Design Week articles from December 2006

Design Week archives from December 2006

Design roster revealed for Virgin Media rebrand.(Virgin Mobile Telecoms Ltd., NTL Telewest )
December 7, 2006... NTL Telewest and Virgin Mobile have unveiled their full design roster ahead of their rebrand to Virgin Media next year. It follows the #962m merger of the two agreed in July. Ashley Stockwell, NTL Telewest managing director of brands, has...

Bulletproof Design stirs up Kenco brand.(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Kraft Foods is relaunching the entire portfolio of its flagship coffee brand Kenco, with a packaging overhaul by Bulletproof Design. The consultancy, which is not on the Kraft Foods roster of design groups, was appointed in January,...

CAA director quits after split with the board.(Tass Mavrogordato resigns from Contemporary Applied Arts)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Contemporary Applied Arts director Tass Mavrogordato has resigned from the organisation, it has emerged this week. It is understood that her departure followed a difference of opinion with members of the CAA board over the ongoing viability...

STOP PRESS: RHM buy-out puts roster in question.(acquisitions by Premier Foods)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Consultancies on the RHM design roster have yet to be contacted about their future relationship with the company, following this week's agreement of a #1.2bn acquisition of RHM by Premier Foods. The current roster comprises Ikon, Jones...

STOP PRESS: DEJ creates BT Vision for the future.(Dunning Eley Jones)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... BT Group this week launched its broadband TV service, BT Vision, featuring an identity designed by Dunning Eley Jones incorporating vivid coloured elements. It is expected that the design will be used by BT Group as a vehicle to change...

STOP PRESS: LDF viability report to stay under wraps.(London Design Festival)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... The London Development Agency's audit into the economic viability of the London Design Festival has been completed, but it may not now be made available to the public. The LDA press office has told Design Week that the report may be too...

Government calls for report on Cox Review implementation.(Alistair Darling, Design Council)
December 7, 2006... Trade and Industry Secretary Alistair Darling will tomorrow commission an in-depth progress report on initiatives set up since last year's Cox Review. In an address to the Design Council's Competitiveness Summit, taking place on...

Villandry branding packaging revamped.
December 7, 2006... Dalziel & Pow Design Consultants has revamped the branding, packaging and interiors for Villandry, the gourmet food hall in London's West End. The group also worked on a new concept, Villandry Rapide, which will provide a faster service for...

Starck interiors for Taschen's London store.(Philippe Starck)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Taschen has confirmed that Philippe Starck will design its flagship store located in London's Covent Garden, which is due to launch next year, as revealed by Design Week (DW 1 December 2005). The store is located at 48 Neal Street and will...

Lambie-Nairn creates structural packaging.(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Lambie-Nairn has created a structural packaging design for O2's Xda Orbit multi-function mobile phone. The packaging is designed so that as one side of the box is pulled open, the opposite side also releases. Copyright: Centaur...

WMH plans to diversify under Loewy ownership.(Williams Murray Hamm)
December 7, 2006... Williams Murray Hamm has outlined its ambitions to enter new design disciplines, following its acquisition by Loewy Group last Friday, revealed on www.designweek.co.uk. Loewy acquired WMH in a three-year, earn-out deal worth #7m,...

Dragon fires up Viacom's digital division.(Dragon Brands develops brands for Viacom Outdoor )(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Outdoor media business Viacom Outdoor is launching its digital media division, Alive, with an identity and branding by Dragon Brands. The Alive brand will target advertisers and will promote the three digital marketing products launching...

Zaha Hadid designs limited edition furniture.
December 7, 2006... Architect Zaha Hadid has designed a collection of limited edition furniture, which will be sold to private collectors, galleries and museums. Entitled Seamless, the organic form furniture will be exhibited at the New York headquarters of...

Push Design gives Beckham show urban feel.(David Beckham Academy )(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Push Design has created a new showroom for the David Beckham Academy in London's Greenwich, which highlights footballer David Beckham's career and his long-standing relationship with the sports brand Adidas. The 100m2 space features...

IN BRIEF: Tossed expanding.(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Salad bar chain Tossed is expanding its presence with a site at clothing company Monsoon's head office in London's Paddington and a forthcoming site in Covent Garden. Branding for the chain is by Honey. Copyright: Centaur Communications...

