There were plenty of winners of Silver awards in this year's International Design Excellence Awards, with gongs going to a diverse array of products and concepts. Again, the emphasis was on products that created an enjoyable, easy experience for its users. So the patient table in an exam room was reconsidered from the patient's point of view, or snorkeling fins were designed to be as easy to slip on as a pair of shoes.
Hit the jump to see our faves of this year's Silver winners, or to see all 47 of them.
More Heller fandom this week, but this video is just the best. Presentations of 20 minutes are nice, and 40 minutes can really bring it home, but an hour? Well, don't let that scare you...you'll wanna watch the whole thing straight through. Promise.
BusinessWeek and the IDSA's remind us why we love ID so; the sheer breadth of products, not to mention the quality, encapsulated in this year's awards have something to wow even the most jaded design-head.
"This year's IDEA were judged during a scalding hot few days in May," says Helen Walters BusinessWeek's Innovation & Design Editor. "Despite the searing heat, jury members remained remarkably even-tempered, even when brawling over whether something was worthy of a gold, silver or bronze award. The judges immersed themselves in these projects, really getting to grips with the story behind each design. So while not every award was unanimous, each one was certainly agonized over."
Here we take a look at some of our favorite Bronze Award winners. Hit the jump for large shots and descriptions, or to wade through all 71. (Stay tuned for Silver and Gold.)
Liz Danzico of the new at SVA asked a bunch of great folks to respond to the following in : "So you're thinking about becoming a designer? If I could tell you only one thing about going into the field, my advice would be ___________ ." The results are great, and very fun (and quick!) to watch. Core contributors Steve Portigal, Alissa Walker, and Jon Kolko are in there, but all advice-givers deliver something useful and inspiring. And for you product folks out there, here's your assignment:
I realise there's a ton of websites out there recommending business books but I want a designers point of view. Does anyone know any good books for a designer interested in entrepreneurship and business?
Just as assembly-line robots replaced bulging-biceps factory workers, so too are self-checkout machines replacing gum-snapping cashiers.
The economics of job losses aside, take a close look at a self-checkout machine and you'll see it's actually quite the industrial design achievement, boiling user interaction, optical scanning, visual and audio feedback, and monetary transactions down into a quick and tidy little experience.
Recognizing this, in the Commercial and Industrial Products category of its International Design Excellence Awards upon NCR's SelfServ Checkout machine. Says NCR Engineering and Development Vice President Jeff Cegalis, "[The SelfServ] reflects outstanding teamwork among talented and dedicated NCR employees in solutions management, hardware design, software design and human factors engineering."
August 26th will mark the 50-year anniversary of the Mini, the iconic microcar that owes its very existence to, relevantly enough to today, an oil crisis:
The classic version of the Mini...was created by Alec Issigonis, an idiosyncratic Turkish-born Brit charged by Morris Motors to develop a competitor to the French- and German-made fuel-sippers that emerged during the Suez Crisis, when Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal and interrupted British fuel supplies in the region.
Morris head Lord Nuffield wanted an inexpensive "saloon" that could comfortably fit four adults, so Issigonis developed the first mass-produced transverse engine and pushed the car's 10" wheels to its corners in order to free up space inside the cabin....
It took British racing legend John Cooper...to popularize the cars. He decided that with some engine improvements, wider tires and a distinctive top, the cars could race. Cooper was right: The Mini beat Maserati, Ferrari and Lotus, among others, with three wins at the Monte Carlo Rally between 1958 and 1962.
The original Mini was Britain's best-selling car ever, with 5.3 million of them hitting the road between 1959 and 2000. Read more about the Mini story .
UK-based studio will be launching at 100% Design in London this September. These hand-made, beech candle holders take formal cues from conical flasks usually found in science laboratories and are named after the minerals that give the candles their distinct color.
is calling its first meeting on Wednesday, August 19th, to be hosted by at their offices in River North. The theme: Elephants in the room.
Let's talk about what nobody else seems to be addressing. As designers, consultants and internal change agents, there are some very large elephants in the room when engaging in sustainable efforts. Let's share our stories and learn from our discoveries and challenges.
Leave the negativity and pessimism behind. Come join us for an optimistic evening of knowledge sharing, storytelling and collaboration.
Bring an ELEPHANT you've been wrestling with, and maybe an artifact, as a conversation starter. We will facilitate a few breakout discussions.
Example ELEPHANTS:
Many projects - no matter how "green"- are focused on selling more STUFF. How can we help organizations conserve and yet create more value?
It can be really hard to do research on sustainability without triggering participants' desire to be seen as "green." How do we TALK to research participants about sustainable issues and still maintain authenticity?
Not all projects are focused on sustainability. How do we INTEGRATE sustainable thinking into a non-sustainable project?
Designers Accord Town Hall: Chicago
Wednesday, August 19, 6:30pm
gravitytank
114 W Illinois St 4th floor
RSVP by Aug. 12th: townhallrsvp@gravitytank.com
В мире много вещей которых у тебя нет и врядли когда-нибудь будут, но увидеть их было бы интересно. Возможно мы поможем заинтересовать тебя настолько, что ты прыгнешь выше головы и сможешь ими обладать.Не бойся быть смелым, просто представь себе, каково это...
