Design Week articles from January 2006

Design Week archives from January 2006

Land Design wins #3m Giant's Causeway project.
January 5, 2006... Land Design Studio is set to create the #2.7m interpretive design scheme for the Giant's Causeway Visitors' Centre in Northern Ireland. The consultancy was appointed to the project just before Christmas, after winning a three-way pitch. It...

Royal Mail head of design role uncertain after redundancy.(Jane Ryan )(Brief Article)
January 5, 2006... The role of design at Royal Mail has been thrown into question after the departure of its head of design for stamps, Jane Ryan, who leaves without a replacement. Ryan, who has overseen stamp design for almost four years, took voluntary...

Wolff Olins fires US chief executive.(Eric Scott)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2006... Wolff Olins has fired its US chief executive Eric Scott, after a shake up of its US offices. Internal sources at Wolff Olins say that New York-based Scott, who was also a member of Wolff Olins worldwide board and an equity owner,...

Ive honoured by New Year award.(Jonathan Ive)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2006... Jonathan Ive has been awarded a CBE for services to the design industry in this year's New Year Honours list. Vivienne Westwood was awarded a DBE, while sculptor Rachel Whiteread was given a CBE. Alan Livingstone, principal of University...

Observer gets Berliner treatment.( )(Brief Article)
January 5, 2006... The Observer will become the first full-colour Sunday newspaper this weekend, relaunching in the Berliner format under a redesign by Garcia Media founder Mario Garcia. Working alongside Observer art director Carolyn Roberts, Garcia has...

Thresher to rebrand 200 Unwins stores.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2006... The 200 stores acquired by Thresher Group from collapsed off-licence chain Unwins last month will be rebranded with Thresher Group brand names - Threshers, The Local or Wine Rack. A spokesman says it has not yet been decided which brands...

RDC Foley Cooke softens Fiorelli brand to broaden appeal.(Lunan Group)
January 5, 2006... Fiorelli, the luxury fashion accessories business owned by Lunan Group, is set to relaunch its branding with RDC Foley Cooke, as it seeks to update and broaden the brand's appeal. RDC Foley Cooke is undertaking a number of projects for...

Redesigned idents for BBC London News.(by Red Bee Media )(Brief Article)
January 5, 2006... Red Bee Media has redesigned the idents for BBC London News, intending to give the programme a fresh look. The idents will feature a different image every day - some of which will have been sent in by viewers - to reflect the headlines. The...

Proud Heritage tribute to gay history.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2006... Designers are soon to be appointed to draw up plans for a virtual museum of gay history. Proud Heritage, a national agency promoting innovative work relating to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history, has confirmed that it is...

Eco-friendly show house in Tokyo.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2006... Panasonic's in-house design team has created an eco-friendly show house in Tokyo. The house opened this month and uses its innovative interiors to showcase Panasonic products. Its design aims to protect the wider environment - with solar...

Mr Kipling pack redesign led to fall in turnover, says RHM.
January 5, 2006... Ian McMahon, chief executive officer of food giant RHM, has explicitly laid the blame for falling turnover at its Manor Bakeries division at design's door. In an unusual move, while unveiling RHM's interim financial results in...

Iscon identity by JHP Design in full bloom.(Iscon Mega Mall)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2006... JHP Design has unveiled a comprehensive design scheme for Iscon Mega Mall, a 46 000m2 shopping mall set to open in Ahmedabad in India late next year. The London retail design specialist has produced the architectural plan, interior and...

Boxer lets builders Avit in their own words.(Carl Kammerling International)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2006... Boxer has created the name, brand identity and packaging for a new range of value tools distributed by Carl Kammerling International. The Avit range comprises 32 initial products, but will be extended to 200 products over the next three...

Innovative take on motor home.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2006... General Motors West Coast Advanced Design Studio has created the Pad, an innovative take on a motor home. The Pad is GM's entry to the California Design Challenge at this week's LA Auto Show. It seeks to be an 'urban loft with mobility'....

