Every day, we look at everything that is going on in the Sandbox, searching for impactful projects, stories and ideas by Sandboxers. We then repost the most interesting, inspiring or brilliant stuff here on our blog.

Today Steve Daniels presents the first issue of Makeshift magazine, where he is editor-in-chief. Learn more about the project here and get the latest updates via Twitter and Facebook.

“Makeshift is a global network of editors, researchers, journalists, photographers, and videographers uncovering stories of street-level ingenuity. The core team is based in New York, Mexico City, Singapore, and Madrid. Contributors in over 20 countries are searching for stories of street-level ingenuity.

Each quarterly issue of Makeshift forms an engaging and in-depth snapshot on a particular branch of informal creativity. The website features complementary media, including videos and blogs. It’s a hi-fi representation of a lo-fi movement.

The inaugural issue of Makeshift, released September 30, is themed “Re-culture: Reuse, repair, and recycle at the grassroots,” featuring stories such as everyday product hacks in Kenya, industrial fabric recycling in India, improvised tools in Myanmar, recycled art in Colombia, and adaptive reuse of industrial sites in the United States.”

Every day, we search the web for impactful content, projects and ideas by Sandboxers. Once a week, we choose the most inspiring, funny or brilliant piece and repost it here on our blog.

This week Dmitry Golubnichy presents a map of Riga that he has designed, produced and distributed. Check out the project here and get the latest updates from Dmitry on Facebook.

Dmitry created the map as a gift to the city of Riga on its 810th birthday. But the map is not only a gift to the city, but also to visitors since it is provided for free. In addition, the map also entitles users to reduced prices at some of the major tourist attractions.

It is the first freely distributed ad-free tourist map of Riga, available as a pdf file, Android app or physical print booklet. Dmitry has organized distribution at major tourist information points and hotels. The map is already printed in 50,000 copies. The simple and effective audioguide solution is that each of the 25 sights has a dedicated phone number that you can call to hear the information.

Here are some impressions of the map:

Every day, we search the web for impactful content, projects and ideas by Sandboxers. Once a week, we choose the most inspiring, funny or brilliant piece and repost it here on our blog.

This week Steve Daniels tells the story behind A Better World by Design. Check out the conference here and why not give Steve a follow on Twitter.

Four students sat in a basement cafe, pondering the future of their club. Engineers Without Borders was off to a rocky start. Their projects were underfunded and underrecognized. Their members couldn’t travel to the places they were working in – a necessary step, one might think, for a proper community development project. Yet one thing they had in bounds was interest. Students were eager to join and faculty to contribute.

What if we created an event that brought everyone together to discuss design for social impact? This could breed the discourse, collaboration, and excitement needed to garner real curricular change at Brown University and RISD – plus maybe some money for Engineers Without Borders (that’s still in the works).

Fast forward four years. A Better World by Design – planned as a one-time event – now convenes over 1,000 creatives from around the world in Providence, RI each year. It’s a social innovation mecca.

There’s something unique about this conference. Speakers fly in from around the world to talk for free and stay the weekend. Intimate breakout sessions and workshops scattered about Brown, RISD, and Providence dig deeper into issues and build new skills. Even the social events yield a rare excitement (it’s hard to get the “same old” at an office made of shipping containers or an old steel mill).

Yet we never set out to be unique. We wanted to host a great professional-quality conference and initially masked our identities as students. It was our speakers and mentors who showed us that as a student-run conference we could be something different.

Here’s a comment from speaker Maria Giudice, Founder of HOT Studio: “This conference is special and different from all the others. It has a unique energy. It’s authentic and feels like it’s coming from the heart… These kids are walking the talk.”

That’s when we realized our most important asset – something that could never be achieved by a corporate conference – was authenticity. And we began to leverage that. We replaced our conference host with a different student to introduce each speaker, and each would present a personal project or start-up inspired by that speaker’s work. We reinvented the design competition: instead of receiving an award, our annual winners see their solutions implemented in a community or their products manufactured locally. And we introduced one of our most successful events – an expo where any participant could showcase their project for free.

