Design Week articles from April 2009

Design Week archives from April 2009

Minale Tattersfield to design London bicycle hire scheme.
April 2, 2009... Minale Tattersfield is designing the London bicycle hire scheme being spearheaded by Mayor of London Boris Johnson. Transport for London appointed Minale Tattersfield to work on branding and 3D designs for the bikes, docking points and...

BWP brands 'opulent' Soho boutique hotel.
April 2, 2009... Retail and leisure design specialist BWP Group is branding a new boutique hotel and retail development in London's Soho. The 'deliberately opulent' branding is intended to 'fly in the face of the recession', says a BWP spokeswoman. ...

Birmingham City University design hi-tech headgear.
April 2, 2009... A team at Birmingham City University has designed hi-tech headgear to be used to perform operations on babies and young children. The wireless kit, which is 70 per cent lighter than those currently in use, was developed during a two-year...

Greengaged founders in talks to set up global franchise.
April 2, 2009... Greengaged, the sustainable design element of last year's London Design Festival, could be franchised around the world this year. There are also initial plans for the event to visit the United Nations Climate Change Conference in...

The Ocean Emerald super-yacht.(Brief article)
April 2, 2009... The Ocean Emerald super-yacht, designed by architect Norman Foster, is set to launch on 25 April. It is the first of four identical super- yachts that will make up the fleet of yacht group Yacht Plus. The 41m- long, four-deck craft will be...

Fall Off the Wall creates digital on-trade push for Bacardi brands.
April 2, 2009... Hertfordshire-based consultancy Fall Off the Wall has created a digital point-of-sale campaign for drinks brands Bacardi, Jack Daniel's, Southern Comfort and Bombay Sapphire. The consultancy was appointed by brand-owner Bacardi following a...

New brand identity for Saltwater.
April 2, 2009... Leicester-based Work Design has worked with calligrapher and illustrator Ruth Rowland to create this new brand identity for the Saltwater seafood restaurant in St Ives, Cornwall. The identity, which will launch this summer, will be applied to...

Seat aimed at budget carriers unveiled as Factory refreshes Jet 2.
April 2, 2009... Innovations in aircraft interiors traditionally happen at the premium front end, but a seat created by Factory Design, launching this week, is aiming to buck the trend. Clark - a lightweight seat manufactured by Acro and aimed...

Thoughtful set to market Tate Liverpool blockbuster.
April 2, 2009... Tate Liverpool is set to unveil the identity and marketing collateral designed by Manchester consultancy Thoughtful for its summer blockbuster exhibition Colour Chart. The exhibition, which originated at New York's Museum of Modern Art,...

Liverpool launches free-to-use brand created by Finch.
April 2, 2009... Businesses, organisations and the public are being encouraged to use the City of Liverpool's new brand across their own communications for free. The identity, created by Liverpool advertising agency Finch, builds on the heritage created...

Sheridan & C creates two in-store concessions.
April 2, 2009... Retail design group Sheridan & Co has created two in-store concessions at Selfridges in London for men's beauty brand Kyoko, launching tomorrow. The units echo the brand's black-and-white packs with a high- gloss monochrome colour scheme....

IN BRIEF: Bridgepoint Development Capital identity.(Brief article)
April 2, 2009... Rare Breed has created the new brand identity for Bridgepoint Development Capital, a separate business division of private equity group Bridgepoint Capital. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

COMMENT: Sustain our Nation shows the way forward for design.(Audi Design Foundation)(Viewpoint essay)
April 2, 2009... Sustainability can be a minefield. You can have an event on low-energy housing without reference to community, we can push the notion of recycling without considering reuse and product designers might still look at the' cradle to grave'...

Hat-Trick Design repositions Marwell zoo with new look.
April 2, 2009... Hat-Trick Design has created a new identity for Marwell Zoological Park in Hampshire, which is being renamed Marwell Wildlife. The consultancy was appointed by the zoo's owner and operator, the Marwell Preservation Trust, following a...

