Interesting twist. Many of us have embraced the phrase “Good Design is Good for Business” for years. Thomas Watson Jr, former IBM Chairman, made this phrase popular after Paul Rand inspired him with “Good Design is Good Will” (Yale University, 1987). Good design is absolutely abundant today. Come to think about it, I really can’t […]
Read MoreWhy are design firms stagnating?
Recently wrote a post for FastCo Design, Why are Design Firms Stagnating. It seems to have struck a cord, with 2,700 likes so far. It’s a pity really; we all have worked so hard – including design firms – to help see design become a more strategic tool, and now the design firms are challenged. […]
Read MoreDesign is not styling, but a style of thinking
I’ve had the priveledge of working with the Hong Kong Design Center on many occasions, and every time I walk away with inspiration. The HKDC always seems to be so precisely focused what matters. After running several joint conferences with the HKDC, I’m not surprised with how insightful their definition of design is. There are […]
Read MoreDesign Parity at Red Dot
This blog post was based on my post in FastCo, to read more about Design Talent and Competition on their site. I recently returned from a week in Germany, where I was a design judge for the Red Dot design competition in Essen. It was no small task – there were 4,428 product entries from […]
Read MoreDesign impact.
Everything made by human beings, albeit an object, environment, communication or interface, is designed. Everything. In fact, museums, our precious connections to the past, are the representations of man’s design abilities of the time. “Design” is a broad concept, and it can be best understood as both a plan to make something, as well as […]
Read MoreThe Design Mix
This was first posted on my blog at Fast Company in their Design section on 21 November. It proposes a “Design Mix”. Have you noticed how similar some products are becoming? A Tesla and a Lotus, that’s an easy one. But I’m talking about the similarities between seemingly disparate objects, like an Audi car and […]
Read MoreExploring Design Value
In April and June I helped run two DMI conferences, both focused on exploring the values of design in business. I’ve been a bit enamored with this topic, and I’d like to know, could there be a common language about design value, and could this help advance the agenda for design in business? The DMI […]
Read MoreImagine the possibilities in Amsterdam
I’m just leaving for Amsterdam to run the DMI conference. Here is my vision for the event … Just imagine if the values of design were known to all. If everyone felt they simply could not live without good design in business, governments and society. And imagine if they felt that design processes were paramount […]
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