How a removable adhesive became the Post-it note
Adhesives usually earn their keep by staying stuck. Post-it notes found a use for the opposite property: they can be lifted and moved, which keeps them useful.
Design
A bottle cap designed to stay with the bottle after use
You go to take a drink, but the cap stays beside the opening. That unfamiliar detail reflects a design that considers what happens after the bottle is empty.
OXO’s peeler began with a handle that was easier to hold
Even if the blade is sharp, cooking is difficult if the handle hurts to hold. OXO started from that inconvenience by changing the thickness and material of the handle and placing carrots in the store to let people try out the difference for themselves.
LEGO Botanicals: flowers to build, then put in a vase
Before the flowers go in a vase, their petals and stems must be assembled. LEGO Botanicals connects the pleasure of building with the pleasure of keeping the finished flowers on a desk.
Hangul at 580: a writing system that still works in the digital age
Type ㅎ, ㅏ, and ㄴ to make 한; that syllable can be separated into the same three components. Hangul’s analysis of sounds and systematic combinations still shape keyboard input, character encoding, and search.