Considered a 'brainstorming collective', Designbox offers First Friday Art Walks through its art gallery and takes professionals from different design fields such as architecture, landscape architecture, copywriting, interior design and graphic design and works to solve problems of various businesses. Designbox Īly and Beth Khalifa started Designbox, which meets at Gamil Design, in May 2003. Other Gamil work includes the screen print designs for REI Duffel prints. The Vilcek trophy won a 2006 award for typographic design. of New York City and given by The Vilcek Foundation to persons born in other countries for notable work in science, arts and humanities. Gamil designed the process for making Vilcek Prize trophies, designed by Sagmeister, Inc. In 2005, Gamil's Trek Batcage bottle cage traveled with Lance Armstrong in the first of three Tours de France. Gamil has worked with Trek Bicycle Corporation for more than five years, designing such items as gloves, water bottles and bottle cages. Using the latest computer technology, Gamila could create a candlestick from any person's photo. In 2007, Gamila introduced the Facemod, a candlestick using the Edgar Rubin optical illusion of two people's profiles. The art work by Paul Friedrich, Casey Porn, Dale Flattum, Beth Khalifa, Joey Florian and Ben Wilson was intended to promote independent musicians. Īnother Gamila product, Mila Art Jackets, was introduced as a partner to the Bikini in 2007, also to protect iPods. The popular Mila Bikini, which Gamila created for Pacific Design in 2006 for iPod and iPod Nanos, included a polyurethane screen protector that the user can see through, a connection system to attach the iPod, and a cover that can be folded into a stand. The manufacturing process uses injection molding. Copolyester allows heat resistance and durability but covers stainless steel mesh without adhesives. In 2008, Gamila Products, a Gamil Design brand, introduced the copolyester Teastick Gem, made with Eastman Chemical Company Tritan. Eventually, it became popular in Canada, Australia, Europe, Japan, Taiwan and Korea. To make the exact product at the right price, Aly Khalifa had to go to Taiwan, where a friend of his had a bicycle factory that could also make the Teastick. A redesign was tried but did not work as hoped. But the product sold well, with customers in such locations as New York City and Los Angeles.įinding a manufacturer who could produce a large volume of the product at a low enough price proved difficult. It took several months to find a machinist who could make the actual product, and the Gamil employees had to help make it. An area company made a prototype, and suppliers were found. The device had to be small enough to use for one cup of tea, but capable of enduring rough handling. The idea came from Third Place Coffeehouse. Gamil Design's major product is Teastick, used to infuse loose tea leaves and sold in over 200 stores. Many of the products are sports-related equipment for major companies. Aly Khalifa, as a product designer, travels to locations as distant as Asia and Europe to take a product from an idea to something that can be produced. Khalifa's wife Beth joined the company in 1999 shortly after the couple married.

Aly Khalifa gave the company his middle name, Arabic for 'handsome', pronounced gah-meel.

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