Design Cultures

New timetable for level 2 Design Studies 2009/2010

2009-07-04T11:18:00.001+01:00

This timetable is a work in progress but shows how next year's programme is shaping up.
You can view it full screen by clicking on the spanner icon (or "wrench" if you're American!)

Recycling trucks printed with textile patterns

2009-06-25T22:16:00.001+01:00

Visit TreeHugger for the full story - some great-looking vehicles!

Replacing remote controls with gestures

2009-06-20T20:07:00.001+01:00

Coming to a TV near you soon...

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Dundee's Future Green Thinking Winner

2009-06-11T16:52:00.002+01:00

Future Green Thinking Winner: Dundee Geography student Craig Frew.

"Creating environmentally-friendly solutions for everyday living

An adaptation of the Neighbourhood Watch scheme, the Environmental Watch Group is a scheme designed to reduce carbon emissions at a local level.

Community environmental watch groups are responsible for observing, monitoring and educating the environmental activities of local residents in a bid to tackle the low carbon challenge.

Used as a vehicle to cut the carbon output of communities, the onus is on the Environmental Watch Group to encourage local people to consider the negative effects of climate change and adopt new measures to help reduce their carbon footprint.

The groups meet regularly to come up with innovative ideas, incentives and schemes that are relevant to the local area and undertake a range of activities including waste management and monitoring biodiversity."

Entrepreneurs to compete for free retail space

2009-06-09T11:00:00.002+01:00

Three retailers will be offered business support worth £250,000, including free space in a Scottish shopping centre as part of a “Dragon’s Den” style scheme.

The Project Retail initiative is organised by property investment manager Prupim and has been designed to fill vacant retail space in its Wellgate shopping centre in Dundee, which currently has 12 of its 60 retail sites sitting empty.

Aspiring retailers will pitch their ideas to a panel of business experts in a bid to win the three-year package. Winners will be given use of a fitted-out shop in the Wellgate Centre, as well as mentoring and marketing support from business experts for three years. The first six months will be rent free and retailers will then be able to negotiate ongoing rent based on their turnover during that period.

Vacant retail space caused by the recession is a problem in several of Prupim’s shopping centres and the company said that if this scheme was successful it will be rolled out across its other outlets.

Prupim, which is part of Prudential, owns or co-owns many of the UK’s best-known shopping centres, including Westfield London, Bluewater in Kent and the Arndale Centre in Manchester.

Project Retail was launched by entrepreneur Michelle Mone, who runs designer lingerie brand Ultimo, and is backed by Dundee University and the city council. Deadline for entries is July 31.

Go to www.project-retail.co.uk for more details.

Wearable technology

2009-05-08T13:23:00.001+01:00

Thanks to Steph in IPD

The most kissed girl in the world becomes a guy

2009-05-08T13:22:00.001+01:00

BBC News reports:

If you have ever done a first aid course, the chances are you have been intimate with Resusci Anne.
Launched in 1960 to solve the problem of how to practice life like mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, she has been nick-named "the most kissed girl in the world" and to put it plainly, she is getting on a bit.
More sophisticated mannequins have been manufactured in recent years and Resusci Anne's creators Laerdal have now brought out SimMan 3G, the next generation of simulator, able to mimic an array of medical complications.
He has a pulse, he can cough and wheeze, his eyes can water, his jaws can lock and his body can breathe and convulse.
Those are just the visible features but he can also simulate breathing complications, cardiac arrests and reactions to drugs.

Read the rest

The 5 Most Innovative Eco-friendly Fibres

2009-05-03T21:11:00.001+01:00

When I hear the words “green” and “fashion” in the same sentence, I immediately think of organic cotton and hemp. From you vantage point, what are some of the coolest innovations in sustainable fibers happening right now?

Read about the five most innovative eco-friendly fibres. Some of them may surprise you

Thanks to Eilidh Ellery via Twitter

Posted via web from Jonathan's posterous

Social Innovation Camp comes to Dundee

2009-04-23T12:56:00.003+01:00

Social Innovation Camp is an experiment in creating social innovations for the digital age, they are looking for brilliant ideas that use the web to tackle stuff that matters.

