“Design Research has become a required skill for a working designer however few designers were trained in these skills when they studied design. This course will introduce participants to the emerging field of Design Research and tools that can be used to inform design as well as to ideas about how and when to deploy them effectively so you can be a more successful designer.”
—FYI - Upcoming conference in 2012! Design Research Methods 1 course in Chicago on 3/4/12- Eventbrite
December 2011
13 posts
“Designers don’t just make things easier and simpler to use, we open up new opportunity spaces through a more creative approach to problem solving.”
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American Firms Now Embrace Design, But They’re Aging Fast. What’s Next? | Co.Design
Some FANTASTIC quotes in this article!!!
“Frog’s Robert Fabricant argues that American companies no longer stand for real innovation in design… So the trick is to empower a new generation.”
“I believe that the best American design comes out of ambivalence and tension. The strong desire to conceive of, and design, a better future combined with the healthy dose of skepticism and self-determinism that resists uniformity. It is this self-determinism, in particular, that is at the core of what is “American” about design today. “
“And what about Apple, unassailably cool and inarguably the global tastemaker of our time? Apple defines American design more than any other company. But I would argue that design at Apple has also hit middle age. Apple products are starting to have a distinctly Disney-esque, almost kitschy quality.”
2012 Design Forecast: Not-So-Mellow Yellow - Brilliant, cheerful yellows are on-trend in a big way — learn how to layer them into your home →
houzz.com
contemporary kitchen design by other metros interior designer Atmosphere Interior Design Inc.
Check out some of the amazing pops of yellow in the interiors images shown in this post!
Masters in Branding - Program at the School of Visual Arts - wow they have that now?!? →
branding.sva.edu
Its the first of its kind in the US - if only I knew of this sooner….hmmmm……sounds like this would be a great add on to an interior design graduate degree…. ;-)
THE MASTERS OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES IN BRANDING IS A ONE-YEAR GRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAM THAT WILL EXAMINE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DESIGN AND STRATEGY, AND THE POWER OF DESIGN THINKING AS A WAY TO COMBINE CREATIVE SKILLS WITH THE PROBLEM-SOLVING AND DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES OF DESIGN AND BUSINESS.
San Francisco designer sculpts unique wall art from surprising materials →
houzz.com
John Whitmarsh’s sculpture work is characterized by a desire to blur the line between what is made by nature and what is manmade. Check out some more of his words at www.houzz.com
NYC Architects Create Stylish Shelters for City’s Street Cats →
moderncat.net
NYC-based Architects for Animals held their second annual Giving Shelter benefit earlier this month. This event brings together world-class architects and designers to create unique shelters for outdoor cats. Proceeds from the event go to benefit the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals and following the event, all of the shelters are donated to NYC’s community cat caretakers for use by the city’s outdoor cats to help them through the cold winter season.
Check out some of these designs!!! (and see more on the Modern Cat site)
James Provost Modern Furniture Illustrations →
textbookexample.com
I recently came across some modern furniture illustrations by James Provost, a technical illustrator, and think they are fantastic. He has completed a poster featuring his renderings of iconic mid-century modern furniture which have a vintage feel to them. imagekind has a giclee prints for sale featuring all of the pieces. Also be sure to check out James Provost’s Flickr Feed for more images of his work.
The 10 Flattering Colors You're Going to Want to Wear In Spring 2012- more Pantone Color update! →
glamour.com
As reported in WWD today, the Pantone Color Institute weighed in on what the upcoming season’s spectrum of must-have hues will look like. Without further ado, the most popular colors for Spring 2012
Listed in order of popularity, Spring 2012’s It-Colors for women are (from top down) Tangerine Tango, Solar Power, Sodalite Blue, Cabaret, Starfish, Margarita, Sweet Lilac, Driftwood, Bellflower and Cockatoo.
Read More http://www.glamour.com/fashion/blogs/slaves-to-fashion/2011/09/the-10-flattering-colors-youre.html#ixzz1gp48sSvr
Creating Value in the Current Economy →
di.net
GREAT article that would have been quoted in my thesis earlier this year-
“As projects become more complex, design thinking needs to keep pace. Buildings are not just empty, inert vessels. They should be designed to support and enhance human activity, and so they need to be responsive to change… The skills that designers need to be effective must be broadened and deepened…
In the past, architects were seen primarily as form givers, mostly concerned with program, function, and massing. In contrast, todays clients are much more likely to view built space as either a cost center or a revenue generator… While it might not seem obvious at first glance, form and revenue are closely connected….”
- Via @dinet
“You find yourself designing cards for friends and family instead of buying one from the store that would be cheaper, faster, and less frustrating.”
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Amen to that, now show me more! (via youreadesignerwhen)
YEP! Doing that now!! :)
