We found these by accident by a german designer. We felt they are quite fitting to the time – heading into election.
- how we charge
- product design
- quality control
- success stories
- Eco Friendly
- Sorcit in Six
To continue our tea drinking theme…
March 9th, 2010How to catch the sun?
March 9th, 2010
Jam jars store jam. The Sun jar collects and stores sunshine so that you can use it at night!
Made with a traditional Mason jar and high tech energy efficient lighting! Captured inside the jar are a highly efficient solar cell, rechargeable battery and low energy LED lamps.
The light is diffused by the frosted jar and gives the appearance of sunlight emitting from the inside of the Jar. The warm coloured LED lights are used to give a more natural and warm light. The Sun Jar has no switch. In fact there are no visible controls at all. There is a clever light sensor inside that automatically activates the lights when it gets dark or the lights are turned out. However there is an override switch inside the lid to turn off the light at night and conserve battery life.
Protecting your idea
March 5th, 2010We know how precious your ideas are and how easy it is for people to copy them, or even make ‘another version’ with slight modifications on your own design. It is sometimes difficult for individuals to protect their ideas before they expose them to design/manufacture consultants; in an aim to get their idea from their head onto paper and developed into reality. It’s a potential minefield; and limiting who and what you expose at different stages is one way to shield your ideas rather than exposing all the idea at once. Seeking advice 
from Patent attorney, or the patent office is always advisable before you see anyone with your ideas. A simple NON- DISCLOSURE agreement is another way to protect your idea before you expose it to any third parties. These are readily available from many sources, including your local BUSINESS LINK office.
So not only do we respect the concept at every stage, we also help you to protect it with advice on intellectual property rights, Patents, Copyrights and design registration. All these methods of protection are different in many ways and offer different degrees of protection. A lot depends on what your product is, and what you need to protect whether it be the aesthetics, function or purely just a design idea. Sorcit can assess your protection requirements and help to advise the route you need to take. We can also help to search for products that could be in the public domain and assess if the idea is worth protecting from the outset.
Our experience with Far East manufacturers ensures we undertake rigorous checks on potential manufacturers, and we only work with partners we are sure will 100% protect your ideas . We also require factories to sign a non-disclosure agreement (also known as an NDA) before we agree to discuss any concepts or drawings. If we get to a stage where tooling is needed, then the customer/Sorcit will pay for the tooling which we have ownership of, and cannot be used for any of the factories other customers. If required, we can remove the tooling at any point to ensure it is not being used.
A very easy form of protection before your ideas are disclosed would be to date your idea’s/drawings, put a copy in a sealed envelope and post to yourself with an official post date mark. To find out more, or for a free, no obligation quote, just get in touch or call +44 (0) 115 8714792.
Tyres?! No way!
March 5th, 2010
Scary and surreal. Looks like something that just came out of Avatar, but actually these tyre monsters are all made by artist Ji Yong-Ho and take three month to be born. The creature can fetch up to £52000, which is a small price to pay for something unique. The artist was inspired by a particularly boring childhood memory of the spare tyre on his family’s car. Aah childhood memories!!!
Cool Coffee!
March 2nd, 2010
The Fuksas Mocha Cups eliminate handles and that tired ‘cup’ shape most mugs have. They could almost be mistaken for a piece of Art and are simply a stunning way to sip on a piping hot espresso. A beautifully simple and of course very unique design. These are available at most cooking retail shops which stock Alessi products, and come in at around £45 a pair. A small price to pay for a bit of art!
Winner of Mumpreneur competition announced!
March 1st, 2010
The weeks leading up the end of January deadline for our Mumpreneur competition brought a flurry of late entries some of which proved very interesting. During the last few weeks we have been evaluating all the entries and we finally reached a decision. The winning entry was from Emma Shepherd who lives in Maidenhead. Her idea is very simple but fulfils a gap in the market which every parent will need. Sorcit will be working with Emma over the next few months to develop the idea with the main to bring it to market during 2010. Watch this space for a progress report later in the year. In the meantime, thank you for everyone who entered the competition. We will be looking to launch similar competitions within 2010.
Genius Chair!
February 26th, 2010
Uros Vitascalled has designed an ingenious roll out chair that can take any shape depending on how the wooden slats are cut. Very simple idea, great application! This design earned 1st place in the Wood Agency Design Belgrade 2008 and won the Best Scientific-Professional work award in 2006/07 at University of Belgrade. It also received the Golden Key Award at Belgrade International Furniture Fair.
Joshua Middleton – Comic Illustrator
February 23rd, 2010
In the spirit of recent sale of Super Man comic book here is a little something from our Project Manager Chris. Can this be the next collectable?
I first got hooked on his work after seeing Sky Between Branches from a small comic production company ComX back in 2003. Absolutely love his limited colour pallet illustrations, and his sketch work is amazing. He’s done cover art for DC, Marvel and Dark Horse. I am waiting with baited breath for his labour of love Between Branches to hit the shelves. Been waiting the best part of seven years and it looks as if it’s not going to disappoint!
3D Art
February 23rd, 2010
Edgar Mueller is a 3D street artist, who by using chalk and pastels creates magnificent works of art in the streets. The images can only be seen from a certain angle, although once in position, it is obvious that the pavement has been turned into a whole other world. The pictures, in this case ‘Crevasse’ only stay for a couple of days, and are then washed away either by hose or by the rain. It is definitely worth looking out for his works.
New years resolution – Get fit!
February 22nd, 2010As we all know post Christmas exercise is hard work and our Design Director found it particularly hard trying to get back into shape. So his wife has enrolled him into the Sheffield half marathon this April.
However it will be this much harder for our Shaun since he has picked up a knee injury. To help him he found out that sports chain He runs She runs, will assess your running style and how your foot falls for free. They will give you a video play back to show the correct trainers you need to correct your foot positioning. They offer a 30 day exchange policy if new trainers do not correct or aid your running. Such a good idea that JJB sport and Decathlon have offered similar sessions. It is nice to see that shoe designers haven’t forgotten that trainers are not just for fashion statement. We will update you with Shaun’s time and position for the run …that is if he’ll make it to the finish line of course. Until then we wish him all the luck in his training while we are off to make some support banners.