Design Council partners TSB to drive UK technology innovation.
April 2, 2009... The Design Council is linking with the Technology Strategy Board in a partnership which aims to strengthen design's role in innovation. The two bodies are both funded by the Department for Innovation, Universities & Skills, and, according...

RCA students set up shop for 'crisis show' at Milan fair.
April 2, 2009... Product design students from the Royal College of Art will be presenting their responses to the theme of 'crisis' at this year's Milan furniture fair. The 14 postgraduate students from the Platform 10 teaching unit, led by Daniel Charny...

NEWS IN PICTURES: David Hillman exhibition.
April 2, 2009... An exhibition of work by editorial designer David Hillman (including this cover of 1970s women's magazine Nova) will be held at the Hub in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, from 2 May to 28 June. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Timorous Beasties exhibition.(Brief article)
April 2, 2009... Timorous Beasties is putting on an exhibition of new textile design work that aims to subvert traditional Victorian aesthetics, following a two-year research project based around the Ruskin Collection in Sheffield. A Bird in the Hand will run...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Easter Bonnet Parade.
April 2, 2009... The Victoria & Albert Museum in London commissioned Garudio Studiage and others to create hats for its Easter Bonnet Parade, which took place last Friday as part of a series of events surrounding its exhibition Hats: An Anthology by Stephen...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Auction to raise funds for Brazilian street children.
April 2, 2009... Twelve British and Brazilian street artists, including Remi Roughe, D Face, Inkie and Titi Freak, have painted a set of Gibson guitars which will be auctioned to help raise funds for Brazilian street children. The auction takes place on 19...

NEWS IN PICTURES: beatblocs.com website.
April 2, 2009... McFaul has created illustrations for music production website www.beatblocs.com. The site, designed by Bristol-based digital consultancy Block Interactive, will launch on 16 April. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

NEWS IN PICTURES: Taken by Storm exhibition.
April 2, 2009... Album cover designer Storm Thorgerson's 40-year career will be explored in Taken by Storm, an exhibition of limited-edition prints at London's Oxo Tower which runs from 14-31 May. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

ANALYSIS: Facing the university challenge.
April 2, 2009... A new report voices the design industry's concern about universities encroaching on commercial territory. Gina Lovett investigates Unfair competition can cause outrage at the best of times, but when conditions are tough it will inevitably...

PRIVATE VIEW: Masters of the universe.(Viewpoint essay)
April 2, 2009... Does the world really need more creatives? Adrian Shaughnessy weighs into the education debate by suggesting designers are well-equipped for any career The education of designers is a perennially hot topic. Among design's chatterati...

INSPIRED: David Bicknell.(Viewpoint essay)(Brief article)
April 2, 2009... David Bicknell Echo Brand Design In my youth I was entranced with W Heath Robinson's fantastic gadgets - not only with the absurdity and complexity of his devices, but with the compelling nature of his illustrations which forced my mind...

LETTER: A considered view of the potential for design in Cornwall.(Letter to the editor)
April 2, 2009... With regard to your story on Dott Cornwall (News, DW 19 February), we're lucky to have offices in Cornwall and Bristol, so can view this issue from a local and a national level. Sadly, good design isn't as obvious in Cornwall's private...

LETTER: Bedroom no good? Try doing it in the garden.(Letter to the editor)
April 2, 2009... I want to reply to Stephen Knowles' letter in which he argues that the bedroom is no place for product development (DW 19 March). Knowles feels that this business model, mentioned by Jim Dawton (DW 26 February), is 'at odds with reality'....

LETTER: Olympic selection process needs to be more than lucky dip.(Letter to the editor)
April 2, 2009... Last week, you asked the question, 'With an Olympics body admitting to appointing designers at random, what can Olympics organisers do to improve their relationship with the design industry? (Voxpop, DW 26 March). I would say that...

