Design Week articles from September 2008

Design Week archives from September 2008

Natural History Museum calls in Pentagram and At Large.
September 4, 2008... The Natural History Museum has turned to design consultancies At Large and Pentagram to help put the final touches to its Darwin Centre. Unveiled earlier this week, The Cocoon will house plant and insect collections and show the visiting...

Ikea mall group rolls out Portland signage.
September 4, 2008... Inter Ikea Centre Group is set to roll out wayfinding and signage by Portland Design across its 33 European mall sites. The Ikea-owned mall builder and operator installs anchor Ikea outlets in all of its developments in Austria, Germany,...

The new Samsung Omnia close relative of Apple iPhone.
September 4, 2008... The new Samsung Omnia is yet another close relative of the hugely successful Apple iPhone. Launching today, the new slimline, touch- screen phone from electronics giant Samsung allows users to access TV, video, Internet and music, and offers a...

Kemistry bids for more Egyptian TV.(rebranding and repositioning of Egyptian Radio and Television Union)(Brief article)
September 4, 2008... Kemistry and Lambie-Nairn are among seven consultancies competing to reposition and rebrand Egyptian public service broadcaster Egyptian Radio and Television Union. The rebrand of ERTU's three main channels comes just months after...

Marlowe Theatre seeks specialists for rebuild scheme.
September 4, 2008... Canterbury's Marlowe Theatre is looking to design for the next stage of its #25.5m development, following planning approval for its reconstruction near a World Heritage Site. Canterbury City Council has this week granted Keith Williams...

Matthew Hilton launching four new products.(Brief article)
September 4, 2008... Matthew Hilton is launching four new products at this year's 100% Design trade fair in London, bringing the furniture collection to 11 pieces. The new designs are stackable dining chair Manta, three-legged dining chair Tapas, Fracture coffee...

Seymour Powell adds sparkle to range.
September 4, 2008... Unilever is launching a new line of whitening toothpaste, designed by Seymour Powell, in a bid to counter consumer perception that dental whitening products can be abrasive. White Now is marketed as 'instant make-up for teeth'. Seymour...

Quirky animation.(Mr & Mrs Smith's animation for BBC series Scene Stealers)(Brief article)
September 4, 2008... Quirky animation and retro styling are keynotes for this TV title sequence by multimedia animation and design group Mr & Mrs Smith. The branding and animation has been created for new teen BBC series Scene Stealers, which features two...

Elmwood dominates shortlist for 2008 Design Effectiveness Awards.
September 4, 2008... Elmwood heads the shortlist for the Design Effectiveness Awards this year, with five projects jostling for the top prize, Design Week can reveal. For the first time, the Design Business Association has announced the winners ahead of its...

Hat Trick sketches new museum logo.
September 4, 2008... London's House of Illustration has a new identity, created by Hat Trick Design, ahead of its opening in 2011. The new centre, formerly known as the Museum of Illustration, will be located in an area of London's King's Cross that is...

National Trust launches RCA student range.(National Trust is to launch a ten-piece product range, designed by Royal College of Art)(Brief article)
September 4, 2008... The National Trust is to launch a ten-piece product range, designed by Royal College of Art students, at its Waddesdon Manor property in Buckinghamshire. The body invited RCA students to design the range, following a competition among the...

Together men's footwear range.
September 4, 2008... Spanish product, interiors and furniture designer Jaime Hayon has created Camper's latest Together men's footwear range, which has been inspired by music halls and tap dancers. The shoes, available in bold block colours such as red, blue,...

IN BRIEF: New branding for Newly Qualified UK.(Brief article)
September 4, 2008... The Designers Republic has developed new branding and an identity for national legal recruitment agency Newly Qualified UK, which specialises in placing next generation lawyers. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

IN BRIEF: My Cup of Tea brand identity.(Brief article)
September 4, 2008... The creative team of Ed Shore and Tristan Marshall at advertising agency Tequila devised the hand-lettered word marque, type, colours and layout for the My Cup of Tea brand identity (DW 14 August). Designer Richard Ardagh, working under Shore's...

IN BRIEF: Print Lounge identity.(Brief article)
September 4, 2008... Magpie Design has created an identity for London's Print Lounge, a print reference library based in Shoreditch, London E1, at printer Gavin Martin Associates. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

IN BRIEF: Best Charity Annula Report Award.(Report)(Brief article)
September 4, 2008... Lloyd Northover's 2006-7 Cancer Research UK annual report has been awarded the Best Charity Annual Report Award by donor advice website Intelligent Giving. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

COMMENT: Design czars and strong leaders would boost design.
September 4, 2008... With the Beijing Olympics behind us and football season under way, there's a strong sense that it's 'back to school' for more than just the kids. And it promises to be a challenging term for design and the creative industries. So what...

