Designers find inspiration in LEGO

I was talking with my brother-in-law the other day about design and he pointed out that when designers have babies, they begin to think about "good design," for children. With Generation X and Y both getting longer in the tooth, you suddenly have a number of furniture makers and clothing shops for tiny people.

I don't have kids, but I have been spending more and more time playing and learning about what is ostensibly a kid's toy- LEGO. I think that's why designers have latched on to the iconic product of their youth, making everything from cufflinks to soap to mosaic paintings to flash memory sticks.

But it doesn't always have to be something inspired by LEGO. What most designers will realize in time is that sometimes kids (and adults) just want to play with the bricks.