Design Week articles from May 2009

Design Week archives from May 2009

Bond Street maps out new branding with SBR identity.(Small Back Room)
May 7, 2009... London's Bond Street is poised to roll out an identity and brand guidelines designed by Small Back Room. New West End Company and The Bond Street Association jointly appointed Small Back Room in August last year. The branding group...

Elmwood rethinks its global structure with key appointments.
May 7, 2009... Elmwood is embarking on a global restructure, involving a raft of senior appointments and a new management team. Key sectors will have a floating director to oversee client activity across all of Elmwood's offices, as well as dedicated...

Bombay Sapphire Dusk Bar.(Brief article)
May 7, 2009... Tom Dixon and Design Research Studio have created the Bombay Sapphire Dusk Bar, opening at Somerset House, London WC2 on 21 May. The temporary bar, which will be up for six months as part of the Bombay Sapphire Dusk Experience, builds heavily...

Cockpit Arts wins #50K LDA grant.(Brief article)
May 7, 2009... Cockpit Arts is one of the recipients of The London Development Agency's first-round funding for its 2012 London Cultural Skills Fund. The London-based creative designer-maker network will invest the #50 000 in its Creative Careers for...

Design Prima organisers predict hit despite the crunch.
May 7, 2009... A need to network in a recession-hit sector will ensure that this year's Design Prima office interiors event will be well-attended, the organisers predict. Founder David Field says, 'People will want to come along and talk, network and...

Robot Food creates high-end wine brand.
May 7, 2009... Harrogate-based consultancy Robot Food has created new high-end wine brand Nice Nose for the RPB Winery in the Mendoza region of Argentina. Richard Schophield provided illustrations for the brand, which launches in the US next month. ...

Roland Cowan sets style for gallery venture Lazarides at The Rathbone.(Brief article)
May 7, 2009... Lazarides is set to open a third gallery in London, with interiors and graphics by Roland Cowan Architects. Steve Lazarides, eponymous founder of the gallery chain, appointed architectural and interior design consultancy Roland Cowan...

Packaging for Kalles prickiga.
May 7, 2009... Kay Why Marketing has designed the packaging for Swedish fish roe-based spread Kalles Prickiga, which combines a mild cheese spread with 'dots' of roe. The Kalles brand, owned by Abba Seafood, has been on the market in Sweden for more than...

Charlie Hoult family project expands with launch of The Kiln.
May 7, 2009... Hoult's Yard, the Newcastle office complex family business co-run by former Loewy Group chief executive Charlie Hoult, is launching its new building, The Kiln. Hoult, who founded the Loewy Group, which has a design line-up including...

Loft Digital set to relaunch website for Crisis charity.
May 7, 2009... Homeless charity Crisis is preparing to relaunch its website, with design by Loft Digital. Due to launch in July or August, the new site will place the charity's policy and research work centre stage. Crisis appointed Loft to the #10...

Student designs Peepo satnav for guide-dog users.(Brief article)
May 7, 2009... Jason Perkins, a product design student at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, has created the Peepo, a satellite navigation system designed to help guide dog users find their way. The handheld GPS system steers by way of pulse...

Architectural exhibition.(Brief article)
May 7, 2009... Draught Associates has designed the exhibition Visualisations of the 21st Century City 2009 - Conflict in Architecture, which is at the Royal Institute of British Architects, London W1, from today until 30 May. The show, which has been created...

IN BRIEF: New Aldeburgh Anthology book.(Brief article)
May 7, 2009... Silk Pearce has designed the book New Aldeburgh Anthology, which explores the Suffolk town's history and culture. The Boydell Press will release the book on 5 May. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

IN BRIEF: David Begg steps down.(Brief article)
May 7, 2009... David Begg, co-founder and chief executive of Design Research Ltd, which owns Tom Dixon, Artek and Design Research Studio, has stepped down to pursue other new business interests. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

COMMENT: Craft and design are much the same thing these days.
May 7, 2009... There was a time when a show like Collect might not have merited much space in Design Week (see News Analysis, page 9). Our focus is on commercial design and Collect is unashamedly about craft - something its shift from the Victoria & Albert...

Design Bridge creates face of Holt summer arts festival.
May 7, 2009... Design Bridge has created the identity for the first Holt Summer Festival, which will take place in Norfolk later this year. The festival will be held in the town of Holt from 3-9 August, and will feature music, theatre, comedy, cinema art...

Manha builds digital-era look for London Property Review.(Brief article)
May 7, 2009... Manha is working on a new brand and editorial designs for the London Property Review. The magazine, which is currently published quarterly, will become a hardback offering published once a year, while an enhanced website will offer more...

