Design Week articles from June 2009

Design Week archives from June 2009

100% Design reduces size of footprint at Earls Court.(London Design Festival )(Brief article)
June 4, 2009... London Design Festival lynchpin 100% Design is reducing its footprint at Earls Court exhibition centre, partly as a result of the recession. Architectural segment 100% Detail will now be incorporated into the 100% Materials section,...

Barr Gazetas designs new interior.(Brief article)
June 4, 2009... Architect Barr Gazetas has designed a new interior to be rolled out across Regus' international business centres, following its appointment after a three-way pitch. Flagship sites, including Burton Street, London, are being redesigned as...

Brand awareness tested with new board game Eye-dentity.(Design Directions)(Brief article)
June 4, 2009... Simon Wilson, director of Twyford-based consultancy Design Directions, has created a new board game which tests players' knowledge of brands. Eye-dentity features a series of double-sided cards, which show famous brands with the...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Loops journal.(Brief article)
June 4, 2009... Faber and Faber has collaborated with record label Domino to produce a new quarterly music journal called Loops, designed by Wallzo's Darren Wall. It will feature a cover illustration by a different artist each issue, starting with Mario...

PRIVATE VIEW: Missing the point.
June 4, 2009... Measuring effectiveness is all well and good, but an over-dependence on statistics risks missing that vital ingredient - creativity - says Adrian Shaughnessy Effectiveness is a big, important word in design. And not just in design; we...

LETTER: Whole world or guilt-free? They're the new Green.(Letter to the editor)
June 4, 2009... Any alternatives to the term 'sustainability' will be picked over and dismissed by many - it's an issue that attracts widespread nit-picking (Voxpop, DW 28 May). So, not expecting universal agreement, I suggest the 'whole world'...

VOXPOP: What traits do you think are essential and why?(Viewpoint essay)
June 4, 2009... Landor's Cheryl Giovannoni has highlighted caution, flexibility and integrity as some of the personality traits that are necessary for business leaders in the recession. What traits do you think are essential, and why? I think the...

LETTER: The good old Copy Test should identify talent.(Letter to the editor)
June 4, 2009... David Bernstein's view on the plight of today's advertising copywriters (Private View, DW 21 May) was spot on, and raises interesting questions about the kind of writers the communications industry is recruiting. This is something the...

LETTER: Go easy on adjectives to keep readers hooked.(Letter to the editor)
June 4, 2009... David Bernstein, as ever, makes sense in his latest Private View (DW 21 May). I'm not sure that short attention spans are anything new, though. People have always been too busy to be blathered at or lectured to. Good writing is not...

LETTER: Do what many of the greats did - set up in recession.(Letter to the editor)
June 4, 2009... Regarding your article 'Dawton and Fitch advise graduates against going into business on their own' (News, DW 14 May), before design graduates decide not to launch, they should be aware of the genesis of some of the most successful launches...

REVIEW: The great and the good.(Brief article)
June 4, 2009... The Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition in London is a welcome herald of the sunny season, with the academy throwing open its doors to a diverse mix of painting, sculpture and multimedia, from the traditional to the cutting edge, for art...

FC United of Manchester kicks off tender for stadium.
June 11, 2009... Football Club United of Manchester is planning to launch an open tender to find designers or architects to create its first stadium and club facilities later this year. The club, formed in 2005 by Manchester United FC supporters...

Precedent sees double as both LSEs call on its Web expertise.
June 11, 2009... Precedent is working on websites for two leading economic institutions with the initials LSE. The London Stock Exchange, which launches its new site this weekend, appointed Precedent in January 2008 following a pitch against two other...

Studio Output creates for Leicester De Montfort University.
June 11, 2009... Studio Output has created the look for this year's Leicester De Montfort University's art and design degree show. The work comprises a series of invitations, a show guide, event branding, and interior and exterior signage. The show starts on...

Max Fraser book gets LDF showcase.
June 11, 2009... The publication of design writer Max Fraser's London Design Guide will be accompanied by an exhibition at this year's London Design Festival. The LDG, which will be published in September, will be the first in an annual series of books...

Designersblock heads for Earls Court One and Carnaby Street for shows.
June 11, 2009... Designersblock will run its main exhibition at Earls Court One during September's London Design Festival, with a second venue in Carnaby Street - and possibly others as well. According to Designersblock co-founder Rory Dodd, the show will...

Carrier for Weee.
June 11, 2009... Coventry University Enterprises and the Weee Suitcase Company have designed, developed and patented a robust and customer-approved carrier for waste electronic and electrical goods. The Weee case can safely store and carry all types of waste...

