as “the chief nurse of England’s statesmen”, which helps to give origins to one of Eddie’s distinguishing attributes as an Actor, his sophistication.

The equivalent of an Ivy League high school education coupled with boyish good looks, inimitable talent, and a slew of freckles that could make any number of demographics sigh seem to have produced a veritable icon in the making out of this London local.

Eddie first found his home in the limelight in 2002 with his first professional stage debut for Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London in a production of The Twelfth Night.  During the 10 years that followed, Redmayne went on to play a multitude of roles on stage and on film.  Eddie also won a number of awards, which eventually propelled him to take the co-starring role in the major motion picture My Week With Marilyn.

Like so many great designs in life, Eddie’s breakout role in My Week With Marilyn had him playing another real-life Old Etonian, British filmmaker Colin Clark.  Redmayne’s wide-eyed innocence contrasted beautifully with Monroe’s hyper sexuality and the film received acclaimed reviews.

Redmayne is now a seasoned actor in an industry where youth is currency. His lean frame and good looks earn him character roles much younger than his 30 years, including that of Marius Pontmercy in the musical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables alongside greats like Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway.  (Les Miserables is set to release in the U.S. December 14, 2012)

Video: Les Miserables – Official Trailer (HD)

The post Talent + Freckles = Eddie Redmayne appeared first on GreatDesign.com.

Fun, affordable and available in your choice of 5 colors (via lunatik.com), the LunaTik Chubby is truly a stylus for artists of all ages.

The post Get a Grip on Your Inner Creative appeared first on GreatDesign.com.

The brainchild of a team of international designers under the umbrella of XD Design, the Window solar charger has an ABS plastic case with a PV panel surrounded by silicone pads capable of temporarily sticking to the glass of a window. On the base of the device are a full-size USB port and a mini-USB port for connecting portable devices in need of a clean energy battery boost. The charger itself contains a 1300 mAh Li-ion battery which is said to take around 13 hours of direct sunlight to reach full charge.

The Window solar charger outputs 5V/500mA via the included mini-USB cable, and has over-charge and over-heating protection built in. There’s an LED charge indicator on the bottom edge which lights red when charging and green when the battery is full.

Read the whole story at gizmag

Written by Paul Ridden

The post It Runs from the Sun appeared first on GreatDesign.com.

The Smart Measure measuring spoons by designer Juan Jimenez were created to help you solve all of the problems people consistently face when using these necessary baking tools.

The clever measuring spoon solves three common difficulties in the most simple way. First off, the contraption has two spoons that are able to be attached or unattached whenever you like. Secondly, when the two spoons are placed together you are able to slide back one of the spoons to create a perfect measurement rather than having to use a second utensil to level. Third, you are able to cup the ingredient in between the two spoons so that you can ensure your ingredients will not spill until it gets to where it needs to go.

Via Trendhunter

The post Portion Control at GD appeared first on GreatDesign.com.

The London Underground map: on the face of it, it’s just a map: a colourful one, sure, and one that does the job of communicating a lot of information in a relatively tight space, but that’s what maps are created for, after all. It looks different from a ‘proper’ map  – it doesn’t show any physical features or have contour lines, or for that matter display locations in true relative distance from one another. That’s not the object – after all, this is a map of the London Underground, not the surface of the city – but in terms of a design breakthrough which has gone on to become the reference point on which most other city transport maps have become based, Harry Beck’s map is the gold standard.

The funny thing about Beck’s map? It wasn’t commissioned – he started sketching it up in 1931 on his own, in his spare time. Once the map was introduced in 1933, it went on to become a big hit – and has become the template on which subway maps the world over have taken their cue. Most cities around the world which feature an underground rail system now have maps based on Beck’s design – including New York, Tokyo and Paris.

Read the rest of the story at SpringLeap

Written by Travis Lyle

The post London’s Trellis Map as Great Design appeared first on GreatDesign.com.