Remanufacturing to affect standards for sustainability.
May 7, 2009... Greater clarity and more sharing of best practice is needed if national standards in sustainable design are to be established, according to the director of The Centre for Sustainable Design, Martin Charter. The British Standards...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Marketing campaign for Film Festival.
May 7, 2009... Glasgow-based consultancy O Street has devised a creature-based marketing campaign for this year's Edinburgh International Film Festival, which kicks off next month. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

NEWS IN PICTURES: Carlo Mollino exhibition.
May 7, 2009... Italian designer Carlo Mollino is the subject of an exhibition at the Sebastian & Barquet gallery, London W1. Ten Polaroid images taken by Mollino will be shown alongside furniture pieces and a film installation. Carlo Mollino: Interiors runs...

ANALYSIS: Craft for art's sake?
May 7, 2009... As the Collect fair opens at a new venue, debate grows over the impact of the recession on ideas of purity in the crafts sector. Emily Pacey reports As craft fair Collect prepares to throw open its doors to a different crowd at new...

PRIVATE VIEW: Rewriting the rules.
May 7, 2009... Downturns favour the brave, so perhaps we don't have that much to worry about. Jeremy Myerson finds reassurance in a historical perspective Ask the grizzled veterans of the design business about prospects in the downturn and two things...

INSPIRED: Robin Richmond.
May 7, 2009... Robin Richmond Method The accepted backdrop to modern life is a vortex of change dominated by new devices, killer apps and ways of doing things - information overload. It's therefore refreshing to find that the most challenging medium...

LETTER: Roughing it in the name of authenticity isn't good enough.(Letter to the editor)
May 7, 2009... I'm sure I'm not the only reader to have raised an eyebrow or two over the type of 'authentic' product likely to appeal to the 'market- influencing wealthy' (News in Depth, DW 9 April). These products may have a very limited appeal in...

VOXPOP: Which now-defunct brand do you miss most and why?
May 7, 2009... General Motors has announced it is to ditch its iconic Pontiac car brand. Which now-defunct brand do you miss most, and why? There are two 'now-defunct' brands that used to make my heart race - one from childhood and the other more...

LETTER: Design won't save the world single-handedly.(Letter to the editor)
May 7, 2009... I was filled with both hope and despair after reading about the Audi Design Foundation's latest venture into the trendy waters of social innovation and service design (DW 16 April). I was hopeful that this project might mean more...

LETTER: Design mustn't become the slave of technology...(Letter to the editor)
May 7, 2009... Last week you ran an item on Jonathan Ive blaming the rise of rapid prototyping for distancing designers from the physical design process and creating 'a lot of lousy design' (Voxpop, DW 30 April). I agree with his comments and believe that...

LETTER: Tools are only as effective as the designers in charge.(Letter to the editor)
May 7, 2009... Jonathan Ive's ideas about rapid prototyping and 'lousy design' (Voxpop, DW 30 April) prompt the inescapable conclusion that the new digital tools inevitably influence the way we work. Look at the way Adobe's Photoshop has influenced...

PROFILE: Dana Robertson.
May 7, 2009... The move from Identica senior creative director to consultancy founder has been smooth for Dana Robertson. In a week when DW focuses on start- up success, Anna Richardson discovers his grown-up and quiet approach Many designers go through...

PRODUCT DESIGN: Slowly but surely.
May 7, 2009... Designers' complicity in the promotion of disposability undermines their environmental credentials, but even though true eco-design is still some way off, practitioners can make a difference by making products sustainably, says Scott...

START-UPS: A leap of faith.
May 7, 2009... Some say launching a start-up in a downturn is madness, others see it as the perfect time to make the leap. Suzanne Hinchliffe offers budding consultancy chiefs a guide on what to do, and asks three brave souls who've done it for advice ...

START-UPS: VOXPOP.
May 7, 2009... You've been there and done it, so what advice would you give to those who are thinking of setting up their own creative consultany? When Someone started, we (the partners) did all our own billing, invoicing and money chasing as well as the...

REVIEW: Inked up.
May 7, 2009... By Anna Richardson Screen-printing as a craft resonates with artists and designers. Not only is it a well-respected way to attain a multiple of one design or illustration, the hands-on process of ink and screen-printing bed combines...

The Yard creates 'drastically different' Eurostar buffet cars.
May 14, 2009... The Yard Creative has designed new buffet cars for Eurostar's fleet of 28 trains. The new-look interiors will be 'drastically different from other train buffet cars', according to The Yard creative director Steve James- Royle. ...

