Here follows some images from the Designboost activites during the Hem & Villa fair in Malmö 6-9 February. All in all we produced 21 lectures, 17 workshops, 13 exhibitions, 1 concert. On top of this also a sustainable children’s house. The different activities by Designboost were based on “sustainable design” and took place as an “design orienteering” with a number of stops where the visitors got different kind of knowledge based experiences. Participants included Eero Koivisto, Thomas Sandell, Jan Boris-Möller, Stefan Nilsson, Mats Theselius and Jacques Werup among others. Partners included Alcro, Apple, Artek, Audi, Brio, City of Malmö, Electrolux and Iittala. One of the ideas behind Designboost is to help companies and organisations to conceptualise sustainable design. The different events we are performing, side by side with more regular consulting on the subject, is delivering on our vision: sharing design knowledge.

Further info at the Designboost at Hem and Villa campaign site (unfortunately only in Swedish). If you would like to see more images you can click here.

The Designboost main stage called “at home with Designboost”. It was built as a 50 meter long bamboo kitchen.

Lina Sellgren talking about Feng Shui.

The sustainable children’s house.

The exhibition “sustainable design” in the garden of the children’s house.

The power of play with Brio.

7 small environments as visualisations of the “spokes” of the “sustainable wheel”.

Presentation of the two concepts “against throwawayism” by Iittala and “2nd cycle” by Artek.

Audi as a visualisation of the holistic thoughts behind the “sustainable wheel”.

Presentation of Malmö as a sustainable city.

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tags technorati : design sustainability designboost seminar lectures

Andra bloggar om: design, hållbar utveckling, miljö, mässa, inrending

Next Friday, April 4, issue nine of the David Report Bulletin will be released. The title will be “I shop therefore I am” and it will concern future consumerism and consumption culture. Among other things you will be able to find interesting texts from Kristina Dryza, freelance strategist and designer and Sante Poromaa, teacher at The Zenbuddhist Society in Stockholm. There will also be an interview with Mathilda Tham, guest professor at Beckmans College of Design in Stockholm. Here’s a short introduction text by Sante Poromaa:

“In the future luxury goods will be methods that bring us back the power of our own attention: the power to choose ourselves what we want to notice or not. And there lies the true luxury of the future, to be able to resist shopping and still be happy.”

To be sure to get a notice when “I shop therefore I am” is released please go to the David Report home page and sign up for a subscription. And the best of all, it’s free!

Image by Barbara Kruger.

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tags technorati : david report future consumerism future shopping trends future consumption

Andra bloggar om: david report, trender, framtid, shopping, konsumtion, design

Shoptalk is a series of sessions on tomorrow’s retailing and beyond by FutureDesignDays. These Shoptalks will take place April 2 in Malmö, May 15 in Stockholm and May 22 in Borås, Sweden.

I will be one of the participants in the panel debate at the Malmö event. Book your ticket by clicking the link above, however seats are limited. Here’s a short description of the event by FutureDesignDays:

Have you grasped the full implications of the real world web? The fact that the dividing line between the virtual/digital world and the real world melted away long ago? With the resultant paradox that, in an increasingly digitalised world, physical meetings are being subjected to new demands, and that the shop once more stands centre stage in the growth and development of retailing, a position that is increasingly focussing on relations rather than transactions.

So what are the challenges? Where are the opportunities? Most important of all, who are the crazy, courageous and insightful people who are driving the issue of tomorrow’s retailing?

FutureDesignDays Nomad continues its quest for tomorrow’s business models from a design perspective, and turns the spotlight on the future of retailing in a series of exciting splashdown-events in spring 2008. As usual, the programme will feature lots of interesting speakers, plus a series of come-and-enjoy supporting events in which the networking opportunities of the mingle format are justifiably renowned. The first three splashdown points will be Malmö, followed by Stockholm and Borås.

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tags technorati : futuredesigndays shoptalk retail seminar design

Andra bloggar om: framtid, design, seminarie, trender, retail, shopping

The new Myto chair by Konstantin Grcic will be launched at the Milan Design Week in April. Returning David Report readers maybe remember my earlier post about the Myto chair when it first was presented back in July. Myto will be produced by furniture manufacturer Plank in collaboration with chemical company Basf. Myto is made entirely from the engineering plastic Ultradur® High Speed (polybutylene terephthalate – PBT) which has an extraordinary flowability.

Do we need another chair? Maybe this time… The new cantilever chair by Konstantin Grcic explores posibilities of both material and form. With references back to the early years of the modernism Grcic is presenting one of the most interesting chairs for a long time.

The exhibition during Milan Design Week will take place at the Triennale Design Museum.

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tags technorati : konstantin grcic milan design week milan furniture fair plank basf

Andra bloggar om: möbler, inredning, mässa, design, konstantin grcic, milano

I just signed an urgent petition calling on the Chinese government to respect human rights in Tibet and dialogue with the Dalai Lama. This is really important, and I thought you might want to take action as well.

After decades of repression, Tibetans are crying out to the world for change. China’s leaders are right now making a crucial choice between escalating brutality or dialogue that could determine the future of Tibet, and China.

