35 Elegant Art-Inspired Cakes Made By Russian Bakery Tortik Annushka

I don’t know about you, but the lockdown is waking up the snacker and sweet tooth in me. And based on all of the memes I see on the internet, I am not the only one with such a craving.

So, why don’t we indulge ourselves in some elegantly designed cake goodness? Moscow-based bakery Tortik Annushka, run by brother and sister Madina Yavorskaya and Rustam Kungurov, has been coming out with elegantly intricate designs for cakes for a while now.

The cakes not only look masterfully done and beyond beautiful, with designs inspired by classic art as well as pop culture, but also make mouths water at the mere sight of them.

Bored Panda invites you to scroll through some of their best designs, and if you’re hungry for more, why not give them some love on their Instagram and Facebook? Or, better yet, if you’re living in Moscow, you have a chance to hit their bakery at Nagatinskiy Boulevard 6a, M. Kolomenskaya, Moscow.

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A new book is looking at the craft and legacy of Micro Machines

“Remember, if it doesn’t say Micro Machines, it’s not the real thing!” Some will no doubt recognise this slogan from the Micro Machines ads that aired in the late 80s and 90s. The line was uttered at lightening speed by John Moschitta Jr, otherwise known as the Micro Machines Man, who at the time earned himself a place in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s fastest talker.

Such zany adverts likely had a hand in putting these detailed miniature toy cars on the map, and they were soon cemented as a serious contender in the toy cars market – a territory previously dominated by Hot Wheels and Matchbox. In the 1988 issue of Toy & Hobby Magazine, Micro Machines were ranked the “third most popular toy on the market,” according to author Tim Smith in the introduction to his new book, Micro but Many. “Only Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) games and Barbie Doll ranked higher.”

“In the 80s, when I was just a small boy, I collected Micro Machines. Tiny little scale cars and planes, much smaller than your Hot Wheels or Matchbox cars,” Smith writes.

“They were expensive for a small boy, but thanks to some playground swapping and thieving, I managed to amass about a hundred of the things.” A foolish trade for a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle coin saw him lose his Micro Machines as a child, but in the last ten years he’s rebuilt a hefty archive deemed worthy of its own book.

Micro but Many collates images and writings on Smith’s extensive collection of Micro Machines – the line of highly detailed miniature vehicles, boats and aircraft created by Galoob (now owned by toy giant Hasbro). Curated by the original designers as well as fellow collectors, the book features over 1,000 Micro Machines – though Smith’s full collection extends to over 5,000 pieces.

Micro Machines became known for their realistic design,  nearly all of which were based on real cars. The book therefore takes a close look at the craft and detailed design that went into the models, and as well as prototypes and unreleased vehicles that never made it onto the shop floor.

Readers can expect to find a history of the three generations of Micro Machines – broken up into the Kaplinsky, Miller and Hasbro years – which each left their distinct mark on the production of the miniatures. Plus, for Micro Machine fans looking to top up their trivia, there are insights about both Micro Machines and Galoob as brands, anecdotes about the wacky ads that aired during the 80s and 90s, and “never-before-seen insights from many of the original Galoobians”.

Such phrases confirm that this is undoubtedly a niche title, but Smith’s passion radiates throughout this colourful read – one that highlights how good design can capture people’s imaginations even at a ‘micro’ level.

Micro but Many by Tim Smith is published by Bitmap Books, and is available to pre-order now; bitmapbooks.co.uk

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United Nations issues a call to arms for creatives to help tackle coronavirus

Creativity has long been used as a tool for good during turbulent times, as we’ve seen with the array of inventive projects and initiatives that have come out of the coronavirus pandemic over the last few weeks. In its new open brief to creatives across the globe, the United Nations is recognising the value of creativity in the ongoing effort to overcome the pandemic.

“We need to meet people where they are, with a stream of fresh, innovative content which drives home the personal behaviours and societal support needed today,” says Robert Skinner, executive director of the UN Office for Partnerships. “We look to the creative community, using factual, accurate and science-based knowledge and messages, to help reach everyone, everywhere in this fight against the coronavirus.”

Image by Shenja Tatschke (@shen.ja)

The brief, which is being managed by Talenthouse, calls on agencies, creative communities and individuals to come up with “iconic and visualling arresting” content spanning illustration, audio, video and copy. The content can be related to any of the UN’s key messages around the actions that the public can take to help combat the virus, which include personal hygiene; physical distancing; knowing the symptoms; kindness contagion; myth busting and do more, donate.

“This is the first time that we are fighting a war where everyone is on the same side,” says Clare McKeeve, CEO of Talenthouse’s parent company, TLNT. “Looking back at how the famous Rosie the Riveter and Your Country Needs You posters galvanised the public into action during wartime, we believe the creative community can create today’s iconic posters, images and artwork to impact all communities across the world as part of this global mission to help save lives.”

Image by Kaiq

The open brief is running until 9 April, and submissions will be made available for local authorities, organisations, brands and the public to download from Talenthouse’s website. A panel of industry experts will also be selecting a number of winning submissions to be shared more widely across a range of media channels.

To read the full brief and submit your work, head here

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Yuri Suzuki's Easy Record Maker lets you engrave your own records

Japanese designer and sound artist Yuri Suzuki has created a machine that can be used to make and play records.

Created with Japanese publishing and toy company Gakken, the Easy Record Maker has a recording stylus that engraves sounds onto five-inch plastic disks.

"You simply plug in your iPhone, computer, audio player – any sound source – through the mini audio jack to supply sound to record your own record," Suzuki told Dezeen.

"Put the stylus down on the surface, select 33rpm or 45rpm and start making the record."

The compact record maker is designed to engrave five-inch disks, which Suzuki described as having a "nice lo-fi sound".

Suzuki hopes that the Easy Record Maker will help introduce vinyl records to a generation that has never experienced them.

"This idea has been my dream machine since I was teenager," the London-based designer and Pentagram partner said. "With most of the existing media – CD, tape, and mp3 – it is relatively easy to make a copy or create your own original."

"However, as it's a complicated process with records, there is no way to create them at home," he continued. "Of course professional-use record cutting machines exist, but they are very expensive."

As a teenager in a punk band Suzuki wanted to make his own records, but never did as it was too expensive.

"My life time art projects uses records, as I believe that is the only media to physically make sound – through scratching the groove and the stylus then making sound," said Suzuki. "Records can even playback if we lost electricity in the future."

The designer believes the return of the vinyl record is due to both its warm sound and aesthetic qualities, with album artworks looking better on larger-sized record covers.

"I want to re-introduce how nice the record is, the value of having a physical music media and the sound, the listening experience," Suzuki told Dezeen.

"We are in an extreme time due to the pandemic lockup, but it's easy to call or do an online meeting; we are experiencing alternative ways of communicating," the designer said.

"I hope this device introduces another way to communicate for people – recording your own voice, making a record and sending it to a friend or family via post."

The Easy Record Maker is currently available in Japan and will be available in the UK and US later this year.

Suzuki's previous creations include a re-imagination of a sixty-year-old electronic sequencer and a sonic playground. Suzuki also composed the original music for the Dezeen podcast Face to Face.

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