London in focus at the Design Museum.
May 14, 2009... The Design Museum's Super Contemporary exhibition is set to feature a new bus shelter by David Adjaye, a lamp-post chandelier by Thomas Heatherwick, and a rubbish bin by Sir Paul Smith. The exhibition, which will run from 3 June to 4...

Identity for Mind Awards 2009.(Brief article)
May 14, 2009... Strudel has created the identity for the Mind Awards 2009, which takes place today as part of Mind week, an initiative hosted by the mental health charity. Commissioned in January and briefed to produce something bold, inspiring, and...

PM endorses mobile phone security plans.
May 14, 2009... Prime Minister Gordon Brown has highlighted the Mobile Phone Security Challenge, a competition to develop new ways to secure mobile phones against fraudsters, as a key part of his new crime strategy. The competition, which offers #400 000...

London Design Festival organisers say 'be bold' in face of recession.
May 14, 2009... London Design Festival chairman Sir John Sorrell says this year's event will be 'a real opportunity to put London and the UK's excellence in creativity at the heart of what's happening in the world'. Sorrell adds that with the decline of...

Mira 360 rotating shower head.(Brief article)
May 14, 2009... Artisan has created the packaging for shower brand Mira's new Mira 360 rotating shower head. An aperture in the packaging allows customers to test the rotating function of the product without opening the box. A mirrored backboard displays...

Debuti adds a branded look to latest Bubble Food cafe interior.
May 14, 2009... Bubble Food is opening a cafe in Potter's Field Park, London SE1, with interior design by Debuti Agency. The cafe will occupy an existing wooden building in the park next to Tower Bridge. Debuti owner and Bubble project manager Wilmien...

Suffolk Festival of the Sea.
May 14, 2009... Spring Design and Advertising has created a new identity for this year's Suffolk Festival of the Sea, which is being held from 19-21 June. The branding was created to mark the festival's 25th anniversary and the fact that it has moved to...

Dawton and Fitch advise graduates against going into business.
May 14, 2009... Deborah Dawton, chief executive of the Design Business Association, and Rodney Fitch, founder and chairman of Fitch, have advised design students and graduates not to form their own consultancies in the current financial climate. Speaking...

E3 Media helps osteoporosis group promote 'bone' message.
May 14, 2009... E3 Media is designing a website for the National Osteoporosis Society that the charity hopes will encourage children to look after their bones. NOS appointed the Bristol-based digital group to create the Bones 4 Life website last autumn...

Sane and Able fashions look for Liam Gallagher label.
May 14, 2009... Consultancy Sane and Able, which set up in October last year, has created the identity for Liam Gallagher's clothing label Pretty Green, which launches in June. Appointed in December 2008 on recommendation, Sane and Able director Alan...

Do Humans Dream of Electrica Cars? Book.
May 14, 2009... Bristol consultancy Wire Sky has created a book on sustainable travel, Do Humans Dream of Electric Cars? Commissioned by publisher Alistair Sawday's imprint Fragile Earth last December, Wire Sky was given the copy before working with...

IN BRIEF: Contribute to a new book.(Brief article)
May 14, 2009... Dr Paul Atkinson, reader in design at Sheffield Hallam University, is seeking people who have been involved in the design of computer hardware that never came to fruition to contribute to a new book. Contact p.atkinson@shu.ac.uk. ...

IN BRIEF: Visual identity of Pedlars.(Brief article)
May 14, 2009... Commercial Art is working on the visual identity of retailer Pedlars, including in-store graphics at Pedlars' concession in Selfridges Birmingham. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

IN BRIEF: Fast Forward Fort Years competition.(Brief article)
May 14, 2009... Augustin Barbot, a vehicle design student at the Royal College of Art, has won the RCA and Opel's future vehicle design competition Fast Forward Forty Years. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

IN BRIEF: Packaging for Dairy Milk Buttons and Giant Buttons.(Brief article)
May 14, 2009... Pearlfisher has redesigned the packaging for Cadbury's Dairy Milk Buttons and Giant Buttons, creating a new penguin character to distinguish the white chocolate variant. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

COMMENT: LDF looks set to highlight our thriving creative sector.(London Design Festival)
May 14, 2009... We can expect senior players in design to remain optimistic in recession. As Jeremy Myerson suggested in last week's Private View (DW 7 May), this time the ditch may be deeper than in previous downturns, but design has dug itself out more...

