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Design for the Next Billion Customers, by Niti Bhan and Dave Tait
Niti Bhan and Dave Tait, having just returned from exploratory research in Africa to understand the mindset and consumer behavior at the bottom of the pyramid, share their insights for designers hoping to serve this population. The research was conducted for Experientia, an Italy-based international experience design consultancy.
"Design has a social function and its true purpose is to improve people’s lives."
--Nokia Design Manifesto
This theme shows up, in one form or another, on most of the application essays made to design schools. Young designers aspire to improve people's lives by creating products that matter. They dream of Eames, timeless designs and creating products that get called 'Classic.' But the real world soon starts putting commercial demands on the designer's time and talent, and the dream gets slowly wrapped up in dust, to be tucked away, as focus shifts to styling trendy products that catch the fickle consumer's eye. Planned obsolescence influence the very consumerism and market forces that now demand 'New!'
Times change however, and today an opportunity to rediscover the timeless value of good design exists. As markets saturate across North America, Europe and Japan, global brands turn to the emerging market opportunities available in developing economies. Also known as 'the next billion consumers' or the 'bottom of the pyramid' (BoP), they have become the new target for design and innovation as rising incomes and growing economies make these aspiring consumers an attractive prospect. However, having been ignored until now, they are not as conditioned by mainstream global marketing.
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FLX - The Squeezable USB-Drive
This is not the world's smallest accordion but FLX, a flexible USB-drive. Design student Jacek Ryn recently designed and prototyped his idea at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk (Poland).
The casing is made of a colored silicone and makes smart use of the materials' natural elasticity to reveal the plug when pushed into the socket, and automatically slip back when removed.
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Making Matters
To all those who slaved over blue foam and chip-board models, who sprayed one too many Krylon cans dry (wearing a mask, of course), Richard Sennett's latest book is your new bible.
"The Craftsman", aptly titled, is a conglomerate of case studies that explore the relationship of hand to mind, craftsmanship to Enlightenment. Herein, Sennett, a renown London-based sociologist with a zest for the human experience (and a great cellist - who knew?!), argues that the most basic, fundamental ability we humans share is that of craft. When properly trained, this process functions as muscle memory, literally training the mind while working the hand. If its up to Sennett, all those hours spent learning how to throw clay pots, plane wood, and mix plaster for some toy-design/coffee-maker/mobile-phone project actually might just make you, the designer-cum-craftsman, a more enlightened person,
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Secret Life of Machines: Watch a Quirky British Gentleman Explain How Everything Works
So, The Secret Life of Machines is not a show we grew up watching...but boy do we wish we had. A late 80's gem of the art of edutainment, it attempts to explain the construction, history and workings of all sorts of outwardly mundane contraptions, in episodes with straightforward names like "The Vacuum Cleaner" and "The Fax Machine."
Rather than veer into the pedantic or cheesy, though, it gets the balance just right, with a charming and engaging English gent named Tim Hunkin hosting, some fun, jittery explanatory cartoons, and lots of field trips to factories, print shops, and other places you didn't get to see as a kid.
Difficult and expensive to get hold of until recently, The Exploratorium in San Francisco has been hosting all 18 episodes as Quicktime streams on their website, much to our delight. If you've ever wondered why photocopiers keep breaking, this is a great way to find out.
Via Mental Floss (which refers to the show as "like an early version of MythBusters, minus the myths").
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Milan Preview 2008: Designersblock
Possibly their most ambitious exhibition to date, the Designersblock crew from London are taking over Piscina Argelati in the Navigli district just over the canal from Zona Tortona. There are 3 swimming pools, an inside space and outside space for exhibition, presentation, event, performance, and camping. Check out their blog for a full list of the designers exhibiting.
Designersblock Milan 2008
Piscina Argelati
Piazza Arcole / Via Fillippo Argelati, Milan
April 17-21, 2008
Daily 11.00-20.00
Opening Party: April 16, 18.00-23.00
Second Party: April 19, 20.00-24.00
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RSS Alert: New Gallery up at Core77: Aircraft Interiors Expo 2008
What are industrial designers doing in the cockpit? How much comfort can you put in one seat? Aart van Bezooyen visits the (spacious) Aircraft Interiors Expo 2008, where a billion-dollar industry gives him, and us, a sneak peek.
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Gore puts the me in we
As part of the entire effort to spread the Alliance for Climate Protection's green word, Al Gore recently commissioned the Martin Agency, based in Richmond, VA, to whip up a sweet logo that would get the masses off their asses. Steven Heller has dissected the appropriately-hued circle with indispensable clever word play in the NYT's latest Week in Review.
