Have you ever stopped to think just how many things you take for granted have seriously cool designs? Chances are, they’ve been made by product designers, whose mission has been to make life as simple as possible for centuries now.
The best designs don’t only look cool; they’re also unique in how they function. From signposts to tools, building features, statues, drawing, equipment, foods and so much more, there’s a talented designer behind it all. Here are 60 cleverly designed products that deserve recognition for their uniqueness!
Sometimes it’s the simplest things that are the most helpful! These yellow lines extend from the floor up the wall to help people who are reversing into a parking space. Rather than having to get out to check you’re evenly parked, this would save you so much time.
We’ve seen some incredible inventions over time, but the best has to be the humble cell phone. This guy had his phone in an otter box for 10 years and just look at it now – it’s exactly the same as when he bought it! Old phones completely knock anything more modern off the market.
Crazy golf isn’t exactly the smoothest of sports. Most of the time, golf balls end up when they’re not meant to be, which is a bit of a nightmare when there’s water around! This crazy golf course makes their golf balls out of 100% fish food, and on the last hole, they’re deliberately sent into the sea to feed the fish.
This bar has a metal strip that you can use to place your drinks on to keep them cold. Nobody likes a warm drink, so this is a pretty ingenious idea – and it’s so simple, too! All bars should get them installed.
5. Built-in spatula stand
Everyone knows the annoyance of placing a spatula on the side and getting it dirty. Thanks to this simple built-in spatula stand, this spatula doesn’t make a mess when you lay it down. You can buy these stands online.
Children’s hospitals aren’t the place that anyone wants to be, but designers are always looking for ways to make them as cheery and happy as is possible. Just look how fun these colorful elevator buttons are. Only problem is, if your kid pressed the wrong button because they liked the color or the picture, you could be in the elevator for a
long time.
This person’s refrigerator is genius! It has lazy Susan-style shelving, so you can spin around each shelf to reach all your food. No more moldy, gone-off food hidden at the very back for you to deal with!
Libraries are known for being quiet, peaceful places – but if you’re working in there, sometimes you can’t avoid taking a phone call. That’s why this invention, known as the cone of silence, is so ingenious. It’s completely soundproof, so you can go in there and take a call without disturbing anyone else.
This person’s dentist has laminated their patient information form so it can be reused. Rather than giving each patient a piece of paper and throwing it away when the information is transferred online, the form can simply be wiped clean after every use.
Yep, you really are seeing this – it’s a therapy pig! Named LiLou, the pig works at San Fransisco International Airport. She helps calm distressed passengers, and she’s not the only animal with this job, either. There are animals at 10 other US airports that are part of the staff and can be used for therapeutic purposes.
11. Accident-proof garbage disposal
Flicking the garbage disposal switch is all too easy to do when you’re preparing food in the kitchen. This simple strip of metal prevents you from flicking the switch. Such an easy way to avoid a common mistake!
12. Police officer statue
You’d think twice about stealing from this store if you saw this statue police officer at the store! There’s no need to pay for a security guard if you had a statue like this. It still has the same effect as the real thing.
13. Preventing harmful activity
“A chain of convenient marts have begun installing blue fluorescent lights to prevent people from shooting up in them.” Apparently the blue lights make it nearly impossible to find a vein. Of course, fighting drug abuse is a much bigger problem that can’t only be solved by this, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Usually, when you nip into a store that doesn’t allow dogs, you have no choice but to leave your dog tied to a bike stand or anything else that you can find. This store, though, has doggy parking spots, with a hook for attaching a lead and plenty of space for the dog to move around while he’s waiting.
15. Repurposed phone booth
Phone booths aren’t necessary anymore, and a lot of them have ended up abandoned and unused. But this one has been repurposed into a cell phone charging station. It’s a cool touch that it’s still used for phones, even if it’s been modernized.
You thought that last dog parking scenario was cool? Take a look at this one – dogs can actually “park” inside little cubicles to stay warm and cozy while their owners are away. This is much kinder than leaving your dog on the street, and the pods are even equipped with lights and ventilation. We’ve only seen this in Denmark so far, but let’s see what comes in the future!
17. Beer color & maltiness scale
Don’t know what type of beer you’d prefer? This menu shows the maltiness scale of each beer the bar serves. It should give you a better idea of the flavor you’ll get from the beer. If you’re not a big beer person, this is perfect for you.
