On 8-9 November 2008 Designers’ Saturday took place in Langenthal, Switzerland for the twelfth time. Aiming to provide an inspiration for top performance, Aqua Creations in collaboration with its Swiss distributor Sphinx Lichttechnik, chose to exhibit at Creation Baumann’s warehouse.

Having the designs return to their place of origin– the factory– or as Le Corbusier envisioned “the birthplace of cultural renewal”, an extraordinary and magnificent event took form. Given the dramatic, unconventional, and challenging exhibition space of an entryway and two 1.8 meters/ 5.9″ wide, 40 meters / 131.23″ long, and 25 meters/ 82″ high aisles, Aqua Creations and renowned designer Michael Azulay were prompted to create a total environment that included movement, sound, and light, thus providing visitors with an unforgettable visit alluding to a deep sea dive.

The music, the movement, and the rich display of timeless Aqua favorites installed in the darkened corridors provided a view of the splendor, exoticism and delicate craftsmanship which stand at the core of Ayala Serfaty’s designs.

Andra bloggar om: design, schweiz, utställning, konst

The Pipeline series consists of a teapot, set of bowls, glasses, a milk jug and a decanter. Hagen stresses the importance of products that are relevant and applicable in our daily lives explaining that, “the products of Pipeline are meant for use on a daily basis rather than as objects to be admired from a distance.”

The Pipeline series will continuously evolve and change, but the key inspirations are functionality and sensuality. “To me, functionality is a necessity that makes things work, and be easy going. When you don’t notice the function, and it just ‘falls in’ – that’s when it is most successful. It becomes a habit. But a habit is not all there is to it. There’s so much more. Good design lifts the function from habit to ritual in the respect that you stay alert and aware when talking to the object. When a design has sensuality . . . humour . . . power . . . it ‘talks to our feelings’; and we have to respond to it in the way we actualise it. I really like that.”

There’s a simple yet strong idiom running through the pieces: a beautiful, somewhat cool, Nordic style. And what is Hagen’s personal interpretation of Nordic style? “Well, to me, it’s the basic combination of tight lines, simple form and good craftsmanship. The absence of decoration and shapes cut down to the basic form leave you with focus and affection for the few details. It’s the small variations that make the difference, for example contrasts in light and chilly colours can enhance the simplicity. Nordic style leaves you with the conscious awareness of your surroundings.”

This new line of products has also opened up opportunities for Hagen to come out and play. A place for her to test the boundaries and explore ideas outside of the rules and regulations of most of her other work. When asked why it’s so important for her to ‘play’ in her work she responds, “it’s one of the most important things for a designer to do. To keep on playing. It keeps the curiosity intact. For me, it’s the way to discover new solutions. If I am going down the straight road all the time, I get bored – and occasionally stuck in a dead end. But if I choose to take the ‘Alice in Wonderland track’ I may discover all the fun and spontaneity around me. That makes life much more valuable.”

To gain some of Hagen’s Alice in Wonderland inspiration, read her musings on the ‘Spotted by . . . Normann Copenhagen’ blog.

So get to, and start playing.

This is a post by David Report contributor Kristina Dryza.

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Andra bloggar om: design, produkter, porslin

Reijmyre Glassworks new launch Senses is a concept where each glass is named by the character of the wine and designed to best enhance the experience of it. The diamond shape of the glass facilitates the “swirl” that oxygenates the wine and releases its bouquet. Together with wine expert Sverker Magnusson the designer Lina Öhlund has undertaken a systematic and thorough testing procedure in order to find the best shape for each glass. During their work they have also grouped the wines, aiming to create a system that serves a full range of wines with as few glasses as possible. For example is the glass used for a young wine also suitable for sweet dessert wines. The idea of the concept is to offer a simple system, but an advanced tasting experience.

The range consists of six glasses: Sparkling, Young, Mature, Full-Bodied, Complex and Pure Reijmyre Glassworks was establisehed in 1810. Great importance is attached to design, aesthetics and function, as well as the maintanance of the unique tradition of handcraft. All glass that Reijmyre produce today is handmade with old techniques that require great skill and experience. Today the selection is further complemented – with new, modern series of glassware developed by Sweden’s most talented young designers.

Lina Öhlund is educated at Konstfack College of arts and crafts. In her work as an industrial designer she has specialized in concept development and design related to food. -”Designing an experience is to me the ultimate form of design. In gastronomy function and sensuality meet. Feeling, taste, scent and sight interact to create a total experience. I hope “Senses” will inspire to many of those moments”  she comments on the range. Previously Lina Öhlund has worked with design, brand- and concept development for international clients such as Tafelstern and Iittala.

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Andra bloggar om: vin, vinprovning, glas, design, reijmyre, lina öhlund

The fashion designer (and Designboost booster) Maxjenny Forslund is opening a new webshop. If you are into personal and innovative clothing design you should definitely give it a look.

Andra bloggar om: mode, kläder, design, webbshop

Following their first trip to Greenland in July 2008, with a dinner cooked by the two-star chef Sylvestre Wahid on an iceberg floating on Sermilik fjord, the House of G.H. MUMM and adventurer Mike Horn will be dining in Antarctica courtesy of Gérard Boyer, holder of three Michelin stars. These first two dinners are part of a total of 7 being held to celebrate the world’s beauty.
104 years ago, Commandant Charcot became the first Frenchman to cross Antarctica. Today, just 100 years after his second expedition, extreme adventurer Mike Horn and the House of G.H. MUMM will retrace Charcot’s precise route in Charcot Bay in the north of the Antarctic peninsula – an exceptional place for both its history and wild beauty  to celebrate the world’s beauty, at a time when the great white continent is increasingly threatened.

