Design and architecture firms are used to getting creative resumes in the mail that unfold into portfolios or assemble into paper models, but this LEGO figurine may be the most creative variant yet.

A designer and artist, Andy Morris decided to make a miniature of himself as a way to stand out to potential employers and highlight his creativity.

His three-dimensional curriculum vitae packaged like a toy figure but also includes graphic elements that convey aspects of his own creative work.

The packaging gives more details on his design capabilities and offers links to his website and portfolio, accompanied by descriptions of his experience and personal design philosophies. Hurry: supplies are limited!

He hopes not only that the figure will help him find a job, but that it will match him with a workplace that mimics his own quirky creative ambitions.

Positioned between robust LEGO-style systems made for easy reuse and refined architectural models that are fragile but permanent, this modeling kit is both a design tool for professionals and rendering mechanism to convey space and materiality to clients.

Using 1:48 scale, the modular pieces that come with ARCKIT are compatible with conventional imperial measurements (easy inch-to-foot conversions) but also close to 1:50 for metric purposes and compatible with scale trees, furniture and figures already sold to architectural professionals. Different textures can be overlaid on surfaces to create realistic material effects, simulating wood panels, tile floors, stone walls and more.

Easy to attach then disassemble, the pieces strike a balance between process and product, letting users reshape them as a design evolves. The physical blocks also have SketchUp-compatible digital analogs, allowing designers to shift back and forth between 3D modeling software and physical construction.

Anyone who has spent time on an architectural model knows that so much effort goes into measuring, cutting, gluing and waiting – the idea here is to reduce that frustration but also free up designers from feeling too committed to a lovingly-crafted physical model, reducing incentive to iterate. At the same time, this system is also accessible to non-professionals, both kids and adults, already being compared by many to physical toys (like LEGO) and digital games (like Minecraft).

“ARCKIT is a freeform model making system that allows you to physically explore designs and bring your architectural projects to life. The system uses interconnecting components that are completely modular and based on modern panelled building techniques, making it possible to create a diverse range of scaled structures that can be quickly assembled and endlessly modified.”

Somewhere between architecture, art and fashion, this series of 3D-printed shoes by five famous designers for United Nude pushes the limits of new technologies to make fresh forms of fancy footwear. Not meant to be everyday apparel, these unique party-oriented accessories were created for Milan Design Week 2015.

Rem Koolhaas invited architects Zaha Hadid, Ben van Berkel and Fernando Romero as well as designers Ross Lovegrove and Michael Young to participate in creating these pairs, each requiring around a day to print on a sPro 60 selective laser sintering (SLS) machine made by 3D Systems.

All shown above, Flames by Zaha Hadid features pointy protrusions casting stellar silhouettes, UNX2 by Ben van Berkel looks almost like a hoof and Ilabo by Ross Lovegrove features open heals and toes. Below, the Young Shoe by Michael Young provides comfortable support on all sides, looking much more awkward, reportedly, than it actually feels when in use and Ammonite by Fernando Romero is abstractly patterned off of the spirals of sea creatures.

More on the process and materials from Dezeen: “The process starts with a container filled with powder, which is heated in places, as specified by a digital file. This fuses the material together layer by layer until the final form is built up. Once complete, the excess powder is broken away to reveal the design.Each pair was created using two different materials: the soles were printed in hard nylon, while the uppers were formed from thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), which is softer and more flexible.”

The sales pitch for this new 2014 series is compelling: 51 inexpensive designer objects made for young city dwellers, people who may be on the move more often or whose domiciles simply lack square footage.

The research driving IKEA’s 2014 PS collection, On the Move, is spot on: more people are living in cities than ever before, and young persons are particularly like to have smaller residences. The design results, though, are a bit of a mixed bag, with some truly useful modular and multi-functional pieces alongside less-obvious options.

And indeed the collection features a some handy items, like a small-footprint, unattached wall shelf (that fits corners as well) by Japanese designer Keiji Ashizawa, easy to set up and shift as needed.

Similarly practical: a tall and lightweight mesh wardrobe by French designer Matali Crasset that can be tilted and rolled around within or between apartments.

Other choices are a bit more debatable – it is hard to see how often a balancing bench (by Swedish designer Henrik Preutz) will come in handy, particularly in narrow halls for which it is intended (its angled feet could trip you up in a skinny space).

Though it has a smaller footprint at least, it is also hard to say why a combined magazine rack, side table and standing lamp (by Polish designer Tomek Rygalik) is better when integrated rather than separated, especially when it comes to transporting it between places.

And then there is this awkwardly cute greenhouse plant holder (by Swiss designer Nicolas Cortolezzis) that seems just slightly redundant, unless you like to take your flora for walks in the park.

From a purely aesthetic standpoint, some of the pieces are a weird mix of retro, modern, farm and industrial, but one could argue that is all part of a refreshing trend toward a new time-spanning eclecticism.

Regardless, enough of these designs are on the right tack that they are worth a closer look, including bookshelves that are just a bit easier to transport thanks to wire-frame edges and folding, rolling and flip-down tables that have at least a little more character than their regular retail cousins. And the direction is right: urban dwellings are small, and portability a plus.

More than the sum of its parts, the conceptual swappable-piece mobile phone design that went viral but is now being backed by Google-owned Motorola and is suddenly much closer to becoming a reality. Instead of recycling your cell, imagine switching in new pieces as needed to customize, repair and upgrade the same device indefinitely.

Dutch design student  Dave Hakkens set off a chain reaction when he released his initial concept video online featuring Phonebloks, a simple but powerful idea for future-proofing mobile phones and creating an open ecosystem around such devices.

Motorola, meanwhile, was already working on a free, open-hardware device (think: Android for physical objects) along similar lines, and have now teamed up with this suddenly-famous designer. Like app makers in the digital marketplace, developers of physical components can make their own puzzle-piece parts for the devices.

Thunderclap helped Hakkens reach a huge audience quickly, with fans lending their social reach to promote the idea. Engineers, technicians and designers around the world showed interest in Hakkens’ design immediately as he racked up tens of millions of video views. He then began shopping around for partners to work on the project.

For its part in the partnership, Motorola brings technological research, experimentation and expertise to the table. In turn, Hakkens has built a huge fan following, showing his ability as innovator, designer and marketer.

Project Ara, Motorola’s name for the overarching and ongoing project, will be deployed along the same lines as Google Glass to beta testers. The first Phonebloks will be released to a limited audience who will in turn provide suggestions and feedback on the devices.