What is YankoDesign.com?

Yanko Design is a design focused blog where we survey the latest concepts from students, upstarts, and established professionals. Our aim to create a community that normally is very isolated from each other. We aim to create a dialogue and the best way to do so is by sharing. It’s a place where people come for inspiration, to learn, and to spread good ideas.

Why should people read YankoDesign.com?

What sets Yanko Design apart from other design blogs is our editorial content and voice. We have a wonderful ability to translate the often loquacious and long winded descriptions designers give to us into meaningful, clever, and laymen’s terms. In that sense, we allow designers to connect with each other and the general public. We don’t just post everything submitted or found. We all have design backgrounds ourselves so we heavily scrutinize it and at the end of the day, allow readers to decide for themselves.

How did YankoDesign.com begin?

Well see, one day a giant stork wearing all these futuristic gadgets flew into Takashi’s (our founder) window. He handed a large semi-translucent egg and tasked Takashi with caring, nurturing, and raising that egg. In time, small and big ideas hatched from it, thus the birth of Yanko Design.

The real story is Yanko Design started off as a shop destination. Takashi aggregated all the best in design products and wanted a place for the public to easily buy the latest and greatest. As time went on, the site slowly changed into a place featuring new and would-be designs. Yanko Design still maintains a shop tho the inventory is a lot smaller now. It’s a part of our past that’s kind of cool so why get rid of it?

What do you enjoy most about your site?

Most definitely the readers. They come from all around the world, all walks of life. It’s amazing how design transcends language barriers. Everyone know what they do/don’t like and that’s what designers what to hear right? I mean you can’t be a designer and not expect the barrage of comments from strangers - be it positive or negative. It’s humorous, funny, insightful, critical, and sometimes even scathing.

What advice would you have for “would be” bloggers?

Write in your own voice. I can’t stress that enough. Understand content drives everything else. Regardless of site layout or design, blogs are just the written word so really the only thing you have to distinguish yourself is your own written word. Hone that and own it. It’s where all great blogs begin.

What are your favorite websites and why?

This is a toughy since I literally live on the internet. Off top Gizmodo.com. We’re friends with their founder and they’ve actually been very supportive of Yanko’s efforts early own. They’re focused on technology and have definitely found their own unique voice in that very crowded editorialized market.

Also love MocoLoco.com which I consider to be the apex of design blogs. They approach design from an art perspective.

Dezeen.com is a great destination for the latest in architecture. I’ve also wondered how architects do it. 90% of what they design will never go beyond the paper draft because it’s an industry that can’t alway afford to build everything designed. Some of the best designers in the world started as architects and Dezeen is a great place to see why.

TreeHugger.com writes about everything underneath the sun, as long as it’s “green” conscious and eco-minded. The future will have to be driven with the idea of conservation and sustainability. Designers today see that as a limitation since it means they can’t go balls out and use any material without considering it consequence to the environment - but if you look at that from another perspective, it’s only a design challenge that can and will be overcome. That’s part of a designer’s job.

What gadgets can you not live without?

iPhone, Nintendo DS, bluetooth headset.

Anything else we should know?

“Design is the first sign of human intent”. One of my favorite quotes by William McDonough. Oh and I’m also ticklish.

Thanks for taking the time to chat with us, Long. If you’re new to YankoDesign or its been a while since your last visit, here are a few articles Long recommend starting with. Enjoy, GearCravers!

• The Dry Side: a rolling bench keeps you dry after a rain.
• Need to leave a message for a housemate? Do it on toast!
• This MP3 player folds out to play your CDs…  pretty cool.
• The Sony Vaio Laptop of the future?
• A look at the Yanko Design offices.