braille design

Posted by Mia on Jul 20, 2010 in Wallpapers |

I think the wallpaper above is well worth mentioning although it is not brand new. The Listen and Record wallpaper by Australian designer Ilias Fotopoulos has this year been selected for the permanent collection at the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum in NYC. I think it’s beautiful, ultra cool actually, and the design idea is very interesting. We’ve seen braille-looking design before, like in these braille wall flats from Inhabit…

…but while the wall flats in braille lack any (known) meaning, Fotopoulos’ braille project aims to question notions of decoration and accessibility of design. This is done through a clever role reversal: While sighted observers can appreciate the dots’ decorative effect and feel their flocked three dimensionality, the wallpaper only makes sense to someone who is able to read the tactile language. Fotopoulos asks “As designers, do we really address important issues or are we decorators, players of pattern and colour? What can we do to give at least some out of work purpose?” His quest is to bring meaning, thought and awareness back into design.

One of my favourite jewelry is this one, below. I got it for Christmas a couple of years ago. It’s designed by the Swedish silversmith Efva Attling. The braille tags say ‘make love, not war’.