Design Week articles from April 2008

Design Week archives from April 2008

Citroen brings in Landor for wholesale review of branding.
April 3, 2008... French car maker Citroen is poised to undertake a wholesale review of its branding and has appointed Landor Associates Paris office to the task, Design Week can reveal. The consultancy was appointed to the project - estimated to be worth up to...

Holmes Wood to oversee graphics for new V&A medieval galleries.(Brief article)
April 3, 2008... The Victoria & Albert Museum has revealed that Holmes Wood is overseeing the graphics work for its forthcoming Medieval and Renaissance Galleries in London's Kensington. Holmes Wood is creating the exhibition graphics and wayfinding for...

Home Sweet Home biography.(Banksy's Bristol - Home Sweet Home)(Book review)
April 3, 2008... Banksy's Bristol - Home Sweet Home claims to be 'the first biography of the street artist'. It has been designed by graphic designer and street artist Trevor Wyatt, with photography by Mark Simmons. The book showcases many Banksy images...

Plans unveiled for Dyson design school.(Bath Council)(Brief article)
April 3, 2008... Dyson has talked to Design Week about its plans for a design school, following Bath Council's surprise decision to green light the project last month. Although it is yet to receive the final go-ahead from Government, Dyson is unveiling...

BAT stubs out dispute with Tank over Lucky Strike cover.(British American Tobacco )
April 3, 2008... British American Tobacco has dropped all demands for design group and publisher Tank to halt the sale of one of its books. Until last month, BAT insisted that Tank's cover of Ernest Hemingway's The Snows of Kilimanjaro and The Undefeated...

East End club The Stoned Pony set to break 'living room' mould.
April 3, 2008... A new #1.3m club and restaurant in London's Shoreditch opens in April, with interiors designed by Yanik Allard Architecture and Design. Branding for The Stoned Pony, in Curtain Road, EC2, is by The Partners. The intention is for the venue to...

Compact facia and interface.(Seymour Powell Design Associates)(Brief article)
April 3, 2008... Seymour Powell has created the facia and interface for Compact, a self- serve coffee machine from Coffee Nation aimed at grocery, convenience and forecourt stores. According to SP senior designer Matthew Tidnam, the biggest challenge was...

Sex - How To Do Everything.(Book review)
April 3, 2008... Sex - How To Do Everything, by New York sex therapists Em & Lo, aims to be a 'stylish, chatty, witty and informative guide to sexually explicit subjects'. Form has art directed the book, with photography by Rankin. The cover features gold...

Beda lobbies EC on EU-wide levy for design investment.
April 3, 2008... The Bureau of European Design Associations is lobbying the European Commission to encourage European Union member states to invest a percentage of their annual GDP in design. Convincing Europe to unlock more design investment was one of the...

Halo Media creates new look to boost county's tourism.(Brief article)
April 3, 2008... Halo Media is set to create a new identity for the county of Worcestershire to boost visits by young professionals. Worcestershire is split into six districts: Redditch, Bromsgrove, Wyre Forest, Worcester City, Malvern Hills and Wychavon,...

Brand consultancy set to boom, says top M&C Saatchi boss.
April 3, 2008... M&C Saatchi's chief executive David Kershaw says brand consultancy is poised to flourish as a high-margin business over the coming years and will be a key plank of the marketing services mix. Kershaw was speaking after M&C posted...

The new concept store from Ted Baker.
April 3, 2008... The new concept store from fashion retailer Ted Baker opened in the City of London last week. All aspects of the 420m2 store, Ted Baker & Friends, including graphics and interiors, have been created by its in- house London design team. It...

IN BRIEF: World Architecture Festival awards scheme.(Brief article)
April 3, 2008... The World Architecture Festival awards scheme, branded by Studio Myerscough, has launched its refreshed website devised by digital consultancy Front Media. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

IN BRIEF: Malden Art Trail identity.(Brief article)
April 3, 2008... The identity for the Malden Art Trail, taking place from 5-12 October, has been designed by local consultancy W3 Design. The event will showcase local art across 30 venues. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

IN BRIEF: National Maritime Museum donation.(Brief article)
April 3, 2008... The National Maritime Museum has received a #20m donation towards the development of a new wing at its Greenwich site. Project manager Malcolm Reading Consultants and architect CF Moller are developing the venue, tipped to be a key location...

IN BRIEF: 500 Restaurant logo.(Brief article)
April 3, 2008... Graphic designer Trevor Sylvester has created the logo, signage and stationery items for 500 Restaurant due to open in north London later this spring. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

COMMENT: We must make the most of the Olympic opportunity.(2012 Olympics)
April 3, 2008... Britain's outstanding success in last week's Track Cycling World Championships revived our pride in our national sporting capabilities. While the England football team fails miserably to impress on the international stage, at least cycling...

