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Design Beyond Aesthetics
A journal exploring electronic music, sound, and visual culture through a design perspective—connecting technology, rhythm, and contemporary creative practice. This platform focuses on the structures behind electronic music: from techno and house to sound design, production, and cultural movements. It examines how music is shaped by machines, systems, and environments—bridging design thinking with sonic experimentation.
While rooted in design, the focus shifts toward electronic music as a cultural and technological language, analyzing genres, artists, tools, and the spaces where sound becomes experience. Published on otaviosantiago.com, this is an independent perspective on how music, design, and technology intersect—moving beyond aesthetics into structure, systems, and culture.
Graphic, Web & Motion Designer
Toyota Mobi electric bubble car for kids
Toyota Mobi electric bubble car for kids - At the Japan Mobility Show 2025 , Toyota introduced one of its most surprising concepts yet — Mobi , a self-driving electric “bubble car” designed exclusively for children. On view from October 30th to November 9th, the prototype is part of Toyota’s ongoing Mobility for All initiative, aimed at creating inclusive vehicles that can transport anyone, regardless of age or ability. Playful in both form and spirit, the Mobi concept is sh
Nov 14, 2025
Interview with Yusuke Kawai: The Art of Modular Lighting Design for Pedrali
Yusuke Kawai modular lighting Pedrali Bridging Japanese craftsmanship with European precision, Pedrali unveils Kawara , a modular lighting collection designed by Yusuke Kawai . Presented at the 63rd edition of Salone del Mobile , the collection merges cultural heritage with advanced engineering, embodying Kawai’s deep appreciation for sacred architecture and the poetic geometry of Japanese roof tiles. “When developing creative ideas, I consider technological aspects in paral
Nov 13, 2025
Brilliant Labs Launches Frame — AI-Powered Glasses That Redefine Augmented Reality
AI-powered glasses Brilliant Labs has unveiled Frame , a pair of AI-powered glasses augmented reality glasses capable of translating languages, recognizing images, searching the web, and more — all in real time. Designed to look and feel like regular eyewear, Frame seamlessly integrates artificial intelligence and AR technology into everyday life. Powered by technology from OpenAI , Whisper , and Perplexity , the glasses interpret the world around users and display contextua
Nov 11, 2025
Ghana precast rammed earth project
Ghana precast rammed earth project - DeRoche Projects has completed the Backyard Community Club in Accra, introducing a new model for sustainable urban space in a city where green and recreational areas are scarce. At its center lies a clay tennis court , surrounded by facilities for sport, learning, and ecological cultivation. The project marks Ghana’s first use of a precast rammed earth system , a breakthrough that reinterprets traditional building materials for scalable,
Nov 9, 2025
FamilyMart’s Tearful Eye Stickers Turn Expiring Meals into Acts of Kindness
FamilyMart has launched a series of endearing “Tearful Eye Stickers” designed to draw attention to discounted meals nearing expiration. Featuring cartoon characters with teary eyes and the message “Please help,” these stickers adorn lunch boxes, rice balls, and sandwiches, encouraging customers to rescue perfectly good food before it’s discarded. The initiative pairs emotional visual cues with discounted prices, creating a powerful reminder that food shouldn’t go to waste si
Nov 6, 2025
MIT Museum exhibition Remembering the Future — Design, Innovation & Shared Destiny
Billowing waves of radiant color seem frozen in motion — vibrant intersections where art and data converge in Remembering the Future , a new textile-based installation at the MIT Museum exhibition. The work, created by 2022–2024 MIT Distinguished Visiting Artist Janet Echelman in collaboration with Caitlin Mueller, architect, engineer, and MIT Associate Professor, transforms vast sets of climate data stretching back to the last ice age into a tactile vision of possibility. T
Nov 4, 2025
Paola Pivi: I Don’t Like It, I Love It
At the Art Gallery of Western Australia, Paola Pivi: I Don’t Like It, I Love It transforms AGWA’s Brutalist architecture into a vibrant, dreamlike realm where humor and gravity coexist. Renowned for her surreal and playful scenarios — from feather-covered polar bears to upside-down airplanes and zebras in snowy landscapes — Pivi explores themes of coexistence, empathy, and environmental fragility. The exhibition debuts several new commissions, including a monumental inflata
Nov 3, 2025
Love Hultén’s Custom Guitar-Like Synth with Ferrofluid Visuals
