Design types gathered last night in Gotham for the presentation of the James Dyson Awards. There wasn't a bagless vacuum in sight, but Dyson's own fondness for efficiently picking things up came through in the U.S. finalist, the "Rake n' Take." Designed by Southern Illinois University Carbondale senior Ryan Jansen (pictured above), the newfangled rake not only gathers leaves but also picks them up with the help of a flexible rake head. In addition to Dyson Award finalist honors, Jansen's design won the nationwide Eye for Why Student Competition sponsored by Dyson and the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA).

"I've raked lots of leaves and there's always the problem of how do you get the leaves up and into a bag," said Dyson (pictured below), in the clipped British accent that we can't help but associate with top-notch cyclonic suction. "Ryan has solved that problem beautifully and in a way that no one has thought of before."

Jansen and his professor, Walter Hargrove, were on hand to answer questions about the rake's clever cam lock mechanism and the slide sleeve surrounding its elongated handle, while design historian (and SVA D-Crit faculty member) Russell Flinchum, New York Times reporter Phil Patton, and new IDSA executive director Frank Tyneski inspected the prototypes. We also chatted with the multitalented Tucker Viemeister (one of the Eye for Why judges) and former UnBeige editor Eva Hagberg, who both agreed that raking leaves was an often frustrating but potentially pleasurable task to which everyone could relate. Skeptics were directed to a pile of faux leaves that had been brought in for the occasion. It was enough to make many Manhattanites recall fondly the concept of a backyard.

Thanks for the invitations, New York design community (or in some cases, not having a list at the door). Here's where we found ourselves drinking free toddies this week...

Rockwell Group
Address: Bowlmor Lanes
Crowd: Rockwell Group employees
Specialty Cocktail: Bullshot, served by "celebrity bartender" Laurie Rosenwald
Big Sightings: Maira Kalman, Tucker Viemeister wearing a Santa hat
Just Missed: Chee Pearlman
Highlight (pictured here): A video kaleidoscope created by James Tichenor and Joshua Walton that projected snowflakes cut by partygoers onto huge screens around the room. No word on how many Bullshots were served before bare butts were also projected around the room.

Debbie Millman's SVA Class
Address: Millman's swank pad
Crowd: Students, former "Design Matters" guests
Specialty Cocktail: Champagne (for those of age), as double-fisted by Felix Sockwell
Big Sightings: Chip Kidd, James Victore, Tobias Frere-Jones
Just Missed: Joyce Rutter Kaye
Highlight: Millman giving signed copies of 100% Evil to her students, which were doodled on more by Christoph Niemann and Nicholas Blechman, both in attendance.

The Architect's Newspaper
Address: The well-appointed loft of William Menking and Diana Darling
Crowd: Architects, writers, architect-writers
Specialty Cocktail: Real egg nog, with fresh grated nutmeg
Big Sightings: The lady design journalist power trio of Julie Lasky, Julie Iovine and Eve Kahn
Just Missed: Teddy Cruz
Highlight: The view.

Good Design Party
Address: Good pop-up store
Crowd: Green design consultants, graphic designers, Mr. T fans
Specialty Cocktail: Organic wheat vodka with Izze sparkling clementine juice in biodegradable cups made from corn
Big Sightings: Emily Oberman, supercute young'un Jonathan Harris presenting the Whale Hunt
Just Missed: Bobby Martin giving his slam-dunk presentation again
Highlight: Mike Essl showing off his world's largest Mr. T memorabilia collection, including a clip from VH1's "Totally Obsessed" where he and his co-collector eat a 20-year-old box of Mr. T cereal.

AIGA NY has opened their annual holiday party up to the masses, so what was once a simple party for AIGA members will now be the THE/ NEW/ BIGGER/ ANNUAL/ AIGA/ NY/ HOLIDAY/ DANCE/ PARTY/ FUNDRAISER/ SPECTACULAR on December 9. And might we also add FREE FOOD/ GRIND-O-RAMA/ PASS OUT ON STAIRS/ SAY INAPPROPRIATE THINGS TO YOUR BOSS/ HIT ON DEBBIE MILLMAN.

In addition to the usual tradition of designer-designed gift-wrap given to all attendees (along with a free drink, cha-ching!) there will be an auction, presided over by none other than author, mole man expert, and Windows-running impresario John Hodgman. Up for bidding are some tasty, tasty treats, like a private tour of MOMA's Design Department by Paola Antonelli and Christian Larsen, custom calligraphy by Marian Bantjes, and the item we'll be sending in a field rep for: Michael Bierut's Voice for Your Phone Greeting.

Really? He has to say anything you want him to? And you get to record it?

We're home safe on non-volcanic soil after our jaunt to Honolulu for the opening of the Vladimir Ossipoff exhibition "Hawaiian Modern." Yesterday we gave you the party report and today, we have the Ossi-party photos.

