Design Week articles from April 2007

Design Week archives from April 2007

LDF to be organised from Southbank 'hub'.(London Design Festival)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... The London Design Festival will this year be run from the Southbank Centre, its organisers announced this week, claiming it is the first time the event has had a dedicated central hub. Southbank Centre will act as an information point...

Kef Audio launches at Salone del Mobile.(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... The Muon loudspeaker range from Kef Audio launches at Salone del Mobile in Milan on 18 April. Designed by Ross Lovegrove and manufactured by Kef, the speakers take on an organic form that is based on the abstract sculptures of Barbara...

Conran lines up restaurant interiors jobs.(Conran and Partners)(D and D London)
April 5, 2007... Conran & Partners is kicking off a raft of interiors projects for restaurant group D&D London, the company formed by the management buyout of Conran Restaurants last year. The first, the Bluebird on the King's Road in London and an...

Astound shuts shop after 'creative differences' among senior management.
April 5, 2007... Retail design specialist Astound is to close this summer following 'creative differences' among the consultancy's directors, resulting in redundancies among the 50-strong staff. It has emerged this week that board directors Mark Dickins,...

First stage of American Museum revamp unveiled.(American Museum in Britain)
April 5, 2007... The American Museum in Britain is unveiling a #500 000 overhaul in its Grade I listed country house location, undertaken by Chester museum design consultancy Headland Design Associates. The basement space improvements are part of an...

Madame V promotional brochures.(contracts with Hike)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Accessories and lingerie brand Madame V has unveiled a series of promotional brochures for its 2007 autumn/winter collection, with photography by Jenny Hands and graphic design by Laura Tarrant-Brown of Partner Studios. At the same time, Madame...

Heritage Motor Centre in #250 000 makeover.(Ford Motor Company)
April 5, 2007... Warwickshire's Heritage Motor Centre is to reopen in May, showcasing an exhibition designed by Haley Sharpe Design and a modernised site developed by Metz Architects. Leicester consultancy Haley Sharpe Design was appointed to the project...

Cabaret Mechanical Theatre celebrates 28 years.(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... The Cabaret Mechanical Theatre is celebrating its 28th year with a show featuring more than 80 pieces of hand-made automata - automatic mechanisms with concealed motive power. The exhibition will tell the story of the company, taking in its...

Center Parcs shows off #60m birthday upgrade.(announces the future plans during the celebrations of its 20th anniversary)
April 5, 2007... Center Parcs is celebrating its 20th anniversary this week by unveiling a dramatic #60m upgrade of all its visitor accommodation, orchestrated by architect and interior design group Target Living. The restyling programme has been overseen...

UKTV Gold relaunches with new-look idents.(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... UKTV Gold is relaunching this week following a six-figure screen identity overhaul by Karmarama. The changes follow 18 months of strategic work at the channel to reassert the Gold brand's position as the 'home of iconic TV'. The idents go...

'Powwow' talks added to D&AD graduate show.( student led symposium )
April 5, 2007... D&AD is to incorporate a student-led symposium into its New Blood graduate exhibition, which runs from 25 to 27 June in Old Billingsgate, London. Named Powwow, the event is organised by Kingston University undergraduates Sarah Ginn and...

Jack Staniland wins competition.(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Jack Staniland, a 20-year-old undergraduate of photography, art and media at Central St Martins College of Art and Design, is the winner of a competition to design a cover for compilation album Down In A Tenement Yard on the legendary reggae...

IN BRIEF: Jeans for Genese.(Jeans for Genes contracts with Crossing O'Sullivan)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Genetic disorder charity Jeans for Genes launches its 2007 national campaign on 28 May, with a refreshed identity by Crossing O'Sullivan. The word 'appeal' has been dropped from the logo. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and...

IN BRIEF: Bostock and Pollitt appointment.(Neil Cooper appointed)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Bostock and Pollitt has appointed Neil Cooper, head of interactive design at SAS Design, as its digital design director. The group's new media creative team works with clients including BT, Allied London and Cheapflights. Copyright:...

