The Socarrat #8 – Newsletter by Gusta

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Issue 8

The Socarrat

A selection of what inspired us recently
and occasional updates from the studio.

BMW concept car changes color with E Ink

During this year’s CES tech event in Las Vegas, BMW showed off their new iX Flow concept car. The car is covered with millions of microcapsules of E Ink, the electronic ink technology typically used in e-readers. With the touch of a button, an electric field stimulates the change of color in tints of gray—making it possible to transform the exterior of your car from black to white when it’s a hot and sunny day or to add designs like racing stripes. For now, it’s just a research and design project, but BMW is planning to expand the technology to cover a spectrum of colors. 🌈

bmw.com

Brian Eno blends vision and sound with color-changing turntable

Besides his work as a musician, Eno is also known for captivating visual art, such as his kaleidoscopic lightbox installations. In collaboration with the Paul Stolper Gallery in London, the British godfather of ambient music now released a color-changing turntable, adding some psychedelic lights to your favorite records. The signed and limited run of 50 already sold out fast, so you’ll have to look for the glowing eye candy in the artist’s next exhibition.

wallpaper.com

Yoto Mini

Yoto is an interactive audio platform for kids to explore stories, songs, and other audio content safely. With physical cards resembling old school cartridges and cassettes, kids can independently learn by tactile play. The company’s Yoto Mini is the latest device that’s carefully connected to enjoy that audio content in a portable form—no big screens, microphone, or camera. The compact design looks fun but isn’t too ‘toy-like’ to appeal to all ages. And maybe best of all, the smaller device has a lower cost to produce, making it more accessible for children.

pentagram.com

Hyundai’s electric version of their 1980s Grandeur classic

Celebrating the 35th anniversary of the Grandeur, Hyundai made an electric version of their classic sedan. The retro boxy looks of the original remain intact, but under the hood, the whole car is modernized. The pixel LED lights are a subtle modification, but it’s the bombastic interior with large touch screens and bronze-colored lighting in the ceiling that give it a retro-futuristic aesthetic inspired by the 80s.

dezeen.com

A year of collaborating with LCM Digital by Drees & Sommer‍

This month marks the anniversary of our collaboration with the team at LCM Digital. As their external design partner, we’re designing their collaborative digital platform to efficiently plan and real-time control construction projects. Companies such as Siemens Energy, MSD, and parent company Drees & Sommer rely on this solution to digitize complex construction processes into a focused and transparent way of working. We are proud of everything we’ve accomplished together in the past year and are excited about the next phase! 💙

lcmdigital.com

Our newsletter is named after the roasted layer on the bottom of the pan of a good paella, the socarrat. A delicious and crunchy bite that makes the traditional dish just that little bit better. We hope that our digestable selection of inspiring finds and updates adds a similar touch to your day. From our screen to yours.