Design Week articles from October 2007

Design Week archives from October 2007

Design Council cuts sustainability.(David Kester)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... The Design Council is to axe its sustainability project leader post, Design Week has learned. The decision comes as a surprise, following assertions that sustainability is 'the defining issue' for the organisation at its Wake Up to...

Sea Design creates Boutique London identity.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Sea Design has created the identity for inaugural fashion trade exhibition Boutique London. The logo is set to be launched to the public in early 2008, when Sea will begin designing the exhibition. Boutique London aims to showcase independent...

LG Electronics joins rush to locate design teams in London.
October 4, 2007... Korean electrical and mobile phone giant LG Electronics will relocate its Milan design studio to London next year, Design Week can reveal. LG's choice of London as a design hub, following moves there by Samsung and Nokia. LG...

Maidstone Museum wins Heritage redevelopment grant.
October 4, 2007... A design scheme that is set to raise the profile of Kent's Maidstone Museum & Bentlif Art Gallery is a step further to being realised this week, after a #2m earmarked grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The funding is a major leap...

100 Chairs exhibition.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Furniture designer Martino Gamper's 100 Chairs exhibition has opened at 5 Cromwell Place, London SW7, ahead of the launch of his book Chairs (100 in 100 Days). Gamper collected discarded chairs, which he dismantled and reassembled for the...

Spencer du Bois guides MS Society.
October 4, 2007... The MS Society is this week launching a set of brand guidelines, by Spencer du Bois, in a bid to reinstate the charity's core principles. Spencer du Bois was tasked with creating a visual brand identity system for use across all...

Advantages of rapid prototyping.(The Product Works)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Design consultancy The Product Works was one of five consultancies asked to create a single-part product to show the advantages of rapid prototyping, as part of a seminar organised by the Royal College of Art and Materials and Design Exchange....

Camden Town revamp will bring windfall for design.
October 4, 2007... Designers look set to shape part of a #7m regeneration initiative for Camden Town, north London, as the organisation behind the plans outlines its vision for the area. The proposals, by Camden Town Unlimited, aim to enhance the pedestrian...

Made Thought nets Nike Basketball.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Nike is developing a global brand marque for its basketball division in conjunction with Made Thought. The division is set to launch at the end of this year. The London multidisciplinary consultancy won the business without a pitch,...

Rich pickings in Enterprise Insight move.(Harry Rich)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Harry Rich steps down from his position as deputy chief executive of the Design Council this week, after eight years. Rich leaves to take the top job at Enterprise Insight, the coalition between the British Chambers of Commerce, the...

Andrew Stafford range of cardboard stools.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Product and furniture designer Andrew Stafford has created a range of cardboard stools for Moving Brands. The London branding to digital group commissioned the seats for its talk on the future of creative and interactive design groups at last...

IN BRIEF: John Adams wins top prize.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Toy maker John Adams has won top prize in the Science Museum Toy Competition 2007 for its Electro Mag construction kit. The toy uses magnets that allow children to create electrical circuits safely. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd....

IN BRIEF: Hair Colourants packaging.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Superdrug's Hair Colourants range is to launch a makeover to its packaging by Burst, following the consultancy's appointment to the retailer's design roster last year. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

IN BRIEF: Elmwood reappointed.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... International banking group HBOS has reappointed Elmwood to produce its print and on-line annual reports and financial summaries this year. The consultancy won a four-way competitive 'review' against unnamed groups. Copyright: Centaur...

IN BRIEF: Illustration website.(www.illustrationweb.com)(Website overview)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Manifest has designed a new identity and website for global agency Illustration. The consultancy was appointed in April to rebrand the 80- year-old company. Its new-look website launched last week at www.illustrationweb.com. Copyright:...

IN BRIEF: Capital & Regional refresh.(Conran Design Group Ltd.)(Capital and Regional Properties PLC)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Conran Design Group has refreshed the brand for property asset management company Capital & Regional. The consultancy was appointed to develop a more contemporary brand that would stand out in the marketplace. Copyright: Centaur...

IN BRIEF: Career Moves visual identity.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Branding consultancy Designhouse has overhauled the visual identity of recruitment agency Career Moves. This consolidates the agency's divisions and aims to shed its perception as a secretarial recruitment group. Copyright: Centaur...

COMMENT: The Design Council must keep pushing sustainability.
October 4, 2007... It is ironic that the Design Council should axe the post of Leader Sustainability at this time (see News, page 3). Just days before Clare Brass was made redundant design Council chief executive David Kester had highlighted sustainability as...

