Manifesto of the Global Agenda Council on Design

A design conversation is now part of the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting this week in Davos, Switzerland.

Members of GAC first conversation resulted in the following thoughts on DESIGN:

"Throughout history, design has been an agent of change. It helps us to understand the changes in the world around us, and to turn them to our advantage by translating them into things that can make our lives better. Now, at a time of crisis and unprecedented change in every area of our lives – economic, political, environmental, societal and in science and technology – design is more valuable than ever.

The crisis comes at a time when design has evolved. Once a tool of consumption chiefly involved in the production of objects and images, design is now also engaged with developing and building systems and
strategies, and in changing behavior often in collaboration with different disciplines.

Design is being used to:
· Gain insight about people’s needs and desires
· Build strategic foresight to discover new opportunities
· Generate creative possibilities
· Invent, prototype and test novel solutions of value
· Deliver solutions into the world as innovations adopted at scale

In the current climate, the biggest challenges for design and also its greatest opportunities are:"

Read More of the Businessweek Article

Apple's Latest Contribution to Altering the Way We Live

Now that the speculators have been proven correct, that Apple would introduce a tablet device, have they gotten it right?

The Kindle, Amazon's ebook reader and category leader, will probably suffer as a result of the Apple's Ipad greater design pedigree, greater functionality and approachable price point.

The predicted winners are content providers (i.e. publishers of books, magazines, newspapers) and of course Apple shareholders. It was a short ten years ago that Apple stepped in a space that the music industry refused to address constructively but instead chose to take legal action against consumers who wanted to share digital music files. Likewise, the print media industries struggle to recapture revenues lost to the internet, and Apple introduces a device and supporting software iBooks that offers a possible solution.

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NYTimes at the Blogs at the Product Announcement

NYTimes: Is the iPad a Game Changer?

“A defining quality of Apple has been design restraint,” says Paul Saffo, a technology forecaster and consultant in Silicon Valley.

That restraint is evident in Mr. Jobs’s personal taste. His black turtleneck, beltless blue jeans and running shoes are a signature look. In his Palo Alto home years ago, he said that he preferred uncluttered, spare interiors and then explained the elegant craftsmanship of the simple wooden chairs in his living room, made by George Nakashima, the 20th-century furniture designer and father of the American craft movement.

Great products, according to Mr. Jobs, are triumphs of “taste.” And taste, he explains, is a byproduct of study, observation and being steeped in the culture of the past and present, of “trying to expose yourself to the best things humans have done and then bring those things into what you are doing.”

NYTimes: Steve Jobs Design Philosophy Considered

Recession 101: Designers Looking for Work

The loss of traditional design jobs is more evidence that the shift in desired skills tracks to areas of technological advances (i.e. interaction, animation...). In the attached article one designer demonstrates that a creative response could lead to the very opportunities one had dreamed of, though they may be packaged a little differently.

NYTimes Article

Samsung: The New Top Dog in Consumer Electronics

It seems that Japan has been replaced by another far east competitor.

Korea has been showing itself to be the hot bed of innovative and well designed consumer electronics products as demonstrated at the 2010 Consumer Electronic Show and profit growth over 2009.

It is worthy to note the absence of western brands from this distinction, with the exception of Apple, the move of manufacturing and design to the east is clearly evident.

Article by Jeff Yang

Essay: Why We Should Teach Design Early

Rob Stokes a Senior Interaction Designer in frog design’s Austin studio posted the following essay. It is worth taking a few moments to read.

"Designers, through training and experience, develop a different lens through which to see the world. They move through spaces, environments, and systems, making observations and developing insights about what works well and what doesn’t. They then use those observations and insights to create innovative solutions for everyday problems. If design is the crossroads of beauty and purpose, design thinking is the intersection of creative and analytical thinking.

But when do we learn how to think like a designer?

In today’s world of standardized tests and performance-based educational funding, students are not evaluated on the way they approach a problem, but whether or not they come up with the right answer.

What happens when there are many right answers, as is often the case with non-linear design solutions? When can we start teaching students how to creatively evaluate their ideas?"

Read Full Essay

Core77 Essay

New Leadership at the Cooper Hewitt ( National Design Museum)

A well known pioneer in design has accepted the leadership role at Smithsonian's National Design Museum effective in March 2010.

