Design Week articles from December 2005

Design Week archives from December 2005

Free-pitching ruled out for Olympic identity selection.(free design pitches)
December 1, 2005... The Olympic Games organisers have ditched their controversial approach to free design pitches, following pressure from the industry. The appointment of a design group to create the master emblem and brand identity for the 2012 Olympic...

Designers put off by Durham University's pay-for-tender plan.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Durham University has ignited controversy in the design industry by charging a #100 fee for design consultancy applications to tender for upcoming design work. The institution is looking to appoint a 'framework' of designers to work...

Competition heats up for Dott 09.(Dott 07 )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... The selection of a second host region for the Design Council's ten-year programme of biennial events will go to tender after Christmas, following the formal launch this week of the Designs of the Time scheme. Dott 07 launches in North...

STOP PRESS: Johnson Banks tops DW survey.(Design Week )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Johnson Banks has held its place at the top of the UK Awards chart, covering Design Week and D&AD awards wins, in DW's Creative Survey. Williams Murray Hamm, meanwhile, shoots into top slot in the All Awards listing. In a separate...

STOP PRESS: Hall leaves Burton with creative legacy.(Stephen Hall)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Stephen Hall, creative director at menswear retailer Burton, is leaving the Arcadia-owned brand after six years. While at Burton, he expanded its retail visual merchandising field team and built up an in-house team of graphic designers. Hall...

STOP PRESS: Conran range for Home-Deq comes to light.
December 1, 2005... Terence Conran is launching one of his most comprehensive light collections - spanning 17 products - in collaboration with manufacturer Home-Deq. Packaging for the Light by Conran collection is by Irish- based consultancy 2C Design and Ciaran...

STOP PRESS: Ainsley takes design director post at Stand.(Alan Ainsley )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Navyblue design director Alan Ainsley has been appointed design director of Glasgow design consultancy Stand. Ainsley, also a former design director at Elmwood, will be replaced. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

Royal Museum revamp by Ralph Appelbaum.
December 1, 2005... National Museums of Scotland is poised to announce the appointment of Ralph Appelbaum Associates to the #7m overhaul of Edinburgh's Royal Museum. The appointment will follow a series of unpaid pitch presentations that have taken place over...

Gregor Partnership.(Gregor Partnership deigns Christmas packaging for Theo Fennell)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors Gregor Partnership has designed a range of Christmas packaging for jewellery designer Theo Fennell, which includes 25 presentation boxes, bags, wrapping and seals. Illustrations are by...

Intro sets the stage with Young Vic rebrand.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Intro has been appointed, following a six-way pitch to rebrand London's Young Vic theatre, ahead of its #12.5m relaunch next year. The consultancy is tasked with redesigning the current Young Vic identity, which has been in existence...

Fish Brothers.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Upmarket jewellery chain Fish Brothers is relaunching as Charles Fish in February 2006 with a brand identity by Large Smith Walford and a flagship store design by architect Branson Coates. The design of the shop is loosely based around a...

London next in line for Taschen store designed by Starck.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Taschen is planning to open stores in the UK upon completion of its Philippe Starck-designed store in New York City. The German publisher is considering opening two shops by 2007, possibly located in London's West End and Kensington, and...

Anthem on hunt for London design group.(Anthem Worldwide acquiring Group Creative Services)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Global branding and packaging design network Anthem Worldwide is looking to acquire a London design consultancy as part of its programme of expansion into Europe. The company, which is owned by US-based branding, design and print services...

Imagination takes top prize at Bima awards.(Randommedia and Poke get British Interactive Media Association awards)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Imagination, Randommedia and Poke all scooped multiple prizes at the 21st British Interactive Media Association awards, which took place in London last week. The Grand Prix went to Imagination for its design of Samsung's Experience...

De-construct.(www.establishedandsons.com )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... De-construct has overhauled the website of furniture design and manufacturing company Established & Sons - www.establishedandsons.com - adding an `editorially-led' magazine to the site. The design was developed with the on-line magazine's...

IN BRIEF: Poke.
December 1, 2005... Poke has created an on-line photography competition for Yahoo to find Britain's most eccentric snap shot. First prize is #1000 and the gallery of entries can be seen at http://nationaltreasures.yahoo. co.uk. Copyright: Centaur...

IN BRIEF: Herve Chabalier.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... In a bid to fight alcoholism, French TV broadcaster Herve Chabalier has called on the French government to introduce legislation requiring wine bottles to be labelled with health warnings. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and...

