Tag Archives: customizable

Aesthetic speaker concept adds decorative value to your home entertainment setup

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As people become more aware of the role that sound plays in immersive content, the number of speakers in homes also begins to rise. This means that these audio equipment are starting to make their presence not just heard but also seen, and sometimes not in pleasing ways. Fortunately, manufacturers are also becoming more sensitive to this aspect of product design, and we’re seeing a growing number of speakers that extol aesthetics as much as audio quality, though the side effect of this trend means getting locked into a specific design the moment you make your purchase. This customizable speaker concept, on the other hand, offers some flexibility that not only lets you decide how the speaker will look but where you want to put it as well.

Designer: Eshant Kumbhakarn

Compared to TVs, the true value of speakers lies not in their appearance but in their audio output. Unfortunately, these products still take up physical space, and hiding them doesn’t exactly work because that can negatively affect the way sound travels. Some audio equipment brands try to disguise speakers as art objects or minimize their footprint as soundbars, but this speaker concept design tries to combine both ideas to deliver the best of both worlds.

Aura is a concept for a speaker panel that delivers audio in 360 degrees. Rather than pushing sound from the front as you might expect from a flat box, the actual speakers are located around the edges. Thanks to this design, it is possible to place Aura anywhere and in any orientation, whether vertically on a wall, horizontally below a TV, or even lying flat on a long meeting table.

To help make this flexibility more practical, Aura has a special feature that very few speakers have. It has physical controls as well as input ports on both long sides of the speaker, letting you control it directly regardless of the position or orientation. Admittedly, that does add a complication to the internal implementation of the speaker, but it’s not entirely impossible given today’s technology.

That alone already makes it notable, but Aura’s real value comes from its customizable and interchangeable front panel. In theory, this lets you select a design that would match the motif of the room or even the material of the table on which it will be placed. Whether it’s a marble-like finish, wood, or a typical gray mesh, Aura puts the owner in control of how the speaker looks and blends into the background. Even better, you can always change that panel when you change your interior design, prolonging the speaker’s usefulness for years to come.

The post Aesthetic speaker concept adds decorative value to your home entertainment setup first appeared on Yanko Design.

How this modular desk lets you design your ideal workspace without breaking a sweat

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People have recently become more conscious of the tables they use for work, whether it’s for a work-from-home setup or with employer-provided furniture in the office. It’s clear that there is no one size that fits all, but even the plethora of options available doesn’t always work all the time. Circumstances can change, like moving to a new flat or rearranging the office space, that would make that carefully selected desk unusable. Rather than a perfectly designed piece of furniture, what we need is one that can change and grow to our needs and environment. That is exactly the kind of flexibility that this modular, customizable, and long-lasting desk is offering, and you won’t even need tools to make it happen!

Designer: Den

Click Here to Buy Now: $1,620 $1800 (10% off with coupon code “YANKO10”). Hurry, deal ends in 72 hours!

Ever since work-from-home setups became a thing, the number of customizable desks started to rise rapidly. But while these let you add or remove some compartments, they often retain their basic shape that was dictated by their design and production. A corner desk forever remains L-shaped, while a square or rectangular table will be that way until it’s broken. When your situation or location changes, you’re pretty much out of luck if your sophisticated desk won’t even fit your room.

What the Den Desk does differently is to offer you the building blocks to assemble your own desk just the way you like it, almost like playing LEGO. You can start with the most basic setup and then grow your desk by adding other parts or accessories, from monitor mounts to even a cabinet on the side. Want a corner desk? Simply slot it in another desktop at an angle and you’re good to go! Should space suddenly become a problem, you can easily separate the pieces to go back to a more space-efficient and minimalist workspace.

What’s even better is that you can assemble and disassemble these pieces with relative ease, almost like playing with those toy bricks. Thanks to the innovative Den Mounting System, you can slide parts into each other with specially-made metal connectors and then secure them with thumbscrews. Say goodbye to the days of hunting for screwdrivers and wrenches to set up or take down your desk with an almost effortless system that might even encourage you to change your desk every so often.

The wins don’t stop there, either. Each piece is an elegant work of craftsmanship and durability, made from furniture-grade Baltic Birch ply for the wooden desktop or black or white powder-coated 6061 aluminum for the legs and privacy panels. As a testament to its sustainability and durability, the Den Desk even comes with a lifetime warranty, relieving owners of the worry that comes whenever they have to move homes or offices. With the Den Desk, you can finally design a workspace that grows with your needs, allowing you to do your best work all the time.

