Monday 30th November:
What did you eat when you first fell in love?
After graduating in 2000 from Eindhoven’s Design Academy, Marije Vogelzang has been designing eating concepts. And with her new book, Eat Love, she’s aiming to get us questioning and thinking differently about food and design.
Her interest is in the verb ‘to eat’. Not only does Vogelzang think deeply about what’s on the plate (if there’s a plate at all), but she also thinks about everything that surrounds the act of eating: the atmosphere, the preparation and serving, the people involved, the tastes, textures, sounds, smells and colours, and also the stories behind the ingredients. She even follows the journey of food from seed all the way through to the human digestion process. You don’t get more thorough than that. (Many thanks to Malvina in NY)
Ref. http://www.bispublishers.nl/bookpage.php?id=123
http://english.proefamsterdam.nl/
Friday 27th November:
Raising the barcode
Barcodes grace almost every product for sale. Given how much package real estate they command, why shouldn’t they look cool? D-Barcode has been creating custom barcodes for a mostly Japanese clientele without impeding on the mandatory numbers. Inventive versions transform humble skus from the usual black-and-white rectangle to graphics that range from cityscapes to waves, often relating to the product it identifies.
Given how much it costs to design a single package, why don’t we see more detailed thinking like this? Every part of the design matters.
Ref. http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/cliff-kuang/design-innovation/japan-even-barcodes-are-well-designed
Thursday 26th November:
Better to be born lucky than rich
Limited edition products are often the preserve of those who can meet inflated prices. Reebok knows this, not least because it sees sneaker enthusiasts camping out overnight in the hope of getting hold of exclusive and expensive new designs. Things are changing, though, with the latest sales concept based on nothing more than a lucky dip. Just 31 pairs of the Pump Outback, a collaboration with Bodega, a Boston Sportswear store, will be released to customers via a lottery.
Adidas is going further, planning to make ‘1 Euro Shoes’ for people who can’t afford them. The project was suggested to Adidas by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus and will begin pilot production in his home country of Bangladesh next year. The project will also create jobs for local Bangladeshis. Adidas has agreed to make the shoes on a non-profit basis, selling them at no more than the cost of manufacturing.
Both initiatives are spot on for today’s economic climate.
Ref. https://www.lsnglobal.com/seed/view/1078
http://www.psfk.com/2009/11/adidas-make-1-euro-shoes-for-people-who-cant-afford-shoes.html
Wednesday 25th November:
Bring your own bottle
Carrying your own reusable water bottle cuts down on the number of plastic ones ending up in landfill but they’re bulky to keep with you all day. Tonic, a design agency in Thousand Oaks, California, has come up with a refreshing alternative. Vapur stands upright when full. When empty, you can fold or roll it up to stick it in a pocket or a handbag.
Made of ultra-durable three-ply, BPA-free polymer, Vapur bottles can be cleaned in a dishwasher’s top rack and frozen to keep water cool. Vapur’s eco-creds aren’t limited to their day-to-day use: since the bottles can be shipped flat, the journey from manufacturer to distributors and consumers is that much greener. All in all, it’s an innovative way to make it more convenient for people to drink and carry tap water.
Ref. http://www.springwise.com/food_beverage/vapur/
Tagged with: Food and drink, Sustainability
Tuesday 24th November:
Extra, extra, extra
Back in the golden age of flying, you paid your fare and then got on and enjoyed the service. Nowadays you can be charged extra for basics like having luggage, switching seats and wanting a cuppa, never mind a cheese sarnie. It starts to feel as if getting on a plane means being taken for a ride in more ways than one. As airfare extras multiply, the pain points of flying are reaching a tipping point that is no longer about the peanuts, but basic principles like simplicity, flexibility, logic and reward.
People are looking for a common sense approach to pricing. In a recent 72-hour promotion, Southwest Airlines brought back fares from the short-shorts and go-go boots days. Crucially, they were based on mileage rather than airline margin. Here’s hoping others follow suit.
