Unventions, a new coffee table book from Cléon Daniel (who as you will have guess from his wonderful name is from Dorset) seems to fit the bill exactly. Subtitled “alternative uses for everyday objects”, Unventions is a clever use of lampoon, spoof and satire when looking at modern technology. If like me you spend hours of each day on gadget blogs, it’s a welcome respite from the Sisyphean pursuit of the latest and greatest. And almost every invention has an equal and opposite unvention. Possibly the best thing ever conceived on a train from Cheltenham to London Paddington, Unventions features page after page of charming low-tech sketches re-examining a number of everyday objects with what can only be described as a quirky eye. Like any good observational comic, Daniel has the ability to view the mundane and reimagine it from fresh and exciting angles. Images of checkerboards as places to store penguins, first drafts of cats eyes with candles or the sandwich mark (useful for marking your place in a sandwich to pick up where you left off) are all fun creations. If they manage to crack the smallest of smiles then I’d recommend getting a hold of the book.

Cleon Daniel's Unventions illustrations are bold, exciting, thought provoking and startlingly original. A true innovator his work has the power to excite, inspire and amaze." --James Mullinger GQ Magazine