As of yesterday we've changed our weekly Meta MoCo survey post, we've split it into two parts; Best MoCo Architecture This Week (posted yesterday) and Best MoCo Objects This Week. Best MoCo Architecture This Week will be posted every weekend and Best MoCo Objects This Week will now be posted on Mondays.

+ Kithkin: Some rights reserved video at Designguide.tv, "a group of creative friends who form a platform to show and promote their work. Consumers are given the chance to purchase design instantly, either printing it out on their own printer or taking the file to a listed supplier for production.".

+ Core77's FreeDesigndom 2008 photo gallery, featuring images from the first edition of a new annual design and fashion event in the Netherlands.

+ Core77's London Design Week photo gallery, from the 6th edition of this highly regarded annual event.

+ Ilio's hanging bookwave book/magazine storage from their new 2009 collection. At Dezeen.

+ Viable London's Slat Shelves, "an alternative storage solution constructed entirely using rectangular section FSC pine.". At Dezeen.

+ Doshi Levien's Exhibition at Moroso USA at Cool Hunting, a collection that draws upon Indian culture for inspiration.

+ Patricia Urquiola's Purely Porcelain for Rosenthal at designboom, a new 'landscape' ceramics collection with a "pattern [that] is erratic, sometimes filling the form and at other times escaping".

+ Designband's Birdturf birdhouse design by Emilie Baltz and Ben Bearsch, "inspired by the act of throwing shoes over power lines (which is thought to be how gangs mark their 'turf')". Via design*sponge.

+ The Quooker boiling water tap, a child-proof kitchen appliance that dispenses boiling hot water instantly for tea, pasta, vegetables and more. Via Designlines.

+ The Vroom Solo built-in vacuum appliance, a "quick-cleaning tool for small clean-ups in kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, mudrooms and other high traffic areas of the home, the Vroom is easily installed directly into the cabinetry of a room either as a stand alone vacuum appliance or as an accessory to a central vacuum system.". Via Appliancist.

+ Debbie Smyth's 'pins and threads' electrical pylons, "each point was plotted and measured to ensure that the pylons were illustrated accurately.". At matandme.

On October 14, 2008, in Seoul, Korea, the Open Web Asia 2008 conference will gather web industry leaders from across Asia, as well as the US and Europe. The day long event focuses on the theme of “The Social Web.” Speakers include Shusaku Maruko (General Manager, Corporate Strategy Department, FeliCa Networks,) Jean Min (Communications Director, Ohmynews,) Loic Le Meur (Founder and CEO, Seesmic.com,) Arthur Chang (VP of Sale, Alibab.com,) and Jason Calacanis (CEO Mahalo.) As well, Korean tech blogger, writer, and CScout consultant, Taewoo Danny Kim, will also speak.

The combination of executives, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists is going to explore how social media is evolving on the international, regional, and country stage. The event is the first pan-Asian web technology industry conference of its kind.

Consumer packaged goods makers enhance product designs with practical twists.

Always on the lookout for new ways to interest customers, packaging designers have found ways to enhance the pack’s contents, by using it to chill or make its contents more flavorful. No longer competing on aesthetics along, the new designs give customers a practical reason to opt for the packaging.

Cases

Fruit Stickles

Trying to help customers find new ways of getting their five a day in a less monotonous way, Fruit Stickles are skewers infused with a cinnamon or tropical flavor. The company has refrained from adding sugar to its recipe to attract a health-conscious customer base.

Robero Cavalli for Coca Cola Light

Enhancing its contents in a fashion sense rather than a functional one, these limited edition Roberto Cavalli designs have been commissioned by Coca Cola Light (Diet Coke). 100,000 bottles of each animal print will be released, bringing a sense of exclusivity, fashion and collectability to a readily available commodity.

Burn Energy Drink

Coke’s Burn Energy Drink, currently available in Europe, offers a can with a unique re-sealable top. A plastic cover can be twisted into place, with a design that is based upon the packaging of salt and other spices. With new energy drinks being constantly introduced, Coca Cola is adding special packing features to separate themselves from competitors.

Kyo No Matcha
With “fresh” and “local” being key words for food products these days, manufacturers of pre-packaged items are seeking ways to change the image of their traditionally less than healthy goods. While bottled green tea might be one of the already acceptable convenience store products, CIC Co. goes the extra mile with its Kyo no Matcha. With a twist of the air-tight cap, 1.4 grams of traditional Kyoto matcha (high-grade green tea) is released into the mineral water below, creating a serving of fresh (yet instant) tea with no added chemicals or preservatives. At ¥5,280 ($52) for a case of 24, Kyo no Matcha is nearly twice the price of regular bottled teas, but certainly within the acceptable range for products billed as healthy and natural.

Trend Impact
These products may not revolutionize the food industry, but they could inspire new approaches to packaging, putting the customer in control of the final stage of preparation before the product is consumed. It’s also possible this trend could inspire food wraps infused with certain flavors or cling film that absorbs certain unpleasant odors or bacteria.

