Design Week articles from May 2007

Design Week archives from May 2007

Turner Prize heads north with True North.
May 3, 2007... The Turner Prize is poised to launch a visual identity by Manchester- based consultancy True North, as the Tate-backed arts prize travels outside of London for the first time. Tate Liverpool's Turner Prize 2007, which aims to be a...

Designs for 2007 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion.(Brief article)
May 3, 2007... Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson and Norwegian architect Kjetil Thorsen have unveiled designs for the 2007 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion. The timber-clad structure resembles a spinning top and brings a new vertical dimension to the...

GP Studio wins Harvey Nichols brief.(Brief article)
May 3, 2007... Upmarket department store group Harvey Nichols is set to expand its Birmingham store, creating a retail space of more than 2000m2, and has appointed retail store consultancy GP Studio to the project. GP Studio has been handed a brief to...

Somerset House finds 'unified voice' with Neville Brody identity.
May 3, 2007... London arts venue Somerset House is set to reinvent itself later this week with a 'unified' umbrella identity by Neville Brody's Research Studios. Gwyn Miles, director of Somerset House Trust, appointed Brody's design group last summer...

Background to delays on The Public arts centre revealed.(The Public Gallery Limited)
May 3, 2007... The Public Gallery Limited, the company set up to deliver the artistic and cultural elements of West Bromwich arts centre The Public, has for the first time talked about the design and content of the space since work on the project ground to...

Transplastic exhibition.
May 3, 2007... The Campana brothers will show a series of singleand multi-seat chairs, lamps, and 'illuminated meteors' made from various plastics and apui, a traditional Brazilian fibre that is extracted by hand from the trees on which it grows and...

Design Museum to host Barnbrook show.
May 3, 2007... Graphic designer Jonathan Barnbook, renowned for his experimental typefaces and political projects, is to unveil the first UK exhibition of his work at the Design Museum in June. The Friendly Fire exhibition, designed by Barnbrook and his...

The Lovebytes Festival of Digital Art.
May 3, 2007... The Lovebytes Festival of Digital Art in Sheffield is revealing furry monster idents for the 2007 event, designed by Universal Everything. Consultancy director Matt Pyke wanted to highlight the festival's theme of 'process' with a...

St Martins opens #1.8m Design Lab innovation centre.(Central St. Martin's College of Art and Design)
May 3, 2007... Central St Martins College of Art and Design has unveiled plans to extend its Design Laboratory, with the opening of a #1.8m innovation centre on the site of the former car park at its Southampton Row campus in London. Designed by...

Sprout and PLI go Green with Playstation chair.(Sony Computer Entertainment Europe to make use of discarded playstation consoles)(Brief article)
May 3, 2007... Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has come up with an inventive way to reuse discarded Playstation consoles, as a result of collaboration with furniture manufacturer PLI Design and sustainable consultancy Sprout Design. A stackable...

Enterprise IG growth bankrolls five senior posts.(Andre Message appointed as freelance creative director)(Adrian McKay appointed as design directors)(Susanne Ballhausen appointed as art director)(Brief article)
May 3, 2007... Enterprise IG is experiencing robust business growth from a 'very buoyant market', resulting in the announcement of five director-level appointments within its UK design and production teams. According to UK chief executive John Mathers,...

Innovative bathroom designs.(Ideal-Standard Ltd.)(Brief article)
May 3, 2007... Bath and kitchen company Ideal Standard has been previewing a range of innovative bathroom designs by in-house designer Marc Sadler. These include the Soft Bath, made from a new material which retains heat, and WWW, a luxury hydro-massage...

IN BRIEF: Children's Society.
May 3, 2007... The Children's Society is set to launch sponsored walking event Footsteps for Childhood on 18 May, with a logo devised by Bulletproof Design. The charity works with more than 50 000 underprivileged children in the UK. Copyright: Centaur...

