Design Week articles from May 2008

Design Week archives from May 2008

Consultancy man takes top European role at Coca-Cola.
May 1, 2008... Coca-Cola has appointed a new director of creative development for Europe, a move that is expected to kickstart the review process for its delayed design and branding roster overhaul. Coley Porter Bell client services director Guy Duncan...

Naming brief for Design Skills Alliance set to go out to tender.(Design Council )(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... A design consultancy is shortly to be appointed to create the name and branding for the Design Council-backed design skills initiative. This week saw the first practical step towards developing the UK Design Skills Alliance. The Design...

Marcel Wanders collaborates with Graham & Brown.(Graham & Brown )(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Dutch designer Marcel Wanders has collaborated for the first time with wallpaper company Graham & Brown to create a collection of eight wallpaper designs. Each pattern in the Couture range is named after a 'glamorous woman or man' and depicts...

Designers back Grange 'call to arms'.(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Kenneth Grange's call for designers to stand up for better-quality work has prompted a groundswell of support. Last week, the Pentagram founder and former partner called for British designers to make a stand and fight for the issues they...

V&A plans for Universal Design Studio's Cold War Modern exhibition.(Cold War Modern design show)
May 1, 2008... The Victoria & Albert Museum in London has unveiled the first details of its #750 000 Cold War Modern design show later this year. It will be created by Universal Design Studio. The V&A appointed Universal Design Studio following a paid...

New contemporary arts centre in Milan.(Prada Foundation)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Office for Metropolitan Architecture and Rem Koolhaas are designing the Prada Foundation's new contemporary arts centre in Milan, Italy. The plans reveal a vast, 17 500m2 industrial site, to be transformed into a cinema, auditorium, museum...

Camouflage nets Fornarina 'rock-chick chic' retail interiors brief.(Fornari)
May 1, 2008... Fornarina, the women's casual-wear brand owned by Italy-based Fornari, is understood to be on the verge of a major global expansion bid which will see it diverge radically from its current interior design concept. It has appointed...

Pennine Lancashire identity.
May 1, 2008... The identity for Pennine Lancashire - a brand aimed at promoting the natural beauty and tourism potential of the region - has been created by Creative Concern, in conjunction with graphic design luminary Peter Saville. The project was...

Russell Sage to create #4m hotel for Gordon Ramsay.
May 1, 2008... Gordon Ramsay Holdings has revealed the design details of its first foray into the boutique hotel market exclusively to Design Week. The interiors of the #4m York & Albany development, based at London's Regents Park, are being designed by...

Kings Place opens with branding by Spring House.(Spring House Design contracts with Together Design and Trickett Associates. )(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... The ambitious Kings Place development in London's King's Cross opens this week, with signage by London consultancy Together Design and Trickett Associates, and branding created by Spring House Design. It will be home to tenants including...

Bologna gets airport revamp from Portland.(Bologna Marconi Airport)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Portland Design is overseeing a major redesign of the retail space at Italy's Bologna Marconi Airport, in a bid to maximise revenue from the terminal's land-side commercial activity. The airport is aiming to expand, increasing capacity...

Shock absorbing ballet pointe shoes developed.(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Materials innovation group and design consultancy D30 has developed a shock-absorbing ballet pointe shoe, in conjunction with dance specialist Capulet. According to D30, the Capulet Juliet is lined with material containing 'intelligent'...

COMMENT: Design champion Peta Levi will be very sorely missed.
May 1, 2008... It is with great sadness that we pay tribute to Peta Levi, the ceaseless fighter for design who lost her own battle against illness last week (see www.designweek.co.uk 28 April). The founder of London's annual graduate show New Designers,...

Meta builds on Milan debut with plans for new line-up.(Mallett Antiques)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Start-up product and furniture brand Meta is signing up new collaborators for 2009, following its launch at Milan last month. Meta, the 'contemporary' offshoot of Mallett Antiques, has already contracted an entirely new line-up of...

Radley Yeldar design opens up whole new world for Pearson.(Media group Pearson has launched a virtual world designed by Radley Yeldar)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Media group Pearson has launched a virtual world designed by Radley Yeldar. Taking its inspiration from networking environments such as Second Life, Active Worlds and Kaneva, Pearsonville aims to tell on-line users about Pearson products,...

BBC sanguine on claim that TV news rebrand causes fits.
May 1, 2008... The relaunch of the BBC News branding last week, designed by Lambie- Nairn, was bound to attract some negative comment, as these things always do, but few predicted it would end up with the national press running ill-founded stories about its...

