Spanish designer Oscar Diaz has designed a calendar that uses the capillary action of ink spreading across paper to display the date. It uses capillary action to suck ink across the numbers embossed on the page, one day at a time, gradually coloring itself in over the month. Amazing idea, but I think it’s accuracy would start to diminish towards the end of the month.
If you think about it…after the 9th day it would be off…how can it do 2 digit numbers as fast as it did the first single digit numbers?
Good thinking, but look at the picture. How are ’single digit’ numbers displayed?
Genius!
If you look at the whole pathway leading to 1 (which I’m assuming is what you’re getting at) that pathway could represent one of those zeros on the single digits. :]
? I don’t understand
It does 01, 02, 03, etc. instead of 1, 2, 3. There are no “single digit” numbers.
Who cares, it’s rad.
one way wold be to make double digit numbers smaller.
The width of capillary would determine the speed so yes it is possible
Thief.
Thief who got 11,600 views on this post alone and still counting… Today will be an all-time record breaking day for The Grip. BLADOW
Thanks to whoever put the link on Reddit!!!
what kb said. bladow is mine.
Bladow belongs to Redman & Method Man.
I’m going to bladdow all over your buttcheeks.
Hello , good thinking for the double numbers by Google and What happened, they got it right.
The other thing is that the numbers are themselves “ink containers”, so in reality each number gets feed from the previous number and not by the ink bottle, that is way you can get to the 31.
If you remove the ink bottle the calendar goes on for a couple of days before slowly stopping.
Oscar
@Oscar Diaz
That represents A naive view of what might happen. Cappilary action isn’t a delayed flood of color, More realistically its A gradual fill of multiple reservoirs.
Like filling an ice cube tray with a slow bleed from one tank to the next.
you fill up one, that stays at the value 1
then the next one goes up by one half, first one still at 1
following like this
1, 0.5, 0.25
1, 0.75, 0.5, 0.25
1, 0.875, 0.625, 0.325, 0.125
1, 0.9375, ect, ect, ect, ect, ect
Though not 100% practical in real life it illustrates the concept i’m getting at.
The progression of this model is not linear (well technically it is, but not when it comes to the quantity of ink) I am highly skeptical that this calendar would be accurate at the later dates.
Then again I love been wrong when it comes to stuff like this, and I’m not saying the idea isn’t great, it’s cool.
couldn’t you just shrink the numbers later in the month to compensate for the gradual slowing down of the ink?
“…but I think it’s accuracy…”
You think it is accuracy, etc?
[...] Ink Calendar by Oscar Diaz Spanish designer Oscar Diaz has designed a calendar that uses the capillary action of ink spreading across paper to [...] [...]
[...] Ink calendar by Oscar Diaz. via the grip [...]
[...] Ink Calendar by Oscar Diazthegrip.wordpress.com [...]
I wonder how does the calendar knows if there are 28, 29, 30, or 31 days on the calendar… Maybe it is from the ink bottle that is attached to the calendar.
ink container numbers that feed each other? total brilliance!
i hope november is blue
that’s amazing O.O
That’s gorgeous! And I even like the idea of the possible waning of accuracy come the end of the month…Zen like…time melting away and blending all together in our wake.
I am highly skeptical that this calendar would be accurate at the later dates.
From his website:
“Ink Calendar” make use the timed pace of the ink spreading on the paper to indicate time.
The ink is absorbed slowly, and the numbers in the calendar are “printed” daily. One a day, they are filled with ink until the end of the month. A calendar self-updated, which enhances the perception of time passing and not only signaling it.
The ink colors are based on a spectrum, which relate to a “color temperature scale”, each month having a color related to our perception of the whether on that month. The colors range from dark blue in December to, three shades of green in spring or oranges, red in the summer.
The scale for measuring the “color temperature” that I have used is a standard called ‘D65’ and corresponds roughly to a midday sun in Western / Northern Europe.
The “Ink Calendar” was developed for “Gradual “, an exhibition featuring works, which were evolving during the exhibition time at the London Design Festival 2007.
Production: Self-production.
Specs: Ink on paper, various dimensions.
Exhibitions: “Gradual” 5, Crownwell Place, London Design Festival, 2007.
[...] 4) Ink Calendar by Oscar Diaz [...]
30 comments. dag man.
This is brilliant.Graphic.Magic.Science.
Kudos, Oscar!
Oooohhh.. would be interesting to swap out different color inks throughout the month to see what effect it had.