As has been a repetitious refrain in this and most other design columns of the new age, less is significantly better than plainly more, for it allows us to see clearly the successes and failures of all that surrounds us--that which design, as an industry, is tasked to evolve. That is why the work of relative newcomer Leon Ransmeier makes me so optimistic for the future. Simple yet practical, visionary in its perceived lack of agenda, functionally beautiful, his objects disappear when unused and point to their unquestioned usefulness when in operation. This, my friends, is what's next.

From lowly dish racks to piggy banks to even lowlier extension cords, there are few objects that Leon will not consider. These, simply, are the things that need his attention, that need our attention, that have too long been ignored. With nary an extra line, extra color, extra piece, extra wink, extra ornament, extra anything, he succeeds in making the form not merely follow function but be function.

Even better, instead of selling his wares only in his exquisite Behance portfolio, Ransmeier's work is available at DBA, just in time for the holidays! Character Approved, both of them.

[Images: ransmeier.com]