This bar has installed a breathalyzer so you can check your alcohol levels before you leave. It’s pretty clever, because it means you can be certain that you’re safe to drive home, or you can make other plans so as not to put anyone else in danger. This should be available in all bars.
19. Ingredients you can understand
Ever looked at the back of a toothpaste tube and not understood what you’re reading? The ingredients don’t make any sense to the average person, but this brand thought of a solution. They explained every ingredient and its purpose, so you know exactly why each ingredient is included.
This bowl has to uses: you can use it as a chip and dip bowl and a cake stand! Simply flip it upside down to turn it from a chip and dip bowl to a cake stand. Which purpose would you use it for the most?
21. Touch-free door handles
Even if you know you’re capable of being hygienic in a public restroom, you can’t rely on anyone else. That’s why this touch-free door handle is such a clever idea. No need to pick up anyone else’s germs – the door will open without your touch.
Pizza boxes aren’t the most convenient solution for carrying a pizza while walking. This place in Japan has a simple fix for that – they have handles on the box so you can hold it straight. No need to tip the box vertically and risk the pizza from sliding to the side.
Family trees can get really confusing, especially when it comes to cousins. If you have no idea what to call your cousin’s kids, this handy cousin explainer should make things a little easier! Keep it to hand if your family starts to grow beyond your understanding.
If you live in a place where it’s constantly rainy, this is a pretty useful invention. Anyone can lock their umbrellas inside while they shop indoors. It stops people from getting water all over the floor, and it’s much more convenient for the customers, too.
This keypad randomizes numbers after every use. It means that passers-by wouldn’t be able to figure out someone’s passcode by their hand movements, which could help cut down on criminal activity. All cash machines should have this feature.
Have you ever found yourself in a city that you’ve never been in before, and end up getting lost? This building would be a really useful feature to have around – it has a map on it that you can look at if you need to find your way to a certain destination. It also has a light that shows where the building is.
These restaurant stools are about as space-saving as it gets! You can pull them out from the partition wall and place them on the floor when you need somewhere to sit. Then, when fewer people are inside the restaurant, the stools can be returned to the wall.
This hotel has mirrors like you’ve probably never seen before! They tell you what the weather is outside, so if you can plan your outfit and pack your bag according to the climate. What a smart idea!
One of the only unpleasant things about taking a shower is switching it on. There’s always that 10-second period where the water shoots out freezing cold. This hotel has cut out a shower opening so you can switch on the shower without soaking yourself in cold water.
30. Shipping container building
Have you ever seen a better example of sustainable living? This entire block of apartments is made from old shipping containers. They actually make a really interesting design feature, and it saved them from being dumped and never used again.
31. See what your taxes pay for
In this tax form in Australia, you can see exactly where your taxes are going, with a breakdown of each area that your money will contribute towards. This is much better than how taxes usually work: paying money into what feels like empty black space.
Garbage trucks aren’t known as being the prettiest vehicles in town, but this one has had a fun makeover! When the truck picks up the garbage, it looks like the painted robot has arms that lift it into the air. The kids in the neighborhood probably love that.
There’s no need for art to be expensive or permanent. This artwork has been made entirely out of colorful tape. It’s brought a slightly plain-looking space to life.
If you’re veggie, vegan, intolerant or allergic to some foods, this food stamp is the invention for you. It lets you know from the outside exactly what’s in the food you’re about to eat. This could even save a few lives.
Searching for a library book on a tough topic can be a little awkward for a number of reasons. Whether you have a personal purpose for reading a book or it’s simply for school or work, you might want to ask your librarian where to find it. This library has a list of where its books can be found to allow for a little more privacy.
Having a framed diploma on your wall is cool enough, but what about if you need to whip out your proof of education on-the-go? This wallet-sized diploma is the perfect portable solution. Where can we find one of these?
We’ve seen so many examples of hotels being helpful so far, and this is another great one! This hotel lays out a different carpet in its elevators to let you know what day of the week it is. Something says the room rates in this place are high!
38. Correct representation
Nowadays, women wear pants just as often as men do. This restroom sign is a more realistic representation of the women of today. There’s no need to have a woman wearing a skirt to show that she’s female! Hopefully this is a trend that catches on elsewhere.
39. Reduced plastic waste
Plastic waste is one of the biggest problems on our planet, and most of the waste comes from the products that we buy at the supermarket. Seventh Generation have created laundry detergent bottles out of heavy-duty cardboard, which can be cycled afterwards. What a great way to cut down on plastic waste.