Now a year out of college, I’ve attended many more creative conferences. Jaded by the steep prices, glossy concert feel, and lack of deep, intimate conversation, I find myself – like Maria Giudice – looking forward to Better World more than ever.

The conference continues to grow and innovate each year, both organizationally and programmatically. Yet we still charge dirt cheap prices so students and non-profit leaders can be part of the conversation. Though we’ve introduced bureaucracy into the student leadership, begun to fund projects and research, and reached out to corporations, it will always have a grassroots feel – like something big and different is happening in Providence. Something authentic.

Steve Daniels is a co-founder and former chair of A Better World by Design, an annual social innovation conference held September 30 – October 2 in Providence, RI. Early bird pricing ends September 8. Register at www.abetterworldbydesign.com.

Sandboxer Marin Licina recently won the Philips’ Domestic Appliance Competition design challenge by delivering a brilliant project showing how to value experience over technology by trying to solve people’s problems.

The simple rationale behind the competition is to push the boundaries of integrated product design by combining Philips’ technological know-how with the creativity of 200 young minds. Marin Licina and his team created a revolutionary design for Philips’ recently launched AirFryer, a device that fries food using hot air instead of oil.

Marin’s concept, based on interviews with mothers regularly cooking at home, sought to take into consideration the two main psychological factors behind the preparation of food: to feel like a great cook and to ‘feed love’ to one’s family. His goal was to use the next-gen Air Fryer to enable zen-moments: a detachable light-emitting knob ‘breathes’ when the device is operating. Remotely connected to the pan, it can be taken away, allowing to relax for a while until the device vibrates, telling you that the food is ready.

The device is controlled by a portable control knob

In order to improve flexibility and add a touch of nostalgic old-school cooking, Marin’s design is an abstract fusion of a Le Creuset casserole pan and a Multi-mixer with different attachments: all the technology is hidden in the lid. This way, many types of bowls can be placed in order to make many types of foods: fried, but also sauce-based foods, pizzas, grilled food, cooking pastas and more. The food can be served directly from the bowl, reducing the cleaning efforts.

Commenting on Marin’s winning design, Alcides Marques, senior Design Manager at Philips, said: “There’s two things I thought when I saw Marin’s movie. First: Wow. I want to buy this. Second: Damn, I wish I had designed this.” After all, people want meaningful experiences, not blunt technology.

Wladimir Nikoluk is a Sandbox Community Manager. After 6 weeks in Zurich, he is still constantly inspired by the energy and creativity of the Sandbox community.

Meet Sandboxer Marin Licina, who loves creative things, art, people, and open minds. He studies Industrial Design, designs “things and business models” and he also teaches at Delft University. Born in former Yugoslavia but Dutch in both ideals and citizenship, Marin also has Italian roots for “good measure”!

1. Tell us the story of your latest project / occupation.

I’ve just finished designs on a hybrid wakeboarding boat, which was really cool. I wakeboard myself, and have always disliked the fact that you burn a lot of gas for some fun. The entrepreneur I’m working with is setting up a factory to produce these boats and it was incredibly inspiring to know that I get to design something for my own passion, that’s good for the environment and that’s going to actually exist. We’re testing the prototype in Romania in the spring! (And yes, I mean testing as in: me riding behind it on my wakeboard.)

2. What are you doing and how did you get there?

I somehow just gravitated towards Design & Engineering. It’s a great mix of all things design (cultural connotations of objects, aesthetics, coming up with innovative stuff) and technology (building prototypes, innovating through technology, learning production processes), plus some business (strategic product development, marketing). Entrepreneurship is a great way to criticize existing things. I have been busy building up businesses since I was 16. Then, in the last 3 years, I also got a number of teaching positions at my faculty, which is really fulfilling: it’s great to help others improve and gain new insights. I mostly teach form theory, sketching, design visualisation and the like.