Click Here to Buy Now: $1,620 $1800 (10% off with coupon code “YANKO10”). Hurry, deal ends in 72 hours!

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This customizable mechanical keyboard adds knobs and a display to boost your productivity

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A lot of people who live and die by computers swear by mechanical keyboards for one reason or another. There are quite a few benefits to this type of computer keyboard, even if you don’t exactly subscribe to the sound or typing experience they bring. It almost seems like a by-product of their audience that mechanical keyboards happen to be significantly more customizable than their softer-sounding counterparts. This is often seen in the way you can change keycaps or even switches, but there are also quite a number of mechanical keyboards that have extra buttons, dials, and whatnot to give owners even more control. This new keyboard puts a unique twist on that characteristic, adding not only knobs and buttons but also a small display on the side in the hopes of enhancing your workflow and improving your productivity.

Designer: Work Louder

A keyboard with a display is no longer an alien concept, thanks to the somewhat controversial MacBook Pro Touch Bar. In fact, that thin strip did more than just show icons, it served as a row of icons you can tap, replacing the row of function keys with something that dynamically changes depending on the current application being used. That idea has been retired, for better or worse, but the idea of adding a display on a keyboard lives on in different ways.

The Work Louder Nomad Keyboard is less ambitious and less spectacular than the Apple Touch Bar, but it could prove to also be less intrusive and more usable. In essence, it’s a vertical 1.9-inch LCD display off to the left of the tenkeyless (it has no numeric keypad) keyboard. There’s no mention of any touch functionality, so it simply acts as a very small display to show different kinds of information. It could be some pieces of data that you need for a specific application, a list of settings for the computer or the keyboard, a Pomodoro timer, or even just a large clock. The display adds a simple yet effective way to have critical information always present without getting in your way by being too smart or too complicated.

That, however, isn’t the only special thing about the Nomad Keyboard’s design. Just like its siblings, it has a number of buttons and knobs that you can configure for different purposes, depending on whether you need it for creating content or simply changing the computer settings. Some might argue that these could be less effective than the somewhat standard Fn key combinations on some keyboards, but in addition to their flexibility, the physical controls add a bit of flavor to the workflow, making the experience more enjoyable and special.

Interestingly, the Nomad Keyboard defies mechanical keyboard conventions by using concave crater-like keycaps rather than the typical raised design. This adds some personality to the keyboard while still maintaining the mechanical switches underneath. That said, it also limits the types of keycaps you can use to replace these, effectively tying you into the manufacturer for the lifetime of the keyboard.

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This customizable laptop discards the old design, letting you change keyboards, ports & even graphic card

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While I’m perfectly happy with my MacBook devices over the years, I know there are people who would prefer a much more customizable laptop for their various needs. There are some computers that you can customize and build yourself, but for laptops, the options out there are fewer. So for those who would like to have laptops that fit their needs and requirements, modular devices are pretty much welcome. And this computer hardware company is bringing one to your table.

Designer: Framework

Framework Laptop 16 is a modular laptop that you can customize according to the specifications that you need for your work or school needs. You will be able to switch out and replace parts like keyboards, number pads, etc. It has a “fully reconfigurable input deck” as well as “modular, upgradeable graphics”. The input modules come in small, medium, or large sizes. The small one has mostly color customization but can also add LED matrix and haptic sliders. The medium module can customize numeric pads, secondary displays, and macro pads. Large modules are also able to have several backlit keyboards and an RGB backlit version as well.

The laptop also has an Expansion Bay system so you’ll be able upgrade your Graphics Modules if you need something with higher storage. You can also choose where you will place your USB ports, charging ports, HDMI card readers, or 3.5mm headphone jack. In the future, there will also be a Framework Marketplace so that third party module makers can participate in the customizable ecosystem. But even now, they are already open-sourcing the designs specifically the documentation for the three systems: Input Modules, Expansion Bay Modules, and Expansion Cards.

The Framework Laptop 16 is made especially for gamers, developers, creators, or just people who would like a customizable mobile device. Pre-orders will start this spring and customers can expect it to start shipping later this year. Hopefully, it is also easy enough to assemble even if you don’t have much experience in putting together a laptop. The video makes it seem like it’s easy but of course reality can sometimes be different.