We can affect this historic choice — China does care about its international reputation. But it will take an avalanche of global people power to get the government’s attention. The Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has called for restraint and dialogue: he needs the world’s people to support him. Fill out this form to sign the petition–and spread the word.

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tags technorati : dalai lama tibet china social responsibility petition

Andra bloggar om: dalai lama, tibet, kina, politik, förtryck, mänskliga rättigheter

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. No one could say it better than Jack… There’s more to life than work. DON’T FORGET TO PLAY! In some way the next David Report bulletin, which will be out within approximate a week, will touch this issue. We will dive deep into uncool consumption and the consequences surrounding it, both on a personal level and for society in large. Stay tuned!

Former David Report bulletins here.

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tags technorati : play jack consumption

Andra bloggar om: leka, konsumtion, arbete, citat

French designer Ora-Ito and real estate entrepreneurs have teamed up with a new concept of luxury housing and resorts around the globe. The new brand is called LH&R-Luxury Houses & Resorts, a Paris based development-design joint venture. Advanced design will be delivered through the O-BY ORA-ITO brand. The O team will be the lifestylers of the new generation to meet people’s expectations for their living and working spaces. Leila Othman, O director and Partner said “People want a different lifestyle, a design that opens their space and that is environmental friendly. I believe that O is an answer to such expectations”. The developments are based on four design pillars through “the O collection”: Urban Loft, Natural Chic, Pop Fun and Neo Barocco. Not sure if I would like to live in the last one though… Neo Barocco, the name reminds me of the pompous experiments of Jaime Hayon, Studio Job and other raiders of the Vulgarism movement. Don’t know of it is good for Ora-Ito to go down that lane… Anyway, it will be interesting to follow the new venture.

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tags technorati : ora ito lifestyle development luxury resorts

Andra bloggar om: lyx, utveckling, boende, hus, semester, trender

I was reading an article some weeks ago in the Swedish business magazine Dagens Industri which made me a bit confused. The theme was branding (and design). In the article, Stefan Ölander from the branding agency Rewir says; “Today most products and services are exchangeable, it’s branding and communication that make the difference.”

I have a few objections.

My first questions is - could Apple exchange the iPod or iTunes? Could Fritz Hansen exchange the Ant chair? Could Omega exchange the Speedmaster?

My second question is - does he mean that a company can exchange most products without changing the company and its values itself? Like changing into products with bad design, of poor quality, without authenticity which are bad for the environment? Or disposable products that we are not emotional connected to? Or just some smoothed average design that are not iconic and timeless at all? Products made by child labour? And so on…

If we hold for true that a brand is (only) a perception in a consumers mind, the physical deliverance of great products will be even more important; the smell, taste, feel, look and sound. Everything that actually has to do with design. Design is like a “visualization of a business strategy” and products are the true messengers of a brand. Nothing you just replace by snapping the fingers.

Today you can’t diminish the importance of good design. Business executives (and marketers…) that don’t understand the power of design in general and sustainable design in particular will have serious problems in the future. Design is one of the strongest competitive weapons. It can give strong business advantages. Why are so many companies still neglecting the importance of design. Is it just lack of knowledge?

History wise, products were everything during the industrialisation. Later, in the middle of the last century marketing/advertising grew really strong. Then, from the eighties and onwards branding was suddenly the overall solution. I think that we in a way are coming back to where we started. With products, but this time based on the knowledge of the power of design. As an important tool to create the future. Design is even more important in a time when climate changes and injustices are growing. Design can make a difference. It’s sustainable. I don’t think you can say that about marketing or branding…

Maybe you were able to sell anything with simple marketing in the past. Even “canned porridge” as we use to say in Sweden. But it is not like that any longer. You don’t build a brand from only advertising or marketing these days. Because no one believes it any longer, they would even like to pay you to be free from it… Today people are wise and connected. You can only sell a bad product once. Then the rumour is all over. Isn’t that a better world? With the consumers behind the steering wheel?

At David report we believe in building brands with design. We have written about it in two earlier issues of our bulletin called The Credibility Loop and Communication Through Product. Both were released during 2006 but is still as accurate. Read it if you have a minute, or two…

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tags technorati : design branding marketing iconic

Andra bloggar om: design, reklam, marknadsföring, varumärke, varumärken, företag, entreprenörskap

Some time ago I wrote about the seminar Future Shopping which I moderated during the Stockholm Furniture Fair. Here follows a couple of images from the exhibition that was part of the Future Shopping project as well. If you read Swedish, or would like to look at some images of the student projects, you can follow this link.

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tags technorati : future shopping trends exibition stockholm konstfack

Andra bloggar om: shopping, konsumtion, trender, framtid, konstfack, gallerian

My first Milan Design Week preview this year is the desk Bambi by Nendo for Cappellini. Bambi is in the form of a single plane, bent this way and that. Each of the legs fold in a different direction, giving the desk a sense of unsteadiness at first glance, but you soon realize that it is actually a strong, well-balanced form. All in all Bambi is a good example of a product that doesn’t waste to much material. Further previews from the Milan Design Week in the next couple of weeks!

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tags technorati : milan design week nendo cappellini

Andra bloggar om: inredning. möbler, design, milano, bord, italien, inspiration