IN BRIEF: Tiger Woods to devise golf course development.(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... American golfer Tiger Woods, who launched Tiger Woods Design in November, is to devise an exclusive golf course development in Dubai for the forthcoming leisure destination Dubailand, to launch in 2009. The Tiger Woods-Dubai will include Al...

IN BRIEF: Kubota UK retail design.(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Kubota UK is rolling out a retail design created by SHH for its tractor and groundcare division. It will launch across 60 of its UK dealerships stocking Kubota products. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

IN BRIEF: French labeling system should change.(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... The French labelling system 'made in France' should change to 'designed in France' to highlight the flow of manufacturing jobs to low-cost economies, according to the French finance minister. Thierry Breton proposed the rethink this week,...

COMMENT: Union of WMH and Loewy raises a few questions.(acquisitions of Williams Murray Hamm and Loewy Group)
December 7, 2006... The industry will be agog with news of Loewy Group's takeover of Williams Murray Hamm, revealed exclusively on Design Week's website on Friday (see News, page five). Not since the saga of Design Bridge in the 1990s has there been a more...

Goldsmiths goes for identity revamp from NB Studio.(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Goldsmiths, University of London is relaunching next year with a fresh visual identity designed by NB Studio, as part of a wider strategic review of the institution. The redesign sees the traditional Goldsmiths crest scrapped from the...

Fashion chains show shoe shops a clean pair of heels.
December 7, 2006... By Sarah Woods Footwear sales in the UK are gathering pace, but specialist shoe shops are losing out on the benefits, while high street fashion retailers are cashing in, according to research published last week by Mintel. The...

News in Pictures: VIP for Kids.(services of Future Systems)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Future Systems is among a number of high-profile design teams, celebrities and other stars to put their name and 'design' stamp on VIP for Kids, a range of children's products for Habitat. Pictured is the consultancy's Flipnfriends acrylic...

News in Pictures: Axola open showroom.(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... London bathroom retailer Axola has opened a showroom designed by Lumsden Design Partnership. The neutral palette and simple background aim to create an open showcase for the products, says LDP managing director Callum Lumsden. Copyright:...

News in Pictures: Design for Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
December 7, 2006... 300million has designed fundraising communications material for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. The strapline 'We're not being dramatic...' underpins all the work. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

News in Pictures: Nokia unveil handsets.
December 7, 2006... Nokia last week unveiled four mobile handsets, designed in-house. There are three mid-range models - the Nokia 6300, Nokia 6290 and Nokia 6086 - as well as the Nokia 2626, which is targeted to consumers in entry- level markets. ...

News in Pictures: Design for Bravissimo.(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... The Nest has designed the interiors and graphic communications for the flagship store from lingerie retailer Bravissimo, which opened in London's Oxford Circus last week. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

News in Pictures: Website redesign.(www.kshocolat.co.uk)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... Third Eye Design has redesigned the website for the luxury chocolatier Kshocolat, at www.kshocolat.co.uk. The Glasgow consultancy also designs Kshocolat's packaging. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

NEWS ANALYSIS: Material world.(Second Life, an on-line, alternative reality)
December 7, 2006... Second Life is an on-line, alternative reality, with 1.5 million users willing to spend money on virtual brands and businesses, says Trish Lorenz Web2.0 is here and the surrounding hype shows no sign of dying down. The latest focus is...

Inspired: Robert Soar FHD.(learning of Japanese calligraphy)(Brief article)(Column)
December 7, 2006... I started on my long journey of learning Japanese calligraphy over two years ago. My over-confidence evaporated as soon as I put expensive brush to textured rice paper. I love the ritual of the process - preparing the ink, the brush and paper,...

PRIVATE VIEW: Wherefore art thou?
December 7, 2006... If anonymity is key to The Bard's appeal, wonders Jim Davies, maybe we should train our critical eyes to ignore what we think we know about design I'm in the throes of contributing a chapter to a book about William Shakespeare, which...

Voxpop: Effective designs less attractive.
December 7, 2006... There were murmurings at this year's Design Business Association Design Effectiveness Awards that some of the most effective designs were less aesthetically attractive. Why do some designers feel affronted by this? What is 'aesthetically...

LETTER: Stern shows that products should be designed to last.(Letter to the editor)
December 7, 2006... I read the comments by Frank Peters from the Chartered Society of Designers on the Stern Review with interest (DW 9 November). The quote from Christina Onesiron-Martinez, 'The Stern Review is not linked to design' had me choking on my...

