Brando – a company with a history of producing solar-powered chargers for the green gadget geek – has launched a new backpack which aims to keep your devices juiced up while you’re on the go. The freshly-unveiled Brando Multi-Purpose Solar Charger Backpack does pretty much exactly as the name suggests: combining a powerful 10,000mAh lithium-ion battery with a set of solar panels and placing the whole lot into the rear of a backpack, it offers the ability to harness the sun’s energy while you’re carting your gadgets from point A to point B and then using it to charge them when you’re at your destination. Designed – as the “ Multi-Purpose ” part of its name suggests – to power a wide range of gadgets, the removable battery pack is capable of outputting 5V, 9V, 13V, 16.8V, or 19V, meaning that everything from your USB-powered smartphone right the way through to your notebook, netbook, or even iPad should be covered, with a selection of interchangeable tips included. Although primarily designed to be charged via the solar panels – which are located on the rear of the backpack and can gather light to convert to electricity while you’re out and about – the battery pack can also be hooked up to mains power for when you need a quick boost. Brando claims that the device represents an “ environmentally-friendly, lightweight, durable, and versatile ” way of ensuring that your precious gadgets don’t run out of steam when you’re on long journeys or out in the wilderness. Speaking of wilderness, this backpack has one last trick up its sleeve: the battery pack can be used to power an included ultra-sonic mosquito repellent device, which the company claims will keep nasty biting insects away from your when you’re out walking. There’s even a built-in LED torch – although you’ll have to remove the battery pack from the backpack in order to make use of it. Sadly, the one important factor – the amount of time it takes for the battery to fully charge in direct sunlight – is something that Brando isn’t publicizing. With the battery pack able to store 10,000mAh of juice, that’s likely to be a bad sign – at least, for anyone in a hurry and away from mains power for long periods of time. Negatives aside, it’s a neat idea. The Brando Multi-Purpose Solar Charger Backpack is available now for $189, with the battery pack and interchangeable tips included. Copyright
Backyard Vineyards Designed by Brandever | Illustration: Fabien Barral | Country: Canada Backyard Vineyards is named so due to it’s close proximity to metro Vancouver, BC. Fabien Barrel brought this design to life with beautiful illustrations which interact with the type and other elements on the label. Check out the shears trimming the UPC on the back. Currenna Designed by Shawn Schrader – Country: Japan “The hair care products were for anti-aging so the idea of twisting and reversing time or counter clockwise was developed for the bottles and the logo. It would not be obvious to the consumer but having a theory behind the simple design was well received” Apple iPad Designed by Apple – Country: USA Eighthirty Designed by Noah Butcher – Country: New Zealand “Eighthirty source organic beans from sustainable farms, then combine these with dedication to deliver the perfect coffee every time. Our passion is passed on in every cup to customers who care about great coffee as much as we do. Eighthirty delivers – simply good coffee.” Swiss & Global Designed by f-o-r-m-e – Country: Italy “We designed this package for our client Swiss & Global Asset Management. They are dedicated asset managers in Switzerland and worldwide and every year they make a little Easter present for their clients. They usually send some particular sweets from Sicily and we usually create a very simple package for them. On October 2009 they changed their company name – formerly Julius Baer Asset Management – so they decided to use the gift to communicate to their clients that the company name changed, but not the quality of their service. We decided to change the package to support this really important concept. We used a very beautiful kind of paper, Arjowiggins Skin, and a very refined illustration. All printed in Pantone Silver. We also used a “more vertical” form so that you think – also because of the illustration – that you’ll can find a chocolate egg inside. But when you open the package you find a card saying you ‘E’ cambiata la forma, non la sostanza’ (The form has changed, not the substance).” Mulher Designed by Liga Design – Country: Brazil “This is a gift we created for our female clients for the International Women’s Day. The package was created to conceal a watch and look like a small bag, since we know girls love to shop. The copy goes like this: “Woman, a small gift for you who present us everyday” Student Work – Dmitri Moruz Designed by Dimitri Moruz – Country: Russia “Brief is to design the packaging for a new line of organic loose teas (not a live project, tea company is Ringtons tea). Things to consider were: to have packaging eco friendly, to communicate the feel of it being exclusive, limited loose tea; try to appeal to young professionals. Solution is incorporating die-cut technique, which brings both: exclusiveness and it is saving on ink, while paper used for the outer layer is made of recycling materials.” Good Day Designed by Carefully Considered – Country: United States “Packaging design for a new men’s skin care line with a crisp English feel. Using typography as an identifier, we created an easy way to find the right products for your skin type.” Student Work – Meeta Panesar Designed by Meeta Panesar – Country: United States “The design is inspired by the colors and designs of Joseph Albers and the Op Art movement. The usage of the rectangular elements reflects Alber’s “Homage to the Square,” a series of paintings begun in 1949.” The “it” Bar Country: United States | Font: ITC Avant Garde Gothic The “it Bar from Dylan’s Candy Bar comes beautifully packaged in a white textured box with blind embossing, foil stamp and tip-on label. Nexus One Designed by Google/HTC – Country: United States Feez Designed by HvingtQuatre | Country: France A range of milk-based drinks with a take-away size in 4 flavours; Strawberry, Blackberry, Blueberry and Raspberry. The milk adorns the packaging, the tasty fruit is brought out on the milk and on the opening that enables the drinking. About the author My name is Fabio Sasso, I’m a graphic/web designer from Porto Alegre, Brazil and I’m the founder of Abduzeedo. I hope we can share lots of information, tips, and ideas through Abduzeedo. Also you can follow me on Twitter or my personal site at http://fabiosasso.com . Sponsored Links: 