3. Tell us about the biggest successes and failures in your life. What worked, what didn’t, and what did you learn?

Biggest failure: being overly perfectionistic on trivia during the first years of my studies. I tried to make everything 100%, while some stuff would never be read, looked at, used etc. I’m still a perfectionist, but I’ve learned effectiveness. I always say one should be like a laser: decide what to aim at, then give it pinpoint precision focus and do that really well. Saying no and deciding what’s not important is extremely significant.

Biggest success: Instead of accepting a run-of-the-mill Bachelor Thesis, I’ve pitched a project to Nespresso (they didn’t know our faculty existed before I called) and got their sponsorship to do it. The result were 2 incredibly cool concept machines that I’ve designed and built. Nespresso’s actively using some ideas I had invented and I was named Bachelor Graduate of The Year by my school. Wow, now that sounds way more formal than it really was.

4. What do you want to achieve in a) the next week, b) the next year, c) the next 10 years?

a) Pitch 3 concepts for an innovative [TOP SECRET DEVICE] to Philips managers.
b) Set up at least one new profitable business with my partners.
c) World Domination! (just kidding) – I want to have global impact. With meaningful innovation. But not work 25/8 on this. I think it’s imperative to have time for friends and family. And help (young) people in disadvantageous positions wherever I can.

5. What was your most inspiring moment during the last two weeks?

The Sandbox Amsterdam dinner! It was full of smart young people with a mission. Great to see people with open minds making an effort to improve the world.

6. How could other Sandboxers and the outside world support you and why would that be exciting for them.

I love the idea-exchange-pingpong. Synergy is a fantastic concept, and it’s great to see it happen when a couple of really smart people start thinking about something. What I love about Sandbox is people willing to give without getting something directly in return. So instead of telling what everyone could do for me, I’m openly inviting Sandboxers to tell me what I could do for them. I’m a practical person, so I can help out with lots of things, but my specialties are: visual thinking, sketching/drawing, technology, business model innovation.

7. Your Twitter/Facebook account

No Twitter. No Facebook. I prefer one-on-one communication and find online media often distract from my focus. (Perhaps I’m a bit like Paulie in Goodfellas).

Marin’s favourite:
- book: Thus Spoke Zarathrustra – Friedrich Nietzsche
- movie: The Usual Suspects
- place on Earth: Centre Pompidou, Paris
- travel destination during last year: New York, New York
- food: A draw: A really good, oozy mushroom risotto and a Chocolate soufflé
- drink: The Green Innocent Smoothie
- quote: “Everything should be made as simple as possible. But not simpler” – Albert Einstein

I have been a Digital-Artists, a person that works with 3D-Applications trying to rebuild reality every day. But the way such an Artist works on this artificial reality feels well, very unreal.
It seems as if you have virtual clay in front of you, but in order to mold the clay in your hand, you need to break down your interaction into serialized steps for move, zoom, rotate and work. All of this with a Computer-Mouse that was invented at a time nobody ever thought of using a computer for 3D.

Today I am an Interaction Designer and I know that the work I am doing with my team will have a major impact on the way Digital-Artists work in the future. We have been able to create a new 3D-Controller that will give Digital-Artists a better connection to their work through a new way of holding virtual clay in their hand without any serialized steps.

In order to explain the impact of this controller, let’s have a quick look at what’s already out there: 30 years ago, a research institution called German Center for Aerospace (DLR) developed the SpaceMouse. It is in my eyes the only useable 3D-Controller for Desktops so far. The original intention of the DLR was to control robotic-arms in space and therefore the project went on a space-shuttle mission. This controller went on to be marked as “approved in space” and became a 3D-Controller long before computers were fast enough for artistic use in 3D. It is a controller for technical constructions built by technical engineers.

But in 30 years a lot has changed in software and computers. Computer games are nearly photorealistic, movies can be 100% virtual but look totally real.