Bingham hotel unveils restaurant by Caulder Moore.
April 3, 2008... Surrey's Bingham hotel is putting the finishing touches to a two-year refurbishment programme, unveiling a redesigned restaurant, bar and reception area by design consultancy Caulder Moore. The privately owned boutique hotel in Richmond...

Creative print practice under the spotlight at The Hub exhibition.(Departure: New Explorations in Print)(Brief article)
April 3, 2008... The varying approaches to print practice will be the subject of Departure: New Explorations in Print, an exhibition launching later this month at Lincolnshire venue The Hub. Curated by London Printworks Trust, the exhibition will showcase...

Function dictates British form at this year's Red Dots.
April 3, 2008... UK design consultancies failed to deliver in the Red Dot product design awards 2008. UK groups will take just one Best in Category prize out of a possible 50, and out of 700 prizes overall, they will win 30. Ron Arad Associates will be...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Once More exhibition.
April 3, 2008... A new exhibition, Once More, With Feeling: Recent Photography from Colombia, opens at the Photographers' Gallery in London later this month. It runs from 18 April until 15 June at 5 & 8 Great Newport Street, W1. Copyright: Centaur...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Rug designs.
April 3, 2008... Architect Zaha Hadid and designer Thomas Schoos have created rug designs for Arzu, a not-for-profit organisation that aims to provide a sustainable income for impoverished Afghan women. The charity this week receives the Skoll Award for Social...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Elie Tahari second London concession.
April 3, 2008... US fashion designer Elie Tahari will open her second London concession next month, in Selfridges, designed by consultancy Four IV and Italian architect Piero Lissoni. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

NEWS IN PICTURES: Range of ceramic dinnerware.
April 3, 2008... Graduate designers Sarah Ginn and Mandy Smith have created Template, a range of ceramic dinnerware using space shuttle technology which it is claimed can be handled straight from the oven without risk of burning. As one of the winners of the...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Fundraising campaign for Maggie's.
April 3, 2008... Silk Pearce is creating the look for a #15m fundraising campaign for cancer care charity Maggie's to help it build five new centres across England and Wales. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

NEWS IN PICTURES: Kartell to present 15 new products.
April 3, 2008... Italian furniture manufacturer Kartell will present 15 new products, by designers including Philippe Starck, Antonio Citterio, Patricia Urquiola, Tokujin Yoshioka and Alberto Meda, at this year's Salone del Mobile in Milan, which runs from...

ANALYSIS: Dyson re-engineers education.(Bath & North East Somerset Council contracts with James Dyson )( Dyson School of Design Innovation)
April 3, 2008... As James Dyson forges ahead with his design innovation school following approval by the local council, Emily Pacey looks at the ideas behind it James Dyson is unveiling details of the Dyson School of Design Innovation, after a surprise...

INSPIRED: Jakob Trollback.(Brief article)
April 3, 2008... Jakob Trollback Trollback & Company, New York All my inspiration comes as a response to experiencing things. While experiences can be solitary - early fog, sun fluttering through a tree or a first arrival in New York City - my most...

LETTER: Lacking Green credibility? Just change the name.(Letter to the editor)
April 3, 2008... A few weeks ago you posed the question 'How might bottled water brands rethink their strategy?' in the light of Thames Water's push to get Londoners to behave sustainably and drink more tap water (Voxpop, DW 28 February). First, we must...

VOXPOP: Would you invest cash in UK design skills programme?
April 3, 2008... Last week the Design Council asked both Government and business, including design consultancies, to invest in a raft of national skills initiatives. Would you invest cash in the UK design skills programme, or are there other ways you'd seek to...

LETTER: It's time the Old World caught up with the New.(Letter to the editor)
April 3, 2008... I read with interest David Benady's article on wine label branding (DW 20 March). Wine, as a subject, has slightly stuffy connotations about it, conjuring up images of the upper classes sniffing, swilling and spitting and commenting on the...

LETTER: History will be the judge, but China should still go.(Letter to the editor)
April 3, 2008... With regard to your piece last week on China (Voxpop, DW 27 March), it's difficult to remove politics, ethics and morality from the assessment of art and design while it is current, yet once a period of time has elapsed and it becomes...

LETTER: Don't blame designers for the actions of politicians.(Letter to the editor)
April 3, 2008... OK, so we're totally against the madness of the goings on in China and Tibet right now, but please let's not taint the nation as a whole for this. Of course, we should be celebrating China's design achievements. Politics should have no...

