The use of crowdsourcing for graphic design is a controversial one, as evidenced by all the debate our stories about SitePoint and crowdSPRING generated when we posted them. A new Seattle-based contender is taking a slightly different approach, however, by creating a virtual marketplace for ready-made print designs.

More along the lines of IncSpring, which allows graphic designers to find buyers for unused brand concepts, Seattle-based Inkd is a portal where graphic designers can upload and sell their designs to business users who lack the time or resources for a custom consultation, yet want something more attractive and original than the cookie-cutter designs found in their office software. Designers begin by registering with the site for free, selecting a template and uploading their brochure, business card, letterhead or other graphic design.

After review by the Inkd team, designs accepted for inclusion on the site then become available for browsing by business users, who can also search by industry or item type. Buyers can purchase and download the designs they like in a variety of popular formats—including Adobe Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop as well as CorelDRAW—and can tweak or customize as needed, even hiring the designer on a freelance basis for help if they want. For each sale, meanwhile, the designer of the item receives a royalty fee of at least 20 percent. Thousands of designs are currently available on the site, with prices ranging from USD 29 for letterhead to USD 99 for a brochure design. A few free designs are also available.

Given the many iterations most designs go through in a custom assignment, it seems likely that pretty much every designer under the sun has some leftovers on hand. Business users, meanwhile, will surely welcome the convenience and affordability of a ready-made approach. It's another win-win for both sides, and—given that the market for business print materials is at least USD 28 billion annually, according to Inkd—that can add up to a lot of joy all around! ;-)

Website: www.inkd.com
Contact: care@inkd.com

Spotted by: Miriam Brafman

We may live in a world of fast food, fast fashion and fast-moving change, but it's starting to look like things may be slowing down. Earlier this year we wrote about Welsh brand Howies and its line of clothing intended to be passed down through generations, and since then we learned of Brikolör, a brand-new Swedish company that designs its furniture to last 300 years.

Debuted last month at the International Furniture Fair in Milan, Brikolör aims to manufacture furniture "with a guaranteed emotional and technical durability of 300 years." A variety of colourful pieces created from ash and larch make up Brikolör's current six-prototype line, with prices ranging from EUR 500 for a varnished Älta-Älta stool to EUR 8,000 for a pattern-stained Hägg cabinet.

There's nothing like a recession and a focus on environmental sustainability to make consumers value longevity. Fast, you're history; lasting value, you're here to stay! ;-)

Website: www.brikolor.com — twitter.com/brikolor
Contact: info@brikolor.com

If fire protection kits can be upgraded with a splash of style, then why not first aid kits too? Canister UK's new OW! brand does just that with an assortment of all-in-one kits cutely packaged for various purposes.

Four OW! kits are available for GBP 5.99 each through Boots stores across the UK as well as online. The Home Sweet Home kit, for example, includes forehead thermometer, washproof plasters, wound pad and bandage, antiseptic wipes, safety pins, burns dressing and finger bandage, all in a cheerful silver and orange container. The silver and purple Cheeky Monkeys kit, on the other hand, adds children's plasters, cooling gel sheet and star stickers "for being brave!". Also available are kits for travel and sports. All four are "robust, recyclable and reusable"—as the site puts it—and "a far cry from one of those big old dusty kits you never use, which lurks at the back of your kitchen cupboard."

Ready for another rendition of one of our favourite refrains? Here goes: everything—yes everything—can be upgraded! Take a tired old product, add some modern convenience and stylish packaging, and you too could end up in a chain of 850 stores nationwide! ;-)

Website: www.owhealth.com
Contact: hi@owhealth.com

Adidas is no stranger to the street culture scene, and their latest move seems right on target: the Adidas Urban Art Guide to Berlin is an iPhone travel guide listing Berlin’s best graffiti.

Users download the application for free, giving them access to a Google map of Berlin that’s pegged with the locations of its urban art masterpieces. The map can be navigated in several ways: "Find artworks nearby" provides users with a map of art works in their immediate vicinity; "Tour guide" calls up a curated walking tour of local urban art; and "Gallery" gives users the option to browse the city's street art and then seek out their favourite pieces. Users can click on each marked location to call up images as well as information about the piece, the artist and further references.

The app’s interactive elements including rating and commenting functionalities, and letting users upload their own snaps of new art, which keeps the map cutting-edge at no extra cost to Adidas. Berlin is currently the only city on the Urban Art Guide's map, but plans are underway to develop similar guides for other cities.

Although a growing audience appreciates street art, few traditional guide books make any mention of it. So this is a smart move on behalf of Adidas, getting the brand straight into the hands of its target audience, while reaffirming its street credentials. Other brands—what kind of map-related content can you offer your (niche) audiences on the go? (Related: Free coffee for iPhone users at Swedish 7-Eleven — Louis Vuitton’s walking tours of Beijing, Shanghai & Hong Kong — trendwatching.com's take on mapmania.)

Website: www.urbanartguide.de
Contact: info@urbanartguide.com

Spotted by: Susanna Haynie

Consumers in the market for a new children’s playhouse have a wide variety to choose from, with pint-sized properties ranging from thirty-dollar cardboard versions to uber-premium, custom-built chalets. A new product from the Netherlands takes the market one step further, allowing kids to become designers by creating their own one-of-a-kind playhouses.

The qb playhouse is completely customisable, giving children the option to pick their own colours and patterns for doors, windows and siding. Those seeking to be entirely unique can upload a pattern, drawing or text of their own design. qb playhouses are available in three unorthodox shapes—Original, Tree and City—and are constructed using sustainable wood. Not targeting the low end of the market, the houses are priced from EUR 699 to 999.

Enrolling children as co-designers is a sure way to draw attention amidst an avalanche of toys. One to expand to other children’s products and services? (Related: Bedding designed by (and for) kids.)

Website: www.quubi.nl
Contact: quubi@quubi.nl

Spotted by: Judy McRae