Odd tones down interiors in the Colour Room for industrial feel.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Sony Bravia, the brand that launched the renowned multi-coloured balls and paint ads, has unveiled two new event spaces called The Colour Rooms. Developed in collaboration with Lunch Communications and design consultancy Odd, the Colour...

Johnson Banks writes the script for Unbound identity.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Johnson Banks has created an identity for the US philanthropic organisation Unbound, designed using 59 separate words. The letterforms are constructed of words commonly used by the charitable foundation. This is the first graphics work it...

GLA report on creative industries overlooks design.(Greater London Authority)(Report)
October 4, 2007... A report published late last month by the Greater London Authority into the state of the creative industries has been criticised for failing to gather data on the capital's design industry. The 61-page report also makes some controversial...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Solar Tree.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Solar Tree will be unveiled this week by the Museum for Angewandte Kunst in Vienna. Designed by Ross Lovegrove, the solar tree lighting, created in conjunction with Artemide and Sharp, is intended to bring nature to the 'greyness of urban...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Davana Blossom range.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Molton Brown this week unveils the Davana Blossom range, with packaging created by its long-standing consultancy Jones Knowles Ritchie. Overt femininity and indulgence are core values of the range, as visualised through lotus flowers. ...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Established & Sons.(Moss)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Furniture manufacturer Established & Sons has announced its first collaboration with New York design gallery Moss. 'Wood that we Could', running from 4-28 October, will feature Jasper Morrison's Crate Series, as well as WrongWoods, a series...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Nick Hornby's latest novel.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... The cover for author Nick Hornby's latest novel Slam has been designed by Studio Output. Published by Puffin and released this week, the book is Hornby's first for teenagers. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

NEWS IN PICTURES: The Ginger Pig.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Organic butcher The Ginger Pig has unveiled a new look by Allies Design. The style takes its cue from the brand's sustainable and specialist food heritage and has been applied to shop facades, the website (www.thegingerpig.co.uk), promotional...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Chart of Shakespeare characters.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Designer Kit Grover has collaborated with Cambridge academic De Hester Lees-Jeffries to produce a chart of Shakespeare's characters, based on the Tube map. Charting the development of archetypal characters like mother, lover and villain...

NEWS IN PICTURES: James Brown haircare range.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Celebrity stylist James Brown this week launches his haircare range, with an identity by Made Thought. The line, which launches with Kate Moss as the face of the brand, is deliberately simple and aims to avoid the cliches of the language of...

ANALYSIS: Shout to make yourself heard.
October 4, 2007... Critics argue the money could be better spent, but an appropriate identity is critical for a charity to stand out in a crowded market, says Sarah Woods Branding is often seen as an unsavoury word within the charitable sector, largely...

PRIVATE VIEW: Neglected maverick.
October 4, 2007... Storm Thorgerson doesn't have much time for the design world, but his recent lecture appearance was in a class of its own, says Adrian Shaughnessy Over the past two years there has sprung up a series of lectures by leading creative...

INSPIRED: Matthew Link, Matthew Link Ltd.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Product designers thrive on the creative opportunities presented by ground-breaking technologies, materials and manufacturing processes. Clients want their products to include the latest innovations, to lead the competition and reinforce their...

LETTER: Design can offer so much more than advertising in fmcg.(Letter to the editor)
October 4, 2007... Get your coat, ad man, clients are spending on design because we add value (Voxpop, DW 20 September). Brand, packaging and point-of-sale design in the wonderful world of fmcg has to work so hard for its supper, flexing into every niche,...

LETTER: Rapid prototyping isn't sci-fi, it's the future.(Letter to the editor)
October 4, 2007... I loved Scott Billings' article on 3D prototyping (DW 20 September) - it brought out the space cadet in me. However, the area is moving even quicker than the article suggested as you can buy a home Fabber (digital fabricator) right now...

LETTER: CDG shouldn't have gone along with a stigmatising term.(Letter to the editor)
October 4, 2007... I can't really go on criticising the work of well-known and should-know- better design consultancies (see Letters, DW 28 June), but Conran Design Group's work for the Alzheimer's Society is a shame (DW 20 September). They seem to have just...

LETTER: The Deptford design challenge was a true eccentric highlight.(Letter to the editor)
October 4, 2007... The London Design Festival week got off to a really good start at the Royal Festival Hall and I was particularly pleased to be involved in the Deptford Design Market Challenge exhibition held there. Here 27 designers reinterpret 27...