PROFILE: Matthew Falla.(Personal account)
April 3, 2008... Osmotronic founder Matthew Falla thrives on making printed surfaces come alive, bringing interaction design to bear on graphics. Scott Billings meets a designer whose work conjures up a future of ubiquitous media There's a tussle in the...

GRAPHIC DESIGN: Beyond branding.
April 3, 2008... Imagine an 'experimental year' without briefs, with total freedom to create what you like and design something truly worthwhile. Daunting for some, maybe, but Stefan Sagmeister rose to the challenge. Oliver Bennett admires his latest book...

ART BOOKS: An invisible art.
April 3, 2008... Art books - be they artefacts in themselves or books about artists - have a venerable history. Fraser Muggeridge, an art book designer himself, checks out a major exhibition on this subject Books Do Furnish a Room was the title of a novel...

BUSINESS INSIGHT: The real value of team spirit.
April 3, 2008... Nurturing and encouraging staff is the best way to maintain morale and reduce turnover, especially when times are hard, says Phil Jones With the Champions League reaching its final stages, England have a record four clubs in the last...

Spirit of 1968.(Patti Smith)(Brief article)
April 3, 2008... By Yolanda Zappaterra In this year's movie hit Juno, the uber-cool titular teen is asked to cite her favourite three musicians. Without missing a beat, she says 'Iggy Pop, the Ramones and Patti Smith'. Coming from a 16-year-old in 2008,...

Harley-Davidson revs up for Pentagram-designed museum.
April 10, 2008... Pentagram Design is set to unveil its designs for an iconic $75m (#38m) Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, US. The legendary motorcycle brand is planning to open the venue to celebrate its 105th birthday this year. As well as 12 000m2 of...

Westminster gets tough on street signs.
April 10, 2008... Westminster Council is planning to crack down on copyright infringements of its iconic street signs, but experts are doubtful it can enforce ownership effectively. The London borough claims to have identified more than 100 companies that...

The Wellcome Collection's new exhibition.
April 10, 2008... The Wellcome Collection's new exhibition examines the journey from life to death through photographs of 24 terminally ill people. The work of journalist Beate Lakotta and photographer Walter Schels, Life Before Death runs from 9 April to 18...

Cities forum from British Council.(Brief article)
April 10, 2008... The British Council this week holds its first design and architecture programme since public consultation over its restructuring began in February. The consultation on whether to disband its specialist design and visual arts departments...

English Heritage and Designmap to evolve Darwin exhibit for bicentenary.
April 10, 2008... English Heritage's offering for the bicentenary of Darwin's birth next year is to be developed around its Down House exhibition, with the help of Designmap. A number of organisations, including Cambridge University, the Natural History...

Science Museum Dares to be different.
April 10, 2008... A Science Museum exhibition is aiming to make technological design more appealing through the use of Eagle comic-book character Dan Dare. Opening this month, Dan Dare And The Birth Of Hi-tech Britain has been devised by the museum's team,...

Summer Science Exhibition.(Summer Science Exhibition)(Brief article)
April 10, 2008... Bentley Holland and Partners has designed the branding for The Royal Society's Summer Science Exhibition. The designs will roll out this month and include London Underground posters, magazine advertising, publicity posters and fliers. The...

Crunch time in logo battle between NYC and Apple.
April 10, 2008... Apple's latest trademark wrangle with New York City has been branded 'a shame' by the consultancy that designed the identity under dispute. Director of New York consultancy Turf, Mark Tripetti, says, 'It is a shame that something so...

The Brand Union sets pay minimum for graduate recruits.
April 10, 2008... The Brand Union is to launch an initiative to raise employment standards for young designers in response to Design Week's Salary Survey. The consultancy will introduce a #20 000 minimum wage for graduate recruits, following Design Week...

Mirror gets 'European' design refresh.(Cases Associats)(Brief article)
April 10, 2008... A new-look design for tabloid newspaper the Daily Mirror is being rolled out this week. Editor Richard Wallace appointed Spanish design consultancy Cases Associats in December 2007 to give the Trinity-owned paper a revamp. Design...

Contender Entertainment Group launch website.(Website overview)
April 10, 2008... Contender Entertainment Group launched a website, www.recmovie.co.uk, for new horror film [Rec] last week, with design by Franki&Jonny. Among the features of the site is the 'Rec-mode' which offers views of a zombie-ridden building. ...

IN BRIEF: Volvic identity.(Brief article)
April 10, 2008... Springetts Brand Design has created an identity for Volvic and poverty charity World Vision's new Africa charity campaign, featuring on packs of mineral water. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

COMMENT: Strong leaders are crucial if design is to make an impact.(Viewpoint essay)
April 10, 2008... Roger Hughes is right to cite leadership as a key attribute for any consultancy bent on success (see Business Insight, page 21). Whether or not leadership is something you can foster in an individual, as Hughes implies, is debatable,...

