Where is everybody?

is there a standing definition of the term "design sensibilities"?

Art/Design & Ephemerality

I've long been a fan of Shinichi Maruyama and his water sculptures. I think his work is a fascinating interpretation of "sculpture" and photography. At its core, he is taking something that lacks permanence (the movement of water) and then captures it via photography -- an act that solidifies the permanence of the event, that whole notion of "This event happened. I was there for it."

I know this doesn't quite fall into design thinking, but it got me thinking about the question of permanence in design and art (Valencia's Las Falles also comes to mind). How do we build permanence into modern design? Is there space for it in online and/or social media?

Happiness Through Design

So, apparently I've got this whole design-happiness connection on the brain, but I just came across Don Norman's TED talk on design and thought it was worth sharing. Design > functionality?

AIGA is launching a campaign called 'Design for Good', encouraging designers to give 5% of their time to pro boon causes. The article is a little scattered, but refers to their advocacy of a broader definition of 'design', and it's relevance in business + government.

This measured article from Helen Walters is among the best I've read for giving a sober assessment of design thinking and its evolving place in business.

Great takeaway: it's not either-or. "This is about the need for analysis and synthesis."

Also, she took the time to make nice section headings, which are reproduced here for color.

Criticism and Response

Two pieces from Fast Company Design: one attacking the idea of user-centered innovation, the other defending it.

• The attack: User-led innovation is a farce. User insights can't make breakthroughs or predict future demand. Great brands must lead. (Link)
• The response: It's not about asking users what they want. It's about becoming them. (Link.)

SXSW (...tangential)

hey folks -- wanted to check in to see if any of y'all are heading out to Austin for SXSW. Adam, Daniel and I will all be out there from the 10th through the 16th. if you guys are around, it would be great to meet up! and if you have any panel recos, we'd love to hear them! xx

Embodied cognition and design

a really interesting and insightful article (h/t to gary hustwit) about how something as simple and mundane as a coffee cup can trigger certain emotions, feelings and perceptions about the world around you. and i love the idea that we should be designing things for the human mind (cognitive ergonomics) in an effort (ultimately) to produce "nice" thoughts.

Myth busting

Some good headlines but shaky shaky explanations.

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1exLus/www.business-strategy-innovation.com/wordpress/2011/03/5-design-thinking-myths-in-business/

Criticism of Design Thinking

Or not so much design thinking itself, but the 'this fixes everything' mentality that the author says comes with it. (link)

There are probably better criticisms out there. Will share them if I find them. Anyone else seen anything like that?

It's not biking, it's Cruising.

Here's an article Adam and I stumbled upon that gives a great overview of design thinking (including a look at the 'personality profile' of a design thinker), and also an interesting outline of IDEO's design process.

They cover a few really interesting IDEO examples, including how they helped identify an opportunity for a new type of bike for Shimano - one aimed at people who found traditional cycling intimidating (in terms of cost, the technical expertise needed, the fitness requirements, etc.). They looked at what people feared / wanted, and based on that branded an entirely new biking experience - Cruising.

Brilliant? B.S.? It certainly appears to have worked.

Overview of Design Thinking

There may be a lot of navel gazing around what design thinking is and is not, but this is still an interesting read on exactly that. (From Fast Company, almost five years ago).

One particularly good point on why the process of design thinking is important in and of itself -because we don't necessarily know what we're looking for:

The byproduct of the process is often other unique ideas and strategies that are tangential to the initial objective as defined.

This entire approach seems to make a whole lot of sense. So why is some form of the design thinking process not standard operating procedure for anyone trying to solve a problem, build a business, identify opportunities for innovation, etc.?

"the biggest art movement in the history of human kind"

Not the Renaissance. Graffiti!

"Bomb It". 2007 - Graffiti documentary.

Graphic design in the raw. Vastly different approaches from an amazing array of people. Much of it a world away from Exit Through the Gift Shop. It brings up some great questions about legitimacy, motivation, beauty and culture.

http://www.bombit-themovie.com/

Streaming on Netflix.

Tim Brown Ted Talk

Following on from one of Paul's book recommendations; Change By Design, watch Tim Brown's Ted Talk. It touches on some of the same topics covered in the book.

S

Nature, Design & Biomimicry

admittedly, i haven't read this entire interview, but the idea of bringing humanity back to nature -- bringing design, architecture, and our "professional selves" back to nature -- is really interesting.

my favorite line from the whole thing might be suri's response to the question of how nature-inspired design approaches might affect our "designed environment":

The promise is that we will design beautiful products and systems that elegantly fulfill human purposes and at the same time benefit other life forms in our environment. That means designing and building with new ecological principles in mind: being adaptive to context (rather than controlling it), dynamic and flexible (rather than fixed and resistant) and designing solutions that can become increasingly complex and diverse over time.

--chk

Dynamite and Super-glue

Here's another book reference

http://www.amazon.com/Glimmer-Design-Transform-Maybe-World/dp/1594202338

A good study from a self-confessed non-designer. Berger is right onto the simple definition of design thinking as 'keep asking why, why, why, why - get to the heart of the matter. Then re-invent from the ground up'. Divergent then convergent thinking. I like to call it:

Dynamite and super-glue...

Check out the blog too - some great comments and further links...

http://glimmersite.com/

P.

WELCOME

Not sure if you're feeling the same but my head feels pretty foggy after last nights celebrations.
Somewhere in the middle of the drinking, Christina and I came up with the idea of a shared space for IAVA and Landor to discuss all things design thinking and see if we can push on with some co-created ideas, innovations and thought leadership to really bring your new identity to life.

As I mentioned, I would pepper this place with links and references - none of which I could remember last night. Mind you, I only just about remembered where I lived after last night!

Here's the first two. Great books to start the reading list. More to follow:

The Designful Company - Marty Neumeier

Change by Design - Tim Brown

Looking forward to thinking with you and once again, a A BIG THANK YOU to all over at IAVA for the opportunity to 'have your back'.

Paul
(Landor)