VOXPOP: What were highlights of London Design Week?
October 4, 2007... What do you think were the unexpected highlights of London Design Week? An unexpected ego deflation was administered on the manicured lawns of the Japanese ambassador's residence last week. I should explain. An embossed card had arrived...

PROFILE: John Sunderland.(Interview)
October 4, 2007... When John Sunderland sketched out his ideas for the Jorvik Centre, the template for the 'heritage experience' had been set. Henrietta Thompson talks to him about dumbing down, skiving off from school and life in New York The two Life...

ILLUSTRATION: Picture this.(dialogue with Alasdair Gray )(Interview)
October 4, 2007... Inspired by illustrated books from the Victorian era, novelist Alasdair Gray challenges typesetting conventions by illustrating his own work. Hannah Booth talks to the writer whose first publisher forgot to pay him for his designs ...

GRAPHIC DESIGN: Going global.
October 4, 2007... There's a glut of graphic design tomes out this autumn, as publishers vie to assess the state of the field. Fiona Sibley looks for inspiration from around the world in one of the most intriguing new additions Can anybody explain the...

OFFICE INTERIORS: Getting it right.
October 4, 2007... The smartest workplaces are those which adopt strategies to make their employees feel happier and more motivated. Pamela Buxton investigates some recent examples of forward-looking design thinking in the office arena Work's no party,...

BUSINESS INSIGHT: Just have the balls to say 'no'.
October 4, 2007... Production-led or ideas-driven? If you're honest enough to stick to one side of this fault line, clients will flock to your door. Know thyself, says Simon Myers The issue is not the ambition itself, which is laudable, it is the worrying...

Island of image-makers.
October 4, 2007... By Fiona Sibley And now, news from another small island. The changing world of modern Japan, and its many faces beyond the dazzling urban scapes of Tokyo, is presented this month in an exhibition charting more than 60 years of art...

Beda presses EC for unified design strategy.(Bureau of European Design Associations)(European Commission)(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... The Bureau of European Design Associations claims it is a step closer to achieving its aim of a coherent design strategy for Europe, after securing verbal support from the president of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso. Beda...

Zavvi unveil first glimpse of new identity.(Zavvi Entertainment Group merging with Virgin Megastore)(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... Zavvi, the former Virgin Megastore chain sold by Virgin Group in a management buyout last month, has unveiled the first glimpse of its new visual identity by Caulder Moore. The consultancy was also responsible for the renaming of the business....

Judges line up for 2008 DW Awards role.
October 11, 2007... Malcolm Garrett, Sea's Bryan Edmondson, Jason Bruges and Pearson Lloyd's Luke Pearson are among the judges for the 2008 Design Week Awards. They will be joined by design stars including Nat Hunter from Airside, product designer...

Kenya Airways picks Honour Aviation after lengthy global pitch.
October 11, 2007... Kenya Airways is nearing the end of its lengthy international design pitch process and is understood to have appointed UK consultancy Honour Aviation. At the beginning of the year, Kenya Airways kicked off a pitch to redesign its...

Durex takes softer line with new positioning by Elmwood.
October 11, 2007... Durex this week unveils a refreshed identity and packaging, as part of a bid to reposition the brand globally as a sexual 'wellbeing' product range. Repositioning work, previously undertaken by Jones Knowles Ritchie, was picked up by...

Porsche Design and Sagem Communication join forces.
October 11, 2007... Porsche Design and Sagem Communication have joined forces to produce a new mobile phone, the P9521, aimed at the 'exceptional man'. Aluminium and mineral glass have been sculpted in such a way that no two phones are the same. Each phone...

Fuse8 win signals further work on tap at Middlesbrough docks.(Will Alsop signs the contract with Marketing industry)
October 11, 2007... Further design opportunities look likely at the #500m Will Alsop- designed development of Middlesbrough docks, which will see the derelict area transformed into a vibrant community. Leeds-based consultancy Fuse8 has been appointed to handle...

First organic light-emitting-diode television.
October 11, 2007... Sony has unveiled what it claims is the world's first organic light- emitting-diode television, the XEL-1. The OLED television is based on electroluminescent organic materials, with a structure that enables 'unprecedented' levels of thinness...

Design key to UK innovation, says Sainsbury Review.
October 11, 2007... Design is to play a key role in the acceleration of scientific and technological innovation in the UK, according to the findings of an independent review. The Sainsbury Review, which was commissioned by the then Chancellor Gordon Brown in...