O2 announces details about the composition of Matter.(Brief article)
September 4, 2008... The first details of the direction design will take at The O2's forthcoming club venue Matter have emerged, Design Week can reveal. The Pentagram-designed, 2000-capacity music venue, which is being built within the O2 Arena on London's...

Brandopus gives Dr Indulgence first aid.
September 4, 2008... Brandopus has given luxury chocolate range Dr Indulgence emergency resuscitation, after its previous incarnation under the brand name 'Pharmacy' was pulled from the shelves. The client - Chocolate on Chocolate - will relaunch its...

IDSA conference provides a platform for polar opposites.(Conference news)
September 4, 2008... This years Industrial Designers Society of America national conference and design gallery will look to address the sets of opposing forces designers face in their work. The conference, entitled Polar Opposites, will address the...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Memory Cloud.(Photograph)
September 4, 2008... The Institute of Contemporary Arts will present Memory Cloud, a light and smoke installation set in London's Trafalgar Square, in October. The installation, first showcased in Bristol by experimental architecture and design consultancy...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Paco Rabanne's new fragrance for men.
September 4, 2008... Noe Duchaufour-Lawrance, the product and furniture designer behind London's Sketch restaurant, has created the bottle for Paco Rabanne's new men's fragrance 1 Million, which launches in the UK on 15 September. Copyright: Centaur...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Crapitalism exhibition.
September 4, 2008... Complex and colourful mash-ups of popular imagery that critique a media- and advertising-obsessed society form the theme of Crapitalism, an exhibition showcasing the work of Australian artist Ben Frost at the Dray Walk Gallery, London E1. It...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Speedo launches performance zone.(Photograph)
September 4, 2008... Speedo launches a 'performance zone', devised by Path Design, at its flagship Covent Garden store in London WC1 this week. This follows the unveiling of its latest performance suit, the LZR Racer. The zone will show the development of Speedo...

NEWS IN PICTURES: PDD works with Beko.(Photograph)
September 4, 2008... Product design consultancy PDD has worked with Beko on the latest addition to its Range 90 cooker range, launching this week. PDD creative lead Jamie Buckley says that the quality of features such as the dials was deemed as important as those...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Olympics-themed stamps.(Photograph)
September 4, 2008... Royal Mail has launched a set of Olympics-themed stamps, designed by London group Why Not Associates working with six photographers, to celebrate the handover between Beijing and London. They will be available in more than 60 000 post offices...

ANALYSIS: Revival of the fittest.
September 4, 2008... Companies frequently draw on their heritage and revisit archive designs. But, as Clare Dowdy discovers, old doesn't have to mean old- fashioned Long-standing British luxury brands are all at it, it seems. Tailor Henry Poole & Co boasts the...

PRIVATE VIEW: Just say, 'No, sorry'.
September 4, 2008... Raging at clients' bullshit suggestions? Stymied by the Mean Streets of their penny-pinching? Robert De Niro could have the answer, says Adrian Shaughnessy In among the tap-dancing dogs, vomit-drinking students, and body- piercing...

INSPIRED: Christian Myers.(Brief article)
September 4, 2008... Christian Myers Love I consider myself a pretty lucky person. I've worked for - and with - some very talented and inspirational people from various design disciplines. And those experiences have had a big influence on the way I work. ...

LETTER: There's a place for religious debate, but not in Design Week.(Letter to the editor)
September 4, 2008... It's not often I read a piece in Design Week and come away feeling both bewildered and disappointed. Yet with Hugh Pearman's 'witty' piece 'Genesis of an idea' (Private View, DW 14 August), I did exactly that. I'd appreciate a...

VOXPOP: Design competitions and initiatives.
September 4, 2008... This week has seen the announcement of several design competitions and initiatives addressing social issues. Are there any causes you would like to see addressed by design? An exciting and widespread area of social innovation, that could use...

LETTER: From Bristol to London, cities need to declutter.(Letter to the editor)
September 4, 2008... I completely agree with your piece (Comment, DW 21 August) that UK cities (and towns) need to improve the quality of their pedestrian environments, wayfinding/signage and public transport systems. A trip to the continent a short while ago...

LETTER: Creativity should come first, because digital is only a tool.(Letter to the editor)
September 4, 2008... Guy Lane's article 'Negotiating the digital maze' on the digital revolution (Business Insight, DW 14 August) raised some interesting points about how we use digital technologies. While the digital revolution and the Internet have provided...