LETTER: Plinth-top viewpoint affords a chance to admire and walk.(Letter to the editor)
April 2, 2009... What would I do if I had an hour on top of Antony Gormley's fourth plinth installation in Trafalgar Square (Voxpop, DW 12 March)? Two things. First, I'd admire Transport for London's work in reconnecting the square with the northern face,...

VOXPOP: What is most beautiful thing in Britain today and why?
April 2, 2009... A recent debate at the Royal Geographical Society saw the motion 'Britain is indifferent to beauty' defeated. What do you think is the most beautiful thing in Britain today, and why? To me, the most beautiful thing in Britain - if you can...

PROFILE: Ross Sleight.
April 2, 2009... A pioneer of digital design, Ross Sleight enjoys being one step ahead of the game. The multi-tasker talks to Lynda Relph-Knight about the early days of no rules, making mistakes and why he still likes a good argument 'He's Gandalf,'...

PAPER: The white stuff.
April 2, 2009... The intricacy and artistry of paper illustration continues to appeal in the digital era, its suggestion of craft skills finding favour with private and commercial clients alike. Anna Richardson enjoys the stunning effects of the discipline...

MOBILE PHONES: Future talk.
April 2, 2009... When Motorola asked its design studios to consider communications of the future, they imagined a world where ambient technology frees human interaction from hardware tyranny. We look at the results Future gazing is something that the...

BUSINESS INSIGHT: Blinking into a brighter world.(Viewpoint essay)
April 2, 2009... The UK creative industries are the best in the world, and will survive the downturn - but consultancies should still be prepared for a rough ride, says Joe Bakowski The world's a very strange place at the moment. As a consultancy we're...

REVIEW: Monster bash.(Brief article)
April 2, 2009... By Anna Richardson Monsters are having a moment. Actually, they're having a bit of a protracted moment, ever since Pixar's Monsters Inc thrust them into the limelight in 2001. In the UK, Julia Donaldson's lovable Gruffalo series...

LDA set to announce cultural activity funding for 2012 drive.(London Development Agency)
April 9, 2009... The London Development Agency is expected to announce the first phase of funding for cultural activity in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics next week, ahead of its 'cultural-sector supplier engagement event' later this summer. Details of...

BDO shortlists for #100k branding brief.
April 9, 2009... Global accountant BDO is in the throes of a pitch to find a consultancy for a six-figure corporate branding brief. BDO International executive office director, brand and marketing, Julia Henniker-Heaton confirms that the company is 'in...

Green Web groups seek merger cash.(Three Trees Don't Make a Forest)(Lovely as a Tree)(Brief article)
April 9, 2009... Sustainable design website Three Trees Don't Make a Forest is merging with online resource Lovely as a Tree, which was set up in 2007 to help graphic designers to source environmentally friendly paper and print suppliers. The two groups...

Cardiff Design Festival moots shorter event for 2009.
April 9, 2009... Cardiff Design Festival is likely to be shorter this year, shrinking from a three-week to a one-week affair. A possible theme for the 2009 festival is 'good and bad design'. The festival, which ran for three weeks in October last year,...

Thomas Rollett wins top prize.(Cog Design's 2009 student awards )(Brief article)
April 9, 2009... Thomas Rollett, from Norwich University College of the Arts, has won the #1000 top prize in Cog Design's 2009 student awards scheme for his work Recognise Me (pictured). Runners-up Sonia Yekinni, from Kingston University, and Jacqueline...

HMKM devises concept for new Hyundai department stores.
April 9, 2009... HMKM is designing the new concept department store for the Hyundai Department Store Group in Seoul, South Korea. Best known in the UK for its vehicles offering, the Hyundai Corporation is a huge business which also counts shipbuilding,...

Unreal has creates brand design for Big Lottery Fund grant.(Brief article)
April 9, 2009... Unreal has created the brand design for the Big Lottery Fund grant information packs, which are sent out to people and organisations awarded grants through the Government-run scheme. The consultancy commissioned illustrator Coleman Polhemus to...