Bill Moggridge has been at the forefront of the most signficant changes that marked the evolution the design profession in the last 50 years. And so, if seems fitting that he is now tasked with shaping the institution that will chronicle the past and hopefully chart the future of design for the coming generation.

Washington Post Article

Design Road Show: Project H Emily Pillion Goes on Tour

I was really impressed with Ms. Pilloton's defense of Product Design during her presentation at the ISCID conference this past fall. And, now she is embarking on a national road tour promoting practical design solutions that impact the lives of people. She will be visiting high schools and colleges through out the country, and persuading a generation of students to consider being a Designer.

Itinerary for Design Revolution

Design History: Norma Sklarek

The first African American female registered architect in the United States, Norma Sklarek, is a testament to the commitment necessary for success in a creative field.

Biography and Videos

A Design Opportunity: A Snow Shovel

Life is wonderful for pointing out opportunity for improvements, personal and practical ones.

So the recent snow fall that blanketed the DC area with 16+ inches of the white fluffy stuff identified for me a need for a powered shovel of some sort, for property owners with small paths or those faced with infrequent snowfalls. Currently, most offerings require major financial investment as well as, space for storage that is more burdensome than the snow fall itself.

A quick assessment identified only two products that fit the bill. Each not having short comings which is evidence that the comment to address the issue was limited. This is an opportunity I will ponder and seeing if I can find a fitting solution before Dyson (the vacuum guy) gets his hands on it.

The End of ID Magazine

In 2009 the print media world shifted to the point that more than a few newspapers and notable magazines decided to call in quits. ID magazine's end speaks to more than the challenge of producing printed media in the digital era, but also the changing landscape of design and mismanagement.

Has the profession lost a voice? I think not. I can't say that it served my interest in design for more than a decade. But none the less it was a magazine that provide a visual reference that Product designers did exist.

Historically, tough economic times mean cuts in design related expenditures. I would suspect this will continue to be true this time through?

ID Magazine History

Reflections from a Insider

NYTimes Article

Auto Design: 2010 Camaro

The 2010 Camaro is beautiful. The portions and lines on the new Camaro are amazing, as they capture the power and dynamism of the heritage of America's unique view of the automobile as muscle car (aka: hot rod).

It is rare that an American car company gets the portions right. To often the pressures and influences of safety, cost etc. undermine the overall shape of the final product. But in this case the designer, Sangyup Lee, was able to delivery a wonderful looking final product.


NYTimes Article: New Camaro

Happy New Year- What a Year Past

Wow! 2009 was a full year so much so that my blogging suffered. The past year will be remember as the year consumed with the purchase and renovation of a home. But now,I am ready to continue my explorations and share my design discoveries again.

So let me start on this first day of the new year with a thought about American auto design.

The Best Interior Design Blogs

London Times List

Electric Bike: GRACE

I really like the proportions of this new flexible battery powered bike coming out of Germany.



GRACE Website

A Medical Equipment Breakthrough

Here is more proof that design that does not make use of a digital component is likely an inadequate solution.

This update on the primary tool of every physician the stethoscope adds value for both the doctor and the patient in the amount of information at minimum cost.

An Old Dog Gets a New Look: Greyhound Bus Line

Raymond Lowey in 1937 put his design touches on the greyhound bus and logo helping to define this American icon.


And now in 2009 the company is leveraging design to recapture its place in the pubic imagination and the transportation industry. Their new strategy includes competitive pricing, free wifi and fewer seats, and therefore more room for their passengers.



Greyhound History

In Defence of Modernism, Properly Defined

The other day NPR did a great piece on how often the word "Modern" is misapplied in the world of reality television shows.

"Modern bespeaks the early-20th century interest in a certain kind of pared-down aesthetic...It does not mean a tiki bar put together for $100 on the HGTV show Design Star, says modernism expert Douglas Mao, chair of the English department of Johns Hopkins University. "

NPR Story (Audio)

The Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon Returns to DC

I found this competition between architecture programs a great source of creative ideas for small homes. This year I will be specing out the choice of appliances among a host of other features.

DOE Solar Decathlon

Product Design: Dyson Strikes Again

Dyson the United Kingdom's Henry Ford has picked the traditional household fan and brought it into the 21st century leaving the blades behind. Most known for his colorful update on the vacuum and in turn awaking an complacent industry.