A logo is routinely the most difficult component to design because it is so important, and usually the client wants to be closely involved. An effective logo is a kind of calculus, the sum of disparate parts that adds up to a memorable image or icon. In this case, the logo is something of a risk because it is neither the name nor initials of the organization but a visual pun on the words We and Me.Does it succeed in being a distinctive mnemonic? We'll be in a better position to judge when we know if Mr. Gore's organization has picked up steam and created a buzz.
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Wind and seesaws bring power to villages
Designers and engineers turn their skills to developing new means of energy generation. Here are two recent approaches, the first, a product design student's concept to use a seesaw in African schools, from the BBC.
Design student Daniel Sheridan has created a simple see-saw which generates enough electricity to light a classroom. The device works by transferring the power, created by a child moving up and down on it, to an electricity storage unit via an underground cable. The Coventry University student has won £5,500 in funding to develop the idea.
The second is a wind turbine that can be built for less than $100 and has been developed by Engineers without Borders to be tested in Guatemala, from Wired.
Unlike the large-scale assemblies found in wind farms, the roughly two-foot-wide and three-foot-tall turbine has a vertical axis. McLean said that orientation worked better in the choppy conditions likely to meet the turbine out in the field, where it'll be bolted on to buildings, towers or even trees. ...The engineering team had to make their design simple enough that it could be assembled from cheap and widely available components.
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~Elt, the Icelandic belt invisible to metal detectors
~Elt is the latest product from Sruli Recht's poetic collection of accessories. Inspired by the way fingers lock together when clasping our hands, this lead to the idea of using a series of teeth for fastening instead of a belt buckle. Not only does this technique allow the belt to remain flat to the body–versus any kind of knot, fastener etc.–with no metal components at all, it's one less item to remove next time you're clearing airport security. And while you're checking out his site, don't miss the bulletproof handkerchief, the ideal pocket square for your next formal occasion.
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W(e are )here: Art for Map-lovers in Minneapolis
Core readers currently suffering through the tail end of a Twin Cities winter have something to look forward to in April. Intermedia Arts, a community gallery and studio space in Minneapolis, will be hosting an exhibition of map-based art called W(e are )here: Mapping the Human Experience. No word on exactly how big the show will be, but some samples of the featured artists' work are intriguing enough to make us wish we could make it: Chris Harrison's map of bible verse references above is just one of a number of fascinating examples of graphics that toe the line between informational and artistic, to great effect.
Most intriguing is the Psychogeographic Map Making Party, scheduled for April 24, during which:
...you'll form small groups and set out on foot in search of unique insights into the urban fabric of the surrounding Uptown neighborhoods. Utilizing Google Earth, a projector, and a wall sized "canvas," groups will then layer their experiences over a projected representation of the city, resulting in one map that communicates the participant's collective experience.
Show runs from March 31 to May 9, in the Lyn-Lake neighborhood of Minneapolis.
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What's driving innovation in food packaging
Packaging designers need to think more laterally, and in terms of systems, rather than discrete elements, says a report into food packaging by trend research group The Future Laboratory. They claim packaging designers need to think about the challenges facing them - from preservation, cost-effectiveness and brand experience to sustainability and waste minimisation - in a more holistic way.But while consumer concerns about materials and waste reduction have formed the basis for design thinking in packaging over the past decade, concepts such as downgauging, light-weighting, concentrating, and the use of biodegradable, recyclable and renewable materials need to move on, says the report.
read full article on Design Week
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Upcoming exhibit on UK-based Industrial Facility
Come May 9th, London's Design Museum will be hosting an exhibition on UK-based ID firm Industrial Facility. With nearly 50 designs completed for "no-frills" Muji, Industrial Facility cranks out designs for simple but ubiquitous items intended for "mass production in foreign markets." Click here for more info on the exhibit.
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Young design grad redesigns British coins
And finally Mathew Dent, a young graphic designer submitted his concept for a competition to redesign British coins. These coins were released into circulation yesterday. While there's controversy and fuss over this massive change in the look and feel of the coins by traditionalists, I'm sure Mr. Dent who won 35,000 pounds sterling was glad he didn't listen to his parents.
Mr Dent, who grew up in Bangor, North Wales, said the competition had also fascinated his parents.He added: 'They were quite captivated by what I was doing and had their own ideas for the design - which of course I ignored.'
Via This is Money
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Special thanks to Aart van Bezooyen, Niti Bhan, Elle* and Carl Alviani for their contributions to this weeks newsletter!
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