Sponsor rebrands add to TDC Dubai Metro graphics brief.
April 9, 2009... Transport Design Consultancy's work on the Dubai Metro is continuing as the names of at least 13 stations in Dubai's first-ever public transport system are to be changed in line with sponsorship branding. The latest part of the brief...

Caulder Moore fashions HQ for New Look.
April 9, 2009... Fashion retailer New Look has appointed Caulder Moore to design the client-facing areas of its new head office in central London. The retail design specialist won a three-way pitch to work alongside property consultant CB Richard Ellis,...

B&W Studio design campaign and brochure.
April 9, 2009... B&W Studio has designed a campaign and brochure for Town Centre House, a 3000m2 commercial office development in Leeds. Developer Town Centre Securities commissioned B&W after a three-way pitch last August. Copyright: Centaur...

SCP launches sustainable range at Milan.
April 9, 2009... UK furniture manufacturer SCP will launch Substance, which it claims is a range of fully sustainable furniture, at the Milan furniture fair later this month. The thinking behind Substance follows a year of research into the replacement...

IN BRIEF: Three short animated films.(Brief article)
April 9, 2009... Hertfordshire consultancy Archipelago has created three short animated films for the Australian government to explain the impact of climate change to schoolchildren. The films will be broadcast in Australia next month. Copyright:...

IN BRIEF: Wayne Hemingway creates packaging.(Brief article)
April 9, 2009... Wayne Hemingway has created packaging, inspired by Jackson Pollock paintings, for Sainsbury's colin, the retailer's preferred name for pollack fish. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

IN BRIEF: RCA name main building after Sir James Dyson.(Brief article)
April 9, 2009... The Royal College of Art is naming the main building at its new Battersea campus the Dyson Building, in honour of Sir James Dyson, who is donating #5m to the project. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

COMMENT: The industry is shaping up nicely for the next 20 years.(Editorial)
April 9, 2009... I had the huge pleasure last week of celebrating 20 years as Design Week editor with some 160 key people from the industry at the annual Podge Council lunch. Podge, brainchild of the ever resourceful Phil Jones of Real Time Consultancy,...

Dance 4 Life goes global with Design Bridge identity.(Brief article)
April 9, 2009... Design Bridge has created the identity for international charity Dance 4 Life, which aims to tackle Aids and HIV. Dance 4 Life, the official youth campaign of the World Aids Campaign, was founded in the Netherlands in 2004. It takes...

Studio Output builds on Fallon work for BBC Blast graphics.(Studio Output)(Brief article)
April 9, 2009... Studio Output has created the graphics for the BBC Blast's 2009 tour, working with brand guidelines created by Fallon. Blast is the BBC's network for creative teenagers, and the Blast tour travels around the UK, offering young people free...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Dog Star design for Islington Council.
April 9, 2009... Dog Star has designed the interiors for Islington Council's customer service centre, Contact Islington, on Upper Street, London N1. The centre was designed by architect LSI. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

NEWS IN PICTURES: Branding for John Hutchinson.
April 9, 2009... Mark Starbuck has created the branding for Yorkshire-based photographer John Hutchinson. A website will launch this month, and a promotional book will be released later in the year. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

NEWS IN PICTURES: The Art of Willow & Spirit of Air.
April 9, 2009... Nevis Design has created a suite of promotional materials including posters, advertising and exhibition interiors for artist Lizzie Farey's show The Art of Willow & Spirit of Air. The show will tour the UK through 2009 and 2010. ...

INSPIRED: Mark McArthur-Christie.
April 9, 2009... Mark McArthur-Christie Freeman Christie You find inspiration in the strangest places. This, though, is the first time I've found it in a car park in the middle of Oxford. Take a look at the original sign. More than 400 words in...