Barber spices up interiors and branding for Bombay Bites.
June 11, 2009... Barber has designed the branding and interiors for new Indian food chain Bombay Bites. The designs will be rolled out across 15 restaurants nationally, starting with branches in London in September. Appointed directly in May by Bombay Bites...

Drinkall Dean creates graphic designs.
June 11, 2009... Consultancy Drinkall Dean has created the first in a series of graphic designs, which will be applied first to T-shirts, before expanding into other everyday items. The T-shirt designs will be available at the end of this month. ...

Key design figures welcome wider role for Mandelson.
June 11, 2009... The Cabinet reshuffle, which has seen the creation of the new Department for Business, Innovation and Skills under Lord Peter Mandelson, has 'played out very well for the design agenda', according to Design Council chief executive David...

Colin Scott casts off new look for John Smedley knitwear.
June 11, 2009... Colin Scott, creative director at The Workshop, has created an identity for John Smedley knitwear, replacing an identity he created for the brand 18 years ago. The rebrand will coincide with John Smedley's 225th anniversary when it...

Funnel Creative brands Real Prospects.
June 11, 2009... Funnel Creative has created the identity for Real Prospects, a survey of graduate employers which explores what 22 000 UK graduates think of their employers' recruitment, training and career development offer. The Manchester-based...

Raspberry Pi identity.
June 11, 2009... Artscience has created an identity for Raspberry Pi, an initiative backed by Cambridge University and computer industry experts to engage children with computer science. Briefed to create an identity that would appeal to 11- to 18-year-olds in...

IN BRIEF: Fudge appointment.(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... Andrew Thomas, founder and former managing director of McCann-I, has been appointed non-executive director of branding and digital consultancy Fudge. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

COMMENT: The latest reshuffle bodes well for the design industry.
June 11, 2009... If any party gained from the week's Government debacle it is surely the design community. The coming together of elements of the former Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and the Department for Innovation,...

Wallpaper mag duo creates paper for Frontline Club.
June 11, 2009... Editorial designers Sarah Douglas and Lee Belcher have designed Frontline, a broadsheet quarterly newspaper for journalists' organisation the Frontline Club. Douglas and Belcher, who work for Wallpaper magazine as art editor and senior...

Buddy pockets gender-specific tissue pack brief from Kleenex.
June 11, 2009... Kleenex is poised to launch a new range of pocket tissues aimed at women, with packaging by Buddy Creative. Kleenex brand owner Kimberly-Clark appointed Buddy to create the three new packet designs without a pitch, on the strength of the...

Science Museum announces radical changes.
June 11, 2009... London's Science Museum could change beyond recognition in little more than five years, having developed strategic plans to extend, redesign and rebrand. Proposals masterminded over the past seven years by Tim Molloy, head of creative...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Global Street Food exhibition.
June 11, 2009... German artist and designer Mike Meire's Global Street Food exhibition will be on show at the Buckminster Fuller Dome on the Vitra Campus, Weil am Rhein, Germany, from 11 June to 12 July. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Limited-edition pop-up vinyl album.
June 11, 2009... Consultancy Margaret London has worked with The Vinyl Factory to produce a limited-edition pop-up pyramid vinyl album for Die Verboten - a side project of Soulwax, Riton and Fergadelic. The album will be released on 29 June. Copyright:...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Illustration for Adobe.
June 11, 2009... Kai and Sunny have completed an illustration for Adobe, commissioned by Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners: California, to promote Adobe CS4 in the US and Europe. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

NEWS IN PICTURES: 8hertz jewellery.
June 11, 2009... A group of Royal College of Art students in the department of innovation design engineering is working with the Institute of Contemporary Arts to produce 8hertz jewellery, which transforms people's words into a silver pendent using a custom...

ANALYSIS: Blueprint for prosperity.
June 11, 2009... Cost-cutting isn't the only way of riding out the economic downturn. Amanda Merron offers her top tips on how to take action and thrive The impact of the recession has brought a drive from clients to reduce costs, and cut and defer...

PRIVATE VIEW: Olde word charm.
June 11, 2009... The ephemeral nature of the Web, and its focus on technology at the expense of the literary, mean online writing will never win many awards, says Jim Davies I was lucky enough to be judging the Writing for Design category at a creative...

INSPIRED: Brendan Thorpe.
June 11, 2009... Brendan Thorpe Springetts Given the chance to write 200 words or so on what I find inspiring seemed like too good a chance to miss. Then there was the problem - the deadline. It should focus the mind, but did it? Not really. At school...

