interesting stuff
If you haven’t done so already come and visit us at our pop-up space for LDF13 at The Gallery, 50 Redchurch Street, E2 7DP. The sun will be shining and just in case it does rain the exhibition is indoors… so no excuses :). Have a great evening reading some of the links that have been flying around the studio this week and I hope to see you this weekend.
From: Rob T.
Subject: Peripheral Vision is Whacked
From: Sarita W.
Subject: Vodka Bottle Analysis…
From: Sarita W.
Subject: Why Lego Design Principles Don’t Work On Smartphones…
From: Simon L.
Subject: Cycle or Public Transport?
From: Simon L.
Subject: Time in Perspective
From: Emanuele M.
Subject: Tower of Pisa interior mapped in 3D
From: Susie Q.
Subject: Workaholics May Face Poor Physical And Mental Well-Being, Study Suggests
#LFTS tweet us, @pddinnovation, with your favourite links of the week!
Like most people in this world, we mourned when we heard Steve Jobs had died. He was, after all, the auto-reply answer for designers when asked “what are designers good for?” I bet some people even answered “Jobs” when asked what life was good for.
Jobs did one thing better than most. He predicted and then invented what we needed. He didn’t do it alone, nor did the rest of the Apple team, but Jobs in many ways came to symbolise the future of design and for some probably even technology.
He didn’t just invent good products though. In my eyes (and many others’), he invented a cult. Buying an Apple product meant something entirely different than buying a ‘PC’, even though most of us use applications that can be run on both. They even told us so rather straight-forwardly in their famous Hodgman/Long and Mitchell/Webb ads.
Buying an Apple was not just buying a possession. It was also buying a membership (wow! Jobs’ death just made me talk in past tense about Apple already).The owner of a Mac became an Appleist – the ‘real’ chosen ones. It was, in other words, to buy design with an add-on experience of being part of something bigger and greater than a simple functional materialist culture.
Anyway, enough about the past and its membership options for now. The world (as well as Apple) needs to look forward. Being the auto-reply of the design industry’s capabilities, Jobs’ sad death may provide an opportunity for a new generation of great design thinkers to come forward. You may intervene: “What? Already? But… Jobs? No way!”
Consider this analogy though: Jobs was the best at what he did. Buying his products made you feel part of being the best. In football, Barcelona are clearly the best in the world. Being a fan gives you the feeling of being part of their success. The difference, however, is that in football, even the smaller teams have fans. When my team, Atletico Madrid, plays Barcelona I’m pretty sure they will lose, but I always hope they will win. Two weeks before Jobs’ death Atletico Madrid lost 5-0 to Barcelona. Even so, they will play again in the spring, and once again I hope Atletico will win.
Jobs will be missed, no doubt about it. But for some, design is now more of a level playing field. Apple will surely continue to steamroll the world of design with great products, but we might also see one or two outsiders challenging them once in a while too. After all, Barcelona drew against Valencia not too long ago.
PDD‘s first day of The Ethnographic Praxis In Industry Conference (EPIC) kicked off after an afternoon of “reflectivities”. These were activities intended to promote the Ethnographic outlook of the natural surrounding environment of Colorado, USA, where the conference was held.
While not new to some, the opening Keynote was indeed a tribute to modelling – as essential to the Ethnographic process and able to distinguish itself from pure experiential reporting.
Robinson & Cain in 1993 developed a ground breaking model illustrating a process to execute and deliver the practice of Ethnography and how it relates to design. This marked a turning point in the practice of Ethnography. It revolves around the idea of making the implicit explicit, and the associated higher level of abstraction necessary, in order to develop conceptual models and (new) concepts. Moving back down the curve the model shows how Design will in turn embed what’s been learnt, bringing back the explicit to implicit.
Modelling has been discussed in all its facets: modelling as a bridging activity between Ethnographic work and the Design process; modelling where Ethnographic deliverables should start; modelling as communication and representation tools; but above all and foremost modelling as an analytical tool.
Interestingly, Rick Robinson of Robison & Cain (below) introduced the opening Keynote.
More to come very soon, so watch this space!
Mary Katrantzou has been making a name for herself as an expert print designer, with her meticulous & detailed designs taking strong information from not only the discipline of fashion – but other areas including product and chiefly interior design.
Katrantzou’s visual aesthetic shouts hyper-realism; being so two-dimensional graphically concentrated, her prints are as exciting and as beautiful as when seen in 3D within their own contextual surroundings. Her maximalist approach was first recognised as part of her MA graduate collection (from CSM) in 2009. Since, she has created a number of collections delving deep into the mixed-discipline world of design.
Professor Lousie Wilson OBE, esteemed Course Director for MA Fashion at Central St. Martins spoke candidly with Mary Katrantzou in Cinema 1 at the ICA to help mark the opening of the exhibit Sketches for Regency Living. The conversation focus was ‘Culture Now’ – examining Katrantzou’s surrealist masterpieces and her appreciation of classicism and detail.
Katrantzou’s five seasons at London Fashion Week have showcased her inate talent for fusing furniture , interior, product design, removing these elements from their usual context and placing them into fashion.
Naturally, after building up strength as a reputable, and recognised designer, Katrantzou’s invested interest in mixed-discipline outputs led to collaborative opportunities appearing on the horizon, namely, the collaboration between her fashion, and Argentinian architecture enthused artist, Pablo Bronstein.
Bronstein’s approach to the ICA was to celebrate the space, its shape and flaws, creating architectural interventions and choreographing extraordinary art and ballet performances. Katrantzou and Bronstein worked collaboratively, allowing for Katrantzou’s famed visual realisation of interior objects to come alive through the medium of print and movement. Pablo Bronstein has choreographed two unique performances that will take place within the Lower Gallery throughout the duration of the exhibition wearing the two specially cultivated ensembles.
The Exhibition: Sketches for Regency Living by Pablo Bronstein will be on at the ICA until 25th September 2011, with live performances occurring throughout the day.
It’s Friday. But you know that already. What you might not know is that Friday means that we share with you the links that get sent and shared here in the PDD studio. Enjoy!
From: James S.
Subject: Colonel Gaddafi has designed a car !!!
From: Jamie B.
Subject: Interesting new product brand extensions for Moleskin
From: Milly R.
Subject: Unnecessary product alert – Peel by Yves Behar/Fuse Project
From: Shun I.
Subject: Social Innovation by Hitachi
From: Rosie B-B.
Subject: How do colours affect purchases?
From: Milly R.
Subject: They may have hip homes, but are they happy?
From: James S.
Subject: Nice vision of the future of connectivity by Corning