The London Design Festival

So, those that know me know that I have had some time on my hands recently so my son and I have been out and about over the past fortnight checking out the London Design Festival and the icon design trail.

Firstly Icon Design Trail, really really inspiring and i was honestly blown away by some of the outstanding ideas but also by the quality of the presentations and demonstrations given by these inspiring designers. I would strongly recommend those in the creative industries to pop along if the show is still on, for inspiration and tips on presenting creative ideas.

Secondly one of my favorite pieces at the festival was Drop by Paul Cocksedge. it was very interactive and the kids loved it as much as the adults or vice versa!

More details here from Dezeen

An installation by Paul Cocksedge Studio for the London Design Festival.

18th September – 8th October 2010 London Design Festival Size + Matter Commission Southbank Centre
Cocksedge conceived ‘Drop’ as an outsize coin ‘which has fallen to Earth from a giant’s palm’. Lightly buckled upon landing improbably upright.

Amongst other intriguing properties the giant coin is magnetic, encouraging passers-by to participate by affixing their spare pennies, facilitating a human connection with an otherworldly object. ‘Drop’ will thus be copper plated through many small human acts of contribution. At the end of the installation the public contributions will be counted and Barnardo’s corporate partners will turn every penny into one pound. The ambition is to emulate the success of the Studio’s ‘Kiss’ installation in Milan last year which raised a large donation for good causes.

The sculpture is made possible through collaboration with Arup and Van Driel Engineering.

Paul Cocksedge Studio is the internationally acclaimed design practice of partners Joana Pinho and Paul Cocksedge, based in London. The studio undertakes in-house design, commissions and consultancy work for a range of clients and sectors. Production ranges from bespoke manufacturing to licensing technologies. The Studio is dedicated to the creation of sophisticated, cutting edge products and installations.

Barnardo’s works with more than 100,000 children, young people and their families in 415 specialised projects in communities across the UK. We believe in the potential in every child and young person, no matter who they are, what they have done or what they have been through. We will support them, stand up for them and bring out the best in each and every child. Every year we help thousands of children turn their lives around. But we cannot do it without you. Visit www.barnardos.org.uk to find out how you can get involved and show you believe in children.

PING PONG PING PONG PING PONG

I'm sure I'm not alone in noticing the current popularity of Table Tennis or as its widely known Ping Pong. This is surely one of those most popular of sports that can truly be embraced by anyone, my local park Dulwich now has a number of permanent tables and its difficult to even get on them at the weekends.

Check this little film I found:

PONG from California is a place. on Vimeo.

Projects Nelson, Coupland & Alice

Since our recent purchase of the iPAD we have been making great use of the online bookstore as well as films, social media magazines apps such as Flip and many more, so i was really inspired when seeing this little video of what the future could hold for the online book.

Recently IDEO released a five-minute video exploring the future of digital books. Their illustrated concepts highlight some interesting opportunity areas in the publishing industry through three distinct reading experiences:

Nelson reinforces books as critical thinking tools, providing multiple perspectives, references, and current conversations on a single subject. The layers of information beyond the book itself provide greater context and encourages a deeper dive into the book throughout history and into the future.

Coupland addresses the challenge to stay on top of the thinking and writing in our world and professional field that so many of us feel. Readers can easily keep up with "must-reads" by following what colleagues are reading and interact with them through "book clubs" and other social layers (discussions, suggestions, lists, purchases) to help each other share and learn.

Alice explores new ways for users to interact and affect written narratives by introducing non-linear and game mechanics to reading. By introducing the reader's active participation, this concept "blurs the lines between reality and fiction." Certain interactions allow the reader to transcend traditional media by utilising geographic location, communication with characters, and user contribution to storyline and plot.

A very cool “blue sky” project from IDEO to say the least. I enjoyed the way they chose to compartmentalise the functionality rather than attempting to redefine the book in a single all-inclusive interface (a failure we see in most of these concept projects). This project, and examples appearing all over the industry, only further prove that the future of books in the digital age does not lie in single solution but rather a utilisation of technology to better address the wants and needs of users to share, interact, and learn more through specialised design solutions. We are certainly on the precipice of a whole new world for this morphed understanding of the "book."

Courtesy of Core 77

The Future of the Book. from IDEO on Vimeo.

A lovely little film, shot on a Nokia

Some photo's

Lovely Heritage film

I have to admit that i'm not a huge fan of the car but you can't beat getting insight into the heritage of such an historic British brand.

Been away for a while..

Hi followers, its been a while. I have been taking it easy for the past three months and doing a lot of research and writing and looking at the the world of experiences, content rich media and the power of face to face communications.

I will be sharing some of my views and findings with you over the coming weeks.

Cat Herding

A very interesting experiment carried out by a group of creatives for Ikea recently.