LETTER: Lego minifigures - a higher honour than Oscars and Baftas.(Letter to the editor)
September 4, 2008... It was great to see Lego minifigures - a true design classic - get some recognition in your pages (Toys feature, DW 21 August). However, the claim that Harrison Ford is the only actor to have been Lego-ised twice is wrong. That...

PROFILE: Michael Carlin.(Interview)
September 4, 2008... Schooled in the hothouse world of 1980s pop videos, Michael Carlin has become a respected designer on high-profile, low-budget British feature films. He talks to Nick Smurthwaite about visual story telling How did a talented young...

BERLIN: City limits.(Create Berlin)
September 4, 2008... London gets a taste of Berlin this month with an exhibition showcasing some of the brightest talent from the German capital. Clare Dowdy explores a historic city determined to hang on to its non-commercial creative aesthetic COME 2009,...

RETAIL: New nationalism.
September 4, 2008... There was a time when retail designers used predictable historic cues to evoke a sense of national identity. Things have moved on from bowler hats and red London buses, says John Stones, who finds current trends on a more contemporary tack...

BOOKS: Strangely familiar.
September 4, 2008... In a break from conventional commissioning practice, one publisher has let artists pick the stories they would like to illustrate. The results of this brave approach are quirkily imaginative reinterpretations of some well-known titles,...

BUSINESS INSIGHT: Welcome to a brand new day.
September 4, 2008... The digital age has influenced how brands communicate. Nick Law and Marc Shillum discover that the rules of engagement have changed What happens if someone sees a brand's message but misses the neat and beautifully designed logo at the...

REVIEW: Digital rising.
September 4, 2008... By Anna Richardson Alongside real-world exhibits, new show on the block Tent London is preparing for a distinctly digital theme to this year's event. 'We intentionally attracted digital content this year,' as co-founder and director...

Nestle reviews pack roster to bolster product development.
September 11, 2008... Nestle is thought to be reviewing its packaging design roster for the first time since 2003. The global food corporation is understood to be looking at rationalising a cross-divisional roster, which has grown from a strict list to a...

Channel 4 launches online animation channel.
September 11, 2008... Channel 4 has launched an online animation channel, 4mations, designed by Aardman Animations' digital design team. Aardman collaborated on the logo with Brett Foraker, head of C4's in-house team, the group behind the current C4 idents. The...

Salaries are static, say recruiters.
September 11, 2008... Design groups' salaries will remain flat, at best, over the next six months, according to a Design Week straw poll of recruiters. Design recruiters are predicting static salaries or a slight downward dip in pay as concern over the economy...

Westfield shifts focus to Stratford City development.
September 11, 2008... As Westfield prepares to throw open the doors of its White City shopping centre in west London next month, eyes are already turning to the developer's next mall project on the other side of the capital. Stratford City, due for completion in...

Blacksheep devises interiors for Inamo.
September 11, 2008... Design group Blacksheep has devised the interiors for restaurant company Inamo, Compurants' first destination concept in Wardour Street, London W1. It features a waiterless, interactive dining system with direct table-to-kitchen ordering,...

Saville and Adjaye get together for Kvadrat London showroom.(Peter Saville and David Adjaye)
September 11, 2008... Design gurus Peter Saville and David Adjaye have collaborated to create Danish textile multi-national Kvadrat's showcase London showroom, expected to open in 2009. The commercial space, intended as a 'drop in' for professional...

True Visions unveils branding and idents for two new channels.
September 11, 2008... Thai pay-television provider True Visions has this week unveiled the branding and idents for two new channels - True Asian Series and comedy channel Hay Ha - both designed by UK group Tilt Design. The design consultancy was appointed in...

Design Council joins call to stop universities undermining design groups.
September 11, 2008... The Design Council concurs with product designers that universities that offer commercial product design services must clearly define their offer if the reputation of design is not to suffer. In a letter published today in Design Week,...

Designers donate one-offs to Royal Brompton fundraiser.
September 11, 2008... Some of the biggest names in design are collaborating to create a series of one-off pieces that will be sold at auction house Christie's, to raise money for the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust. The event has been organised by...

Barclays banks on new London flagship.(Brief article)
September 11, 2008... Barclays is opening a new flagship branch in London's Piccadilly, with customer experience designed by The One Off and store design by interior architect Aukett Tytherleigh. The new branch is understood to be located in a former burger chain...

Lee Broom presenting second collection of Rough Diamond.(Brief article)
September 11, 2008... Lee Broom is presenting his second collection of art furniture, Rough Diamond, at the London Design Festival. He will take over Brick Lane Gallery, London E1, from 16-22 September, where he will showcase vintage furniture that has been...