Dyson Air Multiplier

Article: The End of an Era

Jon Kolko shares his reflections from the 2009 IDSA conference, concluding that the profession of Industrial Design is becoming less relevant with each passing year. As designers move away from their traditional strength of form making to now be called on to know more about the increasingly complex specialties of material science, digital components and networked services Industrial Designers need academic programs that would allow them to remain relevant.

The discipline of industrial design has had a long history of form giving, and the creation of objects and artifacts that relate to the incidental parts of life. Industrial designers make stuff, and the making of stuff is a commodity - a profession differentiated only by cost. That is, there are a huge amount of capable industrial design firms in the world (and increasingly in Asia), and these firms are only differentiated by the cost of their services. A commodity market affords only limited growth and only limited market share, and can never truly sustain itself in any meaningful manner.

The End of an Era

Conference: Future of Design

It will be interesting to hear what comes out of the conference "Future of Design" that will be held at the University of Michigan in two weeks.

The presentations are free and open to the public. The speakers will present their views in 15-minutes segments. Following the Friday session, there will be dinner conversations moderated by faculty and students. All segments, including the round table discussion at dinner, will be available at YouTube starting Oct. 9-10 2009.

Conference Website

Masters of Design 2009

Fast Company magazine's October issue showcases Design. This is a good read for those looking for insight into the current world of who's demonstrating design leadership by "making things" happen.

Fast Company's Masters of Design

Architect: Allison Williams

The number of licensed black women architects is 0.2% which is quadrupled what it was 15 years ago.

Allison Williams is one of the few, and she is being recognized as the designer of the just opened August Wilson African American Center of Culture in Pittsburgh.

Article: The Number of Black Women in Arcitecture

Article: Behind the Curtain (August Wilson AA Center of Culture)

Design for the Developing World: PeePoo

The opportunity for designer to provide useful solutions to the developing world's problems is becoming more real each year.

Article on the PeePoo

PeePoo Website

Apps and Google Come to Washington

Google and a host of other companies are readying their organizations to support the efforts of the Obama administration initiatives to leverage technology to make government more efficient and reduce cost of operations.

Cloud computing, a model in which software is delivered over the Web rather than installed on individual PCs or local servers, is now being made available to governmental agencies. Apps.gov

NYTimes Article

White House Blog Posting

Wired Article: Obama's Chief Information Officer

Apple's Latest Product Upgrade

Apple has become so known for innovation in product design that the signficance of their announcements can be over looked.

As with the introduction last week of the Ipod Nano, which now includes FM radio and video/audio recording. The addition of these two features is a direct challenge to products like the popular Flip video recorder as well as all other mp3 players on the market. Which will translate for Apple into an increased share of the portable entertainment market.

Review of the New Nano

Design Conference: Icsid World Design Congress

It looks like Singapore is the place to visit come November if you have an interest in Design.





Icsid Conference Site

Singapore Design Festival Site

Graphic Designs: What's the Best Way to Signal Trouble?

Since its introduction the terror threat color code key had its detractors. In the video link here the rationale behind at least one designer whose believes it is ineffective at communicating its stated message at best.

Video: Discussion on Alert Symbols

A Different Kind of Design Firm: Project H Design

Project H is an different kind of design firm, more in how it is structured than in the projects it takes on, though they are unique in many ways.

This young firm, started in 2008, seeks to address humanity centered problems though leveraging the talents of designers dispersed throughout the world but anchored in local chapters.

Emily Pilloton, a product designer and founder of Project H, will have to shore up the organizational structure if the network of well intentioned designers is to sustain itself.

NYTimes Article

Project H Website

Metropolis Article

Typography: The NYTime's Style Magazine Covers

The power of a single type character to be made expressive is demonstrated in the covers of the New York Times Style Magazine.


Slide shows of "T" magazine covers:

Covers from 2009

Covers from 2008

Covers from 2007

Covers from 2006

Covers from 2004

Typography: IKEA Makes a Change

This Swedish based international furniture producer/retailer has decided to update its word mark and much of the respond has been less than flattering.

The switch from the type Futrua to Veranda was intended to improve online readability, you can decide (see the link below).

NYTimes Article

Samples of Before and After

Ikea's History

Video: Heartless by The Fray

This video pays homage to the time old tradition of sketching as an effective tool when your physically held hostage( i.e. classroom/ work meetings) freeing the mind to travel elsewhere or tackle more pressing issues of the heart.