IN BRIEF: Designjunction website.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2006... Digital design consultancy Designjunction has created a website for artist and fabric designer Nigel Atkinson. It can be found at www.nigel- atkinson.co.uk, and marks the opening of his showroom at interior design store Contemporanea in Fulham,...

IN BRIEF: Five launch redesigned screen idents.
January 5, 2006... Five is to launch redesigned screen indents this month, created by the in-house creative services team, led by art director Dominic Sykes. The relaunch coincides with the unveiling of ITV's visual overhaul by Red Bee Media (DW 27 October...

IN BRIEF: Testing year warning.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2006... WPP chief executive Sir Martin Sorrell has warned that 2006 will be a testing year for the marketing services sector, though there are 'no signs of baths or showers yet', but that the US market could be at risk of a shower, according to The...

IN BRIEF: Identity for Kyoto Fuel Technologies.(Westgate Design)(Kyoto Fuel Technologies)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2006... Westgate Design has created an identity for Kyoto Fuel Technologies, a UK company distributing fuel and lubricant additive products of US group International Fuel Technology to the UK and Ireland. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd....

IN BRIEF: Ranch rebrands Direct Lighting.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2006... Ranch has rebranded London lighting equipment company Direct Lighting as Direct, creating a typographic logo which highlights the range of cameras and consumables also available from the company. Direct is owned by Metro Imaging. ...

IN BRIEF: Turbine Hall A in Battersea Power Station.
January 5, 2006... Universal Design Studio is leading the retail design of Turbine Hall A in Battersea Power Station, not HMKM as stated in DW (8 December 2005). HMKM is working on Turbine Hall B. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

COMMENT: Ive's CBE should boost the standing of design in general.
January 5, 2006... The award of a CBE in the New Year's Honours List to Apple Computer head designer Jonathan Ive (see News, page 3) is great news. For, while Ive is undoubtedly worthy of the accolade - and has won just about every design gong in recent years,...

Royal Mail puts animal magic into stamp design.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2006... Royal Mail is launching a set of stamps, called Animal Tales, featuring artwork by some of the world's leading children's illustrators, later this month. Rose Design has art directed the set, which depicts iconic animal characters, taken...

10 Gives Bundaberg a boost in youth market.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2006... Australian ginger beer brewer Bundaberg has appointed Huddersfield- based consultancy 10 to create the identity and packaging designs for a raft of new products, as it prepares to step up its presence in the UK. In a bid to try to capture a...

News in Pictures: Fibre and Sam Buxton commissioned.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2006... Design consultancy Fibre and British designer Sam Buxton have been commissioned by creative communications company Fish Can Sing to create a new media kit for Motorola's forthcoming SLVR mobile phone, which will be available before spring 2006....

News in Pictures: Vasava Artworks design.(designed for Die Gesalten Furlag)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2006... Spanish-based communications agency Vasava Artworks has designed the front cover of Fifty, a book launched to celebrate the 50th birthday of Diesel founder Renzo Russo. The book, published by Die Gesalten Furlag, is written by British author...

News in Pictures: Shed 2 Utopian Sheds exhibition.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2006... An exhibition entitled Shed 2: Utopian Sheds will be displaying work by more than 50 illustrators and designers, including Association of Illustration award-winners Simon Pemberton and Geoff Grandfield, as well as DW art director Ivan...

News in Pictures: New personal navigation system.
January 5, 2006... Sony's in-house design team has developed and created 'nav-u', a new personal navigation system, which will be available to buy in stores from 15 January. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

NEWS ANALYSIS: The Cox Review revisited.
January 5, 2006... Sir George Cox's recommendations, and their feasibility in practice, are considered by influential figures from the design world Wally Olins Chairman of Saffron Brand Consultants Sir George Cox is trying to influence our...

PRIVATE VIEW: News flash.
January 5, 2006... A great satire forces the original designer to question their work, and there is no easier target than news broadcasting, says Adrian Shaughnessy There's a new comedy series on BBC2 called Broken News. It's a witty, razor-sharp...