IN BRIEF: Chartered Society of Designers.
December 1, 2005... The Chartered Society of Designers is calling for entries to its CSD Student Awards 2006. The competition will cover interior, graphic, fashion, product, exhibition and textile design. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

IN BRIEF: Sage Associates.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Sage Associates has designed Rewarding Virtue with charity Business in the Community, in collaboration with FTSE4Good and Insight Investment. The report will demonstrate the relevance of corporate responsibility to board members of FTSE350...

IN BRIEF: Real Studios.
December 1, 2005... Real Studios is responsible for the design of the Diamonds exhibition at the Natural History Museum, not Real Time. In addition, the call for applications to the Museumaker project in the East Midlands is no longer open, as reported last...

COMMENT: Designs that prove their worth pass the toughest test.( )
December 1, 2005... BY LYNDA RELPH-KNIGHT, EDITOR Congratulations to all the winners in the 2005 Design Effectiveness Awards, announced in London at a dinner on Thursday. The awards, organised by the Design Business Association, are among the toughest in the...

442 Design gives visitors a slice of Our Dynamic Earth.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Edinburgh consultancy 442 Design has created the design concept for a #350,000 'external gallery' in the city's Our Dynamic Earth visitor attraction. The consultancy was appointed to the project following a pitch 12 months ago, and the...

Caspa Marketing packaging takes Ctrl.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Anglo Drinks is trialling an innovative bottle design for vodka-based alco-pop Ctrl, which seeks to guard against the spiking of drinks. Caspa Marketing has designed the brand identity and packaging for Ctrl, currently available in two...

Nestle trades in-house design for global experience.(Anthem Worldwide )
December 1, 2005... By Scott Billings The position of Nestle UK's three-strong design roster has been called into question, with news that the company has agreed to sell its in- house design division, Group Creative Services, to US-based branding and design...

ANALYSIS: Can a stalwart be stylish too?(Sarah Balmond)
December 1, 2005... With a new marketing director on board, BHS looks set to reinvent itself. Sarah Balmond analyses the evolution of British Home Stores It's almost six years since Philip Green took over at the helm of BHS. During this time, he has sown the...

Holographic portrait of Queen.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Equanimity, a holographic portrait of Her Majesty The Queen by Chris Levine, featuring sound installations by Leanda Brass, is being unveiled this week at Westminster Hall, London. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

Glasgow 1999 Design Medal 2005.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Strathclyde University graduate Alan Boyd has won the Glasgow 1999 Design Medal 2005, for his solution to combat the spread of hospital- acquired infections, with this portable hand-washing device. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and...

Packaging of The Silver Spoon Company.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Jones Knowles Ritchie has redesigned the packaging of The Silver Spoon Company's range of sugar and sweetener products under the Silver Spoon brand. The design introduces a colour-coded theme for the products, breaking with the traditional...

Branding for contemporary Indian restaurant.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Newenglish has created the branding for East, a contemporary Indian restaurant in Leicester, designing the interiors, signage and marketing materials. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

Brand identity of Singapore fashion retailer.(Niche)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... London consultancy Niche has overhauled the brand identity and retail design of Singapore fashion retailer Phuture London to help it compete more effectively with Western fashion chains in the Far East. Copyright: Centaur Communications...

Selfridges install 8m-high helter skelter.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Selfridges is installing an 8m-high helter skelter as part of its in- store Christmas shopping experience in London. It has been designed by event production consultancy Timebased and launches on 5 December. Copyright: Centaur...

PRIVATE VIEW: Saturation point.(advertising agencies)
December 1, 2005... The public are so media savvy that advertising doesn't have any impact any more. Perhaps design should be put to better use, says Adrian Shaughnessy The Guardian recently dispatched a researcher to Oxford Street wearing a pair of 'Eye...

Inspired: Adam Ellis, Coley Porter Bell.
December 1, 2005... I'm like a big sponge, me. Even before I knew what graphic design meant, I was aware of the power of a bit of brand theatre. We creatives all have the magic ability to become human archive boxes. This was never more true than last month,...

Voxpop: Prostitutes not artists.
December 1, 2005... A leading figure from the broadcast design industry recently suggested that 'designers should think of themselves as prostitutes, not artists'. How accurate is this assessment in your personal experience? Designers are neither...

Letter - IN REPLY: UNHAPPY MEALS.(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2005... Scott Billings is supremely uncritical of Boxer's design for nutrition information on McDonald's new packaging (DW 17 November). The symbols are completely meaningless to the general public, in Britain and probably in Europe (apart from...