The FRAY - Heartless from IE HAGY on Vimeo.

Design History: Carl Hansen Lounge Chair

Here is beautiful chair with an interesting history. I am not sure when I first noticed the CH07, but I did take the opportunity this summer to sit on one at NeoCon's furniture tradeshow.

"Wegners three-legged shell chair was originally introduced in 1963. A few limited series were produced, but the project soon came to a stand still. The 90s brought a growing interest in chairs of more individual designs. The chair was relaunched in 1997 and fortunately the new manufacturer had been able to keep down the costs. These two factors in combination resulted in an increasing market, and after 34 years oblivion the chair finally got its breakthrough. As a curiosity it is worth mentioning that one of the original shell chairs from the 60s was sold at 104.000 Danish Kroner at Christies in London in 1999. At the same time a chair from the resumed production was sold in a Danish furniture store at 8.000 Danish Kroner. Not only is the CH07 Shell Chair beautiful and unique, but it is also incredibly comfortable! The perfect fusion of form and function, this is a piece of furniture you will cherish for years to come.

Seat and back are made of formpressed plywood shells. The 3 legs consist of a laminated construction, the 2 front legs are made of one continuous piece and the hind leg is a separate element. To enhance the comfort Wegner has added 2 upholstered cushions which are fastened to the shell with screws from the back."

Danish Furniture

Essay: Seattle Central Library: Civic Architecture in the Age of Media

Amy Murphy writes an interesting piece on the influence of media and its impact on Architecture.

"While all of technology might be involved in this inversion to some extent, media technology has had the most powerful impact on the general population and its relationship to urban experience. Media today is more mediatory than ever, insinuating itself between us and everything else. In particular, digitization has created a situation where media is now not only a means by which we understand the world (as with traditional media like newspapers), but increasingly the means by which we experience it. Even when we visit real urban spaces such as Times Square, the plurality of experience suggested by the two words “public city,” has been slurred into one word — “publicity.” Through this slurring, the larger experiential potentials of architecture, as well as media, more often than not become diminished."
read more

Bike Design: Another Folding Bike

The question of how to provide urban dwellers with a viable solution for personal transportation seems to be on the minds of many. The IF Mode folding bike from Pacific Cycles, based in Taiwan is the latest attempt to make a bike easier to live with and transport when not in use.



Metropolis Article

Houseware Design: The Element Grill by Fuego

From a relatively new player in the world of high-end home products Fuego introduces a moderately priced grill for the aspiring high-end connoisseur. The Element fuses functionally and aesthetics that can make out door grilling less of a fuss.


The Element Grill

NYTimes Article

Apartment Therapy Review


Fuego Website

Fancy Feet

I like distinctive footwear and FiveFingers by Vibram fits that description. They appear idea for folks that practice yoga, or maybe they can help others escape their flip flop fixation.



Wired Review

FiveFingers Website

An Insiders View of the Fashion World

The New York based fashion designer, Eric Gaskins, dishes on the goings on of the fashion world through his blog site.

With the recent closing of his label he has in away been freed to speak on how the fashion industry works, and to a larger extent point out issues that the other design professions suffer from as well - lack of inclusion.

He questions aloud the lost of craft and growth of corporate/celebrity as well touching on the personal cost of being a designer.

NYTimes Article: How Do You Like Me Now?

The Emperor's Old Clothes Blog

Copper Hewitt National Design Awards 2009

First Lady, Michelle Obama will continue a tradition started under the Bush administration by hosting a series of events on July 24th in Washington DC to acknowledge the 2009 National Design Award winners.



10th National Design Awards

Events Planned Around DC

Music After MJ: Death of Audio-Tune (D.O.A.)

Could this video mark a new direction in Hip Hop? Is JayZ pushing the envelope with music videos that has the potential to be as influential as Micheal Jackson's Thriller?



The thematic quality is first rate, visually and sonically it seems to in a league of its own. The fusion of jazz undertones and the use of real musicians underscores the message of D.O.A. - a reference to a technology that many singers are using to distort or correct their vocals.

Beware some of the language could be offensive.

NYTimes Review of Blueprint III

Information Design: 9.20.21 Project

Led by Richard Saul Wurman, information architect and founder of the TED conferences, the initiative will explore trends in cities.

While based on statistical analysis, the project no doubt will deliver something entertaining and accessible, delivered through the Web, television, print publications, and exhibits and seminars.