NEWS IN PICTURES: First images of Carnegie Pavilion.(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Will Alsop has unveiled the first images of the new 4000m2 Carnegie Pavilion at Headingley in Leeds, which has this week been granted planning permission. It will replace the Yorkshire County Cricket Club's existing facilities, and the upgraded...

NEWS IN PICTURES: 20 contemporary design luminaries.
May 1, 2008... Designers League, by David Soberoy and Xu Guiyang, showcases the work of 20 contemporary design luminaries. It is published by Southbank Publishing, priced #30. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

NEWS IN PICTURES: Flagship mobile.
May 1, 2008... Samsung's design team has launched the South Korean manufacturer's flagship mobile for the first half of 2008. The Soul is a lightweight slider phone designed for style-conscious, technology savvy users. Copyright: Centaur Communications...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Faith in the City animation.
May 1, 2008... Social innovations design consultancy Bold Creative has crafted an animation, Faith in the City, for local east London youth groups and Tower Hamlets Partnership, to aid social cohesion in the community. Copyright: Centaur Communications...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Blek Le Rat forthcoming book.
May 1, 2008... The work of French graffiti artist Blek Le Rat is celebrated in a forthcoming book, Getting Through Walls, by his wife Sybille Prou and King Adz. It is published by Thames & Hudson, priced #11.95. There is an accompanying exhibition of his...

NEWS IN PICTURES: LX One exhibiton.(Nancy Victor Gallery )(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... The Nancy Victor Gallery in London's Charlotte Street, W1 is exhibiting the first solo show of work by artist and designer LX One. Curated by graffiti artist Remi/Rough, it includes ten pieces of machine-cut photomontaged letter shapes. When...

ANALYSIS: The medium is the message.
May 1, 2008... The revolutionary spirit of 1968 won strong graphic expression in the form of posters, but where are today's equivalents? asks Yolanda Zappaterra The idea of political engagement is in sharp focus this week as the UK goes to the polls,...

PRIVATE VIEW: Surrogate statements.(Viewpoint essay)
May 1, 2008... It can be rather too easy to tell a designer by their dress, whether they opt for black or more frivolous attire. David Bernstein on the perils of fashion 'And what do you do?' 'I'm a designer.' 'You look like a designer.' 'Look?'...

INSPIRED: Layton Reid.(Layton Reid Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication)(Viewpoint essay)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Layton Reid Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication Originally, I thought I'd choose something from the all-encompassing Internet and talk about how inclusive it is. Then I remembered what made me believe that there was a place...

LETTER: Two stripes and you're out, or is it three, four, five?(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2008... So, the Adidas trademark ruling triggers warnings over 'lookalike' stripes, does it (News, DW 17 April)? Well, that's just bloody ridiculous. I could have understood the European Court of Justice's ruling if it related to three stripes,...

VOXPOP: Food-labelling debate.(Discussion)
May 1, 2008... The Food Standards Agency is failing to consult designers on a European Commission proposal about food labelling, despite canvassing retailers, manufacturers and the advertising industry. Why is it important for designers to be involved in...

LETTER: Good leaders inspire, the best are inclusive.(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2008... I agree with many of the comments from Roger Hughes (Business Insight, DW 10 April) and Lynda Relph-Knight (Comment, DW 10 April) about the importance of great leadership in design. Anyone who has worked for a 'bad' managing director will...

LETTER: It only makes sense for creatives to take up the reins.(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2008... Roger Hughes claims strong leaders are a must-have in a design consultancy (Business Insight, DW 10 April). I couldn't agree more. In fact, this assertion surely applies to the broader creative and cultural sector too. It's great to hear...

LETTER: Consultation is all well and good, but we are the experts.(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2008... Wonderful piece on co-design (Comment, DW 17 April). We've just lost an account because a client ran our creative past a public focus group, which rejected our concepts. I put it down to the client's lack of vision and a lack of...

PROFILE: Luyanda Mpahlwa.
May 1, 2008... South African architect Luyanda Mpahlwa has devised an ingenious low- cost home to tackle the housing crisis in Cape Town's townships. Sean O'Toole meets a professional who is taking issue with the urban planning scene You don't have to...

MILAN FURNITURE FAIR: Fringe activity.
May 1, 2008... Furniture aficionados made their annual pilgrimage to Italy last month to pay homage to the designs on offer at the Milan furniture fair. Design Week braved the crowds to discover an inspiring mix of work, particularly at the fringe events...

TABLOIDS: Stop press.
May 1, 2008... Hold the front page! The red tops are undergoing redesigns to help them survive the digital era, but will these changes mean a loss of impact? Will they alienate readers? And will they make any difference to circulation and share values?...

