Can a beer be good design?

From Adweek and Fast Company.

Danish brewer Carlsberg is getting set to unveil a new beer called Copenhagen, which is already turning heads for the minimal, stylish design of its bottles and other packaging. The message is unmistakable: In a category almost complete geared toward men, Copenhagen can also attract women, who make up one-quarter of the beer market. "We can see that there are a number of consumers, especially women, who are very aware of design when they choose beverage products," Jeanette Elgaard Carlsson, international innovation director at Carlsberg, says on the brewer's website. "There may be situations where they are standing in a bar and want their drinks to match their style. In this case, they may well reject a beer if the design does not appeal to them.

The consumer surveys that we have conducted in Denmark show that 98% of the target group finds Copenhagen exciting." Of course, women presumably don't just choose a beer as a fashion accessory. But there isn't much mention of the taste, beyond it being "light" and "refreshing." The brew hits the market in Denmark this year and the rest of Europe and parts of Asia next year. 

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Leica i9/iPhone 4 Concept

BLACK Design Associates have created this dream product concept, it's a collaboration match-made-in-heaven, digital camera heavyweights Leica teamed up the Leica i9 fixed-lens rangefinder camera with Apple’s iPhone 4. Combining the two products would result in a iPhone that connects up to a top-of-the-line digital camera, perhaps meaning the two would work together – the iPhone 4 screen as the digital camera screen, photos taken saved right to the iPhone? Let’s face it, this would be completely awesome. Leica, Apple, your move.