So what’s the big deal?

The idea is to standardize the way information about cities is collected and shared. This means coming up with patterns of data, comparing trends, and developing communications strategies to provide a “roadmap for understanding the world ahead.”

19.20.21 Project

Video:19.20.21 Explained

Why 9.20.21 is Important?

Bike Design: Trek's Chainless Bike

Instead of a drive chain made up of metal linkages and up to 3,000 individual parts, chainless bikes utilize a carbon belt similar to the drive belt on motorcycles and snowmobiles. (They're manufactured by the same Denver-based company that makes drive belts for Harley-Davidson.)


The carbon belt has a number of advantages over a traditional chain: lighter weight (80 grams vs. 300-400 grams), longer lasting (3 years vs. 1 year), minimal stretch, and lower maintenance (no lube required!). Belt drive systems are virtually silent and rarely catch pant cuffs, making them a good choice for commuters.

The carbon belt is a great solution for single speed bike like Trek's bike design with the urban commuter in mind, but it not yet ready for use on multiple speed bikes.

Trek's Website

Blog Site for Trek's District

Architect: Thom Mayne

Thom Mayne and his firm, Morphorsis Architects, based in southern California is responsible for some of the most praised buildings of today.

In the video below he describes his philosophy and approach to designing buildings that not only connects to its immediate environment, but also boldly expresses and redefines it.

Morphosis Architects

NYTimes Article:The Civic Value of a Bold Statement

Thom Mayne: Architecture is a new way to connect to the world

Design History: Georg Olden

A design pioneer whose legacy had been unknown to me. Georg Olden an African American Graphic Artist who achieve professional success at a time that proceeded the civil rights movement.

His 1963 design of a commemorative postage stamp of the 100th year anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation was the first stamp designed by an African American.

Biography - AIGA

Neuton: Battery Powered Lawn Mower

As I anticipate becoming a homeowner there are some tasks that I will be taking responsibility for that as a renter I did not have to consider.

This means purchasing tools that allow for the ongoing maintenance of the property. Though my goal would be to minimize the amount of lawn by using a variety of plants in lieu of grass, there will remain a need for the purchase of a mover. Here is one that appears to be a good solution to the conventional noisy and polluting gas powered machines.

Neuton Website

Designers421: Kickoff at NeoCon 2009

Following months of planning the web based network devoted to addressing the need to increase diversity within the design professions.

The group intends to be a resource to all designers, but specifically designers of color.

Designers421 Website

Defining GOOD Design

Metropolis magazine considers the old adage that attempted to define Good design by aesthetics and sales only.

Peter Hall challenges this thinking with an argument that today Good design must consider other factors, such as the following:

Good Is Sustainable
Good Is Accessible
Good Is Functional
Good Is Well Made
Good Is Emotionally Resonant
Good Is Enduring
Good Is Socially Beneficial
Good Is Beautiful
Good Is Ergonomic
Good Is Affordable


Metropolis Article: A Good Argument

Dieter Rams Ten Principles of Good Design

Innovation Policy: The Next Frontier

The role government plays in seeding innovation is a subject I am keenly interested in not only because I am a designer employed in government. But, because the opportunities that are available for the application of technology within government to advance its goals is often perceived as something foreign and is often misunderstood by many of my peers in the public sector.

Above all, innovation policy is an attempt to bring some coordination to often disparate government initiatives in scientific research, education, business incentives, immigration and even intellectual property.

“It’s about setting an agenda and helping build a portfolio of skills that let an economy and a society move forward in smarter, faster ways,” Mr. Kao said.

NYTimes Article: Can Government Till the Fields of Innovation?

The World Bank's New Industrial and Innovation Policy

WSJ Article: Where to Find Innovation

Toy Design: Little Tike's Cozy Coupe

While the American auto sales slip the Cozy Coupe continues to rack up sales. In 2008 it actually sold (425,000 units) more than any other car model in America, more than 10 million since introduced 30 years ago.



To think that this popular toy does not rely on electronics but on the basic joy of the physical challenge of making an object move through space.

Fox News Article

Materials supporting Design Solutions

The series of case studies produced by Eastman's Innovation Lab speaks to the role materials can play in the design process. Admittedly it is an infomercial for Eastman but none the less revealing on how new materials can aid in solving design problems.

Eastman Innovation Lab Interview Series