lowleveljetstream - Filed under 'design'

Dare to dive in

I've always been a fan of Collette http://www.colette.fr/ - where the focus has been on product and a soundscape that supports it.

Opening Ceremony started to inspire a sense of space that Collette's store did on Rue St. Honore but took it a step further - not requiring the sound to create a sense of space.

Now in London, there's a new space created by John Skelton and Dan Mitchell - As quoted by Wallpaper "Skelton has considerable pedigree as a premium level buyer for oki-ni and Harrods. Mitchell is equally recognised for his discerning musical taste through his Bad Passion club nights."

They started a website http://www.ln-cc.com/ but then commissioned Gary Card to create a physical space for them in London. The end result takes one in to a space that can be best described by the objective the guys set:

"LN-CC isn't so much a retail site (space) but more an evolving platform of curated ideas encompassing clothing, music and art."

The site and the space are alive and appear to suck you in to a world away from everyday. You fully experience LN-CC by being removed from known experiences.

Here's a good piece on Gary Card's approach to the space http://bit.ly/gGScSk

Filed under // design engagement fashion

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Electric Citrus

A designer's conundrum: What do you do when you offer every citrus flavor under the sun and then want to capture all of them in one can?

Any artist will tell you that if you mix all colors together you get grey but Pasolivo decided on this electric pink for their Citrus flavored Olive Oil. Tuscan olives grown in California must be deemed deserving of this flamboyant fling.

Filed under // design

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Boxed In

I noticed this idea in twelvesouth's packaging for the iPad compass.

12 ways to re-use this box

...do our planet a favor and give your compass gift box a new lease on life instead of throwing it away. Here are some ideas.

1. Use it as a pen and pencil case

2. Stash all your receipts in the box

3. Let your kids use the box to store their trading cards

4. Use as a personal "suggestion box"

5. Drop a gift in it and surprise a friend

6. Use it as an arts and crafts project for kids

7. Set in a drawer as a clutter organiser

8. Use it to store extra camera/computer cables

9. Turn it into kindling to start a romantic fire

10. Flatten and use it as bracker board in a frame

11. Store stationary for hand-written love notes

12. Turn it in to a garage for Hot Wheels cars

I wish I had looked at this list before throwing the box away. I could have had a ceremonial fire for all the sickly sweetness of the suggestions.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's great to make these suggestions and on top of that, it's great to start sweating over some initial ideas.

What gets my goat is that it seems like 'arts and crafts' has been taken over by sickly sweet individuals almost as if this is the new religion.

Why is it not possible today for grown man to go knitting with the ladies and enjoy a few corny jokes? What's this world coming to?

Filed under // design engagement

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Effort Based Design

I was just thinking how I went from a 12th floor bedroom to seat 1C on a Virgin America flight heading back to SF without exerting myself at all. Not one minute of physical activity - opening the door of my room, pressing for the elevator, walking a few paces to a waiting car, exiting the car and heading to the flight. Nothing but a few walking steps.

I then considered the challenge with world health - especially the fact that there are more obese people in the world than starving - and started to question, are we designing our world to the point where it's killing us?

When you look at the design of things, there appears to be two driving forces: make stuff that's aesthetically appealing and stuff that makes our life easier. I'm sure I'm over simplifying the principles of design here and Sam or Brian - you can put me straight here - but look around you. Escalators replace stairs, touch screens replace pressing keys, wheelie bags replace carrying the weight of your clothes and probably one of the coolest but most extreme in physical inactivity is the button press trunk closer - no more reaching up, which is a good stretch, and pulling the trunk door down with some force. Oh no, that's asking too much of us. Let's make it electric.

I'm not suggesting that all this design is bad but maybe we should start a new design theory around forcing physical activity, so that through our actions in any given day, we achieve a good level of physical assertion and maybe even some calorie burning.