Letter: There is no such thing as a 'free pitch'.(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2005... In reply to Rebecca Bletcher (Letters, DW 17 November), there is no such thing as a 'free pitch'. Someone has to pay. The work you are doing for 'free' is being paid for by your existing clients. Clients who act unprofessionally, by...

Letter: Big business clients are cowardly, lazy time-wasters.(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2005... The research findings conducted by British Design Innovation were all tragically familiar. The world of clients that they presented (big businesses, with in-house marketing departments) were, as ever, driven by two interests: laziness and...

Letter: Eddie Stobart has done itself a grave injustice.(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2005... I totally agree with Alan Herron's comments about the new Eddie Stobart livery (DW 17 November). In one stroke, with their new design pizza, they have relegated themselves from the top of the visibility heap to languish, mid-table, in a...

Profile: Foreign Office.
December 1, 2005... At Foreign Office, the contrasting skills, nationalities and creative approaches of the team make for an exciting and innovative mix. Yolanda Zappaterra The best design groups are usually driven by the creative energy, vision and drive...

EXHIBITIONS: Best of British.
December 1, 2005... With the design industry under the spotlight, the aim is to work towards positive cultural change. John Stones previews two London exhibitions showcasing the best in British design and setting the challenge for the future BRITISHNESS in...

SEASONAL PACKAGING: Christmas present.
December 1, 2005... When shopping for something special for that special someone, do consumers really want to see the same tired old cliches on packaging? To achieve stand-out during the festive season, David Benady says less is sometimes more CHRISTMAS...

CAR INTERIORS: Inside out.
December 1, 2005... Car interiors have been widely neglected, with homogenous designs that have remained fundamentally unchanged for the past 50 years. John Stones talks to specialist designers and discovers it could be about to change The experience of...

DESIGN BUSINESS: First Things First business plan.
December 1, 2005... John Spencer wants designers to stop targeting a 'punch-drunk consumer society' and start tackling meaningful social and ethical issues On 29 November 1963, Ken Garland launched his First Things First manifesto. It touched a nerve. It was...

REVIEW: Sexploitation.(i)
December 1, 2005... By Richard Clayton If you're hooked on collecting film posters, you'll know that Tony Nourmand, co-founder of London's Reel Poster Gallery, is the dealer extraordinaire. But now Nourmand is selling 299 exploitation movie posters at...

CREATIVE SURVEY: Introduction.
December 1, 2005... 'The ability to invent and develop new and original ideas, especially in an artistic way.' THIS is the dictionary's definition of 'creativity'. A lofty ambition, and sadly, it has to be said, there is very little totally 'new' or...

CREATIVE SURVEY: Judges' view - Inside track.
December 1, 2005... What goes on behind the scenes of awards and what should aspiring designers be doing to maximise their chances in future? Design Week gathers the insightful advice of a handful of seasoned judges Product Dick Powell Director,...

CREATIVE SURVEY: Tables - On the up.
December 1, 2005... With demand for design expected to increase, the industry needs to build its strength and rise to the occasion, says Lynda Relph-Knight. Research by Michelle Reeve WITH the publication of the Cox Review imminent as we went to press, the...

CREATIVE SURVEY: Design effectiveness - Reaping the rewards.
December 1, 2005... The Design Business Association's Design Effectiveness Awards reward and promote work that is both impressive and commercially viable in the real world. Lynda Relph-Knight looks at who made the grade this year THOUGH Wolff Olins tops...

CREATIVE SURVEY: Creative process - Getting fresh.
December 1, 2005... Inventing genuinely fresh and creative ideas, day after day, is a real challenge. Trish Lorenz asks various design consultancies how they keep their staff stimulated and inspired ON the treadmill of routine, under the daily grind of...

CREATIVE SURVEY: New designers - Young blood.
December 1, 2005... From prayers to cake-baking, this year's crop of rising talent has a whimsical, conceptual and very international slant. Here Design Week showcases a selection of young award-winners from the past 12 months, whose names might feature in the...

Brown backs but is yet to fund London design centre.
December 8, 2005... A national design centre for London, proposed in the Cox Review last Friday, got the green light in Gordon Brown's Pre-Budget speech this week. But no new public funding for the scheme has yet been announced. Brown gave his verbal...

Battersea site for Villa Moda store.(luxury fashion store )(Brief Article)
December 8, 2005... Battersea Power Station developer Parkview International has struck a deal with Sheikh Majed Al-Sabah to bring his luxury fashion store Villa Moda to the West for the first time. Designers are yet to be appointed to create the...

