While it's almost the name of one of my favorite blogs, I think it was TS Elliot who first said, "talent imitates, but genius steals." In the case of Softsoap brand liquid hand soap, talent imitates, genius steals, and then together they both do a 180 degree turn and squat down a little bit.
Like so many design nerds, I've been coveting several pieces of Eames-designed furniture for quite some time. In fact, I don't think you can have an interest in design without wanting something Eames. A cliché? Probably. But, beyond just being cool in its simplicity and representative of one of the most prosperous periods in history, I also find their furniture designs perfect for devoted dog owners (like me) with keen passions for breeds that are famously destructive chewers. Metal legs don't shred and plywood pieces are easy to replace. And while I still need to convince my wife of all of this... their furniture strongly remind her of what I'm guessing were nasty days in elementary school... I feel that with the United States Postal Service soon offering an Eames stamp series that perhaps I'm one step closer to getting one of the pieces I so desire. If a stamp collection honoring the design prowess of Charles and Ray Eames can't convince her that a fiberglass rocking chair would look perfect in our living room, I don't know what will. Good choice, USPS.
Yes, for $200,000 (with a $20,000 deposit), Richard Branson will take you on a journey to space and back for two to three hours, aboard Virgin Galactic (starting as early as 2009). But, that isn't the kind of space I'm talking about. A few months ago, Lisa (my planning partner) was telling me about her husband's belief that space will become the new luxury. At first, I questioned his premise, as I was well aware of the trends in downsizing and decluttering that are going on around the world. There is no doubt that people are becoming increasingly more comfortable living among small things. MINI has been a hit, new urbanism and its tenants are continually gaining traction, and self storage and home organization companies are booming. Ironically, as we continue to shrink our lives, we continually want more or through various circumstances (technology innovations, larger than ever inheritances and faster than ever fashion shifts) are forced into having more. As I see it now, Lisa's husband is right. Space is the new luxury. Finding it is going to increasingly become harder and more desirable as we continue to force ourselves into tighter spots with more stuff. While we're increasingly becoming comfortable with sharing "our space," there will always be a fundamental human need for relaxation, and a peaceful/uncluttered environment is one of the first steps to achieving such moments. Last night, my wife stumbled upon this invention from Germany. Casulo was created to address the evermore mobile person and their desire to have a lot of well designed things but need to fit them all into small spaces (while in use or storage). I'd try to explain it, but as they say on their website, you really just have to see it...
I didn't need a survey to tell me that clutter control is the business opportunity of the day. I simply had to look inside my tween daughter's bedroom to find a mountain of plush toys just begging to be toppled by our mischievous dog who loves to go "baby diving" as we lovingly call it. Even my daughter, who I wouldn't call a neat freak, commented that she wished she had some kind of "home" for all her "babies."
We're not alone. According to a recent Australian survey, "84% of consumers bought things in order to deal with the excessive amount of things they already bought." (Say that 10 times fast)!
The smart folks at boon.com may or may not have read that survey, but they have latched onto a brilliant business idea to provide soft, cuddly, multi-purpose storage solutions for parents and their over-indulged kids. The containers are kid, earth and mom-friendly--meaning they look cool, are environmentally safe and machine-washable. A tri-fecta of wow, if you ask me.
Some of the best ideas come when we are simply observing others. Just ask Nubrella inventor Alan Kaufman. He was standing in one of his retail stores in New York watching passersby try to stay out of the wind and rain with umbrellas that kept inverting or were otherwise difficult to manage with all the other paraphernalia they were carrying. Suddenly, an idea came to him for a new form of weather protection. He called it the Nubrella. Unfortunately, the inspiration came much faster than the execution. It took him 5 years to bring the idea to market. But it has finally launched and is available for purchase on his web site nubrella.com for $59 plus shipping.
Yep, that's my desk. It looks like that most of the time, especially when I have guests in my office and before I leave at night. Sure, it gets cluttered when I'm working on a project; but I do limit the items on my desk to those things that are relevant to what I'm working on. I find it keeps me focused and frees me to think outside the confines of what's on my desk.
For years I've taken an amazing amount of grief for working in such a de-cluttered environment. People accused me of not having enough to do, of being obsessive compulsive, and other things I dare not print here. None of which was true or I would not have survived in the ad agency world where quality and quantity go hand in hand with a pay-check.
Fact is, clutter is stifling productivity and creativity in corporate America, according to a recent survey by Cableorganizer.com. And they aren't just talking about wire and cable clutter, either. We're talking paper, files, knick knacks, supplies and such. A full 93% of business professionals said their work space was cluttered. And 64% said their emotional state was impacted by the clutter. Thirty percent said their productivity suffered as a result. They reported feeling "disorganized and incompetent", "anxious and frantic", "embarrassed and self-conscious" and even a few were "downright depressed." Not exactly the ingredients for a creative or productive employee.
Clutter champions beg to differ. They say a clean desk = an empty mind. Or, that out of chaos great ideas are born. They also sing the praises of coincidence and serendipity that can occur when things aren't organized and neat.
Who is right? I think they both are. It all depends on how you are wired as an individual. If you work better with clutter, then keep it. If you don't, then get rid of it. The key is to know what environment stimulates you to be at your best and work within it. The worst thing you can do is pretend to be something you are not. Good advice for life...and for designers.
I completely missed the pomegranate craze a few years ago. Not that I didn't give it a try... seemed every other aisle in Trader Joe's had a pomegranate concoction of some sort and pomegranate samples were a daily shopping occurrence. But the flavor was just too tart for me and I haven't paid much attention to anything at all resembling a pomegranate since determining that blueberries work for me.
Last weekend, I came across the magic that is POM Tea. Truthfully, I haven't tasted the stuff yet, but my wife had purchased two, and the empty bottles (or shall I call them glasses) were cleaned and in our cupboard when I reached for a cup for my water. I love the POM Tea packaging for a variety of reasons.
1) It's unexpected - functionally and visually
2) I can only imagine that drinking cold tea out of a glass, as opposed to a bottle, would naturally make the product experience feel more homemade and less manufactured
3) Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - I don't even want to recycle my POM glasses... I like them enough that I want a complete set to reuse for several years. Hats off to POM for permanently placing ads for their product in my house.
Despite my natural inclination to avoid pomegranates, I think I'll have a POM Tea with my lunch today. Funny what good design can do for a product.
... or might this title really be a bad idea? If I'm depressed, seeking help in my neighborhood Barnes & Noble, it seems to me the last thing I need is for the book I'm seeking help from, to call me a dummy, before I even open the cover. Even Dr. Laura, in her 10 Stupid Things series hasn't been that bold.
Like many people, for years, I have found the "genius" of this book series in the notion that you can have a For Dummies book for anything. I think this book proves that theory wrong.
Even more, this book shows that while good design of all sorts exists all around us (including this book series in its own way). Great design is truly rare and perfect design is simply impossible.
I've heard many people look to the Eames molded plywood lounge chair as an example of perfect design. I'm 6'8", and frankly look and feel a little silly sitting in one. I still want one. Then again, I also drive a MINI and ride a Vespa.
Design, whether it be research design, strategic design, graphic design, environmental design, or experience design, will always be about managing compromises and limitations. With such a strong focus on brands coming from clients and an emphasis on briefs coming from agencies over the past few decades, how is it that so many people still don't know how or when to limit their brand's offerings? What are other examples of seemingly perfect design? Who seems to recognize their limitations and who dilutes their wonderful (or potentially wonderful) brand every opportunity they get? Better yet, what are you doing to keep your brand consistently in context and where are you falling down?
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