PAPER: Think before you print.
May 1, 2008... Designers could be Greener when it comes to specifying paper, says Dominic Murphy. More recycling and sustainable thinking - as well as using sustainable sources - are the best options for creatives who really want to save the planet Go...

BUSINESS INSIGHT: Framework for future success.
May 1, 2008... Consultancies can't afford to just let things happen. Only with intelligent organisational structures can creativity truly flourish, says Jim Prior The late Sir John Harvey-Jones wrote, 'There are three kinds of company: those that make...

Industrial transformations.(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... By Liz Farrelly Ovid wrote all 15 books of his epic poem Metamorphoses two millennia ago as an investigation into everything in heaven and earth. His supposition, that God and man, animal and mineral, plants and the elements are fashioned...

Body Shop slow to fill Bonadio's shoes.(Brief article)
May 8, 2008... The Body Shop is still seeking a replacement for its former global creative director Franco Bonadio, more than six months after he defected to Identica. The beauty retailer's creative department comprises about 50 designers specialising...

Diet Coke to launch new-look.
May 8, 2008... Diet Coke is launching new-look, limited edition bottles with packaging designs by Patricia Field, the fashion stylist and designer responsible for the outfits screened on TV series Sex and the City. Epoch Design has applied Field's artwork...

20/20 Wins Everyman cinema brief.
May 8, 2008... Cinema owner Everyman Media Group has charged 20/20 with branding and creating interiors for its eight film-houses. 20/20 beat six design groups and architects, including Fitch and Dalziel & Pow, in a creative pitch last month. Earlier...

Sainsbury's food packaging review follows in-house drive.
May 8, 2008... Sainsbury's is embarking on a review of its food packaging design roster, Design Week can reveal. The review is understood to incorporate controversial plans for a collaborative system between the supermarket giant and its external...

Appointments signal start of Bedford museums overhaul.
May 8, 2008... The first phase of an extensive overhaul of Bedford's applied and fine arts museum and galleries is underway, following a number of architect and design consultancy appointments. Exhibition consultancy Designmap has been contracted to...

Maggie's Cancer Care opens first centre in London.
May 8, 2008... Maggie's Cancer Care has opened its first centre in London, designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners. Located on the site of Charing Cross Hospital in Hammersmith, the building is a result of a brief calling for an 'aesthetically...

Circle brands voyage based on retracing of ancient trading route.
May 8, 2008... An historical expedition is to be recreated next week as part of a charitable project, with an identity and brand communications devised by London consultancy Circle. The Phoenician Ship Expedition, headed by ex-naval officer and social...

I'm With the Brand cover design by Jawa & Midwich.
May 8, 2008... The cover of I'm With the Brand has been designed and illustrated by Jawa & Midwich. The consultancy used silhouette images of hundreds of products to create the letter shapes that make up the title. Published by Constable and Robinson, the...

Nokia boosts design bases to target emerging markets.
May 8, 2008... Nokia is in discussions to open another design base, possibly in the Far East, in a bid to tap into the growth potential of the mobile communications market in emerging nations. Nokia chief designer Alastair Curtis says he is looking to...

Tate Modern river facade gets street art show.(Brief article)
May 8, 2008... The Tate Modern will be displaying work on its river facade for the first time this month. Large-scale designs and art by graffiti illustrators from across the world will feature on the Thames-facing exterior wall of the London gallery,...

UK businesses must 'skill up', says Brown.(Brief article)
May 8, 2008... Prime Minister Gordon Brown repeated the call last week for UK businesses to 'skill up' to meet the global challenges of the future, which for the UK involves a policy of free trade. Speaking at the Institute of Directors' annual...

Mixdoubles sculpture above entrance to Wimbledon Centre Court.
May 8, 2008... Suspended above the entrance to Wimbledon's Centre Court Debenture Holders' Lounge is Mixdoubles, a sculpture that aims to capture the spirit of tennis at Wimbledon. Created by David Begbie and commissioned by design consultancy Mather & Co...

What UK plc needs is design visionaries in the boardroom.
May 8, 2008... A key message from last week's Institute of Directors annual convention is that UK boardrooms would gain from having more people of real vision in positions of power. Lacklustre presentations by British Airways chief executive Willy...

Sendai space observatory gets Johnson Banks identity.
May 8, 2008... London consultancy Johnson Banks has unveiled the identity it has created for the Sendai Astronomical Observatory in Japan. Johnson Banks creative director Michael Johnson says the designs are intended 'to make the subject of space less...

