Function As Service

Stonehenge, Wiltshire, England

Function: Instead of the impossible task of outlawing chewing gum at a UNESCO World Heritage Site, make its disposal convenient.

Design: Simple and usable, but I wouldn't want my fingers to touch the sides of the opening.

Benefits:

No gum buried in between archaic pillars of stone.

Placement: Almost camouflaged, it is hung next to a cigarette disposal on a wall along a walkway from the toilets and ticket booth to the parking lot.

Function as Service

London

Function: Obvious.

Design: Universal language of imagery.

Benefit: Friendly reminder.

Placement: In the middle of bustling London.

Function as Service - Toilet Humor

My mother will not believe that I'm writing about this, but I hope that she will appreciate the function of the Shit Box. Stumbling upon this innovative temporary toilet in the well-curated East London men's shop, Present, was random yet strangely added a sense of community hygiene and convenience to the clothes, shoes and coffees they sell there. One can also purchase it directly from where else than: www.thebrowncorporation.com. Plastic bag included.

Function: To ease bathroom going while at outdoor concert festivals and other activities.

Design: A portable, foldable, packable, reusable and supportable cardboard toilet with a degradable "poo bag."

Benefit: No more leaning on trees or strengthening quads.

Placement: Anywhere, but still a need for bushes to hide behind.

Shit Box I www.thebrowncorporation.com

Present I 140 Shoreditch High Street I London I +44 (0)20 7033 0500

Function as Service

New York City

Function: To provide comfortable 'stoop' seating outside a downtown nail salon.

Design: Cut off legs of chairs.

Benefit: Efficient use of odd step on sidewalk and inviting customers to wait.

Placement: Against the wall of the storefront window; facing the warm, West-setting sun.

Function as Service

In my pursuit of reviewing service, I've come across compelling retail, hospitality and product design. What makes these design elements worth highlighting for SoS are its function, simplicity and ease of use.

From today, I am beginning a new category, "Function as Service," to present objects and elements that are thoughtfully designed into our needs and that of its surroundings rather than into those of high - and low - design aesthetes. I'm not asking for a lot here. Something that will hold trash, drain well (I'll get to you later, Philippe Stark) and easy on the eyes will do it for me.

To start off, here is a version of a trash receptacle on a beach in France:

Function: To collect trash from beach-goers.

Design: The container body is buried into the sand, with the cover and opening standing 1 foot from the ground; A rustic, wooden cover is consistent with the style of the restaurant, shop, beach walkway and chaise rental counter.

Benefits:

1) The low container has little to no wind resistance, preventing it from toppling it over from wind gusts and even in the rain.

2) A two-year old toddler can finally put his or her own trash where it belongs, without Mom or Dad picking up after them.

Placement: Discreet and unobtrusive, it is positioned near a bush along a walkway, against a brush.