design

A couple of weeks ago I posted a link on my Twitter account that lead to a write up by Bruce Nussbaum on The Latest Trends in Design and Innovation–And Why The Debate Over Design Thinking is Moot. I did think this was one of his better posts, though his so called “trends” are not entirely new. However before we go deeper into this discussion, let us briefly recap these trends:

Dev Patnaik, in his well written article at Fast Company, reminds me of a big problem with Design Thinking: vagueness in its definition. Even here at Design Sojourn, we have tried, with limited success, to discuss and dissect its definition.

The product development process is, if nothing else, a highly iterative process. In this fascinating two-minute clip from tap tap tap, it's possible to see each and every change that went into their final iPhone app Convert. Gizmodo calls it "an illuminating video if you're never thought about how much goes into good design."

I've been a Bauhaus follower for 30 years. I am still fascinated by some of work produced during that period. A Bauhaus Summer School workshop was hosted last month by Michael Zinganel who is a freelance architecture theorist, cultural historian, curator, and artist from Austria.

Over at BLDGBLOG, Geoff Manaugh points to an interesting study that estimates that we may be missing as much as 15 minutes of a 150-minute movie through the very act of blinking. What's even more interesting however, is the discovery that most movie-watchers tend to blink in unison - at non-critical moments of plot or action.

One of the best books of the year is undoubtedly “Design-Driven Innovation: Changing the Rules of Competition by Radically Innovating What Things Mean,” by Roberto Verganti. In it Verganti, a favorite of this blog, attacks one of the central mysteries of innovation–how can a company successfully create a product that is a radical break from the past, and which shows the way to a new future?

This article was written for Yanko Design (YD). As I know some Design Sojourn readers don’t really frequent YD, I have decided to republish and keep a record of the article here. Enjoy, and I’m looking forward to your comments if you have not left any before!

What’s the future of design in China? Or will China ever have a real design future? Do they ever need one at all? As part of our China strategy I’ve visited half-a-dozen of design firms in China last week and got a pretty good snapshot of the state of the industry while sharing my points of view on how design will evolve in China.

If you look around you I’m sure you can find plenty of great advice on how to write a good design brief. Therefore I will assume that most of you would know what they are and how to do so. However I have found that such advice are often “cookie cutter” at best, and may not necessary help you get your design job done right. However if you want a better and tighter brief, these 5 steps might just help you turn your design into a great one!

When I first saw this interesting illustration created by Smart Design, it did not resonate with me. Thus I only forwarded the image via my usualTwitter link love and spent the rest of the week thinking about it.