IN BRIEF: Slough Estates new identity.(contracts with Appetite)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Property developer Slough Estates this week unveils a fresh corporate identity, designed by Appetite, and a name change to Segro. The rebrand heralds a period of planned growth across Europe. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and...

COMMENT: Astound's demise highlights need for business planning.(Column)
April 5, 2007... It is a sad irony that a discipline that laid the foundations for design as we know it should now be taking its toll on the business. Retail design made the names of Rodney Fitch, David Davies and Rasshied Din in the 1980s, yet now it is...

Syzygy builds on-line offer with Unique move.(Unique Digital Marketing Ltd.)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... WPP-owned interactive consultancy Syzygy has bought a 100 per cent stake in the London on-line media group Unique Digital Marketing for an undisclosed sum. The move is billed as part of its 'acquisitive growth strategy' by Marco Seiler,...

Arts charity uses Johnson Banks for 'tactile' refresh.(The Living Paintings Trust )(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Johnson Banks has rebranded arts charity The Living Paintings Trust with a fresh identity that launches this week. The Living Paintings Trust will now be known simply as Living Paintings. The charity helps the visually impaired to...

RNIB publishes guidelines for accessible design.(Royal National Institute of the Blind)
April 5, 2007... By Scott Billings The Royal National Institute of the Blind is launching a set of guidelines specifically for the design industry, aiming to encourage designers to produce material that is legible by people with sight problems. See it...

News in Pictures: The Chair That Grows.
April 5, 2007... In a bid to save Comic Relief red noses from the dustbin, designers David Bruno and Tom Seymour have created The Chair That Grows. The Bertoia chair by Knoll is fitted with 576 used red noses. It is being exhibited at Knoll in London before...

News in Pictures: Ocean Sky brochure.(Interstate Associates design hardback brochure)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Interstate Associates has designed a 44-page, hardback brochure for private jet company Ocean Sky. The consultancy is also creating all of Ocean Sky's communications materials, advertising and website at www.oceansky.com. Copyright:...

News in Pictures: Under the Tree of Talking book jacket.(HGV Publishing Services )(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... HGV has designed the book jacket for Under the Tree of Talking, to be published in July by the British Council. Written by African intellectuals, it aims to challenge 'stereotypes of Africa as a chronically corruption-ridden and passive...

News in Pictures: John Illsley paintings.
April 5, 2007... Artist John Illsley is exhibiting a series of his paintings inspired by his tour with British band Dire Straits in 1993. The Art and Music: The Rhythm of Life show will take place, and be for sale, at art consultancy Neville Keating McIlroy...

News in Pictures: Refreshed packaging for flour brand.(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Flour brand Doves Farm relaunches this week with refreshed packaging design by Davies Hall. The 20-strong range features product-specific illustrations by Rosie Scott of The Artworks, flagging up speciality, organic and gluten-free versions....

ANALYSIS: Opening up the game.(B to D Group)
April 5, 2007... Has the B to D Group really managed to add value to the consultancies it represents? Sarah Woods takes stock two years after it was set up When it was initially launched as an experiment, there was no guarantee that B to D Group, WPP's...

PRIVATE VIEW: A real monstrosity.(Virgin Media logo design comments by Adrian Shaughnessy)(Column)
April 5, 2007... Adrian Shaughnessy has made it his golden rule to avoid slagging off the work of other designers, but he makes a rare exception for the new Virgin Media logo I've been writing about design seriously for about five years. One of the...

Inspired: Mike Abrahams, Abrahams.(at abrahams)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Leaving nature aside, it's people's creative ideas and their outcomes that inspire me. I want to know how stuff happens. And I don't just mean in design, but in all disciplines. One of the advantages of running my own business is that I...

LETTER: True graffiti is modern art, not hoodie vandalism.(Letter to the editor)
April 5, 2007... I'd like to respond to Roy Johnson's letter 'Is graffiti "vandalism"?' (DW 22 March). Mr Johnson sounds typical of those who think graffiti is the stuff done by hoodies at bus stops, and not an accepted part of popular modern design,...