• P&G’s Innovation Culture
  Good case on how the idea of a 'Blue Ocean Strategy' can be applied: "The heart of a company’s business model should be game-changing innovation. This is not just the invention of new products and services, but the ability to systematically convert ideas into new offerings that alter the very context of the business."
  (tags: Innovation P&G Blue Ocean Strategy applied research)

• Explaining Innovation through Illustration: Google Chrome
  For more than a year the use of illustrations in order to ideate and visualize innovation both in products and services has been part of my Design Management seminars.

  While preparing for the international version of this seminar in Lucerne/CH in November this year together with my colleague Erik over from http://www.zilverinnovation.com I've been happily stumbling across Google's announcement to release a new G-branded browser built from scratch. However it wouldn't be Google if they would have chosen the ordinary road of explaining innovation with plain fact sheets. Instead they've chosen the format of a 'Comic' in order to illustrate the new approach and rich features of the web browser.

  Thanks to Scott McCloud I do now have a new (and better) example of great use of illustrations for business purposes.

  (tags: web design software scottmccloud google browser illustration innovation)

New houses in Sweden are primarily built on slabs, partly because its expedient, but also because its naturally the best way to have in floor radiant heating. In a cold climate this is the only way to use a slab otherwise your slab will feel cold and uncomfortable. But a slab in a cold climate must be insulated from the elements or it will throw heat out its edges. There are typically two strategies to isolate your slab from the cold.

Technorati Tags: modern design, modern house, prefab house

• B_E_E | New Zealand | Branding Cleaning Products
  More and more I find that simple, clear & intenlligently designed concepts are the most convincing ones in our world of increasingly plurivalent and confusing messages: I'll make it all white!
  (tags: brands branding brandchannel typography design)

I should share some snippets from last Friday when I’ve joined several of my peers in The Hague, NL. However please allow for some digesting of my impressions and thoughts! I will write a follow up for sure ;-)

After all what we’ve touched in our panel discussion as well as during the ‘after show’ talks has been (amongst others) the question how to best enter the ‘Design Management Sphere’. From regular email conversations as well as face2face talks this seems to be an urgent question in particular for fresh (design) graduates.

What I usually respond (and this is not meant as ‘fobbing off’) is that independent from their focus of study (let it be design or business administration just to name the two most dominant ones) graduates should try to gain as many and rich experiences in their field of profession as possible. This enables them to comprehensively explore the pros and cons of the field and will help them to render more precisely which domain of the Design Management sphere they are most interested in: Digital, Brand, Corporate, Industrial, Consumer, Services, just to name a few.

Ultimately and this is what I truly believe in: Design Management to a large degree is to a large degree nurtured by the application of (for sure!) cross-disciplinary experiences and skills that tend to rather grow over time. This does however not mean that undergraduate BA & MA programmes in Design Management are not useful. This is however a different discussion to be discussed at another time.

So, for those of you who are seeking for these cross-disciplinary experiences delivered in a highly condensed format you might want to have a look at the MoHo Website. Here’s a snippet from their vision statement:

“Innovation is hampered by a myriad of factors in today’s globalised world. The lack of communication between knowledge centers such as engineering, marketing and design in companies, creates distortions and miscomprehensions between people that heavily penalize the innovation process.

These problems are further amplified if economic reality is brought into the picture. Too many products have been ‘invented’ in the past with little or no potential for economic success. ‘Inventors’ very easily forget the importance of market reality.”

Unfortunately I haven’t been aware of this initiative and hopefully they will share some of the findings publicly soon!

Side note:

These are the facts & figures of the event I do miss more designers here for sure:
# 7 days in Palo Alto
# June 1 - June 8
# 1 house
# 16 partners
# 15 endorsements
# 15 engineering students
# 3 design students
# 15 business students
# 10 social entrepreneurs
# 10 artists
# 5 venture capitalists
# 2 design professors
# 3 business professors

MODERN FURNITURE - COOL SWIVEL CHAIRS (to see full article go to 2modern)

Luxy italy | big jim
31.5" wide x 32.28" high, seat height: 16.53"
for version with swivel auto return and polished aluminum base
$1,525.00 available through SPENCER INTERIORS

MODERN LOUNGE CHAIR re-inventing the bean bag chair


Available through Ligne Roset, Livingspace Interiors Vancouver

MODERN DAYBEDS - Frigerio Italy (to see full article go to 2modern)


Frigerio Italy | cooper wings daybed 90 cm
35.43" x 59.84" x 26.77"/34.25" high, seat height: 13.77"
$5,685.00 in fabric Cat Lusso available through SPENCER INTERIORS

MODERN FURNITURE - SPAIN (to see full article go to 2modern)

The "holy day" lounge chair from Vicarbe Spain designed by Jean-Marie Massaud is the perfect modern alternative to the the commonly used Barcelona Chair.
(27.5"W x 30.3"D x 26.4"H) $2,179.00 CAD from Spencer Interiors.