LETTER: Cooling things down could make London a friendlier capital.(Letter to the editor)
June 11, 2009... London Underground is crying out for air conditioning, and it would be a great opportunity to showcase design ingenuity. The Tube is also such an iconic symbol of London, and this could enhance its status with a unique and artful system....

LETTER: Business-speak isn't just a shallow use of words.(Letter to the editor)
June 11, 2009... The meaningless business-speak John Simmons refers to ('Verbal fuel', DW 21 May) is a source of irritation because of the suspicion that it's used to deliberately mystify the work of managers and mask inaction. Even more uncomfortable is...

LETTER: Packard Bell's initial repositioning makes this reader see red.(Letter to the editor)
June 11, 2009... Where is the value with Packard Bell's new identity (www.designweek.co.uk, 28 May)? Why would any brand want to own the initials 'PB'? They don't suggest Packard Bell, and as a symbol PB is as superficial and redundant as the 'gloss'...

LETTER: This critic just doesn't see it in too-clever wordplay.(Letter to the editor)
June 11, 2009... I read with interest your piece on Brand Catalyst's identity for Keep Britain Tidy (www. designweek.co.uk, 1 June). Peter Shaw is quoted as saying the design makes the brand more flexible, but, try as I may to understand the visual...

VOXPOP: One thing to benefit the capital.
June 11, 2009... The Design Museum's Super Contemporary exhibition focuses on London design. If you could design one thing to benefit the capital, what would it be? A pictogram wayfinding system for the London Underground. This would help tourists to...

PROFILE: Tim Molloy.
June 11, 2009... In his long career at the Science Museum, Tim Molloy has used his position as design client to change perceptions and champion rising stars. Lynda Relph-Knight talks to this maverick 'dealer in abstractions' about his plans Tim Molloy has...

GRAPHIC DESIGN: Figuring it out.
June 11, 2009... One of the few sectors that is proving immune to the recession is annual reports, but that doesn't mean clients or consultancies are playing it safe. Anna Richardson talks to four groups about the latest developments Creating an annual...

HOTELS: Inn vogue.
June 11, 2009... Subtlety and understated luxury are the order of the day in the latest round of upmarket hotel launches. Trish Lorenz checks into three new five-star destinations to see how they are using design to differentiate themselves in a challenging...

BUSINESS INSIGHT: How to gain some weight.
June 11, 2009... Designers are missing a trick with client relationships - adopting the harder-nosed approach of ad agencies could reap long-term benefits, says Shan Preddy Advertising agencies, PR companies and management consultants work on long-term...

REVIEW: Omega bunch.
June 11, 2009... By Anna Richardson In the era of the design superstar and big-name design collaborations, revisiting the Omega Workshops of almost a century ago offers an intriguing glimpse into an alternative working process. Beyond Bloomsbury: Designs...

AIG pedestrian map for Leeds will inform wayfinding strategy.
June 18, 2009... Applied Information Group has designed a map to encourage walking in the city of Leeds which will inform a strategy to overhaul wayfinding in the city. The map, which helps walkers navigate cultural, retail and culinary landmarks, was...

David Collins creates interiors for South African wine estate.
June 18, 2009... David Collins Studio has created interiors for a South African winery and restaurant overlooking the mountains towards Cape Town. The Delaire Graff Estate, which is located just outside Stellenbosch, appointed designer and architect...

True North creates promotional material.(Brief article)
June 18, 2009... True North has created the promotional materials for the National Portrait Gallery's Gay Icons exhibition, which opens on 2 July. The NPG asked ten prominent members of the gay community to pick their personal icons for the exhibition. True...

Moving Brands wins Nesta brief.
June 18, 2009... Moving Brands has won a competitive strategic and creative pitch to brand the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts. The consultancy has been briefed to create a brand narrative, identity and communications plan based...

Coin designer Dent celebrates surprise Black Pencil win at D&AD Awards.
June 18, 2009... Graphic designer Matt Dent, who picked up a Yellow and a Black Pencil at this year's D&AD Awards for his reverse designs for UK coins, says he 'hadn't expect to win anything'. This is the first time a Black Pencil has been awarded in the...

Wire Sky designs annual review for Simply Health.
June 18, 2009... Bristol-based consultancy Wire Sky has designed the annual review for healthcare organisation Simply Health, which is being sent out to all its members ahead of an annual general meeting this week. This is the fourth annual report the...