Paul Smith Globe concept store takes off at Heathrow.
April 10, 2008... Paul Smith has opened a new-look store concept, called Globe, at Heathrow Airport's new Terminal 5. Designed by Smith and the company's in-house design team, the store features an old-fashioned shopfront with antique doors sourced from a...

DairyCo looks outside London for fresh, less expensive identity.
April 10, 2008... A new dairy company has commissioned a South West design consultancy to create its brand guidelines because it says London designers are too expensive. DairyCo, which replaces the Milk Development Council, launched on 1 April. ...

RSA takes Design Directions scheme into health arena.
April 10, 2008... Do designers enjoy humiliating people who try to give up smoking? In the 1990s everyone guffawed the inhalator into oblivion, and now we can giggle at the Divert Ring, 'a displacement activity for smokers'. It is a big, personalised ring,...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Scale model of private jet.
April 10, 2008... Spanish designer Jaime Hayon has created a 'tongue in cheek' scale model of a luxury private jet entitled Bisazza Air, in collaboration with Italian mosaic company Bisazza. The piece will be exhibited at this year's Milan furniture fair,...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Land Securities hoarding unveiled.
April 10, 2008... Property developer Land Securities has this week unveiled a hoarding which takes the form of a giant light switch, created by Hat Trick Design, for its Piccadilly Lights development in London. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and...

NEWS IN PICTURES: The Aeris bicycle.
April 10, 2008... The Aeris bicycle, created by Factory Design, uses a Volvo-developed material called Hybrix. According to its designers, this material 'is lighter than aluminium, but has the strength of stainless steel'. Manufacturer Hope Technology is...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Pringle golf range relaunching.
April 10, 2008... Studio Thomson is relaunching fashion brand Pringle of Scotland's golf range. The consultancy has art directed the autumn/winter collection brochure, which features photography by David Goldman. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Exhibit of electronic pianos.
April 10, 2008... Yamaha Design Studio London and Yamaha Design Laboratory will exhibit seven keyboard prototypes and two of their latest electronic pianos at the Milan furniture fair, based on a 'key' theme. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and...

ANALYSIS: Collect the whole set.(Royal Mint Advisory Committee)
April 10, 2008... They may retain some very traditional imagery, but the new reverse designs for UK coins feature a radical 'collective' idea, says Gina Lovett From the summer, those calling 'tails' may be surprised to find the familiar symbols of...

PRIVATE VIEW: Dirty little secret.(Viewpoint essay)
April 10, 2008... Clients may pull the purse strings, but they should still let designers use their personal intuition, as that is how they find job satisfaction, says Adrian Shaughnessy There's a dark secret that all designers carry around within...

INSPIRED: John Boult.(Personal account)(Brief article)
April 10, 2008... John Boult Product First What inspires me are the ideas and people that challenge the accepted boundaries of design. Most of my working week is spent with Product First, which today is more about using design thinking to create...

LETTER: A picture can tell a story, but decent words help.(Letter to the editor)
April 10, 2008... I feel I have to write in response to the letter you published two weeks ago ('Image library jobs can be tedious, but they're great assets', DW 27 March), However, I can't really comment on Christopher Sims' letter without sounding like a...

VOXPOP: Spreading Whitehall's messages.
April 10, 2008... The Government has announced plans to tap into the popularity of independently run websites in the form of blogs, forums and networking sites to spread Whitehall's messages. Is designing a sexy Facebook page the best way for the Government to...

LETTER: The simplest ideas take on a life of their own.(Letter to the editor)
April 10, 2008... In your Voxpop (DW 27 March), my ex-fellow student Greg Quinton recalls that our head of graphics claimed to have designed the iconic Che Guevara image. I'd since discovered that Jim Fitzpatrick takes credit for creating this iconic...

LETTER: Tottenham's a nice place - just give Ts a chance!(Letter to the editor)
April 10, 2008... With regard to the letters from David Bicknell (DW 20 March) and Stuart Gordon (DW 27 March) about the Tottenham logo developed by Lloyd Northover (DW 13 March), I'd like to add a few words in its defence. Last week, waiting at my local...

PROFILE: Suzie Templeton.(Biography)
April 10, 2008... Experimental animator Suzie Templeton's mantlepiece is groaning with awards, including a Bafta and an Oscar. It's quite an achievement in a trade that can be rather solitary and obsessive, says Nick Smurthwaite A film about an elderly...