Razorfish buys UK group DNA.(Brief Article)
December 8, 2005... Digital media group Razorfish makes its return to the UK this week with the acquisition of London interactive group DNA for an initial cash sum of #2.8m. DNA will retain its name and senior team, led by joint managing directors Chris...

STOP PRESS: Apple reveals plans for more UK stores.
December 8, 2005... Apple Computer has confirmed to Design Week that it will open a store in Brent Cross, London, in 2006. Apple is also planning to open a store at the Meadowhall Centre, Sheffield, on 10 December. The stores are designed by architect...

STOP PRESS: Red Bee styles TV service for BT.(British Telecommunications)(Brief Article)
December 8, 2005... BT is working with Red Bee Media on the design of user interfaces and electronic programme guides for its forthcoming TV service. Two other groups, thought to be Dunning Eley Jones and Lambie-Nairn, are believed to be involved (DW 9...

STOP PRESS: David Collins takes London to US.(David Collins Studio )(The London LA )(Brief Article)
December 8, 2005... David Collins Studio is designing the interiors for hotel The London LA - scheduled to open on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles in spring 2007 - and The London NYC, due to launch in New York next year. Copyright: Centaur Communications...

Yamaha tunes into global tastes with London design hub.(London design studio)
December 8, 2005... Yamaha Corporation this week opens the doors on its London design studio, which the Japanese company will use to gain an international perspective on design processes (DW 13 October). The office will house a permanent team of designers, who...

City car concept.(Bologna Motor Show)(Brief Article)
December 8, 2005... Citroen revealed the C-Airplay, a concept for a city car, at last week's Bologna Motor Show. It features: a novel integration of dashboard and steering wheel, touch-sensitive controls moulded into a silicon bench and portholes in the doors to...

Charities turn to design to build up their brands.
December 8, 2005... British charity brands are set to benefit from a number of design consultancy projects over the coming weeks. Centrepoint, the British homelessness charity, is working with design consultancy Nameless on a series of initiatives, while...

Book on British designers.(Brief Article)
December 8, 2005... Brian Webb and Peyton Skipwith have compiled a book on British designers and artists Edward Bawden and Eric Ravilious. The Webb and Webb founder also curated a show dedicated to the pair, held by the Antique Collectors' Club. Design features...

Wales to boost profile overseas with fresh identity.
December 8, 2005... Wales is this week stepping up its creative credentials and is poised to embark on a series of initiatives to bolster its long-term commitment to design. A pitch to appoint a consultancy to create a new 'innovative logo' and brand...

DEJ rebrands Schweizer Fernsehen.(Dunning Eley Jones)(Brief Article)
December 8, 2005... Swiss public service broadcaster Schweizer Fernsehen launches its overhauled on-screen identities and branding this week, created by London screen specialist Dunning Eley Jones. The consultancy was appointed to the #1.5m project after a...

New four-star hotel.(Apex Hotels )(Brief Article)
December 8, 2005... Apex City of London, a contemporary new four-star hotel from the Apex Hotels group, has opened its doors near London's Tower Hill. The hotel's interior and exterior have been designed by Ian Springford Architects, and its style seeks to...

CWT lays table for Crafts Council show.(Carter Wong Tomlin )(Brief Article)
December 8, 2005... Product designer Tomoko Azumi and Carter Wong Tomlin have collaborated on the design of the Crafts Council's next exhibition, Table Manners: Contemporary International Ceramics. Azumi has created the structural elements for the exhibition...

IN BRIEF: Brand identity for European Police College.(European Police College)(Brief Article)
December 8, 2005... Scottish design consultancy, Locofoco, has designed a brand identity and Web portal for the European Police College. The organisation provides a common training programme for all EU states, particularly focusing on counter-terrorism and...

IN BRIEF: New Indian restaurant group.(Bombay Bicycle Club)(Brief Article)
December 8, 2005... Indian restaurant group Bombay Bicycle Club is opening its latest site in Weybridge, with an interior design drawn up by Astound. The concept draws inspiration from the nearby Brooklands racing track; Indian Raj princes raced there in the...

IN BRIEF: Blacks Leisure redesign.(Blacks Leisure Group contract with Stocks Taylor Benson )(Brief Article)
December 8, 2005... Blacks Leisure Group has appointed graphic design consultancy Stocks Taylor Benson to redesign the packaging of its Stormshield Platinum outdoor products range. The brief was to create a high quality brand without increasing the retail price...