LETTER: The benefits of working outside the Big Smoke.(Letter to the editor)
December 7, 2006... I was really pleased to see an article about the virtues of setting up a design group outside of London, or more specifically Clerkenwell (Business Insight, DW 9 November). But the more I read on, the more I got disheartened with the...

LETTER: Big boys take heed: good things come in small packages.(Letter to the editor)
December 7, 2006... Like Simon Manchipp (Business Insight, DW 23 November), I too decided to leave a 'big boy' creative agency and set up a small, creative 'boutique'. Beginning with our own names on 'the shopfront', we believe that the personal,...

LETTER: Size doesn't matter - it's what you do with it that counts.(Letter to the editor)
December 7, 2006... Simon Manchipp made some entertaining remarks in his article 'Pipping the big boys to the post' (Business Insight, DW 23 November) but he managed to miss the target, despite the impressive size of his spectacles. The big group versus...

Profile: Bill Moggridge.(Ideo)
December 7, 2006... As the godfather of interactivity, designer of the first laptop and co- founder of Ideo, Bill Moggridge would be forgiven for putting his feet up. Instead he has been busy on his latest project, discovers Jeremy Myerson We could be...

GRAPHICS: Christmas crackers.
December 7, 2006... A branding exercise in miniature, seasonal greeting cards can give graphic designers a rare opportunity to don their novelty socks and and go for broke, says Hannah Booth IT'S the year's most dissected, chewed-over piece of graphic...

TYPE: Found forms.
December 7, 2006... Discarded letters can be discovered in the most unexpected places. Jim Davies asked five leading typographers to reflect on a piece of 'found' type - and they uncovered some hidden gems FOR type designers, a long-standing source of...

EXHIBITIONS: Unlocking the vaults.
December 7, 2006... Museums and galleries are opening the archive doors to offer visitors a peek at hidden gems behind the scenes. From visitor centres to cutting- edge technology, there are ample opportunities for designers, says Pamela Buxton No longer...

The inside story.(exhibitions of Bert Teunissen)(Brief article)
December 7, 2006... By John Stones Dutch photographer Bert Teunissen has spent the past ten years searching out interiors of homes that have escaped the ravages of modernisation, allowing him to capture them bathed in the glow of natural light, rather than...

Loewy charges up acquisition strategy following Johnson exit.(Luke Johnson)(Brief article)
December 14, 2006... Loewy has entered a second week of deal-making with the surprise exit of one of its highest profile financial backers, Luke Johnson, just days after the acquisition of Williams Murray Hamm (DW 7 December). It is understood that Johnson's...

GM Advanced Design wins design challenge.(Brief article)
December 14, 2006... GM Advanced Design has won the Los Angeles Auto Show's Design Challenge with its two-dimensional version of a 2015 concept that addresses environmental sustainability. The Hummer 02 features body panels filled with algae, designed to...

DBA to look at Grand Prix judging criteria.(Design Business Association)(Brief article)
December 14, 2006... The Design Business Association is considering reviewing the judging criteria for its Design Effectiveness Awards Grand Prix winner. This follows the controversial win this year by BR&Me and its design for Foster's multipacks. Concern...

The Whitechapel calls in Holmes Wood to signpost new-look site.(contracts of Whitechapel Art Gallery and Holmes Wood Consultancy Ltd.)
December 14, 2006... The Whitechapel Gallery in London has this week appointed Holmes Wood to design an internal and external sign scheme, as part of its #10m expansion. The consultancy won the business after a six-way credentials pitch, with the brief to...

Acid and IP experts criticise The Gowers Review.(intellectual property)
December 14, 2006... The Gowers Review of Intellectual Property falls far short of protecting designers against unlawful imitation, according to IP design experts and trade bodies. The report by Andrew Gowers, commissioned by the Chancellor of the Exchequer...

The Royal College of Art publication launched.(Brief article)
December 14, 2006... The Royal College of Art's publication on architecture and textiles has been launched. Architextiles AD was conceived and designed by the RCA's deputy head of textiles and Architextiles project leader Anne Toomey and Mark Garcia, academic...

Caulder Moore creates 'lifestyle salon'.(Caulder Moore, Charles Worthington)(Brief article)
December 14, 2006... Charles Worthington, the luxury haircare brand owner, is set to open a flagship salon in London's Covent Garden this week, with an interior design by retail specialist Caulder Moore. The concept store is situated in a five-storey Georgian...