LETTER: It's irresponsible to lure too many on to design degrees.(Letter to the editor)
April 9, 2009... Adrian Shaughnessy may be right when he says that design graduates are equipped for life in the modern world (Private View, DW 2 April), but his view is not widely shared, so his call to have more of them is irresponsible. It's a cruel...

LETTER: Underestimating the regions is a big mistake.(Letter to the editor)
April 9, 2009... After reading Lynda Relph-Knight's thoughts about the strength of design in the regions (Comment, DW 26 March), I reflected on the title of the piece and wondered who is underestimating the power of the regions. It certainly is not the...

LETTER: Ah, those were the days - cold hands and sticky footwear.(Letter to the editor)
April 9, 2009... What a brilliant article by Michael Peters (A lost world, DW 26 March). I started out in graphic design in the early 1970s during the three-day week - no rubbish collection, fewer jobs - and carried on through the excesses of the 1980s...

LETTER: Beauty comes in many forms, even Gherkin-shaped.(Letter to the editor)
April 9, 2009... It's hard to choose just one thing of beauty in Britain, as you asked last week (Voxpop, DW 2 April). But one thing I enjoy seeing on pretty much a daily basis, which never ceases to please my eye, is 30 St Mary Axe, also known as the...

PROFILE: Ingibjorg Hanna Bjarnadottir.
April 9, 2009... Icelandic designer Ingibjorg Hanna Bjarnadottir is right at the heart of the country's burgeoning design scene. Hannah Booth talks to her about nature, raven clothes hangers and Alistair Darling's eyebrows Icelandic politicians and...

BRANDING: Rabbits and ravens.
April 9, 2009... We may not judge our books by their logos, but a distinctive marque can still make all the difference for emerging imprints. Anna Richardson unravels the branding concepts behind three new publishing ventures Diana the Huntress, Eve's...

EXPERIENTIAL DESIGN: Pleasure domes.
April 9, 2009... With consumption suffering in the downturn, providing experiences is what it's all about - for both the leisure industry and stores trying to tempt people back. Clare Dowdy goes in search of music, cookery and sporting thrills at three new...

BUSINESS INSIGHT: Don't let the tail wag the dog.(Viewpoint essay)
April 9, 2009... Management consultant Ian Cochrane has some down-to-earth advice for designers who want to stay in business - take control before you're forced to The board meeting that had just finished had been the best for nearly a year - it was as...

First International Design Scoreboard results unveiled.
April 16, 2009... The first International Design Scoreboard, which ranks countries by their design capabilities, sees the UK placed fourth in absolute terms. When the size of the economy is taken to account, the UK drops down to sixth. The US is ranked...

Consultancies begin interiors task in #17.5m Scottish gallery revamp.
April 16, 2009... Scottish design consultancies Studio Arc and Graven Images are working on the interior design elements of the #17.5m revamp of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. Architect Page Park, led by Brian Park and David Page, is leading the...

Programme for 37th Fipp world Magazine Congress.
April 16, 2009... Anderson Norton Design has designed the printed programme for the 37th Fipp World Magazine Congress. The programme has been produced by the UK Periodical Publishers Association and the Print City Alliance. The new programme celebrates the...

Champions League gets a Radiant strip.(UEFA Champions League)(Brief article)
April 16, 2009... Radiant Studios has created the identity for this year's Uefa Champions League final in Rome next month. The identity, which draws on Rome's heritage by using a laurel wreath motif, will be used to promote both the venue and the final,...

Welsh Assembly pilots sustainable procurement contract guidelines.
April 16, 2009... Green design groups could soon have a business advantage over rivals when tendering for Welsh government contracts. The Welsh Assembly Government is poised to develop a new public procurement system that prioritises 'holistic'...

Jinx packaging.
April 16, 2009... Wonderland WPA has designed the branding and packaging for fruit- flavoured alcoholic drink Jinx, which launches in Sweden this week. The name Jinx, also created by Wonderland WPA, alludes to the mystery and surprise of a night out partying...