Voxpop: Bookshop format.(Letter to the editor)
April 5, 2007... US book chain Borders has announced plans to pull out of the UK and may sell off its stores, prompting fears that many may close. What can be done with the bookshop retail format to better compete against the Internet and supermarkets? ...

LETTER: British design should try harder in Chinese market.(Letter to the editor)
April 5, 2007... I have just returned after working in China for more than three years. I saw an awakening appreciation of design, and I can assure you the Chinese do appreciate British design (Comment, DW 22 March). What they do not appreciate, however,...

LETTER: This attack on graffiti is an attack on creativity.(Letter to the editor)
April 5, 2007... I read, with indignation, Roy Johnson's letter (DW 22 March) expounding his prejudicial and myopic views on graffiti and its increasing use in mainstream design, specifically on the new Adidas clothing range. It's disheartening to think...

PROFILE: Nancy Honey.(photographer)(Interview)
April 5, 2007... For many of her photo commissions, Nancy Honey documents the carefree years of youth, but she also works on personal projects which offer deeper, complex results. Trish Lorenz finds out more Photographer Nancy Honey has lived in England...

PAPER: Perfect sheen.(accounting choice of paper for design services)
April 5, 2007... Creating new papers is often a matter of making subtle change to improve visual and tactile qualities and achieve standout. Gina Lovett checks out the innovative strategies of some of the key European paper manufacturers For many...

DESIGN PATRONAGE: Bisazza pizzazz.(Bisazza Inc.)(A brief discription on the functionality of the company Bisazza Inc.)(Company overview)
April 5, 2007... It's a small, family-owned company, but Bisazza claims to have the perfect product, so why shouldn't it mix with upmarket global fashion names in posh LA showrooms? Clare Dowdy looks at a quintessential Italian brand 'I'm perfectly...

BUSINESS INSIGHT: Ditch addiction to the pitch.(free design services needs second thought)
April 5, 2007... Designers love presenting so much they do it for free, but this gives clients too much power. If there were more specialisation, the practice would die out, says Blair Enns There's a dirty little secret in the design world that we all...

Sumptuous sights.(new travel guides from Taschen)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... By Yolanda Zappaterra Is a picture really worth 1000 words? In a society that seems to have stopped reading, preferring to download podcasts on to mobiles or find information in bite-sized chunks on-line, it seems as though it might be....

Weil takes over product design at Pentagram.(Daniel Weil)(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... Pentagram London partner Daniel Weil is to take over the group's product design discipline, following the departure of Robert Brunner from the consultancy's San Francisco office later this year. Brunner will leave in July to pursue...

A series of mini stories.(Royal College of Art exhibition)(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... A series of mini-stories told through five rectangular images, each the width of a newspaper column, goes on show at the Royal College of Art next week. The 5x5 exhibition will feature illustrations by 12 RCA students. Each was asked to...

Apple calls in Fitch for fresh store concepts.(Fitch and Company Design Consultants PLC)(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... Apple is understood to be drawing up potential retail concepts with retail design consultancy Fitch. The work is thought to be exploratory, looking at ways of developing ideas and concepts for Apple's store format, and is not expected to...

Hamleys appoints US design group to model global store designs.(Chute Gerdeman Retail)
April 12, 2007... Iconic British toy retailer Hamleys is to launch an international retail format and has plumped for US design group Chute Gerdeman Retail to undertake the design work. The Ohio-based group was appointed following a six-way pitch against...

Alliance Boots reformats as supermarket threat grows.
April 12, 2007... Health and beauty retailers such as Alliance Boots are facing increasingly stiff competition from supermarket chains, according to a report just published. The findings come as the high street chain embarks on a retail programme designed to...

Birmingham set to host merged Plus festival.(Plus International Design Festival)
April 12, 2007... The Plus International Design Festival, a show focusing on typography and graphics, is set to kick off in Birmingham later this year, having just closed its call for entrants. French architect Alexandre Parre will create the overall...