Metropolis' Paul Makovsky with Ossipoff's granddaughter Keira Alexandra. You heard our fascinating design connection with Alexandra, here's another one: Metropolis ran a story on Alexandra's amazing NYC house back in 1998.

Valerie Ossipoff, the architect's daughter.

Guest curator, designer and overall Big Kahuna Dean Sakamoto.

Raul Barreneche, author of a beautiful book about tropical modern architecture, aptly named Tropical Modern, and Susan Sayre Batton, deputy director of the Honolulu Academy of Art.

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You may not be familiar with the work of Hawaiian architect Vladimir Ossipoff, but let us assure you: He won't be underappreciated for long. A beautiful exhibition about Ossipoff's masterful modern Hawaiian architecture, "Hawaiian Modern," opens today at the Honolulu Academy of Arts. And last night, they opened their doors for a record-breaking crowd as fans, friends and former clients packed the galleries, swarmed the courtyards and lined up around the block. And we spotted guest curator architect Dean Sakamoto, current director of exhibitions at the Yale School of Architecture (and Hawaiian native who actually tried to score a job with Ossipoff back in the day), greeting every single person who came through the door, his shoulders laden with leis.

Members of Ossipoff's family (the architect died in 1998) were also easy to spot due to the amount of tropical flowers strung around their necks, and what a pleasant surprise we had upon meeting Ossipoff's granddaughter, Keira Alexandra, creative director at the Sundance Channel in New York, who's also worked for Number 17 and M&Co., and was the thesis advisor for young design superstar Andrew Sloat (who we'll be moderating at Designism 2.0 in a few weeks). See, the design world is small, even when you're on a little island in the middle of the Pacific.

As the absolutely gorgeous catalog designed by Jenny Chan (above) started flying off the shelves in the gift shop, and glasses of bright pink punch were drained, we began to regret ever having to head back to the mainland. But our UnBeige readers in Honolulu should head over to the museum this Friday night for the local AIA's Habitat party, from 6-9pm. And for those of you in the New Haven area or, say, Frankfurt, Germany, never fear: "Hawaiian Modern" will head your way in the next two years.

Photos and more amazing design connections right this way.

Wow. Last year, we thought that Sean Adams' designer-perfect midcentury modern wonderland was an unbeatable setting for AIGA/LA's annual Fellows launch party. But this year's event, honoring Archie Boston (above), Michael Hodgson and Petrula Vrontikis (also above) was held in what we can only describe as a top-secret architectural landmark. Landmark in the sense that if you ask any architect or designer in the area, they'll know exactly what you're talking about; top-secret only because the owners don't want any press so you probably haven't come across it in the mags. (But it's quite easy to find photos of it if you go looking on the right architect's website.)

In such an inspired setting it was hard not to feel enlightened. Fellows April Greiman, Kim Baer, Keith Bright, Nan Faessler and InJu Sturgeon winded their way through the crowds. Last year's Fellow recipient Adams was there, of course, with Fellow partner-in-crime Noreen Morioka. Hodgson, dressed head-to-toe in Paul Smith per usual (above), gave a gracious speech, as did Vrontikis, stunning in red and black (and matching the painting behind her). But it was Boston's speech that warmed us to the core. After revealing that he was Vrontikis' teacher at Cal State Long Beach and joking that it took her half the time to achieve what he had, Boston gave a heartfelt plug for the design community as evidence of a group of people who truly follow their dreams. Since he's given us some pretty unique insight into that already with his just-released documentary, we couldn't help but wonder about a sequel...how about 20 Outstanding Los Angeles Graphic Designers: The Next Generation?

As we lamented that we couldn't be there to toast Debbie Millman's book release (and revealed we were drinking ourselves to sleep instead) one faithful UnBeige reader had the presence of mind to document the evening. Jonathan Selikoff got three shots, including one of Millman basking in Massimo Vignelli's charm above (those Vignellis sure do get out a lot). He also tells us that just as Simon Williams gave a nice, rambling toast on behalf of Millman, there was a chant of "Debbie! Debbie! Debbie!"

Also spotted by our informants: Paul Sahre, James Victore, Felix Sockwell, Rodrigo Corral (who designed her book's cover), Khoi Vinh, Scott Stowell and Emily Oberman, plus a report that in the elevator on the way down, a woman said that if a bomb had gone off in the room, the NY design scene would cease to exist. Sounds like our kind of party.

More pics...

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It felt like Clue: A dozen designers, gathered at the behest of I.D. editors Monica Khemsurov and Jill Singer during their quick (and post-Connecting) visit to LA. We met at the enviable Hollywood Hills home of Lettuce's Chet Callahan and master chef Jase Hernandez. High above Cahuenga Pass, with striking views of both downtown and Burbank (and a smear of smoke barely visible on the horizon) we nibbled inventive bruschettas and vanilla cupcakes that matched the house's sleek all-white decor.