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Ignite Desk separates work and personal life in a simple yet effective way

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It’s probably arguable that many of us spend the majority of our waking moments in front of desks and tables, whether it’s for work, play, or anything in between. The desk, in particular, has long been associated with working, studying, or other kinds of activities that require a flat surface, and the desk’s core design hasn’t changed much until recently. Limited room space has given birth to modular desk designs, while work-from-home arrangements caused multi-purpose desks to flourish. Even as the world settles down into the cadence of a “new normal,” the need to separate work from other activities at home hasn’t gone away. This customizable desk has a design that respects that separation of concerns, and it implements this in a beautifully minimalist manner.

Designer: Subi Hahn

The same desk can be used for almost anything, of course, and you’re free to configure it the way you like or need things to be. Switching between different modes or kinds of work, however, can be tedious and cumbersome, especially if you use different specialized tools for the job. The amount of work needed to keep your desk organized and tidy can be daunting and disheartening, so most will eventually end up with a cluttered desk that just mixes everything together.

The simplest solution that doesn’t involve buying a new desk is to just cover your work desk when you’re done and uncover it again the next day. The Ignite Desk concept design borrows that idea but expands it to make the same desk usable for two different purposes. In its “neutral” state, the backboard is unfolded over the entire desk, providing a flat and clean surface you can use for activities like reading, playing, or even eating.

To put the Ignite Desk in its “active” state, simply push and fold the backboard to the rear, revealing the second-level work space underneath. Rather than just a simple tabletop, it provides a few sections and customizable modules that let you set up your workstation according to your job and needs. There are containers for stationery and accessories, for example, as well as a wireless charging pad. There are hidden power outlets for your devices as well as movable dividers to really personalize your setup.

The Ignite Desk doesn’t have a sophisticated mechanism, and its design is practically to cover the real work desk with another desk. At the same time, however, it creates a clear yet flexible division between the desk you use for work with the desk that you can use for everything else. Even if you don’t actually use this “neutral” mode desk, it still encourages creating a sort of ritual where you put a start and an end to your work hours, letting you allocate time for the rest of your life and, hopefully, leave enough room to ignite your creativity and the time for work finally does arrive.

The post Ignite Desk separates work and personal life in a simple yet effective way first appeared on Yanko Design.

MelGeek Pixel lets you customize your keyboard using LEGO-like bricks and minifigs

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There are dozens of keyboard designs available in the market targeting different audiences, from the suave professional to the chic influencer. Almost all of these keyboards come with a fixed design, and all but the most expensive mechanical keyboards for gamers let you customize their appearances. Even then, however, you’re still limited to the parts and designs that the manufacturer provides rather than having free reign on how you want your keyboard to look. When it comes to creative freedom, there is probably nothing that beats LEGO blocks, and this mechanical keyboard tries to bring that same system so that you can customize your own keyboard to match your style and mood without locking you into a single design.

Designer: MelGeek

The most customizable keyboards offer is the freedom to change keycaps. Many gaming keyboards have RGB lights that you can also personalize through software. Other than that, however, you’re mostly stuck with the color and design of the keyboard chassis, and you only get to choose from a selection of pre-made keycap designs anyway.

That’s what makes the MelGeek Pixel mechanical keyboard quite liberating. It uses a “LEGO-inspired” system that lets you customize almost every part of the keyboard. Both the front and the back of the keyboard are like blank slates, and you can create any blocky design you want. You can even set up mini-figures on top to give the keyboard a unique flair. Of course, you’ll have to make sure those don’t get in the way of your typing.

The customization options go beyond just the chassis, though. All the keys are studded, and you can remove them to customize the keys underneath. This way, you don’t have to settle for a single color and mix and match patterns to your heart’s content. MelGeek doesn’t mention which mechanical keycaps are used, only that it uses a gasket mount design. The keyboard’s LEGO theme continues even to its USB connectors, making sure that no piece looks out of place.

The Pixel Keyboard isn’t just all looks, of course. It has the standard features of a pro mechanical keyboard, including customizable RGB lights and both wireless and wired connections. Of course, its real appeal is its retro 8-bit aesthetic, thanks to its blocky design, which you can customize over and over again. If one day you decide you no longer like what you made, you can simply just start all over again. Your imagination and patience are the only limits.