OPINION: Inspired.
January 5, 2006... What inspires me? Typefaces. I was preparing for college when a friend took me to the Frankfurt Book Fair, where I discovered the type catalogue Schrift Vergleichen, Schrift Auswahlen, Schrift Erkennen, Schrift Finden. This book inspired my...

Voxpop: Indian sausages.
January 5, 2006... A well-known digital media designer is launching the new year with his own brand of sizzling Indian sausages. What extra-curricular activities would you like to do, to kick-start 2006? When we decided to call our company Taxi Studio, we...

LETTER: Free-pitching has plagued the industry for 15 years.(Letter to the Editor)
January 5, 2006... This is spooky! Your news story about free-pitching being ruled out for Olympic identity selection (DW 1 December) brought feelings of deja vu. More than 15 years ago I was a founder member and chairman of the Manchester Design Community...

LETTER: Journalists should be more objective.(Letter to the Editor)
January 5, 2006... With regard to your recent Vox Pop (DW 15 December 2005), I would leave behind lazy journalism led by relentless PR people. There were an awful lot of pages in 2005 that displayed lazy, automatic writing in the design press. PR people...

LETTER: It's time for creatives to get to grips with the dictionary.(Letter to the Editor)
January 5, 2006... Adrian Shaughnessy rightly points out an important issue (DW 1 December). Does anyone ever buy anything they see advertised? Someone must, or is it simply a case of filling blank spaces in magazines and hoardings? And then there's the...

LETTER: Cambridge brief comes back to haunt Gradwell.(Letter to the Editor)
January 5, 2006... Mad.co.uk recently emailed me an article. BBI360 managing director Simon Barbato says, 'The key to creating the brand positioning was to understand the intrinsic attributes of Cambridge. Our theme for Grand Arcade was rooted in Cambridge's...

Profile: Simon Halfon.(who designs albums)
January 5, 2006... Simon Halfon has been living a dream, designing album sleeves for a host of rock and pop stars, and managing the image of Paul Weller. But success has not turned his head, says Richard Clayton For many designers, it would be a dream gig....

RETAIL CONCEPTS: Eastern promise.
January 5, 2006... In the first of an occasional series looking at new retail concepts abroad, Clare Dowdy visits Istanbul to check out a lifestyle emporium with a modern slant on the traditional bazaar. The result is a one-stop- shop for modern design ...

PHOTO LIBRARIES: Stock option.
January 5, 2006... Using stock photography presents designers with a myriad of creative and legal challenges, including copyright issues, lack of originality and how to make them your own. Gareth Gardner suggests a path through the maze Do you ever get...

DESIGN BUSINESS: Take some time to reflect.
January 5, 2006... Design consultancies spend so much time on their clients' identities, they have little time to devote to their own, says Colin Gifford Isn't it surprising how many design consultancies sport a neutral identity - elegant type, sensitive...

Turning Japanese.
January 5, 2006... By Charles Gant When Rob Marshall agreed to direct Memoirs of a Geisha, Hollywood's adaptation of the 1997 Arthur Golden bestseller about the rise of a penniless Japanese girl who became her profession's brightest star, his creative...

Vodafone moots rebrand as Allen gives up EIG post.(Dave Allen)
January 12, 2006... Vodafone is lining up a new-look brand identity designed by Enterprise IG, as consultancy founder Dave Allen leaves the group to join WPP's Team Vodafone unit of design groups and other marketing services agencies. It is understood that...

Independents fuel design sector mergers in early 2006.(Limehouse Group acquired Synergy Communications )(Brief Article)
January 12, 2006... Mergers and acquisitions among independent design groups have kicked off with a bang in 2006, with two key deals completed since the first week of January. Public sector design specialist the Limehouse Group acquired Synergy...