Our seating arrangement--precariously close to the edge of the cantilevered hill-clinging home--compelled Elena Manferdini to recount her visit to a Pierre Koenig Case Study during an earthquake, which sent the pool water splashing onto the patio and Manferdini scurrying for solid ground (the house, of course, was fine). Clive Wilkinson lamented his absence from this year's Burning Man only to discover that he and Khemsurov had both spent the year before in Belgian Wafflemaker Arne Quinze's camp. We had a similar discovery, learning that Singer not only worked at the mothership (and manned UnBeige for a bit), we attended semi-rival high schools--at the same time! Benjamin Ball strolled in at this point, slightly late, minus Gaston Nogues, and suspiciously ebullient (don't worry, he took a cab).

As Khemsurov and Singer solicited advice for their final day in LA--Dieter Rams at Moss? Party at Diva? Dinner at Pizzeria Mozza? Fire-watching by the pool?--multi-talented Lettuce principals Michael Chung and Kara Bartlet described their latest project (production studio Soapbox Films, having its opening party today) and the origins of their firm name (short answer: they named themselves like a band). Parched, no matter how much white wine or Pellegrino we pumped into our bodies, we perched on the white cubes populating Callahan and Hernandez's deck, flipped through copies of I.D.'s New+Notable product round up issue, and chatted about public transportation, energy conservation and global warming---ironic, indeed, as superheated Santa Ana Winds blasted the balcony well into the night.

You've seen the Rodrigo Corral-designed cover, you've read the excerpted interview with James Victore, heck, you may have even pre-ordered your own copy of of Debbie Millman's new book, How to Think Like a Great Graphic Designer. But do you have the invite to Millman's book release party? Well, now you do.

Tuesday, October 30th
6:30 to 8:30pm

Fifth Avenue Loft
78 Fifth Avenue between 13th and 14th Street

Special performance by Smalls Recording Artist
Chris Byars Trio

Special wine tasting provided by E & J Gallo Winery

Please rsvp to Lisa Grant at lisa.g AT sterlingbrands.com

Unfortunately we couldn't smell the sweat firsthand, but our new favorite contributor Stephanie Murg filed this report from last night's UnBeige party at the Karim Rashid Shop.

Karim Rashid's Garbo trash can is now standard issue in Westin hotels [cut to shot of grinning Starwood execs seated in artfully staggered row of Panton chairs] and last year, the designer got his first solo U.S. museum exhibition, at Oklahoma's Price Tower Arts Center, where he left for the permanent collection a massive metallic blobject that probably keeps the ghost of Frank Lloyd Wright up at night. But Rashid's not one to rest on his laurels, even if those laurels do include an awfully comfy chair--and another with a built-in bucket for your Veuve Clicquot. The next frontier? The CD case.

Rashid announced the in-progress project at last night's UnBeige Design Party, which was held at the three-year-old Karim Rashid Shop on W. 19th St. in NYC. As designers, design writers, creative directors, and other design types sipped Rosemount Estate wine and munched upon shell-shaped Guylian chocolates amidst Rashid-designed objets, the man himself took the floor for some design affirmations. "Design is about shaping the contemporary world," he said. "It's not about fashion or style."

In discussing his collaboration with ObliqSound on the second volume of ObliqSound Remixes, he praised the New York- and Hamburg-based label as one of the "small, rigorous companies that are receptive to ways that the world is changing," a group that also prompted a shout-out to Method, which, Rashid reminded the crowd "a few years ago was just a couple of guys from San Francisco."

The limited edition version of ObliqSounds Remixes Vol 2 comes tucked inside a circular rubber carrying case designed by Rashid and produced by Melissa Shoes, the Brazilian company that injects tutti-frutti scents into its PVC footwear. "With the packaging I tried to make the intangible tangible. The undulating line pattern on the CD, case, and bag are all inspired by the vibe of the jazz musicians. I sketched digitally as I listened," said Rashid, who paid his way through college by DJing and once owned 12,000 records.

He announced last night that he is now focused on "revisiting the CD case" and developing a new way to package CDs that will "create a moment in time with a little more pleasure."

Among those enjoying the pleasures of last night was Russell Flinchum, who wrote the book on industrial designer Henry Dreyfuss and reminds UnBeige readers that today is the last day to register for his MoMA course on car design, "The Automobile Aesthetically Considered." Also on hand was Lydia Mann, who will soon join AIGA in New York as web director. Mann was new to the world of Rashid but is impressed by his creations--"and that's saying something, because I consider myself a design snob."

Stephanie Murg is a New York-based writer and art consultant whose work has appeared in such publications as ARTnews and Smithsonian. In her art consulting practice, she advises clients on collecting modern and contemporary art and design and the dynamics of the international art market. Her interests lie at the nexus of art, design, fashion, and capital markets.