IN BRIEF: Edward Barber exhibition.(photographic art exhibition)(Brief article)
May 3, 2007... Photographic artist Edward Barber is set to unveil his latest exhibition, Visual Athletics Club, this Friday, with branding and promotional material by Sampson May. The exhibition will run from 5-25 May at The Horse Hospital, Colonnade, London...

IN BRIEF: Sunday Times Rich List.(James Dyson and Lord Foster, architects ranked )(Brief article)
May 3, 2007... Inventor Sir James Dyson ranks number 59 in the Sunday Times Rich List, with an estimated fortune of #1.08bn, moving down 11 places from last year. Lord Foster, founder architect at Foster & Partners, appears as a new entry, ranked 249th,...

IN BRIEF: Entries for Olive awards.
May 3, 2007... The Association of Publishing Agencies is calling for entries for its newly created Olive awards, which showcase the best in customer magazine creativity and design. The awards will include categories for best cover, illustration, typography...

IN BRIEF: Japanese restaurant.(Cha Cha No Hana)(Brief article)
May 3, 2007... Architect Kengo Kuma continues to lead the design work on Alan Yau's forthcoming Japanese restaurant Cha Cha No Hana (DW 26 April). The company explains that Kengo Kuma has not been replaced by the architect Denton Corker Marshall, but that...

COMMENT: There's no need to fear the democratisation of design.
May 3, 2007... Since calligraphers winced at the impact the printing press might have on their trade, generations of designers have been cowed by a technological development. In the early 1990s, the Apple Macintosh was perceived as a threat in most...

Architect called in to build Visa 'virtual' HQ.(Visa Europe)(Clusta)(Brief article)
May 3, 2007... Visa Europe, one of the latest brand owners to commission premises in the fast-growing, Web-based 'virtual' world Second Life, is using a 'real life' architect to work on the designs. Rambir Lal, a consultant architect with Web and 3D...

Parker Williams reworks packaging for Gaymer ciders.(Brief article)
May 3, 2007... The Gaymer Cider Company is set to unveil a packaging redesign for its Olde English and Gaymers Original cider brands, created by consultancy Parker Williams. The Olde English packaging redesign launches this week on bottles and cans,...

Skills development plan now ready for implementation.
May 3, 2007... By Mike Exon It was an important moment for design last Wednesday, though it may have slipped by unnoticed in the outside world. At Westminster, MP Barry Sheerman stood up bright and early in a packed committee room to announce his Early...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Den Cops launching first UK solo exhibition.(Phantasmagorics Photographs)(Brief article)
May 3, 2007... Graphic designer and photographer Den Cops is launching his first UK solo exhibition, Phantasmagorics Photographs. It opens at the SS Robin Gallery in London on 29 May and runs until 4 June. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Rising Stars.(Brief article)
May 3, 2007... Rising Stars brings together a host of up-and-coming designer-makers working in silversmithing and jewellery for a selling exhibition. Guest- curated by curator and journalist Janice Blackburn, the show opens at Goldsmiths Hall in London EC2...

NEWS IN PICTURES: India Now season.(Unreal)(Brief article)
May 3, 2007... A poster and collateral set for the Mayor of London's India Now season has been designed by Unreal. The three-month season starting in July will centre on London's interaction with India, and will include activities and festivals across the...

NEWS IN PICTURES: The Mobi designs.(Brief article)
May 3, 2007... Fashion brand Cosatto has designed The Mobi, a range of baby systems to include pushchairs, strollers, cots and furniture. It has been designed by creative director Vicky Morley and senior product designer Laura Slattery. Copyright:...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Conceptual Paper exhibition.
May 3, 2007... Artist Vito Acconci is pictured on the invitation for the Conceptual Paper exhibition, the result of a collaboration between artist Kenny Schachter and Arndt & Partner, showing at Arndt & Partner Zurich between 27 April and 3 June. ...

ANALYSIS: A rocky road to market.
May 3, 2007... Designers must invest in intellectual property if they want to retain control of their ideas and see them through to production, argues Gina Lovett Last month's report by the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts...