IN BRIEF: GlaxoSmithKline postpones design roster review.(Brief article)
September 11, 2008... Pharmaceuticals giant GlaxoSmithKline, which owns Panadol, Aquafresh and Lucozade, has postponed its design roster review until later this month. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

IN BRIEF: My Customer campaign.(Brief article)
September 11, 2008... 999 Design's London office has been chosen to carry out the work for phase two of BT's My Customer campaign, which will involve a virtual roadshow to boost the company's employee satisfaction. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and...

IN BRIEF: Hovis launching bake-your-own bread kits.(Brief article)
September 11, 2008... Hovis has launched a range of bake-your-own bread kits designed by Jones Knowles Ritchie to celebrate its 122nd birthday. The kits, available from Harrods, coincide with the multimillion-pound relaunch of the Hovis brand (www.designweek.co.uk,...

IN BRIEF: Marco Pierre White and Oliver Dadoun join forces.(Brief article)
September 11, 2008... Chef Marco Pierre White and businessman Oliver Dadoun have joined forces to create a new coffee brand, 96deg, with an identity created by The Partners. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

COMMENT: New Challenges investment could foster existing talent.
September 11, 2008... Product design rarely dominates the news, but this week is an exception. On the one hand, we have the knock-on effect the Government's bid to boost UK manufacturing might have (see News, page 3); on the other, the battle is on between product...

Full Circle unveils flagship store at the Westfield Centre.
September 11, 2008... Fashion brand Full Circle is to launch its flagship store at Westfield's forthcoming shopping centre in west London next month. Retail design consultancy Brinkworth, which won the business in April following a three-way unpaid creative...

Property consultancy Homerun opens doors with Pyott identity.
September 11, 2008... Start-up property development consultancy Homerun launches this week, under an identity created by Pyott. In a similar vein to Candy & Candy, Homerun is aimed at both property developers and 'cash-rich, time-poor' city professionals,...

DEBATE: Universities shouldn't be undermining design groups.
September 11, 2008... In a response to Tony Robotham's letter, published in Design Week on 21 August, 19 signatories argue that we must stop academic institutions offering reduced-price design services and undercutting local groups Tony Robotham's letter...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Science Museum posters.
September 11, 2008... The second phase of posters, devised by Carter Wong Design, for the Science Museum in London will this week appear in Tube stations across the capital. The brief was to promote the museum as a weekend cultural destination for both adults and...

NEWS IN PICTURES: London Underground marking centenary of Tube logo.
September 11, 2008... London Underground is marking the centenary of its iconic Tube logo by inviting 100 artists, including Yinka Shonibare and Jeremy Deller, to produce an artwork inspired by the roundel for a public exhibition that will run from 9-30 October...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Longe branding and packaging.
September 11, 2008... Paul Cartwright Branding has designed the branding and packaging for food manufacturer Longe, which launches its first range of Nigerian snacks this week. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

NEWS IN PICTURES: Selfridges to launch Designer Toy Lounge.
September 11, 2008... London department store Selfridges is launching a Designer Toy Lounge on 12 October, which it claims will tap into the growing subculture of designer and vinyl toys in the UK. The store is aiming to be the first to take the concept into the...

NEWS IN PICTURES: Society of Designer Craftsmen celebrate 120 years.
September 11, 2008... The Society of Designer Craftsmen is celebrating its 120th anniversary with 120, an exhibition featuring work by new and established designer artists. The show runs until 18 October at the SDC Gallery, Rivington Street, London EC2. ...

ANALYSIS: Forays into foreign territory.
September 11, 2008... Does their expertise in consumer research entitle product design groups to muscle in on the branding sector? David Benady investigates The over-supplied branding industry is getting more crowded. Product designers are getting in on the...

PRIVATE VIEW: Appliance of science.(Column)
September 11, 2008... Who needs design when you're searching for the Big Bang? Hugh Pearman celebrates the rehabilitation of those erstwhile heroes, the boffins in white coats I once had to go to look at the public art programme being rolled out in the...

INSPIRED: Neil Tinson.(Brief article)
September 11, 2008... Neil Tinson Neil Tinson Stuido Chairman, Cornwall Design Forum Think of inspiration and common themes occur - nature, family and sport. I'm afraid I find it in none of these. But as I think about my inspiration, one word does keep cropping...

LETTER: Sainsbury's? Green? Try remembering to close the fridge door.(Letter to the editor)
September 11, 2008... You recently ran a Web story about Sainsbury's invitation to design consultancies to help it roll out its Ecostore concept, following the opening of its flagship in Dartmouth, Devon (www.designweek.co.uk, 29 August). Surely Sainsbury's...