The House of G.H. MUMM decided to be one of the main sponsors of the Pangaea expedition, led by South African adventurer Mike Horn, dubbed the “Charcot of modern times”. In associating itself with a two-hundred year old champagne house, the expedition’s main mission is to encourage respect for the environment and active participation in the preservation of natural species.
Launched in Monaco in May 2008, this is sure to be one of Mike Horn’s most epic adventures. The South African will spend nearly four years visiting some of the most beautiful places on the planet.

Andra bloggar om: champagne, marknadsföring, reklam, branding

Iconic British brand Fred Perry announces the opening of its first Laurel store in Moscow, on 19/1 Petrovka street.

“Each Fred Perry Laurel store is marked with individual design, based on the spirit of the city, where  it’s been opened, its culture and history. In Moscow we open on one of the oldest streets, surrounded by buildings from different epochs: from XVII century brick chambers to Soviet  modernism of the 1920s. Here, we merge the versatile influence of those epochs with the Russian aspiration to change and the modernist spirit of Fred Perry». - John Flynn, Managing Director, Fred Perry

Fred  Perry  Laurel  stores  are  created  by  unique  projects,  inspired  by  each  city’s  atmosphere  and  the  brand’s aesthetics.  For the Moscow store, Styleoperators LTD, the Managing Company and Exclusive Fred Perry Partner in Russia  invited  a  Japanese  studio  Wonderwall,  one  of  the  leading  specialists  in  concept  stores  design  creation.

“After  studying  the  visual  environment  that  surrounds  the  Muscovites  and  the  way  the  national  history  is  reflected in  it,  Wonderwall  presented  a  design  comprising  two  contrasting  spaces  –  “an  official  hall” with  a  red  carpet  strip and a “secret” room: a parlour, replete with vintage furniture and carpets.

Born  out  of  a  specific  place,  this  store  is  about  the  rejuvenation  of  the  unseen  past.  Imagining  a  salon  where intellectuals  may  have  met  in  secret,  the  interior  reflects  contrasts  of  the  past  and  the  contemporary.  The  past  and the future: Russia, England, and Japan. The key was the synchronization of these three cultures.”  - Masamichi Katayama, Designer and Founder|Principal,  Wonderwall Inc.

The idea behind Viidrio shirt designs is to practice other options aside from screen-printing. Initially when they knew they wanted to use an aluminum tin, they were thinking about having the containers printed by packaging manufacturer. But that option would have contradicted the concept behind Viidrio.

The shirt designs have embroidery-art, and Viidrio wanted the packaging to have a cohesive design and theme. Packaging to Viidrio has a big impact on how you perceive a product at the beginning, and at the end of its use. Packaging becomes part of the product, and is a form of presentation. But it must be done correctly, the same way someone can plate a meal attractively, for one to be excited about what they are just about to eat.

The top of the tin has an embroidered design that foreshadows the design that is in the shirt. The recycled paper band that is wrapper around the tin (that contains additional graphics and product identity) is sewn together at the ends. The band around the tin is also affixed with clear stickers for easy removal.

The materials of the Viidrio shirts are 100% cotton threads, aluminum tin, 100% recycled printed matter and aluminum foil tape.

The other main concerned about packaging is the waste it produces. With this particular shirt packaging, the paper used for the band is 100% recycled paper from grocery bags (therefore making a 3rd cycle of use). After removing the band (if the consumer wishes) the tin can be reused to store any small non-perishable item. Example: jewelry, loose change, keys, paper clips, etc. If you ultimately don’t want the container, you can always take it to a recycling center. Last, but not least, you can return 5 undamaged containers to Viidrio. In exchange of a free t-shirt of your choice.

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Andra bloggar om: kläder, mode, miljö, shopping, hållbarhet

For the January issue of Dazed & Confused, the magazine asked everyone under 18 and living in the UK to get in touch with an idea for an article about what it means to be young and British today. With the idea landing on homepages from Myspace to Channel 4, the inboxes at Dazed & Confused soon started to buckle under the strain… so, they thought they asked the readers to do the cover as well.

All of the fashion for this issue was shot over three days by designer Hedi Slimane, on a portfolio of British youth street-cast from various locations around London. You can now download a Dazed cover template and three of Hedi’s images. If you want to use one (or all) of them, go for it – they’re yours to do with as you like. You can do what you want with the images or use a completely different image of your own, that’s fine, too. The idea is to get an attractive and revealing Dazed cover that says something about what it’s like to be young and British today. If you’re from a different country, you’re welcome to take part and just make a cover about what it’s like to be young today in your country.

If you are under 18 send all entries (JPEG format, ideally) to stephen.ll@dazedgroup.com by Thursday November 20th and be sure to include your name, age and where you live. Happy designing.

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Andra bloggar om: media, mode, fotografi, hedi slimane

Just click the magazine to open it.

The Freewheelin story.

Bike sharing was a hit when launched in Paris in 2007. It was cheap, convenient and eco-friendly. End of story? Not so fast. A U.S. health insurer changed the game and wrote a new story. Humana promotes its business agenda - lower health care costs - through a state-of-the-art bike sharing program tested during the 2008 U.S. political party conventions in Denver and St. Paul.

Freewheelin promotes its social and business agenda through communication - made possible by wireless/mobile and social networking technology. When you ride a Feewheelin bike, wireless networks track your mileage and calories burned. Social networking tools help individuals track their personal successes and, by calculating reduced carbon emmisions, their contributions to the shared health and wellness of their community and the planet.

Andra bloggar om: cykla, motion, träning, miljö, hållbarhet