"Absolutely anyone can enter an idea: if you’re a hacker with an itch to scratch, we want to hear from you - but you don’t have to be technically skilled to get involved. We’re looking for software developers and designers, people with business brains and seriously creative minds, together with those of you who simply know about a problem you want to solve. And there’s no need for you to be based in Scotland - or even the UK - to enter.

We’re looking for the best ideas that use the web to change stuff that matters - be that in education, health care, the environment; it could be something on your doorstep or stuff that effects the world as a whole.

There’s only one thing that every idea must have in common: that it uses the web to help people do something for themselves."

This fantastic initiative is going to be in Dundee from the 28th to 30th of April. Sign up and come along!

Heston Blumenthal leads £10,000 kitchen product design competition

2009-04-12T14:57:00.001+01:00

You could win a £10,000 cash prize courtesy of Finish and see your very own kitchen innovation produced by Lakeland – in total a package worth an estimated £50,000. You’ll work with Lakeland to develop the design and help bring your innovation to market, receive royalties from future sales, and you’ll benefit from extensive business support and publicity.
Ten finalists will be invited to attend a judging event in London in August 2009, where you’ll pitch your design to the judging panel. Four runners up will receive £1,000 worth of Lakeland vouchers and a year’s supply of Finish Quantum dishwasher tablets.

Over-egging on the packaging front

2009-04-10T12:08:00.001+01:00

There's an interesting article over at BBC News about moves to reduce the amount of packaging used on Easter Eggs

Jo Swinson, Lib Dem MP for Dunbartonshire East, has been campaigning against excess packaging for several years.

"Easter eggs are obviously one of the worst examples of excessive packaging you can find. It is going to taste the same whatever box it comes in. It doesn't make any sense to pay for excess packaging."

Last year she named and shamed various overpackaged eggs including one from Nestle. This year the confectionery giants have seen which way the wind is blowing.

Nestle has eliminated many of the plastic inserts - used to hold the egg in place and protect it - from its boxes and reduced the amount of cardboard used.

BIG REDUCTIONS

Cadbury's: Treasure eggs which have no box, other eggs' carton sizes cut by 25%

Nestle: Many plastic inserts removed, packaging reduced 30%

Mars: Carton weight reduced 42%, plastic insert weight reduced 35%

M&S: Packaging reduced 30%

Mars is using print ads to trumpet its reduced packaging, and Cadbury's is shrinking boxes, having also introduced its Treasure Eggs range that don't come in a box.

But Ms Swinson says the confectionery giants still have some way to go and that further reductions in box size are required.

Andy Dawe, from waste and recycling action group WRAP, says it is important to remember that there is a functional element to egg packaging.

If packaging prolongs the shelf life of an egg, then waste is avoided. If packaging stops eggs being damaged in transit, then again waste is avoided.

"But one of the biggest concerns for consumers is when they can't recycle the packaging that is presented to them."

Read the full article at news.bbc.co.uk

Posted via web from Jonathan's posterous

Sun in a box wins sustainable development prize

2009-04-09T21:44:00.001+01:00

http://design-cultures.blogspot.com/2009/04/in-box-cooker-wins-design-award.html

Posted via email from Jonathan's posterous

"Sun in a box" cooker wins design award

2009-04-09T21:42:00.001+01:00

BBC News reports that

A cheap solar cooker has won first prize in a contest for green ideas.
The Kyoto Box is made from cardboard and can be used for sterilising water or boiling or baking food.
The Kenyan-based inventor hopes it can make solar cooking widespread in the developing world, supplanting the use of wood which is driving deforestation.

Read the story in full - it's fascinating how something so simple can be so effective.

Where Gadgets go to die

2009-04-02T15:08:00.001+01:00

Wired has an interesting article about a gadget recycling facility in the US

When gadgets die, they go to a place like the one pictured here — if they're lucky.

Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency came under fire for allowing U.S. tech companies to export millions of pounds of hazardous, used electronics to Asian countries where they are recycling with a lot less environmental oversight.

Negative press, new e-waste legislation and a depressed economy are pressuring tech manufacturers into assuming far greater recycling responsibly to show they’re part of the green movement. As a bonus, domestic recycling lets them save some money on materials, such as precious metals, while they’re at it. Manufacturers who handle recycling responsibly in the United States work with professional facilities like this one, where old gadgets are dismantled using a part-man, part-mechanical process.