PRIVATE VIEW: Motorway musings.
May 3, 2007... Wordless instructions can have a beauty all their own - especially when they work as well as our road signs. But beware of sloppy coding, says Scott Billings Many hours of my recent weeks have been spent in a car, languishing somewhere...

INSPIRED: Aziz Cami The Partners.(Brief article)
May 3, 2007... There have been many important influences in my career, including the seminal National Theatre posters of the late 1960s created by my first employer Ken Briggs and the astonishing - and seemingly endless - stream of big ideas from Minale...

LETTER: Radio interviews can be turned to your advantage.(Letter to the editor)
May 3, 2007... In Hugh Pearman's excellent Private View on radio (DW 12 April), the imaginary researcher was said to have asked, 'Can't you give up your afternoon to get down there for a 45-second interview for which we shall pay you something insultingly...

VOXPOP: How significant is Imagination's decision?(Discussion)
May 3, 2007... How significant is Imagination's decision to become the first design group to join advertising trade association the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising? It makes sense for Imagination to be a member of the IPA and benefit from its...

LETTER: Carbon Trust scheme has incentives for reduction.(Letter to the editor)
May 3, 2007... Regarding the Carbon Trust's carbon reduction label (DW 29 March), I would like to clarify a couple of points. We believe this label to be the first of its kind. The scheme is intended to drive companies to invest in lowering the carbon...

LETTER: Guidelines are just for guidance - give creativity a chance.(Letter to the editor)
May 3, 2007... It's everywhere, it's alive and it's kicking. The Pacman of the design world - corporate guidelines - continue to gobble up creative design and innovation at every opportunity. To the purist, corporate guidelines are a necessary standard...

PROFILE: Johanna Basford.(Interview)
May 3, 2007... Working from a fish farm in Aberdeenshire, Johanna Basford designs textiles and wallpapers for companies such as Heal's, exploring botanical motifs, insects and evolution. Fiona Nicolson speaks to her It's less than two years since she...

PLASTICS: A flexible friend.
May 3, 2007... A chemist invented the first plastic in 1907 and the material has been in and out of fashion ever since, but Clare Dowdy finds it still very much in demand, for everything from food packaging to recyclable chairs Mr McGuire: 'I just want...

JAPAN: Hot chocolate.
May 3, 2007... The first design museum in the Japanese capital is opening with an event called Chocolate, but there are no Mars bars in sight. Richard Clayton nevertheless develops a taste for this mouth-watering exhibition and its host venue You don't...

LARGE-SCALE GRAPHICS: Super size me.(posters in cityscapes)
May 3, 2007... Giant graphics, such as billboards and pavement-embedded messages so large you have to stand back to take them all in, cannot fail to impress through their sheer scale. Quentin Newark argues that big writing in the public domain can only...

BUSINESS INSIGHT: Qatar cries out for good design.
May 3, 2007... The big media companies are there already, and designers should follow suit, given Qatar's growing need for creative and branding skills, argues Anthony Ryman 'Go East young man' might once have been the advice given if you wanted to...

Looking back.(exhibition of various arts)(Brief article)
May 3, 2007... by Richard Clayton Some things we just can't get out of our heads. Like pop tunes, objects often trigger memories of times and places. Artefacts of an era, personal or cultural, become loaded with significance. It's a pretty esoteric...

Walker Jansseune in city academy push.(Brief article)
May 10, 2007... City Academy Bristol, one of the 40 UK institutions set up under the Government's city academies initiative, today launches a branding scheme to help raise the profile of vocational education at a national level. The scheme, devised by...

Tanner Krolle website.(Brief article)
May 10, 2007... Red Design has created a new website for Britain's oldest luxury leather goods company, Tanner Krolle. The consultancy, which made its name creating award-winning designs for the music industry, has also secured Tanner Krolle's advertising...

Fredrikson Stallard to open show.(exhibiting furniture collections)(Brief article)
May 10, 2007... Furniture design group Fredrikson Stallard is to unveil its furniture exhibition tomorrow with a collection created from unusual choices of materials, including chairs made from urethane with liquid-like wraps of polished stainless steel....

