Design Sojourn | Strategic Industrial Design Blog

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PSFK posted an article on their blog about Starck feeling that “Design is Dead” and is also shamed for all the excess he has created in his designs. Well it was sometime ago when he spoke about his distaste for design, and a year ago we covered this Icon article, where he indicated similarly. This time around he continues his tirade by telling a German news weekly Die Zeit that:

I was a producer of materiality and I am ashamed of this fact.Everything I designed was unnecessary. I will definitely give up in two years’ time. I want to do something else, but I don’t know what yet. I want to find a new way of expressing myself …design is a dreadful form of expression…. In future there will be no more designers. The designers of the future will be the personal coach, the gym trainer, the diet consultant.”

I’m sorry but can something die twice? Third time lucky? Well, at first the cynic that I am believes that Starck is up to his usual shock tactics. Ironically going against a type of design that he had a hand in popularizing.

He has expressed before that he favors any publicity (good/bad) that gets people talking (i.e. Juicy Salif), and as with this blog and every other blog that reproduces this article will have taken the bait and continue to spin his own fame to the next level. Problem is that, it is too good a discussion point to pass up.

But then I decided to take a step back and not look at things out of context as I feel many of the other blogs have. Check out the Die Zeit German language article here and the English translation here, for the full context of this discussion, so that you can decide for yourself if “design is dead”.

I can see where he is going with this discussion, and I think he knows what has to be done. But fickle as he is, the question is, is he doing anything about it? Probably not, as he has been ranting and raving about it since 2002, and is still talking about it today.

From the translation:

I have designed so many things without ever really being interested in them. Maybe all these years were necessary for me to ultimatively recognize that we, after all, don’t need anything. We always have too much (stuff)…Everything I have created is absolutely unnecessary. Design, structurally seen, is absolutely voide of use. A useful profession would be to be an astronomer, a biologist or something of that kind. Design really is nothing. I have tried to install my designs with a sense of meaning and energy, and even when I tried to give my best it was still in vain…Society is pursuing a strategy of dematerialization: it is more and more about intelligence and less about material. Take a computer, for example. In the beginning, computers were big as a house. Now there are computers in the size of only a credit card. In ten years from now they are going to be in our bodies - bionics. In fifty years from now, the concept of computers will have dematerialized itself.

If you can ignore his haughty language, he might have something here. It is easy to misunderstand him, as most blogs (yes even the top tier ones) have, quoted him out of context and it is obvious his English is not the best. Personally I tend to agree with csven’s, (from reBang) take on this situation. Design is not dead, per say, but design as we know it is evolving.

Image Source: SMH. Photo by Andrew Meares.

Damien Savio, an Australian Industrial Design student, designed for his final year project, a window panel that can absorb sunlight during the day, and at night become a light. Apparently his design is able to convert 4 hours of direct sunlight to a 60W light source for 6 hours. Very clever.

The design is a finalist for Australian Design Awards-Dyson Student Award which will be announced in May. I’m rooting for you mate!

With this product you now don’t really have to switch off for tomorrow’s Earth Hour. You have heard of the Earth Hour happening tomorrow 29 March at 8pm right?

Via: Sydney Morning Herald

I have been thinking about this a lot lately. Particularly because I frequently like to consolidate my design thinking, and had noticed many designer anchoring their work on some kind of design philosophy or thinking. Similarly, Dieter Rams’ 10 Commandments helped define him as a designer, and perhaps by identifying these Principles or Laws could do the same for me as well.

Personally, this was something I never really thought of doing, as I often saw myself as a reflection of the trends of time. Furthermore I particularly never like imposing my thoughts on others, nor do not want to come across as a high brow know-it-all. The end result is my encouragement of designers, that I work with, to develop their own thinking instead. Hey, this perhaps is a design philosophy after all?

But as I see this blog as a great place for discussion, I thought it would be a good place to put up my working list for feedback. Do note this list is by no means definite, nor am I looking to impose my thoughts or beliefs on you. Please consider it as a work in progress, and also what I think rather than what should be.

[ Good Design ] ~

1. is a good investment.
This originally started as “Good Design is Good Business” courtesy of Mr. Watson. However in today’s business environment, I belief most people understand this concept, but not many actually see it as an investment that has tangible returns. Therefore most Return on Investment (ROI) calculations can apply here. This means there has to be risk assessments, planning, budget controls, and long term goals set out. It is not, and should never be about making something look good and flogging it for extra cash.

2. does not discriminate.
Good design is all encompassing and unifying. It should not just be about the product or look. It should include every single aspect that circulates around a product, including things like experience, usability, packaging and branding. Design thinking can and should be applied into all aspects of the business and organization.

3. does not exist in vacuum.
Nothing comes from nothing. I find the best designs are the right ones for the context it is developed in. Good understanding of user needs, a critical insight on a problem, and a well defined brief is vital for producing the best designs.

4. satisfies all requirements.
A design cannot be successful if it does not satisfies all requirements of the business and development constraints. This is to a certain extent about compromise, but it is also about prioritizing, and ensuring that you win the war not the battles. Pick your fights and learn to negotiate.