LETTER: Nice fireworks, but poor show for Chinese design.(Letter to the editor)
September 11, 2008... I was reminded by Margaret Manning's comments (Voxpop, DW 21 August) that Jack Morton Productions - which started in the US and apparently also has an office in London - was responsible for the design of Beijing's 'stunning opening sequence'....

LETTER: Repositioning was about selling wool, not sheep welfare.(Letter to the editor)
September 11, 2008... I'm writing about your item on the decision by Australian Wool Innovation to reposition two of its key brands (www.designweek.co.uk, 21 August), This had nothing to do with the campaign by animal rights groups calling for a boycott of...

LETTER: Tapping into the craze for design for design's sake.(Letter to the editor)
September 11, 2008... I read with interest your article 'Straight from the tap' (News Analysis, DW 3 July), but, really, whatever next? Inspired by this current trend of design for design's sake, Rare Breed will soon be marketing smoke, for self-indulgent...

VOXPOP: Which graphic work would you see housed in a museum?
September 11, 2008... This week has seen the Victoria & Albert Museum acquire designer John Pasche's Rolling Stones 1970 Tongue and Lips logo. If you could see any graphic work housed in a museum, what would it be, and why? Along with Andy Warhol's zippered...

PROFILE: Sam Baron.
September 11, 2008... As head of product design at Fabrica, Sam Baron is in the ideal environment to experiment and subvert expectations. Lynda Relph-Knight looks at the role this young Frenchman plays at the Benetton research group 'Vous et moi' is the phrase...

RECRUITMENT: Reality check.
September 11, 2008... Despite the economic gloom affecting the wider economy, the design sector appears to be holding up well. However, that doesn't mean consultancies aren't beginning to take a more cautious approach, Anna Richardson reports DESIGN WEEK'S...

EXHIBITIONS: Parallel pasts.(Cold War Modern: Design 1945-70)
September 11, 2008... The space race and fears of nuclear Armageddon may have defined the pessimism of the Cold War era, but the designs of this period display optimism and yearning for modernity. A new exhibition takes apart this contradiction, says Pamela Buxton...

BUSINESS INSIGHT: A glimpse of the future.
September 11, 2008... Stuart Watson went to China to promote British design for the Olympic handover. He came back impressed by what he saw - and worried for the UK When we were first invited by UK Trade and Investment to represent British design in China,...

REVIEW: Ghostly beat.(Brief article)
September 11, 2008... By Sarah Frater If you count video installations and computer-controlled light sculpture, digital art is hardly new. Large-scale installations are ten a penny, with many no more than film projections controlled by pre- programmed repeat...

100% DESIGN PREVIEW: Foreword.
September 11, 2008... Seasoned industry watchers will be eyeing this year's 100% Design more closely than previous events. It was schemed and costed long before the economic indicators turned nasty, and how it responds to the ever darkening news could shape the...

100% DESIGN PREVIEW - PROFILES: Exhibiting talent.(David J. Irwin, Stokke Austad, Anna Hart and John Miller)
September 11, 2008... What do an award-winning graduate, a Cornish furniture company and a pair of Norwegian designers have in common? They're all exhibiting at 100% Design. Trish Lorenz profiles three of this year's most intriguing entrants David J Irwin...

100% DESIGN PREVIEW - INTERNATIONAL: Eastern treats.
September 11, 2008... What will newcomers South Korea and Thailand bring to 100% Design? Clare Dowdy looks forward to an infusion of traditional crafts - and some more Western-oriented work - from these two countries joining Japan on the international scene Far...

100% DESIGN PREVIEW - LIGHTING: Green light.
September 11, 2008... There's more to eco-friendly lighting than energy-saving light bulbs - sustainable materials and end-of-life recycling are also important. But can saving the planet be combined with inspired lighting design? asks Anna Richardson As with...

100% DESIGN PREVIEW: Future gazing.
September 11, 2008... 100% Design remains the preferred launch pad for established designers, as well as fertile territory for spotting up-and-coming talent. 100% Futures retains an experiment energy, with both British and international designers opting to...

100% DESIGN PREVIEW - MATERIALS: Material playground.(Interview)
September 11, 2008... If you haven't come across phase-changing textiles, fish leather or shape-memory materials yet, this is your chance to get in the know. Trish Lorenz gets tactile with the stuff of the future - all on display at 100% Design As Madonna...

100% DESIGN PREVIEW - DESIGN FOR KIDS: Small wonders.
September 11, 2008... How do you kick-start the market for high-end kiddie furniture? Pamela Buxton recommends perfectly formed, scaled-down versions of classics IS CHILDREN'S furniture growing up? While bright colours still dominate much of the market, there...