Bannenberg sails ahead with identity by Zulver & Co.
May 14, 2009... Branding consultancy Zulver & Co has created a new identity for super- yacht company Bannenberg. Appointed in December 2008 on the strength of previous branding work for some of the company's yachts, Zulver & Co was asked to refresh the...

Studio Space One digs down for online venture Manic Organic.
May 14, 2009... Studio Space One is creating the identity and website for Manic Organic, a new Web venture which aims to have the biggest online organic presence in the world. The ambitious undertaking will exist initially as an online directory for...

Magazine bosses debate how to extend brands.
May 14, 2009... The rise of digital media and the shrinking of the print advertising market means global magazine brands have for some time wanted to see themselves as more than simply providers of a printed product. This goes beyond the obvious and...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Work of Hoppy Hopkins.
May 14, 2009... The work of photographer John 'Hoppy' Hopkins, who documented the 1960s counterculture, is the subject of an exhibition, Hoppy Against Tyranny: Talking About a Revolution, taking place at the Idea Generation gallery in London E2, from 19...

NEWS IN PICTURES: RHS Chelsea Flower Show poster.
May 14, 2009... Designer and artist Sharon Elphick will launch this poster at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show from 19-23 May, where she is exhibiting on the Design Nation stand. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

NEWS IN PICTURES: Graf working with Yoshitomo Nara.
May 14, 2009... Design group Graf is working with Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara to create wooden hut-like installations as part of the Hayward Gallery's summer exhibition, Walking in My Mind, which runs from 23 June to 6 September. Copyright: Centaur...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Carple iPhone game.
May 14, 2009... Littleloud has designed an iPhone game, Carpl, inspired by Japanese woodblock art. Players trail the tip of their finger through the game's water, gathering lotus flowers while avoiding getting bitten. Copyright: Centaur Communications...

NEWS IN PICTURES: The Langham Hotel refurbishment.
May 14, 2009... Hotel and restaurant interiors specialist Richmond International has completed the refurbishment of The Langham hotel, London W1, which relaunches next month. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

ANALYSIS: On unofficial business.
May 14, 2009... Moonlighting on private jobs is far from uncommon, finds Emily Pacey, but the consequences can be serious When Barry Jenkins received a solicitor's letter from a manufacturer alleging that his design consultancy, Broome Jenkins, was...

PRIVATE VIEW: Gone, but not forgotten.(British Leyland)
May 14, 2009... British Leyland, famous for making rubbish cars, had the wit to use Alec Issigonis to design a few classics - and the Mini wasn't the best, says Hugh Pearman Will people ever wax nostalgic about the 1970s industrial and design...

INSPIRED: David Tonge.
May 14, 2009... David Tonge The Division At art school we are encouraged to find our own way of seeing life. For me, everyday life, objects and situations still inspire new opportunities. Additionally, there can be humour in this - the Martin Parr...

LETTER: A little less jargon is the best approach for brands.(Letter to the editor)
May 14, 2009... How good it was to see Michael Wolff's comments on design jargon last week (Letters, DW 30 April). And yet, in the same issue, how depressing to also see the participants in Elmwood's otherwise admirable Digital Picnic event talking up...

LETTER: Creativity is about more than mastery of the Mac.(Letter to the editor)
May 14, 2009... Ah yes, those were the days - Cow gum, Letraset, French curves, markers and ellipse guides. Paste-up artwork and putty rubbers. Hot-metal typesetting proofs, scamp visuals and studio banter. Radio Caroline and Player's No 6 cigarette stubs...

LETTER: When it comes to defunct marques, nothing beats Italian.(Letter to the editor)
May 14, 2009... In the light of General Motors' announcement that it is to ditch its iconic Pontiac car brand, last week's you posed the question, 'Which now-defunct brand do you miss most, and why?' (Voxpop, DW 7 May). Tricky question. Triumph, MG,...

LETTER: Designers should be getting ready for the Mexican wave.(Letter to the editor)
May 14, 2009... We designers are naturally optimistic folk, so most of us probably haven't worried about swine flu yet. But even if the virus comes nowhere near our premises it could have a serious effect on our business. Do any staff have children at...

VOXPOP: Which brands would you like to see say sorry and what for?(Viewpoint essay)
May 14, 2009... The London Evening Standard has launched a campaign apologising to Londoners for its previous behaviour. Which brands would you like to see say sorry, and what for? The list of potentially genuflecting brands is endless: they make us fat, give...

PROFILE: Gareth Neal.
May 14, 2009... The sculpted furniture of Gareth Neal reflects a desire for longevity, informed by a strong historical awareness. Dominic Lutyens finds a craftsman out of step with the fast-food era but at the cutting edge of design art Artists usually...