Gadgetshop rebrands but delays relaunch.(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... Gadgetshop this week unveils new branding and packaging while searching for a pitch for an interiors group to implement Arthur Steen Horne Adamson's blueprints for its retail estate. The retailer has put back its high street relaunch for...

Design in China to get showing at the V&A.
October 11, 2007... The impact of rapid economic development on architecture and design in China's major cities will be explored at the Victoria & Albert Museum's spring exhibition, China Design Now. Designed by architect Tonkin Liu, working with graphic...

Signce reinterpret Grundif Audiorama speaker.
October 11, 2007... The iconic 1970s Grundig Audiorama speaker has been reinterpreted by Munich product consultancy Signce. Key elements of the spherical design have been retained, while using contemporary materials and shapes. There are two versions - standing...

IN BRIEF: Flagship store for Hawkin's Bazaar.(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... High street chain Hawkin's Bazaar is to launch its flagship store at the Westfield shopping centre in Derby, with new interiors and facias by Pope Wainwright and a graphic identity by Dave. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and...

IN BRIEF: Branding for SAI Products.(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... Meltingpot Media has created the branding for premium Indian snackfoods company SAI Products. Its range will appear in UK supermarkets in three months' time. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

IN BRIEF: Bean Meal range launched.(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... Heinz has launched the Bean Meal range, aimed at young males, with packaging designed by Cowan London. The consultancy has also created the packs for the food giant's new kids range, Hidden Veg. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and...

IN BRIEF: Partnership between Gillette and The Art of Shaving.(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... A partnership between Gillette and The Art of Shaving in Miami is to be launched with a brand identity and packaging by Jones Knowles Ritchie. The Fusion Chrome Collection, a premium range of shaving instruments, combines both brands. ...

COMMENT: The industry bodies need to take a stand on Green issues.
October 11, 2007... It is remarkable how many times the word 'sustainability' has cropped up this week. It is as though the design world has just woken up to an issue it can address to positive effect. The interest has seemingly been sparked by two events:...

RPW kicks off second phase of Scottish hotel interiors task.
October 11, 2007... Luxury Scottish hotel Fairmont St Andrews is set to undergo the second phase of a #15m refurbishment, to be completed next year. The next stage of work on the five-star hotel, part of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, which co-owns The Savoy in...

Ranch Design develops 'warm look' for Metro photography lab.
October 11, 2007... Struggling photographic laboratory Metro has engaged the services of Ranch Design to boost its chances of survival in the photography market. Because of the rise of digital photography, Metro has been forced to cut its staff from 300 to...

NEWS IN DEPTH: Retailers look to technology to speed up transactions.(Report)
October 11, 2007... A trend for speedy and convenient transactions is driving the take-up of technology in the retail space, according to a report published this week by Datamonitor. Although the report is aimed primarily at the technology industry, its...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Comica promoted.
October 11, 2007... The ICA is promoting Comica, the London International Comics Festival, with the launch of graphic novel Laika, written and drawn by Nick Abadzis, as well as talks, a comic-making marathon and a Halloween special which runs from 19 October...

NEWS IN PICTURES: World Sight Day invitations.
October 11, 2007... Yorkshire-based design group WPA Pinfold has designed the invitations, microsite and brochure for its own charity art auction in aid of World Sight Day. The auction takes place on 11 October at the consultancy's studios. For more details,...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Russia's first children's television channel.
October 11, 2007... Bibigon, Russia's first children's television channel, has launched with an identity created by Red Bee Media. Bibigon, which is aimed at four- to 17-year-olds, is the brainchild of Russian president Vladimir Putin. Red Bee Media developed...

NEWS IN PICTURES: The Sculpture Park.
October 11, 2007... The Sculpture Park, part of the Frieze art fair, will showcase nine sculptures by artists working with participating galleries. Their work will be located to the east of the fair's entrance in London's Regent's Park. Pictured is Triumph by...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Thursday night comedy zone.
October 11, 2007... BBC Two has unveiled an identity for its Thursday night 'comedy zone', designed by multidisciplinary design studio Vincent. Blips, virals and hypnotic teaser trails are all part of the campaign mix, intended to create a strong 'attitude'....

NEWS IN PICTURES: Dune Formations being shown.
October 11, 2007... Zaha Hadid's Dune Formations is being shown at the David Gill Galleries in Loughborough Street, London SE11, as part of the Frieze art fair event, from 9-29 October. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

ANALYSIS: Nokia charges up Soho strategy.
October 11, 2007... A Soho studio is part of Nokia's plan to put design at the heart of its operation, but will the results rival the iPhone? Mike Exon finds out There was a buzz in the air in Soho last week, at the prospect of Nokia's removal vans turning...