Read the rest and see more pictures here

The price of design - What Sagmeister charges

2009-03-25T13:30:00.002Z

via Eye magazine's flickr.com page

Anything from $6 to $60 an hour by my reckoning. Sure it's more complicated than that, maths-wise...

Sustainable Design Forum, DCA 27 March at 7.30pm

2009-03-24T09:05:00.001Z

This Friday, DCA, Dundee at 7.30pm

Posted via email from Jonathan's posterous

Wearable kinetic sculptures

2009-03-24T09:04:00.001Z

Via Jo's Blog

Posted via email from Jonathan's posterous

Watch company launches designer networking site

2009-03-23T13:03:00.001Z

Swatch Group owner Rado Switzerland will launch a networking website for designers next month.

The website is aimed primarily at new designers and graduates looking for work. It will allow users to upload a portfolio that they can share with peers and, Rado hopes, potential employers.

‘Our goal is to make the site a platform for young professionals to share work ideas, gain increased visibility and use the many networking features built into the site to contact each other and potential employers,’ says a spokeswoman for Rado.

The free, global website will launch at the Milan furniture fair at the end of April.

[...]
A registration page is currently viewable at www.radostar.com.

via designweek.co.uk

Posted via web from Jonathan's posterous

Salaries: Take the long view - Design Week

2009-03-23T12:54:00.001Z

Design Week has an article on the state of salaries in design (mainly, it seems, graphic design) and what people can do to increase them.

There are also calls for designers to become more integrated, with consultancies keen on multi-tasking talent. Print designers especially should gain experience and qualifications in digital software, since the dearth of talent in the digital arena is as pronounced as ever, with the market consistently bucking the downturn trend.

'There is an ever-increasing amount of business moving online, as technology and capability transforms the way we live and work. Inevitably, there is a skills gap developing as the digital workforce strives to keep up with the constantly evolving environment,' explains Sue Pilgrim of MacPeople. 'Senior digital candidates are always in demand.'

Demand for print specialists and artworkers is in decline, while jobs in brand identity, packaging and fmcg are still reasonably healthy, report the recruiters. However, brand-owners are increasingly squeezing budgets, says Beasley, and they commission less new product development and innovation work.

'It's tough-going for candidates across all areas, especially for print designers,' says Vidler. But as consultancies work increasingly hard to keep existing business and bring in new work, experienced account managers and business development executives are very much sought after.

[...]

Graduate prospects

Talent, dynamism and enthusiasm will be particularly important for this year's graduates, as their prospects in the downturn are bleak. Beasley warns that 'only the best will survive', and that completing good work placements is vital. 'Those who will be graduating in 2010 should also be looking at getting placements this summer to get ahead of the rest,' she says.

Colleges and universities should also encourage different skill sets, says Snell. '[They] still seem to be encouraging too many graduates to leave with just graphic design skills, when there has been a clear trend in the past four to five years of needing more Web and digital technical and creative people,' she explains.

via designweek.co.uk

Posted via web from Jonathan's posterous

Double-height seating in Indian Restaurant

2009-03-20T14:54:00.001Z

Bangalore Express
Indian Restaurant in Waterloo Road, London. The client required a re-invention of the traditional curry house to match their vision for fast, healthy, Indian food. Linear grooved walls with abstract painted blocks lead the eye through the inter-connecting spaces. Tube steel furniture gives a purposefully harder edge, while the double height booths provide 24 extra covers for the same floor space.

via outline-projects.co.uk

Posted via web from Jonathan's posterous

Design Week employment podcast

2009-03-20T14:10:00.001Z

Brand Union executive creative director Glenn Tutsell and Design Council head of skills Lesley Morris both feature in Design Week’s employment opportunities podcast.

They are joined by Laura Woodroffe, education and professional development director at D&AD, and graphic designer Matt Judge, who was recently made redundant.

The four discuss employment opportunities in design as the economy goes through recession.

The podcast can be heard at http://www.designweekpodcast.co.uk.

via designweek.co.uk

Posted via web from Jonathan's posterous

Dundee's Innovative Technology Projects Receive National Recognition

2009-03-18T14:52:00.001Z

Assistive technology projects developed at the University of Dundee have been held up as exemplary at a major exhibition of technology that can enhance the lives of older and disabled people.

