In the Bubble : De la complexité au Design durable

Maintenant disponible en francais, l'excellent ouvrage de John Thackara
Acheter le

link this week

Do we really need architects, your new home from a web site not a studio?

The behavioral change's killer app: Obama, the Science of Change and Behavioral Economy.

Simplicty becomes a selling point: foodmakers emphasize uncomplicated ingredients

Also, India potential for luxury, but not yet: A combination of global downturn, domestic red tape, regulatory hurdles and a thriving trade in smuggled goods means it will be a long time yet before India becomes big business for Europe's luxury retailers, experts said
Wealthy Indian shoppers have long preferred to buy their designer handbags, sunglasses, clothing and shoes abroad, avoiding Indian import duties of up to 45 percent which are another impediment to growth.

America New Found Optimism: Americans have grown more optimistic about the economy and the direction of the country in the 11 weeks since President Obama was inaugurated, suggesting that he is enjoying some success in his critical task of rebuilding the nation’s confidence, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

Try GE adventure, science is fun.

Frugality to outlast the recession, according to WSJ:

Some companies are already repositioning themselves for a more frugal consumer. "The current economic conditions have created a fundamental shift in shopping behavior," Kathryn Tesija, Target Corp.'s executive vice president of merchandising, said in a recent conference call with investors. "We are allocating more shelf space to nondiscretionary categories" like food, health care and baby products, she said, and drawing attention to the store's low prices. "Guests won't come to us for everyday necessities if those necessities aren't priced right."American consumers are traditionally resilient, and may yet return to their old ways. But the borrowing boom of the early 2000s ended badly, and the searing memories may shape consumer attitudes for years.

And what about enjoying chocolate without its calories: try inhaling it with Le Whiff

Amusement Magazine: the future of publishing

Nice collaboration between the french mag Amusement and Nike: the Cortez Fly motion collector is the first trainer to come with RFID, it gives access to art pieces produced especially for the mag

Puce RFID & dispositif

Dans la puce RFID : video game by Messhof, work by Electronic Shadow, Factoid (Pierre Nouvel, Valère Terrier) and Le Tone, 3D stuff by Gkaster and wallpaper by Philippe Jarrigeon.

magazine out today in France

via Fubiz

Also on the technology and omni-connectivity, it seems homeless people in DC are using mobile phone check the Post article on the subject

Reading list for this week

• A lot has been written recently about Design Thinking, innovation and branding. This article by Todd Wasserman in Branweek looks at successful example of design thinking in marketing campaign. The future of branding is in design.

• As seen in NYT, Vogue Teen shop is landing in the Mall at Short Hills in New Jersey, the pop up store aptly name Haute Spot will not be selling anything but allow girls to relax, have a smoothie and try on clothes. “We’re not actually selling products, because our goal is to encourage people to shop in the mall,” Ms. McEwen said. More than 20 Teen Vogue advertisers are participating, including Clinique, Armani Exchange and Aldo.
  

• The Department of Anthropology at the University of California at Irvine recently organised a workshop on innovation in digital money, entitled Everyday Digital Money.(Putting people First) and I am rather excited by the dection on Mobile Payments and Transfers that looks at digital mony in emerging economies.
• Last but not list an A-Z guide to social interaction via Johnny Holland and written by Adrian Chan
  

Louis Vuitton City Guides

This coming October, on the 15th to be precise, you'll be able to travel in style with a redesigned guide.
Tokyo, New York, Paris but also new gems like Bucarest, Glasgow, Lausanne, Manchester, Palermo et Saint-Tropez.
via Maxi Tendance

New Retail/Phaidon Press

via Phaidon Press

Field Guide to Style & Color

Field Guide to Style & Color 2007 374 page book This piece is a fullsize reproduction of the entire 2007 IKEA catalogue, leaving only color and structure. With an estimated 175 million copies distributed in 2006, the IKEA catalogue is thought to have surpassed the Bible as the most published print-work in the world. This group of three projects (374 Farben, Field Guide to Style & Color, and Catalogue) transforms that ubiquity of design into varied pure color arrangements. via Jason Salavon

peterme and “The Don” Norman in Conversation

by peterme

We’ve just posted an hour-long conversation I had with Don Norman [MP3]. This is a prelude to the conversation we’ll be having on stage at UX Week 2008.

I really enjoyed this chat. If we did The Believer-style keywords for it, they would read:

adaptive cruise control, ubiquitous computing, human plus machine, “user experience,” “affordances,” asking the right questions, coupling design with operations, busting down silos, TiVo has never made any money, Palm, many reasons for the Newton’s failure, boss as an absolute dictator, Henry Dreyfuss and John Deere, design evolving from craft to profession, systems thinking, “T-shaped people,” observing the world, water bottle caps.

Sound interesting? Take a listen!

via Adaptive Path Blog

Parking Space

A seven-storey cylinder of space shaped by the inner drum' ... Parc des Celestins, Lyon, designed by Michael Targe, Jean-Michel Wilmotte, Daniel Buren. Photograph courtesy of Lyon Parc Auto. Photograph: Thames & Hudson

Pydar Street, Truro. Photograph: Sue Barr/Thames & Hudson

'An architect who has sought to 'de-emphasize the solidity of architecture'' ... Takasaki Parking Building. Photograph courtesy of Kengo Kuma & Associates. Photograph: Thames & Hudson

Marine Parade, Worthing. Photograph: Sue Barr/Thames & Hudson

'Using formal expression to overcome any shortfall in the quality of construction' ... The Tricorn Centre, Portsmouth, designed by The Owen Luder Partnership.

Photograph: Sue Barr/Thames & Hudson

'Replicates a mutant pre-war roadster's radiator grille' ... 60 East Lake Street, Chicago. Photograph courtesy of Tigerman Fugman McCurry. Photograph: Thames & Hudson

Brighton Marina - the development initially closed in 1979 after only the car park had been built.

Photograph: Sue Barr/Thames & Hudson

Calderwood Street, Woolwich.

Photograph: Sue Barr/Thames & Hudson

'Entry and exit ramps entwined in a highly refined double helix' ... Car-Park Rotundas, Hamburg Airport. Photograph courtesy of Von Gerkan, Marg & Partner.

Photograph: Thames & Hudson

'Illustrates beautifully the convergence of tectonic matter and geometric composition' ... Debenhams, Welbeck Street, London, designed by Michael Blampied.

Photograph: Sue Barr/Thames & Hudson

via Guardian

Applied Aesthetics

"Zeichen – Angewandte Ästhetik" by Jochen Stankowski

100 Things to do

101 things to do is a compendium, history and future of do and its brand mentality. The book includes new insights, dreams and discussions about the role of brands in today's world as well as marketing, design and ideas for creativity in communication based on do, a brand initiated by KresselsKramer in 1996.

One Hundred and One Things to Do