So let's consider my trip from 1201 to 1C and see whether we can create physical activity in this journey. Of course it would be ridiculous to add inconvenience to this challenge, so the idea of forcing the elevator to go one floor below my desired destination to force me to take the steps up one floor can't count. There are some architects who are designing to this theory already, which is a good sign. Okay, so I'm ready to leave my room and there's a significant resistance on the door opener that forces me to assert a downward pressure to open the door. The elevator button has been replaced with a bell ringing type rope, which you pull down to call the elevator. The elevator floor isn't flat - it's at a 30 degree angle forcing you to stand with some pressure and balance control. I get out of the elevator and head to the reception desk, which is very low forcing me to perform a good bend as I sign my bill. I then head to the car and jump in after putting my bag in the back and pulling the trunk door down - old school. Trip to the airport is straight forward - no peddling required. I get to the airport and all cabs are forced to drop off at the arrivals level and escalators have been replaced with stairs to get you to departures...

I'm no designer as you can tell from my example but I bet good designers could create a workout approach to daily routines that would result in a healthier world. I'm not suggesting that design should focus on making our flow through life harder, I'm just saying that a design theory around physical assertion could be an interesting way to go.

To conclude, you might argue that people wouldn't react well to this idea but in researching my theory, I found this interesting example of the power of simply telling people that taking stairs can help them get fit.

In one experiment conducted by the NY Department of Health and the Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation, simply posting a sign at a housing project in the South Bronx (“Burn Calories, Not Electricity – Take the Stairs”) led to a 42 percent increase in stair walking over nine months.

Filed under // design engagement

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Covered

In what is perhaps a display of non-payment for advertising in the
terminal at Charles de Gaulle, there's something quite powerful in
this covered clock.

Just enough of a hint of the brand to create a spark in the brain. It
feels strangely modern and engaging for a brand that acts more like
wallpaper today.

Filed under // Brands design

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Thoughtful Selection

We moved over to the Parker in Palm Desert and one thing that caught
my eye is the selection of bath products.

They could have gone exclusively with Molten Brown to provide a modern
day scent. They could have gone exclusively with Penhaligon's for a
more classic experience. But no they chose to go with the best
selection - Penhaligon's for hair, Molton Brown for bath gel, Bulgari
for body lotion, Blistex for lips, Q-tips for ears, L'Occitane for
soap and last but not least Peter Thomas Roth for suntan lotion.

I call this thoughtful selection. Others I'm sure will be
uncomfortable with the lack of uniformity.

Filed under // design hotels

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PACT: Architected

What have these two images got in common?

As PACT continues to do cool things around cause and underwear, they have commissioned David Adjaye, the architect of the building on the left, to design underwear for their Earth Week initiative.

I love PACT's approach to cause. See more here http://bit.ly/bKvq3

Filed under // Cause design green

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Stitching & Hole

I love the Converse African canvas initiative tied to Project Red.

Makes the choice of shoe simple - help others or don't help with your next purchase.

I also really like the subtle design signals that tie to Red.

Filed under // Cause design

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San Francisco, CA

Solar System Orbital Frequencies

Coolhunting picked up on this cool sound concept by Luke Wyman - click here for the full experience http://bit.ly/aKkQXy

I love Coolhunting's recognition of the simplicity of Wyman's work "UK-based Luke Wyman's Whitevinyl recently released Solar Beat—a music box looped using the orbital frequencies of our own solar system. It's one of those simple concepts where astrophysics is translated into a pleasing ambient loop soundtrack more profound than your average web diversion."

Filed under // design digital music

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Typographic Emotions

I always thought I was lucky in my first job in advertising for a number of reasons but one was the opportunity to work near a typographer who knew his art through and through.

His passion for the craft was contagious and to this day, I have had a good appreciation for what seems to have been an art on life support.

So it's no surprise that friends sent me this fun infographic on fonts.

It's a little silly but if it gets people to think about fonts in relation to emotions or design appreciation, then that has to be a good thing.

It's funny how such an effort has been sent to me from the UK and India already. Things get around fast.

Here's the full infographic http://bit.ly/d9Y7Y

Filed under // design infographics typography

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Dare to dive in

Electric Citrus

Boxed In

Effort Based Design

Covered

Thoughtful Selection

PACT: Architected

Stitching & Hole

Solar System Orbital Frequencies

Typographic Emotions