Rolf Black and Dr Annalu Waller from the University’s School of Computing attended the opening of the ATcare Design and Development Centre in London to demonstrate two projects that aim to help children with complex communication needs (CCN).

PhonicStick seeks to develop a prototype joystick to improve the ability of children with CCN to generate speech through a computer, and is funded by Capability Scotland and the Nuffield Foundation.

“How was School today?” has developed software to enable CCN children reliant on speech-generating devices to tell others about their school day. Using sensor and other data, the software automatically generates novel stories about the child’s day. This 12-month EPSRC funded feasibility study is a collaborative project with the University of Aberdeen, Capability Scotland and Communication Matters.

Dr Arlene Astell from the University of St Andrews also demonstrated CIRCA, a research project carried out jointly with Dundee that has found a way to promote communication for elderly people with dementia.

This meant that University of Dundee projects featured in three of only eight presentations at the event, which was attended by over 200 industry experts. ATcare was established to improve the range, quality and functionality of assistive technology products to meet the growing demands of older and disabled people.

Dr Waller said she and her colleague were delighted to be part of the ATcare event, “The feedback on our projects was superb and at one point people were queuing three deep to see the PhonicStick and “How was school today?”. It was great to think that we had three out of the eight projects being demonstrated.”

The University’s School of Computing contains one of the largest and most influential academic groups in the world researching into information technology and assistive technology for older and disabled people.

It boasts more than 30 researchers with a unique blend of disciplines including computer engineers, psychologists, therapists, creative designers and staff who have benefited from interdisciplinary careers.

via dundeeliving.co.uk

Posted via web from Jonathan's posterous

Dundee to be Scotland's First Fibrecity

2009-03-18T09:36:00.001Z

By installing a network of fibre optic cables across the city, Dundee will be the first city in Scotland to become a Fibrecity.

This means residents, businesses and organisations have the opportunity to improve their communication facilities and networks offering a much higher speed at which data can be sent and received.

With Dundee having a thriving technology and digital entertainment industry, this will be beneficial for the city. Work is due to begin within the next 6 months, with the majority of the fibre out in the sewers using H20’s patented FS System at the company’s own expense.

via dundeeliving.co.uk

Posted via web from Jonathan's posterous

'Twittering' threat to US trials

2009-03-17T16:57:00.001Z

The verdicts in two US trials are being appealed against because jurors made comments about them on social networking sites.
Defence lawyers in the two cases say postings by jurors on sites like Twitter and Facebook could be grounds for appeal.
Jurors are forbidden to discuss anything relating to a case outside the deliberation room.
But experts say the emergence of new technologies is challenging the rules.

via news.bbc.co.uk

Bloody Twitter.

Posted via web from Jonathan's posterous

Stepmothers of Invention: Branding Firms Enter the Industrial Design Fray

2009-03-17T16:46:00.001Z

Twist had a problem. By all appearances, the young Colorado-based company had everything going for them. Their line of environmentally sensitive sponges and cleaning rags had touched a chord with consumers, and was selling well at high-end grocery and housewares stores. They were getting attention from all the right magazines and blogs. But in order to expand, they needed a bigger brand with more product offerings; major retailers like Target said so, even as they expressed interest in carrying their line.

Like a lot of companies in this situation do, Twist decided to look for help. After a few months searching, they settled on Crispin, Porter + Bogusky, an award-winning agency that happened to have an office in Twist's home town of Boulder. Crispin, however (or CP+B, as it's sometimes abbreviated), is not a product design consultancy, it's an advertising agency, and has been since its founding in 1965. The proposal that got them Twist's account included a range of brand-building services, among them the design of new additions to their product line. And it's not the first time they've done this for a client.

To most of us not deeply submerged in the eternally bubbling stew of modern marketing, this sounds kind of bizarre, as if your accountant were offering to fix your car in addition to doing your taxes. The popular impression of How Things Get Made and Sold generally has some engineers and designers over here, coming up with The Thing, and an ad agency over here, thinking up ways to sell it. Simple, right? ...

That "two silo" method of design and marketing was more or less standard until recently, and while the history of its gradual erosion goes back several decades, the first firms to start messing with it in a substantive way were probably product design consultancies in the late 80s and early 90s.

Carl Alviani's full article at core77 is fascinating and well worth a read - it shows how the boundary between different disciplines both in and outside design have blurred.

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