PACKAGING: Good sense.
May 14, 2009... With packaging becoming increasingly important in the marketing mix, sensory design is a cost-effective and efficient way to gain customers and boost sales. Sarah Woods develops a feel for these tactile options Sensory stimuli are...

LARGE-FORMAT PRINT: It's a warp.
May 14, 2009... The huge boards around new developments needn't be eyesores in the urban landscape. In fact, they present the perfect opportunity for good design on a rare large-scale canvas. Anna Richardson sizes up some creative hoardings Take...

SOUNDING OFF: A new simplicity.
May 14, 2009... Straitened times foster serious, sober work, with the colourful frippery of the recent boom confined to history for now. John Bateson reports from the frontline of the Uncivil Marketing War between Roundheads and Cavaliers Down the...

BUSINESS INSIGHT: training can be about sharing.(Viewpoint essay)
May 14, 2009... Most employees feel that training contributes a great deal to job satisfaction, but what do you do when you can't afford it? Gary Cooke looks at the options It's generally accepted that training makes a real difference and, like most...

REVIEW: Capital views.(Brief article)
May 14, 2009... By Anna Richardson London's transport authority has a strong tradition of using illustration, from the first commissions of artists and designers early last century and the bold and adventurous posters of the 1920s and 1930s, to the Art on...

PROTOTYPING & MODELLING: Foreward.(Brief article)
May 14, 2009... Whether it's in electronics, packaging, luxury goods or other areas, the prototype or model forms an integral part of the design process. Not only does a prototype convey dimensions and a product's finish, it also enables designers to gauge...

PROTOTYPING & MODELLING: Top models.
May 14, 2009... Architectural model-making is like being a musician, where interpreting a score is fundamental, says Richard Armiger. Anna Richardson talks to the veteran in the field about the early days and why his craft is still appreciated Talking...

PROTOTYPING & MODELLING: Shaping luxury.
May 14, 2009... How do you achieve that hand-crafted, bespoke feel of premium packs? Using prototypes that are close to the finished product can ease the process of making the mass-produced look unique, says Maeve Hosea As he finishes off a productive...

PROTOTYPING & MODELLING: PROTOTYPING TECHNIQUES USED IN LUXURY.(Brief article)
May 14, 2009... * 3D high-definition printing - used to produce prototype parts with an accuracy of 0.025 to 0.05mm * SLA (stereolithography) production - used for both small and large high-quality parts similar to that of 3D printing * Polyjet - a...

PROTOTYPING & MODELLING: Virtually real.
May 14, 2009... In some areas, the traditional hand-crafted model is being edged out of the design process by on-screen visualisations. John Stones quizzes experts in three different fields on the potential of digital prototyping Reality is changing...

PROTOTYPING & MODELLING: Rapid visions.
May 14, 2009... Are designers ready to fully exploit the potential of automated digital manufacturing techniques? Anna Richardson talks to those who are embracing the possibilities they offer Swapping the workbench for the computer screen is not every...

Navyblue overseas drive continues with Oman office.
May 21, 2009... Navyblue is to open an office in Oman as part of its continued strategy to expand overseas in a bid to 'protect against the downturn', according to director Ron Cregan. The design group has already secured business in the region, flying...

A bold Experiment.
May 21, 2009... Studio Dempsey has designed and edited a book, A Bold Experiment, for the Sir John Ritblat Family Foundation. The book celebrates 60 years of the Weizman Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, and features photographs by French...

Activism festival set for Leeds.
May 21, 2009... The Leeds Festival of Design Activism, which will focus on how design can affect environmental and social issues, will be held in July. The festival is being organised by the Leeds School of Architecture, Landscape and Design at Leeds...

Gardiner Richardson on track with new-look Tyne and Wear metro identity.
May 21, 2009... Newcastle-based Gardiner Richardson's new identity for the Tyne and Wear Metro transport system is set to roll out across the network. The updated identity is being applied to train livery, communications, websites and stations across...

Met Studio sails in with #1m Netherlands maritime experience.
May 21, 2009... Met Studio is designing a #1m interactive gallery at the Netherlands Maritime Museum in Amsterdam. The group and its Dutch bid partners, project manager Hypsos and content developer Tinker Imagineers, beat four other European consortiums...

Shoreditch house brand expands into hotel sector.
May 21, 2009... Private members' club Shoreditch House is opening a 27-room hotel next door to its venue at the Tea Building, London E1, with design by Household. The branding and interiors group presented a speculative creative pitch to Shoreditch...