C&CS takes on a skilled new recruit.(Creative & Cultural Skills appoints Annabel Praeger )(Brief Article)
January 12, 2006... Creative & Cultural Skills has appointed Annabel Praeger as its industry skills director for design. She will work with the Design Council and Design Skills Advisory Panel to identify the skills requirements of employers and sole traders...

STOP PRESS: Designer of the Year shortlist out.(Tom Dixon, Jamie Hewlett of The Guardian and Cameron Sinclair from Architecture for Humanity )(Brief Article)
January 12, 2006... Tom Dixon, the design team at The Guardian, graphic artist Jamie Hewlett and humanitarian designer and co-founder of Architecture for Humanity Cameron Sinclair have been shortlisted to win this year's Design Museum Designer of the Year award....

STOP PRESS: Royal design contest for new memorial.
January 12, 2006... Buckingham Palace has announced details of a design competition for a memorial to the Queen Mother to be sited off The Mall in London. The project's budget is #2m and is to be completed by 2007. The deadline for expressions of interest is 31...

STOP PRESS: Brule and Cottam join global forum.(Hilary Cottam and Tyler Brule)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2006... Hilary Cottam, director of research and development at the Design Council, and Tyler Brule, founder of Winkreative, are among seven Britons selected to join the Forum of Young Global Leaders this week. The #1m initiative has been set up by the...

STOP PRESS: Design Bridge set to revamp KFC.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2006... KFC has appointed Design Bridge, to create its in-store, promotional and point-of-sale collateral, confirms a spokeswoman for KFC. The first raft of creative work is expected to launch this month. The work was previously handled by Triangle....

Green-fingered Saville transforms London park.
January 12, 2006... Graphic designer Peter Saville and artists Gary Hume and Georgie Hopton are designing a series of plant-based installations to transform St Luke's Gardens, located in Clerkenwell, East London. The project has been commissioned by...

Orange to launch video glasses.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2006... Orange is set to launch a pair of video glasses that enable gadget lovers to watch films in widescreen, any time, anywhere. Designed by the Orange in-house team, they connect to 3G video phones and visuals appear on the inside of two lenses...

Mastercard unveils airport illustrations.
January 12, 2006... Mastercard is launching a series of large-scale illustrated posters in major airports worldwide, created by London design consultancy Airside. The project represents the largest set of illustrations yet commissioned by Mastercard,...

Boots sandwiches.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2006... Boots the Chemists is launching its second range of 'fashion' sandwiches, called The Collection, with a packaging design by Davies Hall. The Autumn and Winter collection reflects the current fashion trend in military clothing and Russian...

ITV launches on-screen branding by Red Bee Media.
January 12, 2006... In its latest bid to compete in the multichannel television market, ITV next week launches a major brand overhaul, with on-screen logos, graphics and idents designed by Red Bee Media. The new look was unveiled this week by Clare Salmon,...

Fitch helps Dunlop to get down with kids.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2006... Dunlop Tyres is embarking on a new brand strategy this week, created in consultation with Fitch. The move comes in a bid to capitalise on the lifestyle market and attract the younger consumer. Over the past 18 months, Fitch has been...

Diesel to open flagship Bond St store.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2006... Diesel is planning to open a new flagship store on London's Bond Street this April. The two-floor 52m2 store is being designed by an in-house team that has incorporated the building's original features into the design. 'We want to stay...

Tyler Brule to present TV series.(Tyler Brule )(Brief Article)
January 12, 2006... Winkreative founder Tyler Brule is to present a forthcoming TV series on global consumerism. The six-part BBC 4 show - Counter Culture - goes on-air on 19 January. Brole examines the retail habits of shoppers in Japan, Sweden, Russia, Italy,...

IN BRIEF: Identity for outreach programme.(marketing agreement between BOB Design and English Chamber Orchestra)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2006... BOB Design is set to launch an identity for the English Chamber Orchestra's outreach programme, Close Encounters. African tales and music, performed by school children, inspired the design. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and...

