Archive for the ‘General Interest’ Category
News: the deliberate copying of a design is set to become a criminal offence in the UK, in line with the law on breaching copyright and trademarks.
The change, announced this week by the Intellectual Property Office, is intended to simplify and shorten the legal process surrounding design right disputes by moving them from the UK’s civil courts to its criminal courts.
CANADA COMPETES
Ugly but functional? Why ignoring design is a bad idea
HOWAIDA SOROUR
Special to The Globe and Mail
Published
Last updated
Whether it’s that contoured compost pail on the kitchen counter, or that elegant sound bar with its wireless speaker you just added to your sound system, they were designed and developed by the ‘invisible people’ – a group of innovative thinkers called industrial designers.
“Working behind the scenes, we help make products useable and loved by the people that buy them,” says Scott Gibson, president of Gibson Product Design in Ottawa, an industrial design consultancy in business for more than 30 years.
But, despite the company’s long track record and numerous awards, very few of its clients are Canadian companies. And this lack of focus on design doesn’t bode well for Canadian companies’ competitiveness, industry experts say.
Mr. Gibson has recently returned from the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, where the company was honoured with its seventh consecutive CES Innovation Award. The firm’s latest winning project is a home theatre surround-sound system for its long-time client, loudspeaker brand Definitive Technology, based in Owings Mills, Md. Gibson was responsible not only for the industrial design and early stage mechanical development of all the components, but also for creating set-up instructions and point-of-purchase material.
Most of Gibson’s awards have been for products designed for U.S. companies; only two, in the past seven years, were Canadian. There just aren’t a lot of Canadian producers hammering at the doors of Canadian industrial design houses.
To a large extent, the Canadian manufacturing industry hasn’t really needed to turn to industrial design until recently. Up until four years ago, most Canadian manufacturers were engaged in making parts for American-assembled products, says Jayson Myers, economist and CEO of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters. That led to engineer-driven, price-competitive companies, as opposed to marketing-driven, design-competitive producers.
In today’s economic climate Canadian manufacturers need to develop new products of their own that can compete on world markets, Mr. Myers says. It’s that shift that’s turning the spotlight onto the ‘invisible’ role of design in the general rush to build a new innovation economy in Canada.
“Design is really important for being able to specialize your product for your customer, and appealing to that customer,” Mr. Myers says. “In today’s global markets, Canadian product manufacturers can’t compete on existing technology alone, so design has become the ultimate means of differentiation.”
Industry associations, universities and the federal government have all flagged Canada’s lacklustre performance in getting innovation to market.
“There’s a lag in commercialization results in Canada, and the lack of strategic design involvement is one of the reasons,” says Arlene Gould, adjunct professor at York University and strategic director of the Design Industry Advisory Committee (DIAC).
To address that lag, Ms. Gould, together with Tim Poupore, president of Toronto’s Ove Industrial Design Ltd. created a Design Advisory Service program with input from the DIAC board. Their goal is to broaden the adoption of design at every stage of product development by introducing producers to designers.
“We need to improve the ratio of Canadian product manufacturers who appreciate the value of design and use it effectively,” Mr. Poupore says.
Appreciating the value of industrial design means understanding the scope of what it can do. An industrial designer’s task and skill is in creating the look, function, human interface, and manufacturing details, and presenting the stakeholders with clear visual and written representation of the proposed product.
They can best achieve that when they are at the very centre of new product development, because their expertise bridges the gap between marketing and engineering, while addressing manufacturing challenges.
“We have to recognize that the way a product is designed, will inform how it’s manufactured. So good industrial design reduces costs and improves manufacturing efficiency,” Mr. Myers says.
It’s a highly collaborative skill-set that examines the usability, appropriateness, materials and, finally, the user’s emotional response to the product.
“The designer is really the fly paper, capturing inputs from marketing, engineering and creating design solutions that meet both the consumer’s needs and the manufacturing objectives,” Mr. Gibson says.
“For Canadian manufacturing to succeed, design needs to be a core capability – just like marketing or finance,” Ms. Gould says.