5. is beautiful.
I don’t think too much needs to be said here, but our visual sense is one of the strongest of our 5 senses. There is no justification for bad design or idea. In other words you cannot polish crap. So be self critical instead of letting the market tell you otherwise.

6. is innovative, intuitive and clever.
The purpose here is to go beyond aesthetic or focusing too much on the look of a product. (Just in case point 5 threw you off, heh heh!)

7. is strategic.
This last one, I think is the most important. Design has to be at the highest level of decision making, and part of why an organization exists. My favorite thought is that it should have a vital function in any organization, just like accounting or logistics.

———-

So what do you think of my Principles of Good Design? Why not have your own say by commenting or sharing your own Principles of Good Design? Talk soon!

From the recent SPARKCon, a creative conference for the Southern states in the US. One of the community discussions were the top 10 recommendations of how to build a creative scene in your area or, I dare say, in your country.

1. Foster a vibrant urban core featuring a diverse mix of interests, ethnicity, and ages

2. Increase focus on green spaces that allows people to enjoy the environment

3. Develop safer pedestrian and bicycle activity to encourage people to explore

4. Create dynamic public spaces where arts and technology can intermingle

5. Support collectives as incubators of creativity

6. Develop an information hub to publicly promote all creative activities from new patents to gallery shows

7. Encourage programs to foster emerging talent of all types—from small shops and restaurants to artists and inventors

8. Regularly exhibit and celebrate home grown talent of all kinds in public projects

9. Improve public transit infrastructure to bring people to public squares, urban cores, and green spaces

10. Promote tolerance and gain insight from our many different backgrounds

Very relevant, particularly in Asia, where there is a huge push for city centres such as Singapore and Shanghai to adopt a creative culture or be a creative centre.

Via: Gamil

Image Source: The Innovation Diaries

I wanted to write this much sooner but it kinda got lost in the back burner. Sadly, half of the population, depending on your age, may or may not know of this piece of news.

On March 4th, I received an email from a old friend, someone who I have not seen and heard for a very long time. It was a link to a news page that reported that Gary Gygax had passed away. I was shock to say the least.

Generally seen as the grandfather of Role Playing Games, more specifically the Dungeons and Dragons game, his work was an immense influence to many people in my generation. Incidentally the last time I caught up with my old friend was over a game of Dungeon and Dragons.

Blake from The Innovation Diaries could not have described Gary Gygax’s body of work any better:

Gygax himself was an innovation master – exhibiting many of the key behaviors that are the cornerstones of impactful creativity. He used the writings of Tolkien, world mythology, and medieval history as stimulus to propel his thinking. He exhibited bravery and curiosity in the breaking of the rules of what a ‘board game’ could look like (namely, boardless). And he and his partners designed the rules of the game as loose guidelines, encouraging building and improvisation by the players themselves. And the impact of this innovation? A billion dollar empire of role playing games. Not to mention a lasting influence on the literature, television, movies, and video gaming content of today.

I played D&D throughout much of my teenage life. It was through this game that I learn of my love of drawing maps, creating the most wondrous environments and inhabitants (and traps!) for my friends to travel in. The game thought me spatial awareness, the ability to visualize objects and environments in my head, and most important of all the fantastic ability of storytelling. I think all vital skills for a then budding designer.

Bye Gary, and thank you very much for all the memories and for being such a big influence in my formative years.

Personally as Head of Industrial Design for an in-house design department I find this quote particularly interesting and quite an accurate reflection of creativity in most corporate environments.

In a recent survey by our company, eight out of 10 in-house designers said it’s difficult to convince senior management to accept ideas that deviate from the prevailing corporate style. And more than a quarter of respondents cited their company’s unwillingness to take risks as the most frequent obstacle to creativity. ~The Creative Group

After this quote, The Creative Group provides 7 suggestions on how to overcome barriers to creativity in the corporate world. Much of it is a no brainer, but a good reminder for all of us. My comments are listed after each point.

1) Design is not just ‘window dressing.’ ~ It is a strategic competitive advantage that covers the organization’s needs and future goals.

2) Work on your soft skills. ~ Watercooler talk is vital for getting the buy in.

3) Educate and enlighten. ~ Designers need to take the creative lead and help educate and drive product innovation strategies.

4) Build your case. ~ Designers need to wear different hats and understand who they are speaking to.

5) Give examples. ~ Case studies help in reducing risk and the unknown.

6) Avoid jargon. ~ Design talk in a language people can understand. So read Design Sojourn!

7) Show you’re a winner. ~ Winning design awards inspires and encourages trust in the designer’s ability to do it right.

Check out the rest of the details in the full article at Designophy

However if you are hungry for more information on this is issue, I’ve written quite a few articles focusing on this same point here at Design Sojourn. Here are my tips in the form of links to articles.
1) The Corporate Designer’s Survival Guide

2) Why do I always get rejected? 10 tips on how to get the “buy in”. This article comes in 2 parts: Part 1 and Part 2

3) Six Tips for Managing Design or Specification “Creep”

4) Intrapreneurship in an Asian context. Possibility or Myth?

