Magic Potion

"Ponoko" may sound like the latest adorable animated creature or addictive puzzle game to come out of Tokyo, but it's actually an online venture that aspires to be nothing less than the Flickr and YouTube of product design. The virtual marketplace brings together creators, digital fabricators, materials suppliers, and buyers to take part in what Ponoko's creators describe as "the world's easiest making system." The vast site allows users to design their own products (from jewelry and toys to furniture and lighting fixtures), price them for sale, and arrange for them to be produced locally, as close to the point of consumption as possible. Those less inclined to DIY can choose from among Ponoko's tens of thousands of user-generated product designs, all ready to be customized and made into real things with the click of a mouse.

Whether you're looking for a fresh forum to show off and sell your own identity design work or just curious as to what others are up to, check out StockLogos.com. The latest in a series of creative initiatives by WebMediaBrands (LiquidTreat's parent company), the online community was created as a source of creative, high-quality, and affordable logos. Those seeking to sell their logo designs can easily upload their work and price it for sale, while logo-seeking customers from around the world can browse and purchase designs posted to the site. Also welcome are design critics, who can rate each of the site's logos on a scale of one to five stars.

Those initiated to the world of Netflix, the twenty-first-century version of a video store, are familiar with the distinctive red and white envelopes in which the company's millions of DVDs are dispatched and returned. The residue of a Netflix transaction is the squarish paper flap that must be torn off the envelope before dropping it into a mailbox. But before you toss that flap into the recycling bin, click over to Netflix Origami, a site (unaffiliated with Netflix) that provides step-by-step instructions on transforming your humble Netflix flaps into folded paper creations such as swans, frogs, airplanes, and (deja vu!) envelopes. Want to impress that environmentally-conscious film buff this Valentine's Day? Go with the heart.

Scout and support emerging artists without leaving your desk. Affordable art is just a click away at CollegeArtOnline.com, which aims to bring art to the masses. The site offers a wealth of original student artwork at prices that range from $50 to $3,000 (the average sale is $200) and allows would-be collectors to pay the listed price or make the artist an offer. As for sifting through the available works, you can browse categories including paintings, photography, and sculpture, but we recommend checking out the site's "curated exhibitions," an ongoing series that features works selected by guest curators around themes such as simplicity and fate.

As 2009 draws to a close, list makers around the world are busy counting down the year’s best and worst in various realms. The hardcore music buffs at Pitchfork are concerned with album covers—specifically, graphically tragic ones. Among this year’s group of 20 “goofy, offensive, amateurish, and puzzling” covers are Green Day’s sad take on street art, a Neil Young cover that appears to be the work of a third-grader, and Razorlight’s presentation of its four members inside squares that recall the opening credits of The Brady Bunch. Other highlights include the appearance of mermaids, sprinkle-covered donuts, and endless night skies. Pitchfork cautions that the list is “Not safe for people at work or those prone to nausea.”

With the holiday season approaching, do your part to avoid clichéd, and downright tragic, memories with the help of Awkward Family Photos. The hilarious photo blog was created earlier this year by a couple of childhood friends who compile cringeworthy snapshots from far and wide. Click through the growing cache of awkwardness to see families posing in the bathtub (Dad pulls up a chair on the toilet), with a raccoon, in matching karate outfits, in front of a burning barn, and while clutching various semi-automatic weapons. The good-natured captions only add to the fun. One shot of an unsmiling family arrayed stiffly in vacation mode is accompanied by the observation, “Something tells us an itinerary is involved here.”