IN BRIEF: Promotional playing cards.(marketing agreement between Watershed Design and Marine Stewardship Council)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2006... Watershed Design has created a set of promotional playing cards for the sustainable fishing charity, the Marine Stewardship Council. The cards feature works by 54 artists, including Damien Hirst and Anish Kapoor. Copyright: Centaur...

IN BRIEF: Animation for Land Securities.(marketing contract given to The Chase )(Brief Article)
January 12, 2006... The Chase has designed an animation for Land Securities Marketing Suite to promote the property developer's 40 Eastbourne Terrace office building in London's Paddington. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

IN BRIEF: Interbrand appointment.(Olivier Perrard )(Brief Article)
January 12, 2006... Interbrand has appointed Olivier Perrard to the position of retail director of its French operations. He will report to its chief executive for France, Jean-Baptiste Danet. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

IN BRIEF: Promoting legacies.(charities giving marketing contract to Funnel Creative)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2006... Four North West charities are collaborating to promote legacies in wills, using a visual identity and name created by Manchester consultancy Funnel Creative. Christie's, St Ann's Hospice, Henshaw's and Together Trust's Heart Felt Legacy...

IN BRIEF: 48 Fitzroy appointed by trust.(The Country Trust )(Brief Article)
January 12, 2006... Sussex consultancy 48 Fitzroy has been appointed by national educational charity The Country Trust to redefine its brand positioning. The trust, which 'helps to bridge the gap between town and country', will use the brand in a campaign later...

IN BRIEF: Wolff Olins denies report.(about Eric Scott parting ways with the company)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2006... Wolff Olins chairman Bryan Boylan denies that the consultancy parted company with its US chief executive Eric Scott because he would not make redundancies (DW 6 January). Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

COMMENT: What will groupings achieve when variety is strength?(design work )
January 12, 2006... Just as the Cox Review seeks to unify design as a force for good in government, commercial and social circles, the industry itself appears to be polarising even further. We have long been aware of the great divide between 'owned' groups -...

Third Eye Design leads the way in festival circuit.(New York Festivals and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2006... Glasgow consultancy Third Eye Design has picked up a pair of international festival branding projects, with appointments by the New York Festivals and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The Fringe project win follows a five-way credentials...

Landini brands new lifestyle retail park.(marketing contract)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2006... Landini Associates has created a brand identity and brand architecture for a retail park located in Edinburgh. The Scottish outlet, formerly known as Craigleith Retail Park, will be rebranded as The Quarry, with a revised visual identity...

Supermarkets take on health and beauty market.
January 12, 2006... By Sarah Balmond Supermarkets are closing in on health and beauty specialists, such as Boots the Chemists and Superdrug, and could snatch up to 50 per cent of the total market within the next five years, according to a recently published...

NEWS ANALYSIS: ITV's multichannel challenge.(designed by Red Bee Media)
January 12, 2006... After some delay, ITV is finally set to launch its new screen identity, designed by Red Bee Media. Scott Billings looks at the implications The launch of ITV's new screen graphics next Monday is likely to be one of the highest profile...

News in Pictures: No Deal campaign.(posters will appear in the town centre and at Brixton Underground station )(Brief Article)
January 12, 2006... Purpose has designed the No Deal campaign against drug dealing, intimidation and antisocial behaviour in London's Brixton. Smoking paraphernalia-inspired leaflets and posters will appear in the town centre and at Brixton Underground station...

News in Pictures: RCA exhibitions.
January 12, 2006... The Royal College of Art is holding a number of exhibitions featuring work by postgraduates. The Communication Art and Design Interim Show runs from January to April, and includes graphics, illustrations, film and video work. The CA&D Show...

News in Pictures: Leeds Media rebranded.(www.leedsmedia.co.uk.)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2006... Leeds Media has been rebranded by local consultancy and organisation member Thompson. Chapter Eight has been asked to create a website at www.leedsmedia.co.uk. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

News in Pictures: Make Believe exhibition.
January 12, 2006... El Ultimo Grito will be showing new work in its Make Believe exhibition at the Stanley Picker Gallery, in London's Kingston, from 11 January to 4 March. Children's toys and graffiti are given the cerebral touch, to explore the meaning of...

