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Killer Concept Work from Art. Lebedev Studio

By Rain Noe - May 11, 2012

in Object Culture

Time for our semi-annual check-in with Art. Lebedev Studio, the irreverent Russian design studio that never fails to disappoint. A.LS has offices in Moscow, Kiev and New York, and comes with an attitude matching those cities' tough reputations: "As a matter of principle, we don't work with private persons, political parties, religious organizations, jerk-offs, and those whose views conflict with ours," they write.

We live the way we like. We work the way we believe is right. We don't give a shit about corporate values all together. All the award plaques end up hanging in our lavatory. We abhor buzzword combinations "creative solution" and "business process optimization". The offers we send to our clients rarely exceed one page.

The only principle we follow is just two words: No nonsense.

As per their usual schedule, the 200-person company has been cranking out designs prolifically in the past few months. Here are some of our new faves:

The Wall-Mounted Rozetkus outlet exploits the cylindrical form factor of the pins on a 7/16 CEE euro-plug, allowing the user to work around bulky plugs.

The cast-iron Thermosaurus puts the bone structure of a dinosaur to good use, replacing your old radiator and distributing heat. "Brave the next Ice Age with a survivor of the previous one," reads the tag-line.

The Bulavkus USB Flash Drive—"sharply designed 4GB storage"—is designed to always be on hand.

The Tabletkus Ring-Key concept calls for a (presumably programmable) magnetic tablet embedded in a ring, which would allow the user to unlock the "entry phone slash lock systems commonly installed at the communal entrance to an apartment building." What I wouldn't give for one of these when my arms are loaded up with groceries.

Lastly, the Lekalus Figure Ice Skates have a form factor any old-school designer will appreciate.

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Paul

12 years ago

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The Thermosaurus looks awesome, but the release date quoted on their website of April 1st makes me a little sceptical...
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Alpacaman

12 years ago

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The ring appears to be supriously similar to the Java ring given out at a conference many years ago.... (ebay link http://www.ebay.com/itm/JAVA-RING-RARE-Sun-Microsystems-JAVA-ONE-Promo-/300495374337 )

Altough, the dino radiator is adorable, and the flash drive sfatey pin is fantastic.
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Luke

12 years ago

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Never fails to disappoint? I hope you mean that in a good way; their work is very impressive.
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Dan Watson

12 years ago

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I interned at ALS for a summer a couple of years ago and, even though the whole of Russia appeared to be on fire, had a really fun time in their Product Design studio. There's a great atmosphere there that really encourages innovation and the design directors are pretty inspirational in both their skills and attitudes. In fact, all the staff were pretty inspirational.
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Rafael Morgan

12 years ago

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These folks are a terrific example of creative thinking.

They do not pretend to be creative, like most designers do. They are simply and honestly looking to create ideas never seen before.

I really love their work. It is very nice to see such fresh ideas these days, in a world where creativity has become such a misused word.

Keep up the great work folks! You are a great example for all young designers out there!

Regards,

Raf.
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Ken J

12 years ago

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Rozetkus is friggin genius! Look at a phone keypad for number reference. Line voltage is 2-4-6-8, neutral is 1-3-5-7-9. This would allow for all the configurations shown without ever mixing 2 lines or 2 neutrals. Well done!
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