MODERN DAYBEDS - still sourcing (to see full article go to 2modern)

As for their energy efficiency, they claim that when the appropriate coatings are installed, the envelope reflects about 95 percent of outside radiation, resists the loss of interior heat, provides an excellent air infiltration barrier and does not allow water to migrate in.

One idea that has occurred to me is that this system might benefit from the use of SIP's (Structural Insulated Panels) for the roofs, rather that standard truss framing. SIP's are very well insulated, install quickly, and use much less wood than convention roofs.

This finished house is virtually indistinguishable from conventional housing.

Kalkin has recently opened a factory—“a hangar at a little airport in New Jersey”—to manufacture Quik Houses. “There are a lot of elbows flying in this process, and this is the best way to protect the quality of the house, to keep the accounting transparent, and to make sure I am not unwittingly responsible for heinous crimes to the built environment.” Once the factory is fully functional, Kalkin plans to export many of his products, commenting that “the possibilities of working on a world scale are exciting.”

Twenty-one thousand containers hit American shores every day of the year. Containers can be shipped to the interior of the country via trains and trucks. Shipping containers are like Lego toys and the modules can be assembled in thousands of ways.

Thermoplan systems use Ziegel blocks with a thin bed of mortar, to provide a breathing wall construction system. When combined with woodfibre board they can form a thermally and acoustically high performance shell. The Ziegel blocks come as part of a full load-bearing external and internal wall masonry system, and combine high thermal performance with robustness, speed of build and a breathing wall design.

Because of all the trapped air and the thickness of the walls, these blocks provide reasonable insulation, while at the same time do provide some degree of interior thermal mass for maintaining constant interior temperatures. This is an unusual combination of these two factors in a single wall system.

• Select building materials or products for permanent installation on the project that have been harvested or manufactured in California or within 500 miles of the project site.
  
• Select bio-based building materials and products made from solid wood, engineered wood, bamboo, wool, cotton, cork, straw, natural fibers, products made from crops (soy-based, corn-based) and other bio-based materials with at least 50% bio-based content.
  
• Employ wood-based materials and products comprising at least 50% of a major building component, such as framing, flooring, or millwork, which are certified by one of five listed sustainably harvested certification programs.
  
• Use materials made from plants harvested within a ten-year cycle for at least 2.5% of total materials value, based on estimated cost.
  
• Use salvaged, refurbished, refinished, or reused materials for a minimum of 5% of the total value, based on estimated cost of materials on the project.
  
• Use materials, equivalent in performance to virgin materials, with post-consumer or preconsumer recycled content value (RCV) for a minimum of 10% of the total value, based on estimated cost of materials on the project.
  
• Use cement and concrete made with recycled products, fly ash, raw or calcined natural pozzolan, blast furnace slag (as a lightweight aggregate) .
  
• Select materials for longevity and minimal deterioration under conditions of use.
  
• Select materials that require little, if any, finishing.
  
• Select materials that can be re-used or recycled at the end of their service life in the project.
  
• Select materials assemblies based on life cycle assessment of their embodied energy and/or green house gas emission potentials.

• If feasible, disassemble existing buildings instead of demolishing to allow reuse or recycling of building materials.
  
• Utilize a Frost-Protected Shallow Foundation.
  
• Use pre-manufactured floor and roof systems to eliminate solid sawn lumber whenever possible.

“The reuse of billboard vinyl in earthbag construction mitigates the impact of global warming in two ways. Transforming this landfill-bound material into another useful product helps lessen landfill overflow worldwide. It also eliminates the need to protect earthbags from UV rays, resulting in more robust emergency shelters that can be used longer to lessen the human suffering caused by natural disasters.”

“As a visual concept, each billboard shelter stands as a symbolic gesture of sustainability. Beyond its environmental benefits, the strategy of reusing billboard vinyl visually recontextualizes the nature of billboards, which are symbols of mass consumerism and a pervasive form of visual pollution in our world. This concept does not seek to generate imagery, but instead appropriates existing commercial imagery as a metaphor for global recycling and reuse. Assembled together into a shelter, the earthbags create a dynamic and vibrant pattern of collaged images and text from around the world, dramatically suggesting a unified, international gesture of sustainability, hope, and humanitarianism.”

According to the jurors, they "were intrigued by this project as an example of ‘cradle-to-cradle’ design pertinent to the signage industry. Utilizing intrinsic qualities of billboard PVC—UV resistant and near indestructible—this concept proposes the creation of dwellings from recycled material and imagery. The idea takes the recycling of billboards, street banners, and print graphics—already employed by art museums in the creation of second-use products—to another level. Truly inventive!"

This all sounds pretty good, and might well work if the billboard material were cut and sewn into bags. One obvious disadvantage of the idea is that since PVC is toxic when burned, this would present a potential hazard to the occupants, but of course this is true of many modern building materials. PVC poses a great risk in building fires, as it releases deadly gases long before it ignites, such as hydrogen chloride which turns to hydrochloric acid when inhaled. As it burns it releases yet more toxic dioxins. Additionally, vinyl does outgas highly toxic VOCs over time. Fortunately most of this danger would have passed with the use of recycled signs, but this could also be an issue.