Enjoy!

There must be a gazillion websites out there on the internet, and subsequently thousands that aggregating or collecting the best stuff from it. The problem is, “product” offerings like Technorati, Plaxo life-streams, FriendFeeds, Digg, PopUrls, Design-Feeds, Design Float etc., all run information through you in a “river of news“. And like anything floating on a river, most of the time it just flows by you unnoticed, unless you have plenty of time to keep your eyes peeled on it.

Thus, when I discovered Alltop, it felt like a breath of fresh air or what I like to call a breath of fresh “online oxygen“.

What I like about Alltop was that it avoids getting into this “river of news” problem. While it essentially does nothing really different from the other sites mentioned above, i.e. it aggregates information, Alltop decided to step outside of the box and innovate by providing a product offering had different way in delivering the information. It is one of the few web products that is focused more on the reader than the person sharing or publishing the information.

This is sort of what the iPod and iTunes did for the Mp3 industry. In terms of components, the iPod is not much different from any other Mp3 player, but together with iTunes, it created a delivery experience others find hard to beat.

A good metaphor is that Alltop is an “online magazine rack” that displays the news from the top publications and blogs. Our goal is to satisfy the information needs of the 99% of Internet users who will never use an RSS feed reader or create a custom page. Think of it as “aggregation without the aggravation.”

When I first saw the site I liked it right away. But it was not until I read Guy’s announcement explaining that the site was supposed to be an “online magazine rack”, that I truly understood what it really aimed to do. What’s even better is that I use a RSS feed reader! So I believe, if they can even convert the RSS feed readers you have something good going on here.

We can draw many interesting parallels with this ideology to the product development situation we have today. We are surrounded by a “sea” of products, many of which are variations of the same thing. Similarly, the internet environment contains much of the same; blogs, social networks and aggregators that are more or less the same but only differentiated with superficial eye candy. And like physical products, all are trying to outdo each other for a consumer’s limited mental or monetary resources. It is the sites (or products) that really focus on the usability, innovation, and becoming “insanely useful” that makes difference.

Ultimately though, what I really appreciate is Guy’s use of a metaphor, or what he also calls a “Mantra”. This is just a simple strategic statement or plan that describes what this “thing” aims to do. Just like a any good business plan, great products also need good and clear Mantras or strategies to cut through the clutter and help keep us all on track. Try it and see how much quicker and faster getting to your design solutions will become. Remember only use one sentence and be as succinct as possible. This is not about creating a boring mission statement.

By the way, I’m also proud to be a citizen of Alltop, check me out in the design section:

I’ve always been a huge fan of strategy games of all types. Board games, tabletop miniature war games and of course, war gaming on the computer. Some of my favourites have been the Panzer/Fantasy/Pacific General Series, Final Fantasy Tactics, Fire Emblem Series and the great pocket favourite Advance Wars.

One thing I always loved about these computer strategy games was that its game mechanics are based around a very simple Rock/Paper/Scissors method of determining fighting abilities and combat resolution. However the key is when you have the added element of terrain influence. What you then get is a very simple concept that has a whole new depth of complexity.

Therefore it was an immense pleasure for me to discover WeeWar.

WeeWar, takes all the classic elements of these computer strategy games, and reinvents it by combining the game mechanics with the latest Web 2.0 networking, blogging, forum, Ruby on Rails technology etc. What was once an AI controlled game is now turned into a multi player game with real time updates. This pushes the complexity element up to the next level by allowing online play against human players.

However unlike the likes of Half-Life or World of WarCraft (WoW), the game focuses on a winning formula and simple graphics that appeals to retro gamers like myself. It also has no downloads required and runs directly from your web browser window. Best of all, it’s free (for the basic troop load out). In my humble opinion it is a worthy update of this classic genera.

Design Entrepreneurs, forget Facebook, the next portfolio/CV/social/sharing network applications. They have all become a dime a dozen. Casual gaming in a Web 2.0 style is the next big thing. If anyone is looking for a partner to develop such browser based games please do not hesitate to contact me!

Finally If you already are a member and want to have a game with me, you can add me from my WeeWar page here. Or if you like more information check out the WeeWar Blog here. Now I need to find time to actually play the game!

The image speaks for itself. Thanks David.

Edit: Check out the full slide from David’s slide share.

Guy Kawasaki, has a poignant picture of the realities of using the MacBook Air. Heck, this IS the reality of using all electronic products, not just the MacBook. Good design should include wire management, unfortunately it rarely does.

Via: How to Change the World

In other news, check out this interesting article on how a bunch of engineers from Nikkei Electronics Teardown Squad took the Mac Book Air apart and analysed it. Their conclusion was the MacBook Air was “No Waste Outside, Nothing but Waste Inside.” Very interesting, especially the follow up commentary and explanation on why they used term “Waste”.

Via: Nikkei Blog

Edit: oneSaint from Digg has pointed out that “Some are more equal than others”. Thanks oneSaint!