Such realities need software that make it possible to create them in a very artistic way. Tools like Zbrush were designed to make use of today’s computing power in your desktop and let you work on your 3D-objects like you would sculpture in reality. Software like Bodypaint and Mari let you paint on 3D-Surfaces in a way you would texture objects in reality. This kind of software make movies like Avatar possible. Today 3D-tools looks more and more like sculpturing workshops, than technical construction-sites.

But the more artistic the work becomes, the bigger the need for new methods of interaction that feel natural and precise enough for those artistic needs.

True artists are simply not well enough connected to their virtual world. Their workflow demands them to hold and rotate objects with the precision their hand has, while the other hand works on the object on the graphics tablet simultaneously. These are the requirements of an up to date 3D-Controller, and these thoughts have driven me to be part of the 3D-Spheric-Mouse Project.

3D-Spheric-Mouse from Valentin Heun on Vimeo.

Unlike any other 3D-Controller the 3D-Spheric-Mouse uses a ball that gives you absolute control over your virtual work. This ball represents your virtual object which moves in the way you move the ball. However any rotation you perform with this ball will be transferred 1:1 to your virtual rotation. It lets you use the possibility of your hand to rotate objects, like you would really hold them in your hand. All movements are controlled by your fingers and not just by your hand. Because the 3D-Spheric-Mouse has such a direct connection to your virtual work, using it feels as natural as drawing with a pen tablet.

After having solved all the problems linked to this kind of technology and patented it, we can finally present a beautiful product.

It is ready to conquer the world and help 3D-artists to have a better connection with their everyday work.

Now we are looking for partners to help us to scale the project up to a level it deserves.

Find us on http://www.axsotic.com

Sandboxer Archie Lee Coates IV is involved with an amazing project, and we want to get the word out! + Pool is an initiative by a group of architects and designers to build a floating pool in the rivers of New York City.

A swimming pool like no other, it is for everyone to use. The design has been inspired by a city intersection, to exemplify the dense, busy character of New York City as well as provide a welcome island retreat from the hustle and bustle.

Moreover, it is four pools in one: child’s pool, sports pool, lap pool and lounge pool. Each pool can be used independently to cater to all types of swimmers, combined to form an Olympic-length lap pool, or opened completely into a 9,000 square foot pool for play.

Still, the most remarkable aspect has to be the pool’s water cleansing mechanism. Like a giant strainer dropped into the river, + Pool will filter bacteria, pollutants and odors through layers of water-cleansing materials integrated directly into the pool walls, leaving only safe and swimmable water that meets all EPA quality standards.

Now that the conceptual design has been completed, + Pool is looking to create a team of interested organizations and professionals to continue the development of the project through a build-able proposal.

If you think that you can facilitate the next step of this project to raise public and private interest through connections with the municipality, engineers, planners and other specialists, or if you are one, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Archie.

+ Pool has the potential to become an iconic piece of infrastructure, and an exciting precedent for environmental urbanism in the 21st century.

If you love their project as much as we do, check out their fundraiser page (with a wonderfully hilarious video!!), which allows them to pay the cost of this project and also continue them in the future. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/playlab/playlabs-peep-show.

Check out the Peep Show http://www.playlab.org/peepshow/

Keep up the great work guys!

At Sandbox we’re fortunate to interact every day with some of the most inspiring young innovators around the world. Our members are constantly driving new ideas and exploring untouched opportunities. Observing patterns within our community and studying trends of our clients, we identified six major themes to watch out for in 2010 and beyond:

1. Unique and Genuine Corporate Cultures

Many young people today are afraid of becoming “corporate slaves” limited to standardized work without any meaning. To be successful, companies increasingly don’t only have to be efficient, but must also create genuine corporate cultures that attract and retain employees, customers and shareholders.
Read more >>

2. Create Meaningful Relationships

Being connected to others is crucial to our personal and collective success. The evolving “social web” phenomenon has made these interactions easier. In turn, creating and sustaining meaningful relationships will become even more important and valuable.
Read more >>

