Tattfoo Tan, a Malaysian-born artist who lives in Staten Island, New York, takes regular trips to the Union Square Greenmarket. After photographing his purchases, he started using Photoshop’s eyedropper tool to extract 88 colors that would best represent 88 different fruits and vegetables. He called it the Nature Matching System.

via A Public Art Project Shows You the Colors You Should Be Eating – Food – GOOD.

These days it seems like more and more companies expect their employees to clock longer hours at the office and increase productivity. But without giving them more incentive–other than the incentive not to get a pink slip–it’s hard to motivate people to work any harder or longer than absolutely necessary. That’s why some of the best companies in the world work hard to make their offices fun, creative and a place employees look forward to going every day.

via Amazing Office Spaces from Around the World — Life Scoop.

Do you know the startup Airbnb? It’s a website listing homes for short-term rent and also crazy rentals — everything from an entire village in Liechtenstein to the same place that Obama vacations at in Hawaii. The point is to offer an alternative to the generic offerings on Expedia and elsewhere.

via Infographic of the Day: Airbnb, the Expedia Alternative for VC Moguls | Co.Design.

Some say that the best industrial design is invisible, and if you notice it, something’s wrong. That’s seems especially true with medical devices, which most people only encounter when… well, something’s wrong. So when med-tech firm Varian wanted to redesign their line of nuclear medicine devices (which are used to scan for scary stuff like malignant tumors), they brought in the big guns at BMW DesignworksUSA. The result of their collaboration, the Varian TrueBeam, may not look much different at first glance from any other hulking piece of hospital equipment. But as with any effective industrial design, it’s the details that matter most.

via BMW Designs a Cancer-Fighting Machine That Isn’t Scary | Co.Design.

Who would turn down the opportunity to work on an iconic retail brand that spent nearly $500 million last year and ranked No. 22 among all U.S. megabrands in 2009? How about Omnicom Group’s DDB Worldwide and TBWA Worldwide; Interpublic Group of Cos.’ Deutsch; and Publicis Groupe’s Leo Burnett Worldwide, all of which are snubbing Sears, Roebuck & Co.  The reason is simple: Sears is demanding that participants relinquish ownership of materials and ideas they present during the review — even if they don’t win the business. That demand is so unpalatable that agencies are opting out — and Sears stands to lose out, unless an enterprising agency can convince it to waive the requirement specifically for them.

via Sears Riles Shops With Demand: We Will Own Your Ad-Pitch Idea – Advertising Age.