Lifestyle Bazaar heads east with 'edgier' store in Shoreditch.
April 16, 2009... Furniture and design retailer Lifestyle Bazaar is opening its second store, in Shoreditch, London E2 today. Co-owner and interior designer Laurent Nurisso is creating the two-level shop on Kingsland Road. Nurisso and his partner Chris...

New identity for Poetry Society.
April 16, 2009... Draught Associates has created a new identity for the Poetry Society, which will be applied throughout the organisation's stationery before being used on the website, cafe and Poetry Review magazine. The group was appointed in October 2008...

University commercial activity no threat.
April 16, 2009... Several East Midlands product design consultancies have hit back at allegations that the commercial design activities of universities are undermining their business practice. Claims made in British Design Innovation's recent report...

Teacake's auction bid for briefs bags Land Securities work.(Brief article)
April 16, 2009... Land Securities says nascent design group Teacake is lucky to have been picked up by the property giant after offering its services at a design auction. Land Securities paid #100 for Teacake's services at a design auction held in London...

Platt Limited brands retail start-up Woodie & Morris.
April 16, 2009... Platt Limited has designed the branding for new retail business Woodie & Morris, which will launch at the end of May. Platt was appointed directly at the beginning of March, having previously worked with the W&M's founders, according to...

Flagship brand of Jessops.(Barber Design )(Brief article)
April 16, 2009... Barber Design has designed the flagship branch of Jessops on London's New Oxford Street, which opens tomorrow. Justin Langshaw, head of 3D at Barber Design, says that the group was directly appointed by Jessops, and has been working on its...

COMMENT: Sustainability and simplicity are key to social innovation.
April 16, 2009... Our focus on handmade type this week is not an aberration (see feature, page 14). It heralds a growing interest in all things handmade as designers balance the new forms of expression technological developments afford with a return to...

Social UK updates Bunac with new logo and branding.(British Universities North America Club contracts with consultancy Social UK)(Brief article)
April 16, 2009... London-based consultancy Social UK has redesigned the branding and logo for overseas work provider Bunac (British Universities North America Club). Bunac is a non-profit organisation that specialises in sending young people on working...

Tims Dairy goes to market with Martin Dawe-designed yoghurts.
April 16, 2009... Martin Dawe Brand Design has created the branding and packaging for a new range of Tims Dairy yoghurts. The food-service yoghurt supplier is celebrating 60 years in business by launching a range of Greek, natural and whole-milk yoghurts...

Symposium to explore design's links with science.
April 16, 2009... The links between design and science have been highlighted recently by the Design Council's formal tie-up with the Technology Strategy Board and Royal College of Art rector Professor Sir Christopher Frayling's campaign to have design...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Scottish Glass Society exhibition.(Brief article)
April 16, 2009... The work of Scottish glass artists will be on show in the Scottish Glass Society's exhibition Migrate: 30 Years of Scottish Glass, which launches at Inverness Museum and Art Gallery on 4 July before touring the Highlands. Pictured here is The...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Stamp designs for Guernsey Post.
April 16, 2009... Illustrator Gail Armstrong has created designs for six stamps and a presentation pack for Guernsey Post, to mark the 500-year anniversary of the coronation of Henry VIII. The stamps will be released on 30 July. Copyright: Centaur...

NEWS IN PICTURES: New Spirit Happening exhibition.
April 16, 2009... New Spirit Happening, an exhibition of works by graphic designer Julian House, is being held at The Changing Room, Stirling, Scotland, from 1 May to 6 June. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

ANALYSIS: Briefing for a better world.(Audi Design Foundation's Sustain Our Nation programme )
April 16, 2009... The Audi Design Foundation's Sustain Our Nation programme is the latest sign that design is shifting towards social innovation, says Gina Lovett Apple may still be worshipped in design circles as the creator of a generation of technology...