2010 Rolling Road Show

These posters have been pretty well publisised over the web but I thought they were a very clean and clever piece of graphic design.

Olly Moss is the designer behind the posters who has quite an impressive CV. To check out his work follow the link.

What is Design?

I stumbled upon this video whilst on the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum website over a lunch break. Having visited New York in November last year one of the highlights of my trip was visiting this museum (sounds a bit dull I know), I was astonished at how accessible the design methodology was in relation to the pieces on display something I have always found somewhat lacking in other design museums I have visited. I was also impressed in their commitment to educate their visitors through video interviews with the designers. Their website is definitely worth checking out as it has links to a great exhibition archive and you tube channel of lectures and interviews.

So enough rambling, this video is a talk given by Bill Mogridge entitled 'What is Design?'. It touches on a wide variety of industrial and interactive design topics that are useful.

The video is too large to embed here so please follow the link What is Design?

Bill Moggridge is a British Industrial and Interaction designer who co-founded design firm IDEO in 1991 and is the current director of the Smithsonian Institution's Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in New York. He advocates applying a user-centered design process in product development cycles and also works towards popularizing interaction design as a mainstream discipline. As well as being a Royal Designer for Industry since 1988, he was honored with the lifetime achievement award at the National Design Awards at the White House in 2009.

Dieter Rams - 10 Commandments of Design

The basic ideas, the philosophy of Dieter Rams and his colleagues, are gathered in 10 simple factors. These 10 factors must not be concrete factors, indeed they are not. Besides, the thoughts on the definition of new design develop exactly as the development of culture and techniques. These facts can be put into order as follows:

Good design is innovative!

Good design is not pretending the known but is being innovative through doing progress in functionality. It doesn't seem that the proceeding choices will not end because of the new possibilities that technological development has created.

Good design makes the product useful!

People buy products to use it. There are secondary functions but the primary is the optimization of usage.
br> Good design is aesthetical!

The quality of the aesthetics of a product and thus its value is a property of the completeness of functionality. Because it is certain that it is sinister and weary to use a product that is complex to understand and to use. Leaving everything aside it's very difficult to comment on the quality of aesthetics for two reasons: First of all it's very difficult to define a visual concept with words because every word means something different to every individual. The second reason is the role of familiar and balanced appearance of the visual elements and the balance in details, the quality of aesthetics and the must of visual intuition that comes with the experience necessary to comment reliably.

Good design makes the product understandable!

Design emphasizes the structure of the product. It may even make the product speak out. Ideally the product defines itself and this solves the problem of reading a usage prospectus.

Good design must not be uncomfortable!

Products satisfying a task fulfill the function of a gadget. These are neither decorative objects nor objects of art. That's why design must be neutral. Items must draw back for human to live.

Good design is honest!

Good design doesn't- must not- seem different (more useful, more innovative, more valuable?) than what it really is. It must not deceive either the salesman or the consumer. It must not cause them be deceived.
Good design lives long!

It doesn't have components of fashion for the sake of living long (visually). This is how well designed products differ with a distinct line from trivial products with short lives. Today there is no profit in these products.

Good design is though in detail!
The tidiness and concreteness of design is the sign of the respect to the product, its functions and at the same time the respect to the consumer.

Good design is environmental friendly!

Design must protect the environment and must not damage the sources. Meanwhile something must be done against pollution of the environment not only physically but also visually.

Good design must be 'the least designed' as possible!

It's the way back to plainness and simplicity.

Design Thinking

This article is well worth a read and is certainly a view I agree with. Design Thinking is Killing Creativity. For many designers this will sound very familiar and should spark that little light in your head asking why has design gone this way?