St Bride Library announces annual design conference line-up.(Conference news)
May 8, 2008... St Bride, the printing and graphic arts library, has announced the line- up of speakers for its seventh annual design conference. Taking the theme Seeking Inspiration: Creative Thinking Around the Design Process, the conference will feature...

London On Tap targets restaurants with carafe contest.
May 8, 2008... If you have ever felt embarrassed asking for a glass of tap water in a restaurant, don't worry, you are not alone. Up to one in five of us are too nervous to request tap water in restaurants, hotels and bars, according to the National...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Americana exhibition.
May 8, 2008... Americana, toys and found objects appear in A Nightmare on Greek Street, an exhibition by Ben Turnbull, running at the Lazarides Gallery, London W1, from 18 July to 15 August. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

NEWS IN PICTURES: Red Design commissioned.
May 8, 2008... Red Design has been commissioned to make a series of Surrealist-style covers for three singles by Joe Lean & The Jing Jang Jong. The first, Where do you go?, will be released by Vertigo Records on 26 May, featuring cover photography by Chad...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Series 8 Energy C launched.
May 8, 2008... Comme des Garcons Parfums launches a new range, Series 8 Energy C, this month, designed by in-house creative director Rei Kawakubo. Costing #29 each, the scents will be available in grapefruit, lemon and lime. Copyright: Centaur...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Secret Life of a Girl released.
May 8, 2008... The sleeve of jazz artist Christine Tobin's forthcoming album Secret Life of a Girl, released on Babel, has been designed by Alice Smith, with artwork and collage by Bron Jones. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

NEWS IN PICTURES: Eboy develop ad campaign for Christian Aid Week.
May 8, 2008... Advertising agency Shop and pixel-art and design consultancy Eboy have developed a multi-platform advertising campaign for Christian Aid Week next week. It references consumer nostalgia for cult 1970s and 1980s toys and games such as The...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Clive's brand extended.
May 8, 2008... Buckfast Organic Bakery has extended its Clive's brand with a range of organic fresh meals called 'Pot of', featuring naming, brand direction and packaging by Devon consultancy Biz-r. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

NEWS IN PICTURES: LG Electronics launch Secret.
May 8, 2008... LG Electronics has launched the Secret, a handset it claims is 'the slimmest five-megapixel camera phone on the market'. It is less than 12mm thick and the third in LG's Black Label Series. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and...

ANALYSIS: Is it better in than out?
May 8, 2008... Recent moves by two retail teams have reignited the debate over in- house versus consultancy. Emily Pacey examines the arguments Attracting the best design talent can be difficult for in-house design teams, which sometimes complain that...

INSPIRED: Nick Vaus.
May 8, 2008... Nick Vaus Dew Gibbons There's no single thing that inspires me - there are many. Inspiration is all around me, whether printed or three-dimensional, new or old, people or places. When I see that something has been approached differently...

LETTER: Titles like Monocle are still pushing at the boundaries.(Letter to the editor)
May 8, 2008... From Alexey Brodovitch's Harper's Bazaar through to Willy Fleckhaus's Twen to Fabien Baron's Italian Vogue to Fernando Gutierrez's beautiful work with Matador and Beyond, there are too many radical graphic design titles to mention (Voxpop,...

LETTER: Redesigns don't make the red tops any better.(Letter to the editor)
May 8, 2008... Shame on you, Design Week! Your writer David Benady contacted me to comment on the revamp of the Daily Mirror and the Daily Sport for his feature (Stop press, DW 1 May). However, he clearly found my views unpalatable for his piece and didn't...

LETTER: The editorial design winner didn't quite make the grade.(Letter to the editor)
May 8, 2008... I am rather disappointed with the shortlist and eventual winner of your recent Design Week Awards 2008 editorial design sector. I found the shortlisted work soulless, self-indulgent and with very little visual impact. None of the work...

LETTER: Clients need better understanding of what designers do.(Letter to the editor)
May 8, 2008... Though I wasn't at the Meeting of Minds event, from the article (News, DW 1 May) it seems like a lot of the same old issues were brought up. The designer/client relationship is, as we know, very symbiotic. As designers we are very aware...

PROFILE: Industrial Facility.
May 8, 2008... Industrial Facility has lots of experience of working with big clients, but is the group really ready for a Design Museum retrospective? Hannah Booth probes co-founder Sam Hecht about its upcoming exhibition The UK credit crunch isn't...

INTERACTIVE SIGNAGE: On the button.
May 8, 2008... With the technology still prohibitively expensive, fully interactive signage could remain in the realms of cinematic fantasy, but three recent, small-scale projects using architecture and dynamic content might point the way forward, says...

