There’s a lot to love about this trio of concept desk objects, be it the identical forms the clock, lamp and container each take on, the tonal colour scheme, or the complete absence of unnecessary bells and whistles. But far and away the coolest feature is the use of smart glass, which obscures your view into each container, leaving you to guess which object you’re picking up.
As designer Max Phillips describes, the identical forms are intended as a meditation on how we design and use products.
Desk Objects is an exploration into the relationship between product ambiguity and user interaction. A clock, a light and a container that all share the same form utilise the unique properties of switchable smart glass. On picking up the objects, the panels of switchable glass turn from opaque to transparent, revealing their individual functions.
Of course, if you had these, you could just memorise where you place each one on your desk and save yourself the mystery. But the idea that these would force you into carefully considering the placement of individual objects makes me like these even more. Hopefully these get mass-produced soon. [Max Phillips via MocoLoco]