Series of posters.(Jannuzzi Smith shortlisted for 2007 International Poster and Graphic Arts Festival of Chaumont)(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... Graphic design group Jannuzzi Smith's series of posters for the 59th Locarno International Film Festival has been shortlisted for the 2007 International Poster and Graphic Arts Festival of Chaumont. The three winners will be announced on 12...

A Mile of Style exhibition.(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... A Mile of Style, an exhibition charting the history of the retail development of London's Regent Street up to the present day, opens this week at the Guildhall Art Gallery in London EC2. Organised in conjunction with Westminster City Archives,...

Majority stake in Portland Design acquired by boss.(Ibrahim Ibrahim)
April 12, 2007... Portland Design managing director Ibrahim Ibrahim has bought out the company from the Business Design Centre Group, it has emerged this week. Ibrahim, who joined Portland in 2000, had previously owned a 15 per cent stake in the business...

Household brands Graham bathroom range.(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... Household has created a name, identity and showroom concept for a new range from plumbers' merchant Graham, a suite of bathroom products designed especially for the over-50s. The range, which launches in Eastbourne next month, will be...

Paul Robinson exhibition.(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... The work of photographer Paul Robinson will be showcased in an exhibition titled In Camera, running from 23-28 April at The Gallery in Cork Street, London. It is showing for the first time in the UK, after running in Los Angeles. Robinson's...

Yamaha/RCA music project to show at Milan.(Yamaha Design Studio and Royal College of Art)(Milan Furniture Fair)(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... Yamaha Design Studio is to present a series of prototype musical instruments at the Milan furniture fair, in collaboration with students at the Royal College of Art. A team of ten students, led by YDS London manager Yoshihiro Katsumata...

IN BRIEF: HMV unveils promotional identity.(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... HMV has unveiled a promotional identity, replacing Nipper the dog with Gromit, the animated canine from the Wallace & Gromit films created by Aardman Animations. The marque will appear in HMV stores to market the films, initially for a...

IN BRIEF: Hub Agency appoint Kenny Allan.(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... The Hub Agency has appointed Kenny Allan, creative director at Third Eye Design, to the same post at the consultancy. Both groups are Glasgow-based. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

IN BRIEF: Lippincott appointments.(Lippincott Mercer Inc. appoints Su Mathews and Simon Stacey as senior partners)(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... Lippincott Mercer has promoted New York-based Su Mathews and London- based Simon Stacey to senior partners. Mathews is a graphic designer and Stacey is a 3D specialist. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

COMMENT: Design festivals need to leave a lasting legacy for design.
April 12, 2007... Next week's Milan furniture fair looms for those in interiors, a blend of commerce and culture that is always inspiring (see preview, page 18). But for the wider UK creative community bigger things are brewing for design, with...

2tempo rolls out fresh identity for City of London Police.(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... The City of London Police steps out with an identity designed by 2tempo this month. Advertising and print material launches this week, followed by stationery and the website, www.cityoflondon.police.uk, later in April. A full revamp of...

Crafts Council of Ireland assesses brand positioning.(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... The Crafts Council of Ireland is set to develop a fresh brand image for Irish crafts, as well as reposition the organisation in the marketplace. Following a four-way tender, the CCoI has appointed Dublin strategic management consultancy...

Six Cities festival enlists Sagmeister and flags up events.(Stefan Sagmeister appointed to creat the opening event)
April 12, 2007... Stefan Sagmeister has been appointed to create the opening event for Scottish design festival Six Cities, it was announced last week. It will be the first time the designer has worked in Scotland. Six Cities is Scotland's first national...

News in Pictures: Bjork's new album.(designed by M/M (Paris))(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... M/M (Paris) has designed the graphics and typography for Volta, Bjork's new album, due for release on 4 May on One Little Indian Records. The sleeve features photography by Nick Knight and Dutch duo Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin....

