Sep
2008
Design the world: solutions to water crisis: competition
Another fascinating and ambitious competition from the people at Aspen, lets see more ambition changing events like this, certainly it makes a more relevant focus than the usual, 'design a poster', water is going to be one of the most highly contested resources over the next few decades. Aspendesignchallenge.org
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The future for designers
“We won’t have a future which needs design.” That’s enough to get even the most aesthetic designers out of their shells surely? It’s interesting to see the range of approach here to the question of our changing attitude and action towards the development of sustainable design. There’s a confusion from some of those interviewed about how to get to grips with sustainability, lets look to people showing by example as well as raising the level of debate.
Ken Robinson speaks
When I first encountered the challenging mix of wit and tell it like it is approach of Sir Ken Robinson, I must have emailed and recommended it to almost everyone I know. This guy has some really solid inspirational thinking on the relationships of creativity, innovation and culture, and the way in which society continually fails to promote it, particularly within education (however the points are more broadly socially relevant too).
Here is Ken's talk at TED, which - by the way - is an amazing site crammed full of inspirational thinkers and doers from all walks of life, check them out after Ken's talk at ted.com
And if you liked that, take a look at Sir Ken speaking at the RSA
...and now, a book alert: ‘The Element’, to be published in January 2009. Sure to be a fascinating investigation into the potency of creativity, a must read (I can't wait!). Glad he's dropped the 'Sir', replaced by the Ph.D (now that must be an old fashioned Ph.D rather one driven by the current funding takeover of higher education).
Design and sustainability: resources
Here are a few organisations working in the
intersections of design and sustainability. I don’t
usually throw up a set of links without further
detail, but I’m working through a list of things I’d
like to comment on, for now see what you make of this
mix:
bc.gdc.net/practivism/
AIGA Center for Sustainable Design
designcanchange.org
bc.gdc.net/practivism/
AIGA Center for Sustainable Design
designcanchange.org
Sketchy attitude
Created by three researchers in the Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto, it’s great to see an interface which brings us back to basic directness of sketching. I noticed that there has been some criticism of this interface because there is a fear that many CAD trained operatives would be redundant, it’s an unfortunate thing that we are loosing that ability to sketch, as technological interfaces continue to develop, it shows how important it will be for us to connect back to simple tactile expression. Pick up your pencils now.
One eye on design competitors?
Are you competitive? Here’s a great list of
opportunities in one space:
facesofdesign.com/competitions
facesofdesign.com/competitions
More time please?
18/09/0800:58
Categories:
Full
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In the same way that you can divide the population into young and old by wether they still wear a watch, it seems a slightly baffling idea to create an 'old skool' clock for the internet, particularly when any screen already has at least one time measuring device in one corner or another. On the other hand it is still a bit of fun, which isn’t a bad reason to keep things like this around, is it.
Sustainable Branding
How
can socially responsible businesses build authentic
brands for a
more sustainable future? That's the question at the center of an
upcoming workshop series entitled "Branding for Sustainability"
featuring top executives from:
Gap Inc. (September 17 in San Francisco)
Whole Foods (September 22 in Austin)
Eileen Fisher (October 20 in New York City)
For further information take a look at brandingforsustainability.com
more sustainable future? That's the question at the center of an
upcoming workshop series entitled "Branding for Sustainability"
featuring top executives from:
Gap Inc. (September 17 in San Francisco)
Whole Foods (September 22 in Austin)
Eileen Fisher (October 20 in New York City)
For further information take a look at brandingforsustainability.com
Diller & Scofidio
The work of Diller & Scofidio is pretty engaging stuff, thinking differently about architecture, I came across their newish website, the interface of which bows more than a nod to the apple interface, great work though dillerscofidio.com
Hey old bag!
It still stuns me
that such a high percentage of lunchtime shoppers
nipping out of their office for a hurried bite to eat
still insist on taking their sandwich and pack of
crisps away in a brand new, volumous, plastic bag --
in my case from the local Sainsburys -- only to throw
the bag into the bin a minute later as they enter the
park around the corner (it is summertime). Worse
still, the supermarket staff haven't cottoned on to
the idea that they could actually ask if the aimless
customer if they actually 'need' a bag. Lets see how
long it takes for this post to start to become
irrelevant.
You could watch this on your iPhone your in the checkout line: www.plasticbagfree.com
You could watch this on your iPhone your in the checkout line: www.plasticbagfree.com
Greengaged: the LDF sustainability hub
The London Design Festival is about to kick off and thomas.matthews have been busy with [re]design and Kingston University to curate and launch the event's first ever 'sustainable design hub'. It's a free event, based at the Design Council. Featuring debates, workshops, exhibitions, seminars and master classes, it brings together an exciting mix from all sectors of the design industry with strategists, chemists and magicians to focus on sustainability issues, exchange ideas and carve out new roles for design.
To look at the programme and book your free place visit greengaged.com
Japanese woodblock on acid
07/09/0819:03
Categories:
Creativity |
Full
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Two good friends Asako and Jack invited us for a meal last night (fantastic to have Okoniyaki again guys, many thanks) and showed us the work of contemporary woodblock artist, Kenichi Yokono. I really like the quality of illustration in his work produced from 2004: it consists of woodblocks inked in red alone, and interestingly, never printed. Fascinating image/objects.
Check out the work on the website of Kenichisan and look at the 2004 work.