We've been spotlighting Design Democracy '08 a lot this week; we love the idea of combining design, technology, mass customization and local manufacturing. The design competition that's looking at reconfiguring the way we consume things is confident enough that their point of view is a hit that they're offering the winning design a showcase at New York's International Contemporary Furniture Fair this spring. So far, we've seen some cool tables and seating; today is all about accessories.

Pictured above is the Objectify Fruit Bowl, designed by Adam Moody (who has licensed the design to New Zealand's Vanilla Design Store). The laser-cut bowl is made from sustainably-harvested hoop pine in four nearly-flat pieces in a design sensibility we've seen a lot in the rising tide of hyper-local manufacturing/downloadable designs: a design that can be easily created from flat(ish) pieces, a CNC router or laser-cutter, and a computer diagram; it's a really smart way to distribute design, localize manufacturing and use resources with frugal efficiency. Though designed as a fruit bowl, we could see this as a more utilitarian catch-all, from mail to magazines, keys and more.