News in Pictures: Tiffinbites to launch new identity.(corporate brand identity)(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... Indian street food chain Tiffinbites will launch its corporate brand identity, designed by direct marketing consultancy Hicklin Slade & Partners, at the end of this month. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

News in Pictures: Emma Sealey creates opening titles.(short film 'Sick')(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... Designer Emma Sealey has created the opening titles, end credits and branding for Sick, a short film directed by Mike Rymer and supported by The Samaritans. The film is entered in the Cannes, Edinburgh, Venice and Bafta film festivals for...

News in Pictures: Vertu stand designed by Shed.(Baselworld 2007)(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... Designed by Shed, the Vertu stand at this week's Baselworld watch and jewellery show, aims to maintain a 'luxury experience throughout', says the group's creative director Matt Smith. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

News in Pictures: Linda Florence wallpapers.(exhibition at Clerkenwell Green Association)
April 12, 2007... Print designer Linda Florence rolls out her distinctive wallpapers across walls and floors in an installation at the Clerkenwell Green Association from 2-26 May, Wednesdays to Saturdays. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

News in Pictures: Rogues Gallery cartoons exhibition.(Political Cartoon Gallery in London)(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... Dave Brown's Rogues Gallery cartoons, which have appeared in The Independent since 2004, will feature at an exhibition at the Political Cartoon Gallery in London from 2 May, accompanied by an illustrated, limited-edition catalogue. ...

News in Pictures: Arla Foods packaging.(designed by Blue Marlin Brand Design)(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... Blue Marlin Brand Design has designed the packaging for a range of Arla Foods fresh and UHT milks. The packs highlight the fat content while retaining the colour coding shoppers use to identify each type of milk. Copyright: Centaur...

ANALYSIS: Nothing to fear from MySpace.
April 12, 2007... The networking site's DIY capability and its popularity with musicians have had little impact on the workload of Web designers, says Adam Woods Accustomed as it is to standing helplessly by while technology reconfigures the landscape,...

PRIVATE VIEW: Sounds about right.(Hugh Pearman, radio host)(Interview)
April 12, 2007... To be good on radio, the trick is simply to sound authoritative, but Hugh Pearman has mastered the art of turning down unwanted punditry requests It is one of the immutable laws of broadcasting punditry that, the more you protest you...

Inspired: Patrick Baglee EHS Brann.(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... My dad got his qualifications in typesetting and printing in Carlisle, and the offer of a job as a compositor meant a family move to Lancashire when I was no more than knee high to a typecase. He set work in metal for a while, and followed...

LETTER: Images of graffiti used for marketing aren't graffiti.(Letter to the editor)
April 12, 2007... I think the members of the 'anti-graffiti society' have got all this wrong (DW 22 March). Surely once a major company uses the style of graffiti it is simply that, 'a style'. If a company decides to use an image of graffiti it no longer...

Voxpop: Boring subject for web.
April 12, 2007... Last week, The Guardian declared that the Web is full of sites focusing on the banal. If you were to design a site dedicated to a boring subject or object that you are obsessed with, what would it be? Mine would be The Guardian, what a...

LETTER: Don't rush to dismiss the museums category.(Letter to the editor)
April 12, 2007... I was dismayed - and frankly astonished - to hear that no award has been made in the Museum, Galleries and Visitor Attractions category of the recent Design Week Awards. We are fortunate in this country in having a mature and highly...

LETTER: Italy's present is just as inspiring as its design heritage.(Letter to the editor)
April 12, 2007... I'm not sure I agree with much of Sara Manuelli's Private View on Italy (DW 29 March). I particularly object to the sweeping statement, 'Most [designers] have a degree in architecture, as no great design courses exist in Italy.' It...

PROFILE: Martin Brudnizki.(Interview)
April 12, 2007... If you've eaten in a posh restaurant in London or New York recently, chances are the interiors were by the Swede Martin Brudnizki, but he is largely unknown in many countries, as he tells Clare Dowdy 'There are two places for interior...