3. Hippies 2.0: Do What You Love and Get Paid for It

More than ever, young people have a strong desire to do something meaningful in their lives. We see twenty-five year olds having their “quarter-life crisis” and asking themselves about their purpose in life and how it impacts society. This new “passion generation”, as we call it, mixes their drive for meaningful impact with another old concept: capitalism.
Read more >>

4. Linking Data to Objects

The term “augmented reality” has been around for some time. It describes technologies and processes that add digital data to real-world objects and places. Now, finally, we think that all the pieces are in place for these technologies to spread widely, become more developed, and dramatically alter our lives.
Read more >>

5. Social Business Design

The internet is more than a tool, it is an evolving user-powered organism that creates and manages vast information. The trends seen in the evolution of the internet can be leveraged by organizations and translated into new structures, processes, business models and cultures. “Social Business Design” makes organizations more agile, more connected and more transparent.
Read more >>

6. Emplotment: The Skill of Making Sense of Stuff

Historically, the most natural form of communication is story telling. Then came the ideals of rationality and objectiveness and banned stories to the realms of fiction. Today, we experience information overload. As the vastness of data around us increases, the value of storytelling multiplies.
Read more >>

In many ways, the six themes overlap and share the following properties:

• Emotional Innovation: In pursuit of happiness, we are creating innovative living and working spaces that give sense of purpose and reflect our passions. We also had intense discussions about this topic at the recent Palomar5 summit in Berlin.
• Blending Virtual and Physical: Technology is no longer just an instrument, it is deeply integrated into the heart of society, amplifying the individual voice and shifting social dynamics.
• Social Everything: The internet was the start, but today everything is connected through the social web, from organizational structures, corporate cultures, product development, marketing, problem solving, and the human experience.

We would love to hear from you: What do you think of these topics? What are your big trends for this year? Let us know in the comments!

Sandbox member Brian W. Jones is currently living in Greensboro, Alabama where he helped start PieLab, a welcoming community space focused on civic engagement, economic revitalization, and job training. He describes himself as a designer, “trying to redefine what that means and the role I play in business”.

What is your latest project?

I’m working on a few things right now, but a recent project getting a lot of notice is PieLab—an idea developed at a Project M session last spring with a group of 14 designers. I showed up as an advisor, but ended up leaving as a participant, really believing in this idea. But, to make the project really happen, someone needed to act. So in just a few weeks, three others and myself moved to Alabama and began building what would become PieLab.

PieLab is a welcoming community space focused on civic engagement, economic revitalization, and job training in one of the poorest counties in the U.S. It also operates as a design studio working on community development projects and small business incubation. The initial plan was to open a pop-up shop for the summer, but after receiving a few small grants and being well received by the community, we opened a permanent location on Maine Street earlier this month.

What are you doing and how did you get there?

I’m no longer involved in the daily routines of PieLab, but I take part in meetings, volunteer on weekends, and continue to run my own studio from the back of the shop. Project M—a program started by John Bielenberg that inspires young designers to prove their work can have a positive and significant impact on the world—has played a large role in where I am now, as well as a number of the places I’ve been in the past. John is a good friend and colleague who I continue to collaborate with on various endeavors.

Tell us about the biggest successes and failures in your life. What worked, what didn’t, and what did you learn?

The day PieLab opened may have been one of the most successful of my life. To see something so large, conceived of and brought to life in less than two months—with just $600—had a profound impact on what I view as possible. I haven’t really had a major failure, but I’m still young, give me time. One thing I continually learn from everything I do is that there will always be people doing nothing, who will criticize everything you do—ignore them and don’t give up.

What do you want to achieve in the next week, the next year, the next 10 years?

This week I’ll be in New York, so I’d like to meet a few Sandboxers in real life and continue to grow the relationships I’ve begun virtually. In the next year, I hope to start grad school at Yale or live overseas. There’s a lot to be learned from European culture and business that I think will be imperative to future success in the U.S. In the next ten, I’d like to start a profitable business that’s just as engaged in the community as a non-profit one.

What was your most inspring moment during the last two weeks?

A delicious bowl of mushroom risotto. Great food is a tangible example of creativity at its best.

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