The keyboard isn’t that expensive either, at least for a highly customizable mechanical keyboard, though it only has a pre-order price at the moment. The Pixel’s LEGO-like design will definitely not appeal to everyone, but it’s probably the next best thing to having a fully customizable keyboard you can change to suit your tastes and whims.

The post MelGeek Pixel lets you customize your keyboard using LEGO-like bricks and minifigs first appeared on Yanko Design.

This customizable wall clock merges the dials displaying two different countries’ timezone

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The Jetlag Clock is a wall clock that fuses two dials together to display the time of two different countries.

Whether you’re a globetrotter by virtue of work or have a relationship with someone who lives in another country, keeping track of different time zones can get tricky. Wall clock systems that are comprised of several clocks are able to tell us what time of day it is in different countries, but they’re fixed in their design. A single system may host three separate clocks telling the time of three different countries, but users can’t add other time zones without buying another clock entirely. Italian designer Alberto Ghirardello developed the Jetlag Clock to change that.

Designer: Alberto Ghirardello

Defined by the shape of two circles fusing together, the Jetlag Clock is a customizable time zone wall clock that allows users to change the times and countries displayed. Two mechanisms operate separately to show the time of two countries that users can choose on their own. The Jetlag Clock is made from laser-cut metal and oriented in a way that allows users to hang it either vertically or horizontally.

Describing the design and shape in his own words, designer Ghirardello explains, “Jetlag is a laser-cut metal wall clock whose shape is an ideal fusion of two dials, whose hours are marked by a series of holes which merge and become common to both pairs of hands.” If users choose to change the countries displayed on each clock dial, the white paint coat allows users to write in the name of new countries and then they can adjust the times accordingly.

The post This customizable wall clock merges the dials displaying two different countries’ timezone first appeared on Yanko Design.

These indoor gardens made from natural lichen are customizable, maintenance-free, dust & insect proof!

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We have all spent more time indoors this past year and have found different ways to bring nature into our space. One hot trend is indoor gardens, especially like these ones by Benetti Homes that require no maintenance at all for people like me who don’t have a green thumb! The company also elevates your garden game as these walls are fully customizable and created for your needs. The Italian studio uses 100% natural and stabilized lichen moss which doesn’t attract dust or insects so no more excuses about not creating your own indoor oasis.

The lichen used is called Cladonia Stellaris and it hails from Northern European forests. The moss is naturally cream in color and therefore can be customized to 12 different colors for the green walls which is also why it can be used to create art. You can choose from a variety of sizes, shades, and shapes for your home or office and the moss can easily grow on walls or ceilings. These vertical gardens have also been upgraded with engineering technology through sound panels to provide a sound-absorbing effect and create a zen atmosphere. “It consists of an aluminum panel like that one supporting the moss and capable of producing sound as the result of a research to optimize sound and its diffusion, which benefits from high-level electronic and sound technology. The panels connect to an external amplifier, which allows users to control the output sound from a phone app,” explains Stivens Benetti, owner of Benetti Home.

Designer: Benetti Home

The Razer Naga Pro mouse comes with swappable shortcut-modules that let you easily customize it!

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The guys at Razer strongly believe that a tech company shouldn’t dictate how you use their products. Products should serve their users, not the other way around, right?

Designed to customize based on your needs and applications, the Razer Naga Pro wireless mouse comes with 3 swappable key-modules to choose from. With 2, 6, and 12 keys, the modules attach on the left side of the mouse, right where your thumb would sit. The keys on the modules can easily be programmed to resemble keystrokes, trigger programs, commands, or even shortcuts, making it easy to play games, work with editing software, or just boost your productivity.

Apart from the swappable key-modules, the Naga Pro even comes with up to 8 buttons on its upper surface, giving you a total of 20 completely programmable buttons and a scroll wheel. The mouse boasts of an improved optical sensor with an industry-leading 20,000 DPI and 99.6% resolution accuracy, ensuring that even the finest of movements is tracked and registered with consistency. Even the keys on top are outfitted with optical switches with a response time of as little as 0.2 milliseconds, making sure whether you’re gaming or working, the mouse’s every movement executes as fast as your mind does. It does help that the Naga Pro comes with an incredible 150-hour battery life too, and a nifty charging dock to place it on when you’re not using it.

Designer: Razer

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Slack’s latest changes couldn’t come at a better time

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Slack was already a big part of modern work life for many people, but as more companies turn to remote work, it is becoming even more essential. Even if you were using Slack to chat with coworkers in an office before, conducting all of your conversat...