Caulder Moore appointed.(contracts)(Brief article)
December 14, 2006... Caulder Moore has been appointed to create the branding for a new luxury hotel and spa complex being developed at Castle Leslie in County Monaghan, Ireland. The former hunting lodge, situated in the 405ha estate, is being transformed into a...

Redesigned version of New Statesman.(Brief article)
December 14, 2006... Current affairs magazine New Statesman has launched a redesigned version of its website. The site - at www. newstatesman.com - was designed by interactive design consultancy Wilson Fletcher. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and...

Itsu shaken but not stirred by Litvinenko incident.(Alexander Litvinenko )
December 14, 2006... Itsu, the sushi chain at the heart of the Russian spy scandal, is having fun this week with a series of James Bond-inspired hoardings outside its police-protected store in London's Piccadilly. The in-house designs feature at the outlet...

Northern Ireland to launch Government-led design body.(Brief article)
December 14, 2006... Northern Ireland will launch its first Government-led design body next year in a bid to raise the standard of urban design across the region. The governing body is being set up by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure at the...

New identity for Trap Recordings.(Brief article)
December 14, 2006... Red Design has created the identity for Trap Recordings, a start-up UK independent record label. The label has an international outlook and will not focus on one style of music, says Red Design marketing manager Keith Davey. The marque needed...

Kemistry tackles rebranding work for Publieke Omroep.(Brief article)
December 14, 2006... Kemistry has been appointed by Dutch national broadcaster Publieke Omroep to rename and rebrand the public service company. The consultancy has been briefed to redesign the corporate marque and all the radio logos for Omroep, as well as...

IN BRIEF: Identity for Woodwise.(contacts of Wechsler Ross & Portet)(Brief article)
December 14, 2006... Wechsler Ross & Portet has designed a brand identity for Woodwise, a bespoke furniture-making business in South Africa. Photographs of wood shavings create a 'W' shape to echo the name of the business. Copyright: Centaur Communications...

IN BRIEF: Dragon appointment.(Andrew Wilson appointed as a senior designer)(Brief article)
December 14, 2006... Dragon has appointed Andrew Wilson, former design director at Wolff Olins, as senior designer. Wilson will work with Samantha Dumont, Dragon's creative director, and Keshi Bouri, Dragon's design director, who joined in the summer. The...

IN BRIEF: ReBlackpool shortlist.(Edaw, Fat, Fluid, Gensler, Nio, LDA Design and Studio BAAD have been shortlisted )(Brief article)
December 14, 2006... ReBlackpool, Blackpool's urban regeneration company, has shortlisted seven urban design and architectural groups for the redesign of the area's seafront into a year-round urban park. Edaw, Fat, Fluid, Gensler, Nio, LDA Design and Studio BAAD...

COMMENT: Digital design looks set to be a growth area in 2007.(Industry overview)
December 14, 2006... What will you remember 2006 for? As the year that saw business take an upward turn - or a dive? The year of waiting for signs of the impact of the Cox Review on design? The year of the Design Museum debacle, with Alice Rawsthorn out and...

Spike Island to nurture start-up designers from the South West.(Brief article)
December 14, 2006... Bristol's contemporary art and design space Spike Island is launching a major bid to keep design talent in the South West, with a #380 000 mentoring grant from the South West Regional Development Agency. Currently undergoing a #2.25m...

CDT squares up to branding work for School of Pharmacy.(contracts of CDT Design and School of Pharmacy, University of London )(Brief article)
December 14, 2006... The School of Pharmacy, University of London has undertaken its first major rebrand and is relaunching with a fresh visual identity by CDT Design. London-based CDT was appointed to the rebranding project in May following a four-way...

BDI survey reveals bright future for strategy-led groups.(British Design Innovation Valuation Survey)
December 14, 2006... The design industry appears to have struggled financially in the past year, with a 6 per cent fall in turnover and a 16 per cent drop in fee- income between 2004/5 and 2005/6, according to the latest British Design Innovation Valuation Survey....

News in Pictures: Swarovski Crystal Palace.(construction of palace)(Brief article)
December 14, 2006... 1 Yves Behar, founder of Fuse Project, is one of a selection of designers who have been commissioned to produce a range of pieces for Swarovski's Crystal Palace. 'Morpheus' will be on display alongside the other works for the first time at Art...