40. Freddie Mercury plane
This airline wanted to show that they were rock ‘n roll, and what better way could you do that than to stick an image of Freddie Mercury on the back of its planes? He’s a rock legend, so it makes sense, even if it is a little random!
This Uber driver offers a “menu” to their customers to let them choose what sort of conversations they’d like to have with him. There’s even a
sounds of silence ride that you can pick if you’re not feeling like talking at all. Best driver ever!
These hexagon crayons are just the same as other crayons, except they’re hexagon instead of round in shape. This means they won’t roll off the table, which is one of the most annoying things about crayons! They should all be made like this just for convenience.
43. Pen made from recycled water bottle
This pen company has found a clever way to cut down on plastic waste. They reuse plastic water bottles and turn them into pens. The pen casts a water bottle shadow onto a table or wall, which is pretty cool.
Not all toilet paper is created equal – we all know that! This store gives several different paper choices, so people can choose their favorite. We’d go for the quilted northern. No surprise that the Scott isn’t very popular – it looks like the thin cheap stuff that you find in most public restrooms.
Paint isn’t the best for the environment, and some clever businesses are thinking of ways to avoid using it. This company car park makes its yellow lines out of strips of grass. Smart
and cute!
A real-life pet alligator is probably a step too far, but this lobby has the next best thing – they have an alligator shape embedded into the floor. Turns out this is in a medical office of all places! You’d think your eyesight was deceiving you when you first came across this.
47. Glow-in-the-dark cycle path
This glow-in-the-dark cycle path is charged by the sun. At night, it’s lit up blue to help cyclists see where they’re going, and in the day, it looks like a typical path. You’d never know it had such a special feature!
48. Glow in the dark coin
This person got a coin with the northern lights on it, and it glows in the dark. Though it doesn’t have much use, it’s definitely a beautiful keepsake! Wonder if you could get away with spending it?
49. Overripe banana solution
This person’s local grocery store started selling overripe bananas in bags for a low price, with a banana bread recipe on the side. Overripe bananas are ideal for making banana bread, so this is a great way to reduce waste of food that still tastes fine, just doesn’t look good!
As if eating an ice cream wasn’t enjoyable enough, these ice creams also have comics etched onto their cookie outer layer. So not only do they taste delicious, they also give you a laugh while you’re eating them! Pointless, but pretty cool.
This cactus toy for animals has been made by some clever designers. They know that it’s a guarantee that these sorts of toys get ripped up by animals, no matter how much they love them! So they put a sad cactus inside the happy cactus that was only revealed after the happy cactus was ripped up.
52. Well thought-out evacuation plan
You might wonder why this evacuation plan is placed so close to the floor, but it actually makes a lot of sense. If there was a fire, rising smoke would fill the corridors, and people would crawl on the floor to avoid it. These low-level signs allow for the best chance to escape safety.
If you thought the cactus dog toy was funny, just look at this one! The happy mustached man can be ripped open to reveal a sad mustached man. What makes it so great is that it’s totally intentional. If your dog doesn’t rip the toy up, he’s missing out!
54. University refill station
This university is paving the way for the future! It has refill stations around campus that you can use to refill your soaps. There’s no need to keep buying and wasting plastic bottles with this method. It would be great if all soap brands decided to trial this out.
This desk bike lets you get your exercise in while you’re doing your work, so you don’t have to make time to do each of them separately. What’s even better is that biking keeps your devices charged, so there’s extra incentive to stay fit during study.
These fans all run off the same motor, even though they’re separately placed across the ceiling. This is actually a relatively old concept, though you don’t see a lot of it around. One very big motor is much more efficient than three little ones.
57. Overnight parking incentive
This restaurant knows how to treat their customers well! They reward people for leaving their cars in the car park overnight by giving them a $10 gift card. The whole purpose of this is to cut back on drinking and driving. Here’s to making smart decisions!
58. Bowling alley washrooms
The washrooms in this bowling alley have cubicles made out of old bowling lanes. It’s perfect theming for the alley, and a great way to cut down on waste. It actually looks really nice, too!
59. Eco-friendly confetti
This brand offers confetti that you can simply throw and grow, as it contains tiny seeds and the paper won’t stick around like plastic will. Such a simple eco-friendly solution! Hopefully all brands will jump on this trend in the future.
Finally, Rhode Island might just be the most honest and open with what tax payer’s money is being spent on. This sign is so transparent that it admits to the project being 10% over budget and 5 months late. Better to be honest than to have someone else reveal the truth.
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