Surge in demand to buy digital shops sees valuations hit new highs.
May 10, 2007... A recent surge in demand for the acquisition of interactive and digital media groups has pushed valuations for independent digital groups to new highs. According to industry matchmakers and professional services consultants close to the...

London Casinos bets on Vegas style for Leicester Sq.(London Casinos International)(My Agency)
May 10, 2007... The forthcoming The Casino at the Empire in London's Leicester Square is set to bring a little bit of Las Vegas to London when it opens at the end of this month. Designed by architect Burrows Cave, the casino features interiors by US...

The Other 'Arf. By Lee Stewart.
May 10, 2007... The Other 'Arf by Lee Stewart will feature at the fourth annual exhibition by Metropolitan Works, a manufacturing and digital technology centre that is part of London Metropolitan University. The show, which will include contemporary...

Land Securities gets arty with Futurecity.(Futurecity Arts)(Hat Trick)
May 10, 2007... National property developer Land Securities is expected to unveil a series of artworks in November, as part of its strategy to use public art to brand its 400ha mixed-use development in Ebbsfleet Valley, Kent. Based on the branding created...

Cartier Award for emerging artists.(Frieze Projects)(Frieze Art Fair)(Brief article)
May 10, 2007... Pictured is a still from A Brief History of Jimmie Johnson's Legacy, by Mexican artist Mario Garcia Torres. He has been named as this year's recipient of the Cartier Award for emerging artists for his body of work spanning film, photography...

Kinnersley Kent designs Fortnum & Mason Japan stores.(Fortnum & Mason PLC)
May 10, 2007... Luxury retailer Fortnum & Mason has unveiled two new stores in Japan, with interior concepts by Kinnersley Kent Design that seek to position the retailer in a traditional and classically English vein. The concept is part of Fortnum and...

UHI status upgrade leads to identity work.(UHI Millennium Institute)(Brief article)
May 10, 2007... Inverness-based UHI Millennium Institute, the higher education institution for the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, is set to develop a fresh brand identity when it becomes the University for the Highlands and Islands. Last month, UHI...

Marmalade confusion ends up in The Yard.(Marmalade Design Studios)(Brief article)
May 10, 2007... Steve Royle, former Astound associate director, has changed the name of his startup consultancy from Marmalade Design Studios to The Yard because of legal reasons. The name change follows the discovery of another creative group with a...

A ring that leaves an impression in the skin.(Charming Disaster)(Brief article)
May 10, 2007... A ring that leaves an impression in the skin, by Jule Jenckel, is one of the projects on show at Charming Disaster, a one-night-only exhibition of experimental product design. Organised by the Royal College of Art, the event, on 11 May, will...

IN BRIEF: Medical Protection Society new identity.(Brief article)
May 10, 2007... Insurance group The Medical Protection Society has revealed a refreshed identity, designed by branding consultancy FHD. It is hoping to project a more contemporary image with the new look, which will be applied to its website, promotional...

IN BRIEF: Manhattan Loft Corporation appointment.(Martyn Bowes appointed)(Brief article)
May 10, 2007... Manhattan Loft Corporation has appointed Martyn Bowes as managing director, replacing Angus Boag. Bowes was previously managing director of Barclays Capital. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

IN BRIEF: 300million designs hardback brochure.(Brief article)
May 10, 2007... 300million has designed a hardback brochure, a series of illustrations and a branded environment for New York film studio The Weinstein Company's headquarters at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and...

IN BRIEF: Monkey Puzzle Pavilion unveiled.(Brief article)
May 10, 2007... The Monkey Puzzle Pavilion in Aberdeen, a temporary space designed by architect Jonathan Woolf for the Six Cities Design Festival, was unveiled this week. The pavilion, made of wood and offering a range of spaces, will sit in the city's main...

IN BRIEF: Rushes website.(www.rushes.co.uk)(Brief article)
May 10, 2007... Mind Corporation has designed a new website for post-production company Rushes. The website, www.rushes.co.uk, now includes extra sections, movie clips, multiple images, articles and news tickers. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd....

