industrial design!

O'Reilly's Understanding Industrial Design is pretty hip; a high level overview of the history of industrial design and some implications for the more virtual arts.  The chapters a history, then go into the topics centered around the goals of being sensorial, simple, enduring, playful, thoughtful, sustainable, and finally beautiful.

It seems to be on hiatus from its daily update schedule, but the site Little Big Details, mentioned the books, seems awesome... I love that stuff, and I think finding low-hanging fruit is something I do well.

Good quote cited in the book:

"Less isn't more; just enough is more."
-Milton Glaser

Finally, in the playful section the book mentioned Naoto Fukasawa's clever tea bag marionette:

 "This concept comes from the motion of dipping a tea bag in hot water, which reminds him of a marionette dancing. The handle on this human-shaped tea bag looks like a marionette handle too. When the bag is dipped in hot water, the leaves swell to fill the bag, creating a deep-hued roll. Repeating the dipping action, the user is engaged in a wondrous world of puppet play. Thus, design intrigued with the unconscious emerges through the medium of an action."