MLB and 9web develop brand for online start-up Sideways News.
June 18, 2009... Online publishing start-up Sideways News launches this week with an identity and branding created by Mark Lawson Bell and a website delivered by 9web. The news digest site, which the founders intend as an antidote to negative reporting...

Randak creates series of documents for Forrestry Commission.(Brief article)
June 18, 2009... Glasgow-based Randak has created a series of documents for each of the Forestry Commission Scotland's ten regions. The consultancy designed the documents to reflect the landscape, topography, wildlife and the part played by the commission in...

O'Dowd reprises North East role at Dott Cornwall.(Designs of the Time 2007)
June 18, 2009... Robert O'Dowd, executive producer of Designs of the Time 2007, has been appointed executive director Dott Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. O'Dowd, who has been acting as a consultant for Dott Cornwall, says he will have the same role he...

Knutt to head up Somerset Design Enterprise Network.
June 18, 2009... The Somerset Design Enterprise Network has appointed Andrew Knutt as chairman, as it relaunches and restructures its management. Knutt, director of Taunton-based consultancy ADK and previously vice- chairman of the network, is also a...

Installations and photography on the bill at Big Chill festival.
June 18, 2009... The organisers of this year's Big Chill festival have commissioned installations and photography to appear at this year's event. Installation specialists Henry Krokatsis and Claire Morgan and photographer Rankin are among those working on...

Warp Records releasing boxed set of music and art.
June 18, 2009... Warp Records is releasing a boxed set of music and art to celebrate the label's 20th anniversary. Designed by Yes, the set includes a 192-page book showcasing Warp's design history, featuring more than 400 album sleeves by designers...

COMMENT: The culture of mentors adds heritage to a young industry.(Viewpoint essay)
June 18, 2009... There was a poignancy at last week's D&AD Awards when Garrick Hamm bestowed his President's Award on his one-time employer Michael Peters. Peters, mentor to so many, richly deserves the honour, which made it particularly sad that illness...

Met Studio designs show for National Army Museum.
June 18, 2009... Met Studio Design has created and branded a new exhibition, Conflicts of Interest, which will open at the National Army Museum in London in September. Appointed in February following a competitive pitch against at least four other...

LFH distils new packaging for Lithuanian Vodka drinks.
June 18, 2009... LFH has redesigned the packaging for Lithuanian Vodka's full range of drinks to broaden their appeal. The packaging design consultancy has been working with brand owner Stumbras for around 18 months, according to LFH creative director...

Defra sustainable pack report dodges regulatory question.
June 18, 2009... The Government raises the profile of sustainable packaging design, but stops short of supporting the introduction of mandatory regulations in its long-awaited eco-design review, Making the Most of Packaging: A Strategy for a Low-carbon...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Shiro Kuramata furniture collection.
June 18, 2009... A furniture collection by Japanese designer Shiro Kuramata, reissued by Living Divani, is to be shown for the first time in the UK at Ferrious' showroom in Manchester from 9-16 July. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

NEWS IN PICTURES: The Breastfeeding Chair book.
June 18, 2009... Shape Studio has designed The Breastfeeding Chair book, a record of the work of breastfeeding chair designer Dr Lynn Jones from the School of Design and Craft at Buckinghamshire New University, in celebration of ten years of the project. ...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Shisha book.
June 18, 2009... Reform Creative has designed a book for Shisha, the international agency for contemporary south Asian crafts and visual arts, to celebrate the Asia Triennial Manchester 2008 festival. Published today, it epitomises contemporary Asia without...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Works by Maxwell Paternoster.
June 18, 2009... Works by illustrator Maxwell Paternoster will be on show in an exhibition titled The 1974 Yearbook of Science and the Future: Chapter 6 - Waste [draft] at Gallery Seven, Earlham Street, London WC2, from tomorrow. Copyright: Centaur...

NEWS IN PICTURES: 30m-long retain wall.(Brief article)
June 18, 2009... Walter Jack Studio is to create a 30m-long retaining wall in 'crumpled' concrete, formed by casting the material against a crumpled rubber sheet, for the Heartlands development in Cornwall. The work is set to go on site in the autumn, and...

ANALYSIS: Seaside outlook starts to dim.
June 18, 2009... The regeneration of Weymouth's seafront has been scuppered by the withdrawal of RDA funding. Angus Montgomery reports on the fallout The South West Regional Development Agency's decision to pull #6.6m of funding for the regeneration of...

