Elegant design is an illustration of its function Recently, my son disassembled an LED flashlight. He rummaged through the house looking for the right size screwdriver and struggled to remove the miniature screws. I eventually overheard his disappointment from the other room: Hey! There’s nothing in here that shows how it works - you can’t see the electricity I chuckled because I remember taking things apart as a boy and occasionally having the same feeling of disappointment when I’d disassemble something only to find a circuit board. I also felt this sentiment recently, when my inkjet printer went on the fritz. Electrical...

On August 23, 2019, Be sure to drop by the Women in Architecture,Utah Partini to see the work of several local artists including Tectonic Toys by Eric Jacoby Design.

In response to the recent Local First Utah's story about Eric Jacoby Design,we wanted to highlight the characteristics that distinguish us as a local business: Eric Jacoby Design's studio is located in the 9th and 9th neighborhood of Salt Lake City, Utah.  But beyond being located in Salt Lake City, there are other factors which make us ultra-local. . .

When design is open to interpretation. A few months ago, my family did a small hike together.  It was a super low- key walk up the little canyon behind the Natural History Museum of  Utah.  We had a small picnic, did a little bit of sketching, then decided to head back home. On our way back down the trail, we ran across a snake (which is common on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail)   I took a look at the black diamond pattern on the snake's back and quietly encouraged my kids to stay clear - remembering that I’ve seen rattlesnakes with the very same patterns...

Be sure to check out the Humble Hero Spotlight: Eric Jacoby Design - Buy Local Utah feature

Several reasons why wood is a superior toy material When I founded Eric Jacoby Design, I took some inspiration from an NPR How I Built This podcast interviewing the founders of Melissa & Doug who told their origin story. The contemporary toy company has become a household name for high-quality toys, often wooden toys. Melissa and Doug (re)paved the way for a resurgence of wooden toys. Why do we find wooden toys so appealing?   It isn’t simply nostalgia; although their retro image makes us realize what older generations played with.  In comparison, my childhood toys were Lego,  Voltron,  He-Man, and NES 8 bit video games. My theory is...