Love Hultén has crafted a striking custom synthesizer that blends musical innovation with mesmerizing visuals. Inspired by the Y17 sound machine, this guitar-like instrument features a built-in ferrofluid display that comes alive and “dances” in response to sound. Commissioned by a private client, the device is part of Hultén’s expanding collection of experimental sonic projects. The instrument is fully battery-powered and houses a modified Arturia Microfreak synth paired w
Sep 29, 2025
Apple Introduces “Personal Intelligence” — A New Era of Private, Contextual AI
Apple Personal Intelligence Apple's new 'Personal Intelligence' AI is set to transform how users interact with their devices, offering a powerful, intuitive, and deeply integrated experience across Apple’s apps and platforms. This advanced AI is designed with personalization and privacy at its core, ensuring user data remains secure and private. Personalized Intelligence with Contextual Understanding The essence of Apple’s 'Personal Intelligence' lies in its ability to use us
Jun 17, 2024
Pet Astronauts: A Retro-Futuristic Tribute to the Apollo 11 Anniversary
Featured in Design Boom , this project celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing and the thrilling era of Cold War space exploration . Created in 2020, the concept reimagines a whimsical cosmic journey led by three charming space explorers: Clarinha , a sleek black cat from Berlin; Tubarao , a proud Russian Blue; and Keta , a spirited Shiba Inu. Each pet astronaut embodies the pride and curiosity of their nations, embarking on a symbolic mission through
Aug 25, 2023
Alastair Philip Wiper’s Unintended Beauty: Finding Art in the Machinery of Industry
British photographer Alastair Philip Wiper explores the unseen poetry of industry in his latest project, Unintended Beauty — a book and exhibition that transform mechanical precision into visual art. On view at MADD Bordeaux , the series captures the symmetry, density, and geometric rhythm within factories, laboratories, and production plants worldwide. Wiper’s work reframes the overlooked spaces of human invention. His images, saturated with color and structured by repetit
Jun 15, 2021
MIT’s Ultra-Black Material Redefines Darkness and Perception
MIT ultra-black material - In a striking fusion of science and art, MIT engineers have created a material so dark it absorbs 99.995% of light —making it 10 times blacker than any substance previously known . This groundbreaking discovery takes form not just as a scientific marvel but as a conceptual artwork titled The Redemption of Vanity . The piece is a collaboration between artist Diemut Strebe , artist-in-residence at the MIT Center for Art, Science and Technology , and
Jun 15, 2021
Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020: How Humor Helps Us Humanize Nature
Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020 The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020 have revealed their finalists — 44 remarkable images that showcase the beauty, fragility, and humor of the natural world. More than just funny moments, these photographs reflect a growing aesthetic trend in wildlife photography: the humanization of animals , bridging emotion between viewer and subject. Founded by photographers Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam , the competition is a global,
Jun 15, 2021
CROX Designs the Longquan Well Cultural Center in Chengdu’s Science Park
Architecture studio CROX has completed the Longquan Well Cultural Center as part of a vast science and technology campus near Chengdu , the capital of southwestern China’s Sichuan province. Home to over 240 firms , the Chengdu Science and Technology Industry Incubation Park sits in the Tianfu New District , about 30 kilometers south of the city center. As a new hub for health-tech companies, the park sought an architectural landmark that could embody innovation while offe
Jun 15, 2021
Warka Water Arturo Vittori: Designing Hope Through Air, Tradition, and Innovation
Warka Water Arturo Vittori is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating sustainable, community-driven solutions to some of humanity’s most enduring challenges. Founded by Italian architect Arturo Vittori , the project combines local knowledge, ancient traditions, and visionary design to provide access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene in remote areas around the world. At the heart of Warka Water’s mission is the belief that design can be a force for dignity. Vi
Jun 15, 2021
Fabrikk Vela cork handbag features the latest technology in illuminating materials inside
Fabrikk Vela cork handbag The Fabrikk Vela cork handbag is a cross-body cork handbag that brings together eco-conscious design and modern technology. Crafted from ethically sourced, cruelty-free cork , the Vela is vegan-friendly and proudly made in the UK — a piece that balances function, sustainability, and innovation. A Handbag That Lights Up Inspired by the world of smart materials , the Vela integrates LED-illuminated lining that automatically switches on when the ba
Jun 15, 2021
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