News in Pictures: Galleri Sand website.(been created by 72dotsperinch )(Brief Article)
January 12, 2006... Start-up London web design consultancy 72dotsperinch has created www.gallerisand.com, for Galleri Sand in Norway. The dual language Flash website showcases artists' work, using music, video clips and images. Copyright: Centaur...

News in Pictures: Redesigned identity for Intel.(by FutureBrand )(Brief Article)
January 12, 2006... FutureBrand has redesigned the visual identity for computer chip brand Intel. The new look will adorn all Intel advertising and computer hardware from this week on. Intel's sonic brand jingle will not be changed. Copyright: Centaur...

News in Pictures: Eco-bags on display.
January 12, 2006... An exhibition of eco-bags is on display at the Creation Gallery in Ginza, Tokyo, to promote alternatives to the plastic shopping bag. Pictured is Johnson Banks' design. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

News in Pictures: PJ Smoothies relaunches.(with a brand identity and packaging by Landor Associates)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2006... PJ Smoothies relaunches this week with a brand identity and packaging created by the London office of Landor Associates. The group was appointed under its existing relationship with PJ Smoothies brand owner PepsiCo. Copyright: Centaur...

News in Pictures: Visuals for Pacific Place.(Pacific Place fashion)(home store)(Lane Crawford's)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2006... London design and art direction consultancy Big Active and French artist Genevieve Gauckler have created the visuals for the launch of Lane Crawford's Pacific Place fashion and home store in Hong Kong. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd....

PRIVATE VIEW: Dress to impress.
January 12, 2006... Good or bad, we all make a visual impression, so its important to choose our clothes carefully, especially when pitching for work, says Hugh Pearman Like all people with no clothes sense, I like to think that the idea of how we dress is...

Inspired: PAUL KING AND CHRIS CAPRON - VIVID BRAND.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2006... Christmas - snowflakes, mirror board, baubles, stars, Rudolph, cheap lights, advent calendars, Santa, snow, and that eternal sleigh with gifts tumbling off. That is the cliche that is Christmas graphics in retail. You could swap the...

Voxpop: Will design now be fate of Britain?s retailers?
January 12, 2006... In the week that Superdrug announced plans to put a store on every high street, how critical will design now be to the fate of Britain's retailers? What in particular can we do? Superdrug's plans for more - and bigger - stores are brave,...

Letter: Interactive on-line graphic design forum for students.(Letter to the Editor)
January 12, 2006... I'm a third year graphic design student at Bath Spa University working on a project entitled Thoughts of a Graphic Design Student - Evaluating a Formal Education in Graphic Design and Formulating a Manifesto for a Contemporary Graphic Design...

Letter: National initiatives need widespread buy-in.(Letter to the Editor)
January 12, 2006... Several of the Design Business Association's suggestions made it into the Cox Review, such as the recommendation to encourage greater use of creative talent in the boardroom. The DBA will be pursuing this vigorously, along with the...

Letter: Mr Kipling redesign by Vibrandt is past its sell-by date.(Letter to the Editor)
January 12, 2006... I've never seen such an example of appalling, outdated 'design' as Vibrandt's efforts to restyle the Mr Kipling packaging (DW 5 January). I can only deduce it was done under duress, strictly to instruction from RHM, judging by every bit of...

Letter: By playing it safe, Mr Kipling redesign has lost its flair.(Letter to the Editor)
January 12, 2006... I wonder if Mr Kipling hasn't played it a little too safe with this redesign [by Vibrandt], and opted for something that is so tame it lacks any inventiveness or originality (DW 5 January). Now, of course, the mantra of any design...

Profile: Beth Derbyshire.
January 12, 2006... Whether it's an art commission or a branding project, Beth Derbyshire approaches her work with the same drive. John Stones catches up with the artist as she prepares her latest exhibition Transcending the kinds of contradictions that...