Don Stookey knew he had botched the experiment. One day in 1952, the Corning Glass Works chemist placed a sample of photosensitive glass inside a furnace and set the temperature to 600 degrees Celsius. At some point during the run, a faulty controller let the temperature climb to 900 degrees C. Expecting a melted blob of glass and a ruined furnace, Stookey opened the door to discover that, weirdly, his lithium silicate had transformed into a milky white plate. When he tried to remove it, the sample slipped from the tongs and crashed to the floor. Instead of shattering, it bounced.

The future National Inventors Hall of Fame inductee didn’t know it, but he had just invented the first synthetic glass-ceramic, a material Corning would later dub Pyroceram. Lighter than aluminum, harder than high-carbon steel, and many times stronger than regular soda-lime glass, Pyroceram eventually found its way into everything from missile nose cones to chemistry labs. It could also be used in microwave ovens, and in 1959 Pyroceram debuted as a line of space-age serving dishes: Corningware.

The material was a boon to Corning’s fortunes, and soon the company launched Project Muscle, a massive R&D effort to explore other ways of strengthening glass. A breakthrough came when company scientists tweaked a recently developed method of reinforcing glass that involved dousing it in a bath of hot potassium salt. They discovered…

Read the full story at Wired

Written by Bryan Gardiner

The post Glass Attains a New Behavior appeared first on GreatDesign.com.

Now for the first time, the RinserBrush is available to the public directly through Amron Experimental offering a wide array of quantity packages.

Whether you want one RinserBrush to try out  for yourself or buy nine-hundred  for your dentist’s office, it’s obvious that the Rinser’s Power Fountain and GreenerStep replacement heads are bringing great design to the world of hygiene.

Turn tap water into a fountain for rinsing after brushing.

No disposable cups to buy or throw away.  No glass to wash or take up counter space.  No changing hands to cup water.  And, no more putting your head in the sink.   Just aim the fountain where you want the water to be.

Uses GreenerStep Snap Replacement Heads.

Pop out the old bristle section and pop in a new one so your Rinser Brush will last a long time and you won’t have to buy a new toothbrush every three months.

  Pre-Order/Purchase Amron RinserBrush

VIDEO: Amron RinserBrush in Action

The post Rinser Toothbrush Re-imagines Dental Hygiene appeared first on GreatDesign.com.

As editor of GreatDesign, I enjoy chasing the complicated parts of how design is more than intent and purpose.

Nuance, connections, history, relevance, passion, prophet.

Sage, wizard, magician, entrepreneur, rebel, technology, talent.

Not sure you could invent an Ozwald Boateng.  He maintains the vigorous courage to see the classics done differently, arguably better.  There appears to be no stopping his level of passion, his level of flair and faculty.

And if all you see is a lavender single breasted suit, you’re not looking hard enough.

When you ask men to safely explore their oft repressed peacock nature through the prism of classic British tailoring, you’ll find the core makings of great design.

The post A Wizard Named Ozwald appeared first on GreatDesign.com.

At the heart of the 77/011 is a monocoque carbon fiber frame, outfitted with custom components milled from solid billet aluminum. The bike only has one gear – it comes with two interchangeable rear cogs, allowing users to set it up as either a freewheeling single-speed, or an oh-so-hip fixie. If they go with the fixed-gear option, they can also choose to leave off the front and rear sidepull brakes.

Instead of a chain, it utilizes a Gates Carbon-Drive belt drive, set up in a 55/22t ratio. The use of a belt drive means that no lubrication is required, and no oily gunk will be transferred onto the rider’s pant leg.

Read the whole story at gizmag

The post Cycle de Roma appeared first on GreatDesign.com.

If you’re like me & cursed with bad vision, then you know how irritating it can be to constantly deal with your contacts. You gotta have the solution, the case, the glasses… KILLING! The Lens Safe case offers a little relief by combining all of the necessary elements into one compact unit (in a variety of colors!) that’s more stylish and functional than the boring medical style cases.  Solution is stored between the R and L lens containers so you’re never left dry!

 For more visit Yanko Design

Review by Troy Turner

The post Seeing is Believing with Lens Safe appeared first on GreatDesign.com.