Note: Vinyl 45 iPod Cases were limited edition and are now SOLD OUT.
Fans of digital music can now dress up their iPods with one-of-a-kind protective cases made using reclaimed vinyl records. Created by Contexture Design, the cases are known as '45', after the typical playing speed of 7-inch vinyl records.
Made to fit iPods ranging from 20 GB to 80 GB, the cases are composed of thermoformed vinyl records, felt padding of 40 per cent recycled fibers, cork and a plexiglass window.
In a key design feature, the centre hole of each case's record has been positioned to fit exactly around the iPod's click-wheel. Secondary openings provide access to charging and headphone jacks.
'45' iPod cases are currently available at www.45ipodcases.com, a Contexture Design website. Online, buyers choose their favorite available vinyl records, which are then custom built, making them among the most personalized portable media case on the market.
'45' iPod cases are available for the sticker price of $45. As a further incentive, Contexture offers a $5 rebate in exchange for participation in a street-level marketing campaign. To qualify for the rebate, participants hang concert-style posters of the product around their neighborhood.
"'45' is a perfect mix of past and present," says Nathan Lee, Contexture Design co-founder. "We're taking an old music media and using it to protect and personalize cutting-edge audio technology - digital meets analog."
"Music is a very personal thing," says founding partner Trevor Coghill, "and with the '45' iPod case, music aficionados can finally personalize their iPods to the same degree."
Nathan Lee
Contexture Design
604-729-2444
Contexture is an award winning Vancouver-based multidisciplinary design firm comprised of workshop (product design and fabrication), studio (graphic art and design) and fieldwork (landscape design and illustration) departments.
The firm's two designers, Nathan Lee and Trevor Coghill, are graduates of UBC's Landscape Architecture program. Their work emphasizes simple, elegant and sustainable design, and is often inspired by reclaimed materials with historical, cultural or environmental significance.
Contexture products include "Bentwood," a line of wooden accessories featuring the "Coffee Cuff," made from reclaimed architectural veneers, "45" iPod cases made from recycled vinyl records and cassette tapes, and a line of wildlife-themed hanging mobiles including "As the Crow Files" and "Redfish", both made from found maps.
Contexture has been featured in New York Times Style Magazine and Globe and Mail, and has appeared on CBC television and radio. They have participated in design-related events such as the West Xprssd exhibit of emerging Western Canadian designers, and were awarded Best in Category in Industrial Design at the 2008 Design Exchange Awards for their mobile, "As the Crow Flies". Their work has been shown at the Museum of Vancouver and in a an exhibit called CUT/COPY, part of the Toronto International Design Festival hosted by the Institute for Contemporary Culture at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto.
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