Fly Sky Pix is a unique brand that brings magic into the home through engaging artworks that spark the imagination! We all love a good story, and storytelling is at the core of this brand.
Fly Sky Pix is launching with four lines of canvas artworks; Decor, Funky, Lullaby, and Seasonal. The artworks tell a visual story which evolves frame by frame and fosters a creative storytelling environment in your home. Not only are these products beautiful, but they come to life with twinkling lights and perfectly paired music at the push of a button! As you can imagine, the Fly Sky Pix products are a hit with children, but you’ll definitely find there are options which appeal to almost everyone!
Swave Studios invites you to check out the new Fly Sky Pix e-commerce site as well as two videos featuring the adorably Owl family in Goodnightand the funky Disco Aliens.
Website
flyskypix.com
Videos
Goodnight
Disco Aliens
Just slightly more than a year after his death, the high-tech, minimalist yacht that Steve Jobs imagined finally made its debut two days ago.
Named ‘Venus’ after the goddess of love and beauty, the sleek white vessel—designed by legendary French designer Philippe Starck—was unveiled in the presence of Jobs’ family.
Measuring about 80 meters long, the luxury yacht features a lightweight aluminum exterior, high walls and windows of glass.
Not surprisingly,, seven 27-inch iMacs could be found in the yacht’s interior, including six in the wheelhouse.
Each of the ship’s builders was gifted with an iPod Shuffle—with the ship’s name engraved on the back—which comes with a note thanking them for their “hard work and craftsmanship”.
Watch the video of Venus’s debut below:
[via Taxi]
From fellow ACIDO member Mike Cameron:
http://www.unorthodoxdesign.com/events.html
Plants and animals on this planet exhibit a fantastically wide array of natural solutions to problems that affect them. Species become specialized and the results of their habits often impact a much larger system.
4X: A Story of Microcosms is a design exhibition which showcases 5 theoretical insects whose genetically engineered traits allow them to help solve specific problems in the natural world. The insects featured will combine traits found in other animals to create new useful combinations. The goal of this exhibit is to draw emphasis to the extremely important roles played by some of the smallest creatures in nature.
We hope that you can make it out to the opening night event held on Thursday, October 17, 2012 between 7 pm and 9 pm hosted at MADE. The show will continue until November 24, 2012.
An Unorthodox Design Event
http://www.unorthodoxdesign.com/
MADE- 867 Dundas W, Toronto
An interesting paper that just came out on the importance of Design for Growth and Prosperity in Europe, click HERE to read.
Jonathan Liberty along with the design firm Humanscope launch a Kickstarter project “digit”. Click HERE to see the project.
About digit:
As any designer, contractor or student knows… once you focus on your work it’s easy to misplace your pen or pencil.
For CNC Shop Owner Scott Pogue, the answer to his problem came from the mind of a child, his son William. William told him to strap his pencil to his finger. After quickly deciding that his son was on to something, he began creating concepts.
Scott took his concepts to Humanscope; a Canadian based product development firm. Once the project reached the team at Humanscope, the team created the new DIGIT.
The design team says “The DIGIT is unique .Made of thermoplastic rubber, rigid thermoplastic and elastic webbing , DIGIT is fully adjustable to fit a wide range of sizes. The DIGIT holds your pencil in a comfortable writing or sketching position.” The DIGIT is the answer to Scott’s problem and yours!
For only $10 a DIGIT, you can buy a DIGIT for you or all the SCOTT’s in your life! P.S. William says thank you!!
What makes digit unique
The thermoplastic elastomer, with a specific durometer, holds your pen firmly in place while allowing it to easily flex for writing.
The innovative adjustable strap design is very quick and easy, with no screws, glue or threads.
The digit is very comfortable. Unlike other pen or stylus holders that force you to grip the pen in a weird way, the digit flexes easily and sits as your pen normally would. The digit is simple. Hold your pen how you like. Let go and repeat.
About Humanscope:
Humanscope is a product design and development company that provides integrated research, design, development, and manufacturing services. We help businesses connect with their audience and maximize marketing opportunities. Our team of designers and engineers work with our clients to create meaningful, innovative product solutions that improve the human experience.