Tag: technology

People’s relationship with their homes is shifting, from the artefacts that populate our space, to the way in which we consume resources.

In this article, Jamie Buckley, Creative Director at PDD, explores how data and behaviour change is shaping the future of our living spaces; and how we can design better home products and experiences to meet consumers’ changing expectations and build trust.

At PDD we like to keep one eye on the horizon, scanning themes and emerging trends across the healthcare sector to understand what’s next. As the rise of digital health and therapeutics continues, we take a look at what this means for the patient experience and what opportunities lie in the area of self-care and self-management.

We are proud to announce that the Philips Water Dispenser ADD6910/90 has won a Merit at DFA Design for Asia Awards. The awards recognise designs that embody Asian aesthetics and culture, and influence design trends in the region.

‘Living coral’ is set to highlight this trending social issue in contrast to humans’ ‘innate need for optimism and joyful pursuits’ and stands as a reaction towards a constantly changing and uncertain socio-political environment.

For the first time in history, more people live in cities than outside them. Rapid urbanisation, resource scarcity and key climatic changes are adding to the pressure on policy makers and those tasked with designing, planning and constructing urban environments. At the same time, a growing number of consumers are coming to demand and expect to live and work in spaces that are not just good for their health and happiness, but are also energy efficient and respectful of the environment.

Continued global interest in East Asian skincare and beauty regimes has boosted the development of new products, and leading the way is South Korean cosmetics company, AmorePacific (named by Forbes business magazine as the world’s 28th most innovative company). The company’s Air Cushion technology has helped AmorePacific become South Korea’s top facial makeup brand. Since its launch in 2008, more than 50 million Air Cushion compacts have been sold, and in July this year AmorePacific signed a deal with Parfums Christian Dior to share the technology.

Star Wars. You either love it or – like me – you’ve never watched it. (No, not even one of them. Yes, I know Star Wars is a classic – shame on me). I am aware, however, that Episode 7, the next instalment of the global sci-fi phenomenon, is due for release in December this year and a bunch of Star Wars-themed products will soon be coming to a store near you.

September is nearly here, meaning that the tech world will be once again converging on Berlin for the annual IFA convention. This is Europe’s largest and oldest tech convention and naturally, PDD will be attending.

Last month, Walgreens, the largest U.S. pharmacy chain, launched its app for the Apple Watch. Walgreens’ is one of many apps designed to help address the costly and – in some cases – fatal issue of medication non adherence. Principally, the app is geared towards streamlining the process of refilling a prescription and also notifies patients to take their medications as prescribed.

Our expectations of the home as a place of work, rest and play have evolved as family dynamics shift, new needs arise and technology advances. In this series of blog posts, we are taking a deep dive into the home and discover the products at the forefront of innovation. In this second post we look at the garden.

A few PDDers and I attended the Wearables 2015 conference in London, which was a great chance to see the latest trends in the wearable tech field. A range of exhibitors from startups to industry giants were displaying impressive devices such as Open Bionic’s 3D-printed Prosthetic Limbs and Samsung’s Oculus Rift-based VR headset.

Are you happy? Although happiness is something we all strive for, achieving it is actually quite difficult. Could we use design to help make our lives happier?

Wearables have once more caused a stir in the studio; with always more potential but also unexpected (and sometimes questionable) applications being revealed every day. Wearables still need to come of age, but one thing is certain: they make technology ever more personal. Take Google’s ‘smart lens’ technology, released earlier this year, which could make wearables less about you interacting with a worn device and more about the worn device serving you, seamlessly blending with your life.

Catching up on my LinkedIn newsfeed, I see a link to a video entitled, “Smartwatches could be a perfect home for augmented reality.” As there are few really good applications for AR, and even fewer for smartwatches, I thought I’d see how the designers envisioned combining two questionable technologies.

So the internet has been an important pillar in society for a few decades now, but as the NSA spying scandal showed all of us – our vulnerability online is not limited to cyber criminals. Over the last few months there have been a plethora of articles on how to erase your online self, exemplified through the European Court of Human Rights’ ruling on ‘the right to be forgotten’. After all, everything we do online these days is tracked and recorded, unless you solemnly use Snapchat that is.

Toys, products prototypes, automotive parts, guns, shoes, medical implants, prosthetics, ceramics, meat, gold… It is starting to sound like we are on our way to be able to 3D print our way to the future. Possibilities are already endless, and as research and technology develop, who knows what can become possible!

Food and beverage – nourishing, hydrating, stimulating and refreshing. But what happens when you throw a bit of science and technology into the mix? In our blog this week we’ll be taking a look at how the food and beverage industry has been shaped and influenced by technology from other sectors; and where science, technology and art cross over to create whole new experiences…

It seems you can’t open a tech magazine these days without some mention of 3D printing. But is it all hype or has the technology really developed into something that will transform the lives of designers, manufacturers and consumers?

Yes! Tonight is PDD Christmas party. Let the game begin! We start with the PDD Christmas Hat competition! Vote now for your favourite design!

What would you do with the 55 million image uploads to Instagram every day? Well, how about a tour around the world in 852 pictures? This ingenious stop motion video created by art director Julien Thomas uses only crowd-sourced images from 852 individual Instagramers. Check it out!