T-SHIRTS: Punk nostalgia.(Vintage Rock: A T-shirt Exhibition at London's Orange Dot gallery)
April 12, 2007... Got a soft spot for old T-shirts? You'll be in good company among the rock and punk clothing collections at Vintage Rock: a T-shirt Exhibition at London's Orange Dot gallery. Yolanda Zappaterra revels in the irony of what's become of...

MILAN FURNITURE FAIR: Ideal home show.(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... This year's celebration of furniture design in Milan showcases work by famous names as well as rising stars, and looks at how projects from previous exhibitions have fared over the past decade. Here, we take an early look at what's new, and...

BUSINESS INSIGHT: Make writing work for you.(brand building)
April 12, 2007... There's far too much bad writing around, so taking language seriously can make your organisation stand out, says Jayne Workman Hearing a news story on the radio a couple of weeks ago reminded me of Douglas Coupland's book Generation X. It...

Moving stories.(Living in Motion, traveling show for design services and architecture)(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... By Lynda Relph-Knight Scotland's design community is agog with plans for the Six Cities festival, which kicks off officially on 17 May (see News in Depth, page 7). But, the Edinburgh crowd are being treated to a taster in the form of...

Liverpool in call to boost 2008 awareness.(Brief article)
April 19, 2007... Liverpool City Council is set to explore venues and implementation for signs and branding, as part of its initiative to raise awareness of its status as the European Capital of Culture 2008. As part of its Look of the City 2007/2008...

Edward McKnight Kauffer's work.(Brief article)
April 19, 2007... A book of British graphic designer Edward McKnight Kauffer's work, compiled by Brian Webb and Peyton Skipwith, features more than 150 illustrations of his advertising graphics from the 1920s and 1930s for brands including Shell, the London...

LDA appoints manager to oversee design.(Richelle Harun appointed at London Development Agency)(Brief article)
April 19, 2007... The London Development Agency has appointed Richelle Harun, former programme development manager at the Design Council, to the newly created role of senior design manager. When Harun joins the LDA on 1 May, she will head the innovation and...

Tesco pledges major reduction in packaging waste within four years.(Brief article)
April 19, 2007... Supermarket giant Tesco has become the latest retailer to pledge an ambitious reduction in packaging waste, with a commitment to trim volumes by a quarter before the end of 2010. Working with roster design consultancies, the retailer is...

Museum spaces to showcase Cutty Sark conservation.
April 19, 2007... The Cutty Sark, the historic ship and tourist attraction in London's Greenwich, is undergoing a major conservation project, which will culminate at the end of next year with a visitor centre and museum space assembled under the ship. ...

Contemporary photographers exhibition.(London's White Space Gallery)(Brief article)
April 19, 2007... A host of contemporary photographers, including Elliott Erwitt, David Goldblatt, Tony RayJones, Jacqueline Hassink, Martin Parr, Stephen Gill and Juergen Teller, will exhibit at Being Beauteous, a show opening on 20 April at London's White...

300million evolves Theatres Trust identity.
April 19, 2007... The Theatres Trust, the national advisory body which promotes the protection of theatres, is to launch an overhauled brand identity by 300million. The organisation provides advice and information, and champions the value and protection of...

Your Game 2007 to launch this week.(Brief article)
April 19, 2007... The BBC and the Football Foundation launch Your Game 2007 this week, a series of ten festivals of football, music and street culture for 16to 25-year-olds, with identity, branding and promotional materials designed by Nottingham consultancy...

COMMENT: It's possible to realise a bigger vision and stay independent.
April 19, 2007... You have to be nimble in design. Anyone who has run a consultancy will tell of the thrills and spills involved in staying in business in such a volatile, and often undervalued, sector. It's no fun losing pitches, laying off staff or...

Pure Equator freshens up Fresh for Oz chef.(Brief article)
April 19, 2007... Leading Australian chef and restaurateur Neil Perry is to unveil a visual identity and packaging for his Fresh range of dressings and condiments, with design by Nottingham consultancy Pure Equator. The range, which will roll out across...