Ref. http://blog.iconoculture.com/2009/11/17/flying-the-unfriendly-skies/
Tagged with: Airlines, Pricing Promotions, Transport, Travel
Monday 23rd November:
Putt on some new undies, love
Triumph’s (bra) cups are running over with ideas. Its latest, a green corset-style garment, can be removed and unrolled to create a 1.5m-long putting mat whenever a lady feels like brushing up her ball skills. When she sinks a putt into one of the cups, a built-in speaker pumps out a congratulatory “nice shot!”. The bra also features pockets for extra golf balls and tees, and a detachable flag pin that serves as a score pencil. (Tx Claire)
Twice a year, Triumph launches a new novelty bra in Japan to highlight social trends. As you’ve probably guessed, they’re designed to raise awareness of an issue, rather than be worn regularly. Triumph claims that the Nice Cup in Bra is a response to the growing popularity of golf among Japanese women.
In previous years the company has invented the postal bra – with pockets for letters – and one made from miso soup and rice bowls, with a special holder for chopsticks. More recently, it unveiled the novelty husband-hunter bra. When an engagement ring is inserted in the mechanism, the countdown clock stops and Mendelssohn’s Wedding March strikes up.
Monday 23rd November:
Packaging that packs a punch
Companies who employ disruptive thinking to position unique, game-changing products and services have an edge. For those that don’t, this might just be the optimal time to step back and reassess. If sales are ailing, mightn’t the company benefit from a fresh new point of view? Tweaking products, packaging and the marketing approach might be exactly what the doctor ordered.
Products in every category are becoming commoditised at a faster rate than ever before. That brings us all back to the true role of marketing: that of providing clear differentiation and memorable experiences for the customer as job #1.
Packaging continues to grow in importance in the marketing mix. It brings branded products to consumers in a tangible manner, so it’s time to take a fresh, new and yes—disruptive—approach to it.
Ref. http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2009/09/-how-can-your-packaging-become-disruptive.html
Friday 20th November:
We’re dreaming of a green Christmas
For all the traditional merriment they embody, Christmas trees are a) awkward to transport and b) terribly depressing when they’re discarded in January. No longer if L.A. landscape architect, Scott Martin, has his way. Scott founded The Living Christmas Company, which gives L.A. residents the chance to rent a living Christmas tree and have it delivered right to their door.
Unlike regular Christmas trees, around 20 million of which are felled each year in the US, living trees are transplanted, roots and all, into pots for the festive period. After the holidays, Scott and his team pick up the trees, replant them and nurture them until next year.
Customers can order a tree from the company’s website, and sizes range from 3–8 feet and prices—including delivery and collection by bio-diesel truck—are comparable to those of felled trees. While the company isn’t the first to offer tree rentals for Christmas, it is the first we’ve seen that lets customers adopt a pine, allowing them to share Christmas with the same tree year after year, watching it grow along with their family. Adopted trees are tracked by barcode.
The concept will certainly appeal to eco-conscious Angelenos, who may not get a white Christmas, but can now choose a greener one.
Ref. http://www.springwise.com/eco_sustainability/livingchristmas/
Thursday 19th November:
No shop ‘til you drop
International No Shop Day back in 1997 was marked by the ‘grand opening’ of No Shop – the shop that promised everything but sold nothing. The No Shop, an installation by designers Thomas/Matthews in collaboration with Friends of the Earth’s Art and Nature Programme and the Royal College of Art, displayed all of the tempting window design and special offers used to lure in shoppers, while the space inside simply contained images of empty shelves and a single ‘No Sales Assistant’ behind an image of a cash register.
Visitors received a special paper shopping bag with a ‘receipt’ containing information on International No Shop Day and thanking the ‘shopper’ for ‘not shopping at No Shop’. (Thanks to JW for this one.)
The event is focused on the need to reduce material consumption and pollution to within defined ecological limits, and questions whether increasing consumerism can deliver a better quality of life.
Wednesday 18th November:
A breath of fresh air
Hint Mint was founded on the idea that simple objects (like a tin of mints) can also be beautiful lifestyle accessories. Calling themselves the original designer mint, Hint Mint turn a commodity product associated with bad breath into a ‘designer breath accessory’, and describe their mints as a ‘gesture of kindness’, hinting to potential buyers that they ‘need this mint’.
As well as beautiful and functional pocket accessories, Hint Mint is also using their limited edition approach to support worthwhile causes like breast cancer. (Thanks, Wadey, for sharing your trip to the Algerian coffee shop.)