CARS: Shrink wrapped.
May 8, 2008... The latest generation of small vehicles shows car designers at their ingenious best. Not only have there been huge strides in downsizing, but compact exteriors and low-emission mechanicals haven't compromised interior space and comfort. Some...

BUSINESS INSIGHT: Planning for the next generation.
May 8, 2008... If you care about the future of your business, it's never too early to invest in a succession strategy, says Bill Goodenough Succession planning is an organisational development issue that often remains unanswered in the design industry....

Ads for art's sake.(Brief article)
May 8, 2008... By Michael Johnson For an industry blessed with several geniuses, the biggest budgets and the largest egos, the art of advertising hangs infrequently on gallery walls. But its power is undeniable - just as designers can name record...

Top directors go in staff cuts at Interbrand London office.
May 15, 2008... Interbrand has axed its UK director of brand valuation and UK marketing director amid a slew of redundancies at its London office. The Omnicom-owned consultancy has made ten redundancies across design and client services, including its UK...

Hayon and Adjaye to head line-up at London Design Festival.
May 15, 2008... Spanish designer Jaime Hayon and architect David Adjaye will share top billing at the London Design Festival in September. Hayon, who lives in London, will use scaffolding for an installation in Trafalgar Square, inspired by Spanish...

Conran sets up new arm in restructure.(Conran and Partners)(Brief article)
May 15, 2008... Conran & Partners is realigning its internal structure this week, with the launch of a product, graphics and branding division, Studio Conran. Sebastian Conran will lead a team of seven product and four graphic designers there. Four more...

Design Museum exhibition marks design links with cities.
May 15, 2008... An exhibition displaying more than 100 pieces of design, from some of the biggest names in the industry, is set to open in London this autumn at the Design Museum. Curated by the museum's director, Deyan Sudjic, with exhibition...

Unveiling of Zaragoza Bridge Pavilion in June.(Brief article)
May 15, 2008... Next month will see the unveiling of the Zaragoza Bridge Pavilion, which opens on 13 June at the Zaragoza Expo 2008 in Spain. Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, the pavilion integrates a pedestrian bridge and an interactive exhibition area,...

Webb & Webb signs add finishing touch to Connaught hotel refurb.
May 15, 2008... Graphic design consultancy Webb & Webb has produced more than 50 hand- made signs in nickel-plated cast bronze, as part of the #60m refurbishment of London's exclusive #400-a-night Connaught hotel. The Connaught, which opened in London's...

Fake Bake self-tanning product range.
May 15, 2008... TBWA/Manchester has created the new packaging for self-tanning product range Fake Bake. The designs use dark chocolate and fuschia colours, depicting Art Deco-style outlines of women. TBWA was appointed to the brief last year. The...

City University draws on heritage for major rebrand.
May 15, 2008... London's City University is undergoing its first major re-brand in almost ten years, with Spencer du Bois and Mosaic. The visual overhaul, which involves a radically different logo and adaptation into an identity system, is a sweeping...

Skelwith scouts for groups to work on #100m hotel project.
May 15, 2008... Property developer the Skelwith Group is seeking a raft of interior design and architecture specialists for its #100m luxury hotel development in Yorkshire. The first stage of planning permission for The Flaxby Country Club, a 22 300m2...

Visitors to Kew Gardens get bird's-eye view.(Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew)(Brief article)
May 15, 2008... The design team behind the London Eye has created the UK's first walk- in viewing area illustrating 'tree biology'. Opening at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, on 24 May, the Rhizotron and Xstrata Tree Top Walkway has been designed by...

The Art of Football book.
May 15, 2008... The Art of Football book, using images by photojournalist Ewen Spencer and produced in partnership with photographer Nick Knight's website Show Studio, is an assignment for Nike's The Art of Football initiative. The images and design by...

COMMENT: Sir John Sorrell is a model to follow in tougher times.(Occupation overview)
May 15, 2008... You'd expect Sir John Sorrell to take a positive approach to design and its ability to conquer economic ills (see www.designweek.co.uk 12 May). He has long been a staunch design champion. As former chairman of the Design Council, current...

SBR to brand development of King's Road backwater.(Small Back Room )(Brief article)
May 15, 2008... Small Back Room is branding a section of west London's King's Road, as part of a major overhaul of the area in a bid to attract 'edgy, independent' boutiques and more shoppers. Estate owner Sloane Stanley, which holds much of the western...

Details revealed of expanded Cardiff Design Festival.
May 15, 2008... The first plans have emerged for this year's forthcoming Cardiff Design Festival, which takes place during October. This year will be the first time the city will host the Design Management Europe Awards, which aim to showcase the...