Unless you live under a rock (or have absolutely no interest in the subject), most of you will have realized that infographics have grown into a popular & powerful communication tool over the past few years. There are even websites dedicated solely to the art of infographics – my personal favorite being Information is Beautiful (also a book by David Mcandless).

It is no wonder then, that information rich graphics would bleed over into the world of physical objects. Some objects take a more literal approach (graphic treatment on surfaces) while others render functional, 3 dimensional applications rich with information. We propose that both these fall under the umbrella of Info-Objects. We have a couple of great examples of Info-Objects within the current ideacious product offering, with still more coming through the pipelines.

First up is the “I Kinda Like It Here” coaster series by the National Design Collective. Using laser cut birch plywood, these coasters offer intricate details of the planning of some of the urban metropolises in Canada & the US.

The second example comes in the form of a coat rack / shelf designed by Devin Schaffner, the Elev10. While also celebrating geographic identities, the Elev10 takes a slightly different approach to theNDC’s coasters in that it draws on the location of the Canadian provincial capitals to offer a very functional application – placing your articles according to elevation.

The third (and final) example offers a whole other take on the Info-Object that pays tribute to the background of an object and applies it in a fun & interesting way – the History Screws by Joshua Brassé. Each History Screw gives you its name, date of invention, standard sizes – and a place to hang your coat!

This is, after all, part of our Discussion series of blog posts – let us know your thoughts on the rise of Info-Objects and any other examples you think fit the criteria.

Human Republic is a design studio specializing in high-end solutions for your home and workplace, and a full-service consultancy located in Toronto, Canada.

The studio is comprised of a multi-disciplinary team with experience and expertise in designing products and marketing solutions for individuals and corporate clients of all sizes.

Human Republic is committed to the design of high-end products and environments which enrich people’s lives through purposeful design and aesthetic distinction.

You can find the Slim money clip by Human Republic available now on ideacious—some of you may remember the huge success that it has been.

A Toronto native now residing in San Diego California, Jasin Dollin is a creative visual artist focusing on interior design for home and retail, as well as a seasoned illustrator.

Whether it be redesigning rooms, retail spaces or simply up-cycling something old into something new. Jasin lends his skills and mixes his abilities, complimenting them and creating something fresh and new.

Jasin is a self proclaimed “Illustrator, designer, creative spirit and trouble maker. I love design, from the grand to the gritty, graffiti to fine art”. Having worked on it for the past 3 years, Jasin’s Lil’G Mini Boombox just went into preorder on ideacious last week.

Be sure to secure your position in line and earn upto $147 per 10,000 units sold.

The Lil’G portable speaker system blends an 80s hip-hop vibe with the millennium’s urban, vinyl-toy look.

With interchangeable and unique speaker grills, along with being bluetooth enabled, Lil’G is a modern way to share and express your love of music and style.

High quality speakers in a durable boombox styled body protect your MP3 player, and Lithium Ion Battery that is powered by a USB adapter.

The Battery lasts over 10 hours, for full music enjoyment! Just plug in your MP3 player into the headphone jack and let the music play.

The Lil’G Mini Boombox is now available in preorder on ideacious. Secure your position in the preorder queue for just $5!

Pegboard hooks are a simultaneously the best and the worst things ever. These Hook Holds solves the latter.

The simple solution: Repositionable Hook Holds snugly secures your hooks, preventing them from falling out when removing a tool, brushing by, or coughing a little too loud. It’s an insanely frustrating problem right?

Each Hook Hold is made from soft rubber to hold the hook in place, and is easy to pull out if you’re the frequently rearranging type.

Patent Pending, and the best solution out there – by far! Pack of 50 available in preorder on ideacious for just $9 ($5 to secure your position in the preorder queue)

A special thanks to everyone who showed up and contributed to the collaborative product development session we held on Saturday! We had a great time hosting and will definitely be doing more of these sessions in the future!

Expect a follow-up post with some of our favourite picks that came out of the session!

Announcing FREEform
In the spirit of supporting design innovation and creativity, ideacious is excited to announce that the $20,000 FREEform Competition is now live!

What FREEform is all about
FREEform gives you the freedom to design any form for production. Anything you want. No clients. No outside opinions. All submissions could have their product produced using the ideacious platform, but only a select few will win cash, prizes, and glory along the way.

Win cash + prizes
Submit a sketch, finished design, or reach a preorder goal and win cash and prizes along the way. Dollar amounts and other incentives could increase as we hunt down co-sponsors. The competition is broken down into 3 tiers, so more people can win—or someone could take it all. Plus, all submissions will be posted on ideacious and could get produced. So grab your pencils and get to work.

Tier 1 is open now
Tier 1 begins as most ideas do, with a napkin sketch. Be sure to see the brief for details, but in short, come up with an awesome product that retails for $99 or more and send us a short description and a sketch. Any submissions sent before February 1st will be entered in a draw to win ideacious swag, including Penny Hockey Sets, Foreword shelves,Magpins, 4 Cities Coasters, and more.

Here’s a sneak peek at a product making its way onto ideacious shortly…the latest from Toronto-based design firm Human Republic – the Slim money clip!