ColaLife, the non-profit that wedges its medical kits into crates full of Coca-Cola was awarded Product Design of the Year by the Design Museum of London. 

The organization was awarded the honor for its Kit Yamoyo, a simple plastic container that carries an anti-diarrhea treatment including oral hydration salts, zinc and soap. After the contents are disposed of, the container can be used as a water filtration system. The concept was developed by ColaLife and PI Global in an effort to utilize the distribution routes of Coca-Cola suppliers to distribute aid to remote regions of Africa. 

“The maverick in me thinks it’s fantastic that something designed with the poor and for the poor, and with the word ‘diarrhea’ in it, has won a mainstream, international design award," said founder Simon Berry in a statement. "I think it’s safe to say that this hasn’t happened before and I congratulate the judges for being so brave.”Continue reading...

Milan Design Week may be held in Italy’s fashion capital, but it will have a bit of Dutch flair again this year as Heineken looks to ensure visitors get a glimpse of its branding.

The brewer, which is celebrating its 140th anniversary, has partnered with a few designers to create a new exhibit space in Milan – The Magazzini — leading up to the big April event.

Last year, Heineken created a pop-up nightclub for the event that was the creation of 19 young designers from around the world. The approach led crowdsourcing.org to name Heineken one of the “leading global brands to embrace crowdsourcing and co-creation.”

Moving forward with the crowdsourcing concept, the brand has now asked people to visit its Facebook page and use elements of its bottles, advertisements and labels from the past 140 years to “remix” them into a bottle of the future. The top 30 will be showcased during Milan Design Week, and a winner will also be announced that week.

The designer of the chosen bottle will also get to see their creation made and know that, for at least a limited time, beer drinkers worldwide are cradling their creation.

Heineken and its collaborators will also host a series of daily workshops at The Magazzini during Design Week.

Hooters isn’t exactly known for the look of its interior decor. The brand is largely connected to its young, attractive waitresses serving hot wings and beer.

However, Hooters has been in business for 30 years now — and some of the locations have been getting a little long in the tooth.  The chain announced a physical revamp Thursday in an effort to remake itself into a slightly more upmarket brand. The changes were first introduced at a Houston, Texas, location.

“The high exposed ceiling, painted ductwork and cypress wood walls give a more open and brighter appearance, and materials such as light colored face brick provide texture throughout the space,” according to a press release. “Guests will also benefit from a more centrally located and prominently placed bar, complemented with swiveled bar stools for ease and comfort.”Continue reading...

While it may not be getting as high-tech glam as the French prototype above, McDonald's is undergoing a billion-dollar makeover ($2.9 billion, to be exact) in a bid to boost sales.

McDonald's global same-store sales gains for nearly nine years have consistently gone up, including the 7.5 percent uptick during the fourth quarter of last year, but its executives would like to keep it going, thank you very much. Plus, it’s got some very aggressive fast-casual rivals, such as Panera and Chipotle, nipping at its market share.

That's why the executives setting the Golden Arches strategy announced a global overhaul of its stores last year, redesigning them to look more upscale and attract more business.Continue reading...

While the best of the world’s amateur archers, hammer throwers, and synchronized divers (among plenty of others) are getting ready for this summer’s Olympic Games in London, others are busy working toward future Olympic dreams.

Sochi, Russia, is readying itself for the Winter Games in 2014, while the organizers in Rio are likely paying pretty close attention to the London 2012 organizers' Dow Chemical sponsorship uproar as it figures out how it will handle things four years down the line when it hosts the 2016 Summer Games. And for those of you keeping score at home, there are now only 2,200 days to go before the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

As for where the globe’s athletic elite will be headed in 2020, a decision won’t be made till September of 2013, but six cities have submitted bids to the International Olympic Committee: Tokyo; Rome; Istanbul; Madrid; Doha, Qatar; and Baku, Azerbaijan. The good folks of Madrid, though, have already experienced a sight misstep.Continue reading...

Comfy couches, muted colors, flower-pot lampshades — does that sound like Burger King to you? Well, the Miami-based chain indeed is experimenting with those decorating concepts at a new spot it just opened, called Garden Grill, in Singapore. It's meant to be more alluring to families than the chain's traditionally "louder" color story and trappings.

The menu remains the same as BK's fare worldwide but oh, that ambience! There is crisp, clean wood throughout, from the tables and chairs to the ceiling. And no color brighter than a sort of chartreuse is anywhere to be seen. If we didn't know any better, we'd swear that Burger King is trying to catch up with McDonald's overhaul of the inner decor of its restaurants at many locations worldwide.

Burger King isn't planning to bring the Garden Grill concept (by Outofstock design) to the United States, at least anytime soon. Do you think they could move the King to Singapore too? More images below:Continue reading...

Let’s get visual! Posters are always a popular medium of visually conveying messages, whether it is an advertisement or just a statement. Case in point: the eyecatching Back for the Future campaign poster by La Boca, above, promoting the Nike MAG (aka the "Marty McFly sneaker") release and eBay auction to benefit the Michael J. Fox Foundation.Continue reading...

Honest Tea is refreshing its labels this month as its PET (eco-friendlier) plastic bottles gain national distribution.

The first relaunch of the beverage brand since Coca-Cola took ownership in March, the new look PET bottles of Honest Tea and Honest Ade (its glass bottles, and tea flavors, remain unchanged) are intended to capture "the brand's heritage of taste, organic ingredients and whimsy."

Compare it to the old look plastic bottle labels below and let us know what you think.Continue reading...