SOUTH K0REA: Seoul searching.
April 10, 2008... A new complex by Zaha Hadid, a #10bn design industry and an ambitious source book that explains the South Korean design sector are all evidence of the country's creative emergence, says Martin Darbyshire Standing in the partially...

GRAPHIC DESIGN: Look book.
April 10, 2008... A new compilation of graphic design is both a handsome compendium and a model of how to curate, organise and present graphic work in book form, says Jim Davies I have a slight problem with compendiums of graphic design. First, there are...

BUSINESS INSIGHT: Strong leaders are a must-have.
April 10, 2008... There's one thing a design consultancy absolutely must have to succeed and flourish - exceptional leadership, says Roger Hughes The rapid dismantling of our traditional industry model in recent years has ensured a plethora of ideas on the...

A display of attitude.
April 10, 2008... By Dominic Lutyens These pictures, on show at London's Ancient & Modern gallery alongside the Vorticist-inspired Vortographs of Alvin Langdon Coburn (1882-1904), comprise a portrait of a lost 1970s and early 1980s London underground...

PROTOTYPING & MODELLING: Introduction.
April 10, 2008... Dictionaries seem to agree that a prototype is the earliest defining instance of a thing or class of things. So, for example, the Ford Model T is probably the prototypical mass-produced car and Hancock's Half Hour the prototype for all...

PROTOTYPING & MODELLING: Product design: an overview.
April 10, 2008... By Scott Billings Humans are tactile, visual creatures. Given the choice, we'd rather touch and hold physical objects to find out how they work than look at representations of them on a flat screen. And in the world of product design, a...

PROTOTYPING & MODELLING: Magic touch.
April 10, 2008... A tactile, exact model is the perfect tool for packaging designers looking to sell structural innovations to clients. Trish Lorenz investigates Asking a client to revamp the structural elements of packaging has always been a more difficult...

PROTOTYPING & MODELLING: Rapide response.
April 10, 2008... Aston Martin's new design studio should speed up the development of prototypes, but natural light and traditional craft skills are still crucial to this company's sculptural approach to designing cars, says John Stones Once upon a time...

PROTOTYPING & MODELLING: Another dimension.
April 10, 2008... For independent designers collaborating with manufacturers, the design process can vary dramatically. Liz Farrelly talks to three leading designers about their approach to model-making For today's designers working in the fields of...

PROTOTYPING & MODELLING: Perfect fit.
April 10, 2008... Designers are finding novel uses for modelling technologies, including a service that makes made-to-measure boots for professional footballers, says Scott Billings While people may not come from moulds and templates, the products we use...

PROTOTYPING & MODELLING: Matters of the art.
April 10, 2008... Architects' models are increasingly finding a market among private collectors keen to acquire their very own piece of Zaha Hadid, Amanda Levete or Will Alsop. Fiona Sibley browses the market For architects, models are part of everyday...

PROTOTYPING & MODELLING: Rapid manufacturing: An overview.
April 10, 2008... By Pamela Buxton However fantastic rapid prototyping technology may be, it is what designers do with it that counts. This is a challenge that forward- thinking designers such as Ron Arad have been rising to for years, but its rich...

O2 unveils cyclorama-style installation for Bluebook push.
April 17, 2008... O2 is to launch an interactive installation for its Bluebook social networking initiative this week, designed by Jason Bruges. Jason Bruges Studio was appointed in February by advertising agency PD3, which came up with the idea, according...

The Brand Union cuts back on staffing at its London office.(Brief article)
April 17, 2008... The Brand Union has made high-level cuts to its London workforce, Design Week can reveal. Simon Bailey, consultancy managing director in London, confirms that seven senior members of The Brand Union team in the capital have been made...

Zaha Hadid Architects create furniture and lighting.
April 17, 2008... Zaha Hadid Architects has created furniture and lighting pieces for Swarovski, Vitra, B&B Italia and Sawaya & Moroni. The items are launching this week at the Milan furniture fair. They include the Re chandelier for Swarovski, the Mesa table...

Loewy to ramp up offer after #5m buy.(Branded)(Brief article)
April 17, 2008... Loewy is planning to ramp up its strategic offer with a fourth 'cluster' of expertise in brand strategy. The move follows the acquisition two weeks ago of the ten-strong brand strategy group Branded, for a cash and shares deal reportedly worth...

Top chef Simon Rogan cooks up casual dining brand.
April 17, 2008... Michelin star-winning chef and restaurant proprietor Simon Rogan is set to diversify his restaurant business, with the launch of a casual dining brand created by London consultancy Fudge. The culinary entrepreneur, who established the...