CORRECTION: Central St Martins College of Art and design grant.(Correction notice)
May 10, 2007... Central St Martins College of Art and Design received a #1.8m grant, not a #1.8bn grant, from the London Development Agency to fund its new innovation centre (DW 3 May). Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

COMMENT: Everybody stands to gain from initiatives in schools.(Young Design Programme)(Sorrell Foundation)
May 10, 2007... It is great that the Sorrell Foundation is expanding the Young Design Programme education initiative to include design colleges in Leeds and Falmouth. The 'kebab stick' approach of introducing college students into the pilot of the...

Digital body announces Webby prize winners.(Brief article)
May 10, 2007... The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, organiser of the annual Webby Awards, has released advanced details of this year's winners to be honoured at a ceremony due to take place in New York on 5 June. The BBC picks up an...

Pentagram SF partner fires off Ammunition breakaway.(Pentagram Design San Francisco design development consultancy)(Robert Brunner forms )(Brief article)
May 10, 2007... Pentagram Design San Francisco partner Robert Brunner, who is leaving the consultancy this summer, is to set up a product design and development consultancy called Ammunition. Based in San Francisco and Padova in Italy, Brunner will bring...

Shop show points to bright future for retail in the capital.
May 10, 2007... By Sarah Woods The growth in on-line shopping and the move towards specialist stores is changing the face of retail in London, with a knock-on effect for high street retailers and interior design consultancies. Therefore, an...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Shetland Museum exhibition.(Brief article)
May 10, 2007... The Shetland Museum and Archives at Hay's Dock will reopen its doors to the public on 2 June. The exhibition space is designed by Griff Boyle Design Management and Janvs Design Group. The new structure, which is built alongside a restored...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Taken by Storm.(Brief article)
May 10, 2007... Taken by Storm, launched last week, is based on the work of UK graphic designer Storm Thorgerson. The book, published by Omnibus Press, includes seminal album covers like Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon and Audioslave. Copyright:...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Sculptural garden to be unveiled.(Chelsea Flower Show )(Brief article)
May 10, 2007... Cancer Research UK will unveil a sculptural garden designed by Andy Sturgeon at the Chelsea Flower Show on 22 May to raise awareness for its 'Together we will beat cancer' campaign. Roc Design has created the logo. Copyright: Centaur...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Daniel Buren solo exhibition.
May 10, 2007... French installation artist Daniel Buren holds his first solo exhibition in London since 1987 at the Lisson Gallery, London NW1 from 18 May to 23 June. For this exhibition, he will create site-specific work that explores the role of the...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Jacob Covey design.
May 10, 2007... Fatntagraphics Books art director Jacob Covey has designed the illustrated catalogue for arts and comics show Cult Fiction, opening at the New Art Gallery, Walsall this week. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

NEWS IN PICTURES: Creative 8 exhibition.
May 10, 2007... Creative 8 is an exhibition of London designer Linda Florence's latest collection. Florence creates bespoke wallpaper for commercial and domestic interiors. It closes on 26 May. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

NEWS IN PICTURES: Rob Andrews design.(Brief article)
May 10, 2007... The Bard & Co: Shakespeare's Role in Modern Business, designed by Rob Andrews of R&D&Co. The book, published by Cyan Books, is the work of business writing collective 26 project, edited by Jim Davies, John Simmons and Rob Williams. It...

ANALYSIS: The pressure to conform.
May 10, 2007... Supermarket buying power and an obsession with bestsellers are having a negative effect on creativity in book-jacket design, says Trish Lorenz Books have for many years offered designers a highly creative outlet. Given the opportunity to...

PRIVATE VIEW: Facing up to fame.
May 10, 2007... Typography is fashionable, with articles in Vogue and a film dedicated to Helvetica. Adrian Shaughnessy welcomes these tributes to the value of graphic design A film about a typeface? Shurely shome mishtake? No, it really does exist....