IN BRIEF: Brand identity for TVDrive.(new personal video recorder, TVDrive)(Brief Article)
December 8, 2005... Coley Porter Bell has designed the brand identity for Telewest's new personal video recorder, TVDrive. It is currently being trialled and will launch nationally in early 2006. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

IN BRIEF: Publicity material for exhibition.(Brief Article)
December 8, 2005... Manchester group Reform Creative has designed the identity and publicity material for Make Me, an exhibition and series of events running in venues across Manchester until February, organised by the Liverpool and Manchester Design Initiative....

Lighting industry still suffers from copyright issues.
December 8, 2005... By Sarah Balmond Terence Conran's latest lighting collection, Light by Conran, hits the high street this month (DW 1 December). The distinctive products, made in collaboration with Home-Deq and featuring a graphic identity and packaging...

ANALYSIS: Content is key to convergence.
December 8, 2005... As BT braces itself to enter the video on-demand market, Scott Billings looks at what it can do to stand out from the competition Content is king, they used to say. In the days when the once unassailably buoyant dotcom bubble began to...

Nabs Art Show.(Brief Article)
December 8, 2005... Fasciolariidae, part of the series Les Robes Geographiques by designer Elisabeth Lecourt, was exhibited at Nabs Art Show at The Old Truman Brewery in London this month. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

Parra Exhibition.(Pieter Janssen)(Brief Article)
December 8, 2005... Dutch graphic designer Pieter Janssen's (aka Parra) first UK exhibition takes place at Kemistry Gallery in London this month. Digital prints, screen prints and sculptures will all be available to purchase. Copyright: Centaur...

Networked media art.
December 8, 2005... Abuse of the Public Domain is a show of networked media art by Stanza, featuring video projections of CCTV footage from London and New York. It is running at the HTTP Gallery in London N4 from 9 December to 23 January 2006. Copyright:...

Sound installation in Hackney.(Brief Article)
December 8, 2005... New York-based sound artist and composer, Paul Geluso, has created a site-specific multichannel sound installation at Space studios in Hackney, London. It will be installed until 7 January 2006. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and...

PRIVATE VIEW: Up in smoke.
December 8, 2005... London may turn its nose up at the provinces, but that could ultimately be its downfall, leading to a rise in regional initiatives, says Hugh Pearman What does the word 'provincial' say to you? Does it imply something a bit rough and...

Inspired: Paul Barlow, L&Co Design.(Brief Article)
December 8, 2005... Inspiration comes in unexpected forms, as I realised when I argued with my four-year-old daughter over which book I should read to her. I was all for Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak (1963), because I wanted to look at that...

Voxpop: Designer of the Year.
December 8, 2005... The call has gone out to the public for nominations for the Design Museum's 2006 prestigious, if sometimes contentious, Designer of the Year. Who would you give the #25,000 prize to and why? That's easy. For big, bold ideas that are...

Letter - IN REPLY: CLIENT RATING SYSTEM.(Letter to the Editor)
December 8, 2005... I think we could do something about free-pitching. A design body should set up a website where everyone could give feedback about their free pitches and give the client a score on various points. For example, how well were you briefed? Did...

Letter: Free-pitching is all part of a risky business.(Letter to the Editor)
December 8, 2005... It was interesting to read Robert Harland's rather naive response to Rebecca Bletcher's letter, concerning free-pitching, and Grahame Jones's article about putting work out to tender (DW 24 November). As a partner in a design group since...

Letter: PR people should be more brand-aware than anyone.(Letter to the Editor)
December 8, 2005... Gabbi Cahane is absolutely right - the majority of PR companies have got it wrong when it comes to defining their own brand identity (DW 21 October). Yet, when offered the opportunity to pitch for a business where brand perception is king,...

Letter: Talking typefaces: which one do you talk in?(Letter to the Editor)
December 8, 2005... What typeface do you talk in? After listening to Peter Saville on Talk Radio, we started talking about this in the studio. Off hand, I'd say I talk in Trixie, but think in Clarendon. Wrighty, (my boss) talks in Gill Sans. Andy Howell...

Profile: Blacksheep.(Company Profile)
December 8, 2005... Blacksheep has the courage to stand out from the herd, and has a flock of opulent, high profile interior design projects. Yet, despite its success, it maintains a strong, hands-on DIY ethic, says Bethan Ryder For an interior design...

INTERNATIONAL DESIGN: Red dot alert.
December 8, 2005... With designers increasingly looking East for new business and ideas, Max Fraser visits Red Dot's new design museum, which opened in Singapore last month with the intention of stimulating local talent There are only a handful of design...