PRIVATE VIEW: Not quite human.
June 18, 2009... As the new Terminator movie hits our cinema screens, Hugh Pearman delves into the fictional history of the robot and the challenges of getting one to work We are told that the person who invented the word 'robot' was Czech playwright...

INSPIRED: Jo Kotas.(Viewpoint essay)
June 18, 2009... Jo Kotas Bunch The recession. I'm beginning to think it's not all bad. People have started talking to each other. And it's not just storytelling or entertaining, it's genuine conversation. We want to know how others are surviving and...

LETTER: Why 15% off isn't good enough for the environment.(Letter to the editor)
June 18, 2009... It is fantastic to see that companies are looking to reduce their impact on the environment ('Sony Ericsson releases "Green" mobile phones', www.designweek.co.uk, 5 June). However, in my view a 15 per cent reduction in carbon footprint...

LETTER: Reviving old brands is a poor ad for creativity.(Letter to the editor)
June 18, 2009... Isn't the whole idea of reviving old marques - in effect simply a repurposing of old stock (News Analysis, DW 4 June) - further proof of a lack of creativity in business generally? Hollywood is desperately churning out re-imaginings like...

LETTER: Suggestions for a more magical, literate London.(Letter to the editor)
June 18, 2009... Your recent Voxpop (DW 11 June) posed the question, 'If you could design one thing to benefit the capital, what would it be?' London needs a floating desert island to drift down the River Thames, stopping at random, unexpected locations....

VOXPOP: What issue would you put at top of Lord Mandelson's agenda?(Viewpoint essay)
June 18, 2009... What one issue would you put at the top of Lord Mandelson's agenda as he takes charge of the new Department for Business, Innovation and Skills? There are many things that Lord Mandelson could do, but nothing would have more effect than...

PROFILE: Javier Mariscal.
June 18, 2009... With a film in production and a London retrospective, Javier Mariscal is set to become a household name. The man who helped put Barcelona on the design map reveals his low-tech working methods to Clare Dowdy He may be less well known...

EXPERIENTIAL DESIGN: Magic shows.
June 18, 2009... The experiential sector is slowly moving away from the experimental, with digital installations shedding connotations of performance art to address more permanent challenges. Clare Dowdy reports That hybrid discipline, the digital...

STATE DESIGN: An epic tale.
June 18, 2009... Staging theatrical versions of famous films may be nothing new, but Ben- Hur, with its live 16-horse chariot race, is something special. Nick Smurthwaite talks to the designer of the show Even after half a century, the punishing...

BUSINESS INSIGHT: New blood is our best hope.
June 18, 2009... Ringfence your bursaries - we need to invest heavily in fostering young talent if our industry is not to suffer in the future, argues Glenn Tutssel The foundation course in UK art colleges is the rock our creative talent is built on. The...

REVIEW: Lush radicalism.(Brief article)
June 18, 2009... A reconstructed 6m-high tree, a version of Richard Buckminster Fuller's utopian geodesic domes and an in-house farm of fruit and vegetables are just some of the surreally assembled works in a new Barbican Art Gallery exhibition in London....

Slice Design makes Cadbury look back to a sweeter time.
June 25, 2009... The consultancy says it was appointed to the project last spring, following a credentials pitch involving two other design groups. Cadbury briefed Slice to find a way of communicating clearly to consumers what its internal marketing team...

Hidden Art prepares tender for 2012 Olympic Games giftware.
June 25, 2009... The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games is set to release a tender for giftware for the 2012 games. The tender, which is due out in the next two months, will sit alongside other licenced merchandise opportunities currently...

Sir George Cox launches new book.
June 25, 2009... Sir George Cox has launched a new book by campaigning group Design Leicestershire, featuring more than 200 designers and consultancies. The Design Leicestershire directory is part of a #260 000 public-funded drive to raise awareness of the...

ASHA works on Estonia brand guide.
June 25, 2009... Arthur Steen Horne Adamson has created new brand guidelines for Estonia, which will inform the Baltic state's inward-facing brand identity. The consultancy was appointed to the work by Estonian enterprise agency EAS following a pitch last...

Urban Salon clinches deal for Southampton Titanic show.
June 25, 2009... Southampton City Council is in the process of appointing Urban Salon to design a permanent exhibition about the Titanic, which set sail from the city's port nearly 100 years ago. The exhibition will constitute phase one of a new #28m...

Stephen Bayley's latest book.
June 25, 2009... Design critic Stephen Bayley's latest book, Woman as Design, attempts to answer the hypothetical question, 'If woman had been designed, what was the brief?'. The book was designed by publishing house Conran Octopus' art director Jonathan...