INSPIRED: Paul Davis Agenda Design.
May 10, 2007... Inspiration sometimes bursts through the front door, trumpeting its arrival and delivering with a great flourish - you can be left in no doubt that you've just been inspired. Places, people or works of art often do this, changing the way you...

LETTER: An ace cafe, with quite a rubbish bank attached.(Letter to the editor)
May 10, 2007... What a fantastic idea - coffee shops in high street banks (DW 15 March). However, it would be nice to think Abbey and its high street rivals could get some of the basics right first. Aside from the fact that transferring my account to Abbey...

Voxpop: What do you think is Labour's legacy for design?
May 10, 2007... Last week marked the tenth anniversary of the Labour Party coming to power. As the media looks back on its decade in power, what do you think is Labour's legacy for design? From the start, Labour embraced the idea that design makes...

LETTER: A moving story with a creative happy ending.(Letter to the editor)
May 10, 2007... I was pleased to read your feature Space exploration (DW 19 April), after starting this same journey ourselves. Having acquired another company at the beginning of the year, we're forced to look for larger premises that will allow all 62 of us...

LETTER: Clients must help in spreading climate change awareness.(Letter to the editor)
May 10, 2007... With regard to Corinne Hitching's letter on climate change (DW 26 April), I agree with her argument - as designers, we are responsible for every element of a piece of packaging, or for the product itself. We decide on the size, shape,...

PROFILE: Feast.(Company overview)
May 10, 2007... In business for barely ten years, Feast is now a major player in theatre graphics, with clients such as the Royal Court and The Ambassador Group. Nick Smurthwaite talks to the studio's founder, Simon Williams In his determination to...

COMICS: Toon toon.(See New Worlds)(Six Cities Design Festival )
May 10, 2007... Over the past century, Dundee has played host to the creators of The Dandy, The Beano and Grand Theft Auto. Fiona Sibley welcomes a new, special-edition comic and exhibition which celebrate the city's animation heritage A trinity of...

ON-LINE GALLERIES: Art on tap.
May 10, 2007... The democratising nature of the Web has generated a demand for graphic art that traditional galleries cannot meet. Liz Farrelly picks some of the enterprising on-line dealers who are rising to this challenge It's undeniable that Internet...

DESIGN PRIMA: Primary appeal.(Brief article)
May 10, 2007... In search of that cutting-edge sofa or some retro-inspired ergonomic chairs for the office? Design Week offers a sneak preview of what to look out for this year at London's office interiors show, Design Prima Design Prima opens next week...

INTERIORS: Office affairs.
May 10, 2007... Public sector bodies are opening up their drab workplaces, increasing sustainability and staff motivation in the process, with smaller budgets than the private sector. Pamela Buxton looks at some successes, but finds there's still a long way...

PACKAGING & BRANDING: Branded packaging: an overview.
May 10, 2007... By Jonathan Ford The 2007 Design Week jury couldn't give an award for own-brand packaging, and at the Design Business Association's Design Effectiveness Awards, the Grand Prix went to one of the most questionable-looking pack designs ever....

PACKAGING & BRANDING - PACKAGING CONCEPTS: Getting it right.
May 10, 2007... Manufacturers and designers have teamed up to produce new concepts for existing packaging technologies for an exhibition centrepiece at the Packaging Innovation Show. Design Week previews the results of the collaborations The brief ...

PACKAGING & BRANDING - SUSTAINABILITY: Eco bottles.
May 10, 2007... The design industry is in a great position to lead the way and make a real impact on the amount of waste produced in Britain. Eleanor Sharman takes stock of the latest initiatives on the sustainable packaging front In the UK, 30 million...

PACKAGING & BRANDING: Guide To Sustainable Packaging.(Brief article)
May 10, 2007... Glass Wrap estimates that 150 000 tonnes of glass could be saved each year if the food and drinks industry reduced the average container weight by just 10 per cent. Working through Wrap's Container Lite project, Grolsch's reinvented beer...