PRIVATE VIEW: Age won't wither it.(InterCity 125)(Travel narrative)
October 11, 2007... The whizz-bang new St Pancras, and its mind-boggling millions, can't compare to the memory of the once-new InterCity 125, says a nostalgic Hugh Pearman I'm originally from the Kent-Sussex border, and I went to university in Durham. This...

INSPIRED: Paul Jenkins, Ranch.(Personal account)
October 11, 2007... Inspired by paper stock! Yes, I know its very sad. When we start a print job at Ranch one of our first points of inspiration is the material. I can never bring myself to use bog standard silk for a piece of print when there is such a...

LETTER: Design Council is totally committed to sustainability.(Letter to the editor)
October 11, 2007... How curious to imply in your Leader that sustainability might have 'run its course at the Design Council' and headline a news item 'Design Council cuts sustainability' (DW 4 October); neither could be further from the truth. Over the...

VOXPOP: Design not classified as standalone industry.(Standard Industrial Classification System)
October 11, 2007... It emerged this week that design is not classified by Government as a standalone industry, so its commercial value cannot be determined for statistical analysis. Why is this a problem and what needs to happen to rectify things? The absence of...

LETTER: Hilton was the highlight of London Design Week.(Letter to the editor)
October 11, 2007... This is a response to last week's Voxpop (DW 4 October), which asked: what do you think were the unexpected highlights of London Design Week? I have high expectations of established designers like Matthew Hilton, who had some very...

LETTER: D&AD needs to nurture areas outside London.(Letter to the editor)
October 11, 2007... Last time I checked the D&AD was an 'educational charity that represents the global creative, design and advertising communities' - but I couldn't help but feel disheartened by the ostensibly London- centric nature of your comments about...

LETTER: CDG did well to resist pressure from 'PC brigade'.(Letter to the editor)
October 11, 2007... Michael Wolff (Letters, DW 4 October) roundly criticised Conran Design Group for 'permitting' the Alzheimer's Society to have the strapline 'Leading the fight against dementia' as part of its logo. I take the contrary position and salute...

PROFILE: Libby Sellers.
October 11, 2007... After a stint as curator at the Design Museum, Libby Sellers has taken the plunge and opened her own gallery space - albeit a temporary one. She tells Trish Lorenz about her penchant for emerging designers Design art. If you haven't heard...

RETAIL DESIGN: Miles of aisles.
October 11, 2007... Its biggest rival is rebranding, and sales of its core products are in steady decline. Can a new store format revive the fortunes of HMV? Clare Dowdy braves a Black Country shopping centre to find out What is it about shopping centres that...

PACKAGING: We're all innocent.
October 11, 2007... Suddenly, a whole range of UK food brands are using a faux-naif, child- like style to market their products. But is the Innocent approach already worn thin by all those jumping on the bandwagon? David Benady investigates The Innocent...

DIGITAL ART: Digital fusion.(Shanghai Arts Festival)
October 11, 2007... When East and West - and art and technology - meet in the new media arena, anything can happen. Yolanda Zappaterra previews some intriguing work that'll be on show at the grandly conceived Shanghai eArts Festival next week Is there a...

BUSINESS INSIGHT: Keep your deal in safe hands.(ways of Business negotiations )(Personal account)
October 11, 2007... Jeremy Sice reveals what he learned sealing the SAS deal with Publicis last month As someone who has never been through an acquisition before I must admit that at times it felt like a surreal, out-of-body experience. The volume of...

Sex education.
October 11, 2007... By Matthew Taunton Tracing the representation of sex from antiquity to the present, the Barbican's forthcoming art blockbuster, Seduced, suggests parallels between erotic and aesthetic pleasure, and so questions the distinction between...

Contenders named for Prince Philip Prize.
October 18, 2007... Six nominees in line for this year's Prince Philip Designers Prize were announced this week by the Design Council. Architect David Chipperfield, graphic designer David Gentleman, and product designer Robin Levien, are just three of the...

Channel 4's identity brought to life.(Brief article)
October 18, 2007... Channel 4's identity has been brought to life in the form of a 16.6m- high, steel '4' installation, designed by Freestate and built by The Mike Smith Studio, constructed on the steps of the channel's headquarters in Horseferry Road, London...