'iFoam' big hit for iPhone fans long wait

iDay has finally arrived- Friday, June 29, 2007. Here in San Francisco, the line outside the Apple Store looped around the block. A couple of brave souls towards the front settled in Wednesday night. By early this morning the line had grown a few hundred deep. I biked over to check out the scene and couldn't help but notice the sheer number of people sitting uncomfortably on the sidewalk - no chairs, no seat cushion, not even a towel. And there were 10 hours left to go! Some were going across the street to Walgreen's to buy folding chairs. There must be something better than a gigantic folding chair, I thought. Something lightweight, weatherproof, and easy to clean.

You can see where this is going.

I raced home, collected 20 CritBuns (all could carry), and proceeded back to the Apple Store. I spent the next 5 hours walking the lines at the Apple Store on Stockton St., and two AT&T Stores on Market St., offering Apple fans the 'iFoam' discount. By 3pm, I was down to one pair left, and joined some my friends in line (#62). The insanity climaxed at 6pm when the doors opened. The sheer amount of people, media, celebrities led me to believe this was what my parents experienced going to a Beatles concert.

In the end, CritBuns saved the day for 19 lucky buns, and helped pay for a new iPhone to boot.

Submitted CritCode

Rectilinear

Submitted by Patt W. at GSU.

From wikipedia:

A rectilinear polygon is a polygon all of whose edges meet at right angles. Thus the interior angle at each vertex is either 90° or 270°. Rectilinear polygons are a special case of isothetic polygons.

Read all the CritCode submissions.

User Image: CritBuns & farm life

From the art studio to the farm, a little bun for everyone. Thanks for the pic, Jessamee S.!

Send an image of your buns in use to design@critbuns.com

IDSA + the CritBuns Story

The story behind CritBuns can never be told enough. The IDSA (Industrial Designer's Society of America) thought so too, and invited me to speak at their 2007 MidEast conference in Cincinnati, OH. The conference was held at the University of Cincinnati's infamous DAAP building, designed by Peter Eisenman. The event catered to students and professionals in and around the Ohio region, and featured speakers from all over the country. Themed with "Big Brands, Big Ideas", I kicked off the festivities with a little brand and big idea - the notion of an independent designer taking their idea to market, and the role of the story in that process. I shared observations and insights acquired over the last 7 years, from prototyping to toolmaking, salesmanship to contracts, focusing on using your product's story to gain brand awareness.

Pecha Kucha talk

20 slides x 20 seconds. This is the format of Pecha Kucha, an informal gathering in San Francisco and other major cities around the world that bring together people making stuff happen, who want to talk about it. I presented in the second half of the evening, to a crowd of over 200 people packed tightly into 330 Ritch Street. CritBuns ruled the floor! The well prepared presentation (days of planning) ran like a well oiled machine, flowing from one slide to the next, hitting punchlines square in the jaw. The story was an animal, and I was its tamer.

AIGA Auction

We've donated a pair of CritBuns to be part of the San Francisco AIGA Chapter's Heart Throb auction. Proceeds to support Joey's Corner - a non-profit design consultancy. The lucky winner was a gentleman from Protero Hill, CA, and lived a lime green house. Fitting.

Zinc Details Holiday Party

Give the gift of buns this holiday season. The well known San Francico design store, Zinc Details, will be hosting a holiday party at its 2410 California Street location. I will be on hand with a selection of CritBuns, demo chair, and limited edition booklets.

RISD Alumni Sale

Another October, and another Alumni Sale. It was crisp air, and crisp sales - CritBuns sold out of stock at the Rhode Island School of Design's 2006 Fall Alumni Sale. A sea of people were initiated to the curvy cushion, and I witnessed again the power of the story; customers would literally turn around and repeat it to the next person in line. This year's most requested color? Purple.