News in Pictures: Sunrise appear at Estorick Collection.
December 14, 2006... L'alba (Sunrise) by Virgilio Retrosi is appearing at the Estorick Collection in London's Islington from 10 January to 19 March as part of an exhibition of Italian satirical cartoons from World War I. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd....

News in Pictures: Metin Kaplan win award.(Electrolux Design Laboratory 2006 Award)(Brief article)
December 14, 2006... The Electrolux Design Laboratory 2006 Award has been given to Metin Kaplan from Istanbul Technical University for Nevale, which provides hot or cold homemade meals for takeaway at any time of day. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and...

News in Pictures: Coleman teams up with Pininfarina.(contracts of Coleman Company Inc. and Pininfarina Industrie S.p.A)(Brief article)
December 14, 2006... Coleman has teamed up with Italian designer Pininfarina (better known for its design of Ferrari sports cars) to produce this barbecue. It was designed and built by the Pininfarina team in Italy and will be produced at the factory there. ...

News in Pictures: MP3 design.(design of motor cycle)(Brief article)
December 14, 2006... Piaggio's intriguing MP3 design features two wheels on the front, for greater stability - yet it can still tilt at up to 40 degrees thanks to four cast-aluminium control arms. The design was influenced by Marco Lambri, the man behind the...

News in Pictures: Climate change.(Brief article)
December 14, 2006... Stephen Hawking tells us that the only way to survive climate change is to colonise other planets. But what would life be like? The Institute of Contemporary Arts gives us a glimpse, focusing on the relationship between science fiction, race...

ANALYSIS: A delicate flower in full bloom.
December 14, 2006... Demand for design is booming in India, but the tastes of the local market have to be acknowledged to ensure success, says Sarah Balmond Her voice is soft, a clipped tone crackling down the Bangalore-London phone line connection. 'At...

Inspired: Carol Whitworth Home.(Abram Games and his works)(Brief article)(Column)
December 14, 2006... In 1978 I was fortunate enough to meet Abram Games. I was a student and he was my hero. I didn't know at the time, but I was just about to win the Royal Society of Arts Design Bursary Competition with a campaign that was inspired by his...

PRIVATE VIEW: More than words.
December 14, 2006... Rather than being an afterthought, carefully worded tags can add heaps of value to a brand and keep consumers hooked, says David Bernstein I am a fan of tags on bottles. The more text the better. It is tangible proof that the brand has...

LETTER: Free-pitching once again rears its ugly head.(Letter to the editor)
December 14, 2006... I was interested to read Adam White's article 'Treat groups with respect' (Design Business, DW 30 November). White mentions British Design Innovation, and more, as the 'industry trade body'. Sorry, but who said so? I have always...

Voxpop: What next for WMH?
December 14, 2006... What next for WMH? The management needs to stay focused on what has made the business so successful, principally the quality of the work - both for the consultancy's own financial benefit (presumably there's an earn-out to be earned) and...

LETTER: Warm to another style to avoid a cold reception.(Letter to the editor)
December 14, 2006... Adrian Shaughnessy (Private View, DW 30 November) is feeling left out in the cold - aggrieved that he and fellow Modernist designer chums are having their work criticised as being 'too cold'. He describes his own work as 'soft Modernism' and...

LETTER: Were DBA judges under the amber nectar influence?(Letter to the editor)
December 14, 2006... I read with interest the various Voxpop comments (DW 7 December). I too was incensed by the result of the Design Business Association's awards, but not on the basis of the attractiveness or otherwise of the Foster's multipack. The awards...

Profile: Micha Wiedmann.(starting his own consulting firm)
December 14, 2006... Micha Weidmann's training in Swiss graphics and his track record as an art director are the building blocks for his new venture, a design consultancy. Yolanda Zappaterra marvels at his methods Micha Weidmann, the Time Out art director who...

REVIEW OF THE YEAR: Annual report.
December 14, 2006... As 2006 draws to a close, Design Week surveys the eye-catching new work, the industry coups and the inevitable creative flounces that shaped the past year Movers and shakers Loewy Group pulled off the coup of the year, buying Williams...

From the playground up.(architectural design)
December 14, 2006... By Pamela Buxton Abigail is carefully cutting around her bunny face mask, a vision of four-year-old concentration. Next to her, Edith gets busy with the pink felt-tip pen and glitter. Their younger siblings are off enjoying a jazz band,...