On Design
The Lasting Mark of Modernism
Nick de la Mare looks at Stefan Kanchev, whose work married modernism and the cultural soul of his homeland. By Nick de la Mare
On Design
Mexican Imports: Thoughts from Oaxaca
After spending a most visceral and surreal weekend in Oaxaca, all I can think about are the senses. By Tali Krakowsky
On Design
Bad Design and the Greeble
The sci-fi canon foretells a future of bad design. And greebles. By Nick de la Mare
On Design
Air Travel: The Ultimate in Bad Design
A trip to hell and back and some modest proposals for redesigning air travel. By Ivy Chuang
On Design
Corralling feature creep
Last week the tech.view section of The Economist took feature creep in product design to task, citing figures as diverse as Mies van der Rohe to Antonine de Saint Exupéry to Colin Chapman, the founder of Lotus cars. The article claims that most designed things are unnecessarily bloated, and that simplicity in intent and follow-through would result in better functioning and, often, looking products. You'd be hard pressed to find a product designer who doesn't agree with that assessment. So if everyone agrees that there's a problem, why can't we come up with a solution? By Nick de la Mare
On Design
The Story of Story: Obsessions with Narrative
The 90's were the age of knowledge. They were about the accessibility of information. In the 21st century what matters is curation. Curation is just another word for story, and feeding our obsessions with narrative is a new website called jawbone.tv. By Tali Krakowsky
On Design
Wannabe: Posing for Posterity?
The Everyman's bid for the limelight is being encouraged as artists and photographers in London give the public their own chance to be the sign of the times. But does 'reality' being embraced by bonafide creatives offer anything to anyone beyond the most dedicated voyeurs? By Sophie Maxwell
On Design
Insight and Intuition, Rigor and Process
I've always loved research. When the chips are down and I'm looking for the edge that will take a half-baked theory and make it into a concept, research can help to give shape to the fuzziness that is a hunch. Although I always strive to deeply understand any subject matter for which I'm designing, I don't have a formal design research background; most of what I know is the product of working with some really talented individuals at frog. They taught me rigor and process, and the value of solid, explainable underpinnings to my work. By Nick de la Mare
On Design
Performance Engineering
For lovers of moving things--and great music--the new U2 360 concert offers an exciting manifestation of some LED dreams. And the installation begins with a collaboration between a technology company, an engineering firm, a designer and a fabulously inspired band. By Tali Krakowsky
On Design
3D Drawing with Rhonda
This little video demo of the 3D drawing tool Rhonda has made its way around the internet this week, and I still haven't tired of watching it. By Jennifer Bove
