Category Archives: Design Thinking

Design Revolution Road Show Recap

Mar 04
10
Posted by Susan Isaacs

Sure this past Saturday morning was cold and windy, but that was not enough to slow down Project H’s Design Revolution Road Show which cruised into town for the day.

design_revolution-007
Vintage Airstream that housed the exhibit. Talk about shiny!

I had the pleasure of spending the day with the inspiring folks at the helm: Emily Pilloton, Founder and Executive Director of Project H, along with Matt Miller, Project Architect - two super smart people, who aren’t just talking about making the world a better place…they’re doing something about it.

I won’t rehash previous posts (you can read them here and here).

Not long ago, Emily wrote the book Design Revolution - 100 Products That Empower People and the Road Show is essentially her book tour. The book is a mind-blowing encyclopedia of phenomenal products that are changing our world.

The exhibit was a sampling of around 40 of those products including:
. The LifeStraw a portable water filtration device.
. GROW a new approach to solar and wind power.
. The Hippo Roller a water transportation barrel that rolls along the ground, with a handle attached to the axis of the barrel.
. The SpiderBoot footwear for landmine detection teams
. Adaptive Eyewear inexpensive self-adjustable eye glasses (ONE OF MY FAVS!)
. HYmini renewable power for your gadgets
…and on and on.

(FYI - the book is currently out of stock after sales shot through the roof thanks to Emily’s appearance on The Colbert Report. The link I’ve provided is to another amazing organization called Better World Books a “for-profit social enterprise that collects used books and sells them online to raise money for literacy initiatives worldwide”. I recommend buying your copy from them.)

Early in the afternoon the gathering crowd moved into the Trustees Theater for the presentation. Emily and Matt gave a bit of background on themselves and how they transitioned from commercial design to humanitarian design. I especially liked hearing about her moment of absolute clarity, which came after a 3 hour long meeting to determine the perfect doorknob shape for a retailer’s revamped stores! Ouch.

Then they talked about two projects they’d done in Bertie County, NC a poor, rural, racially polarized county where they’d first created Learning Landscape math playgrounds and then computer labs.

Next they talked about The Designer’s Toolkit a free tool to help designers interested in designing for the greater good. You can download it here.

And last but not least, in case weren’t convinced that they truly believed what they were advocating, they announced that at the end of the Road Show they would be relocating to Bertie County to work in the school system, teaching design principles and implementation (via english, math, art and shop) to kids who are poor and desperately in need of a broader world view. WOW!

I’m thrilled that Emily, Matt and their newly adopted dog Junebug decided to make Savannah a stop on their cross country tour. I hope that all the designers, professors and students who came out were as inspired as I was.

Thanks guys!! We wish you safe travels for the rest of the Road Show and all the best in your new endeavor in NC.

design_revolution-006
Here’s the book.

design_revolution-004
SinkPositive: one of the products featured in the exhibit - replaces your toilet tank lid. Fresh water to the sink, grey water into the bowl.

design_revolution-008
Waiting patiently to see the exhibit.

design_revolution-003
Inside for the lecture.

design_revolution-009
I did mention it was cold, right?

Tags: , , ,
Categories: Design Thinking, Events, Innovation, Inspiration, Savannah, Sustainability
  • Reddit
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati
  • Digg
0 Comments

Design Revolution Road Show coming to Savannah!

Feb 16
10
Posted by Susan Isaacs

Mark your calendars! The Design Revolution Road Show will be making a stop in Savannah!

Saturday, February 27th
Trustees Theater, 216 E. Broughton St
Exhibition Opens 10:30am - 4pm
Presentation 2:30pm

4173030560_dd749ba5e8

I am so excited to attend this traveling exhibit and lecture, a initiative of Project H Design, a non-profit organization leveraging the power of design to change the world.

I came across Project H a while back when Emily, the founder was raising funds for a project called the Hippo Roller, a device that enabled villagers in Africa to make fewer trips for water (essentially a big drum with a snap-on steel handle that allows it to be rolled like a big wheel…users could transport enough water for a family for 5 days in 1 trip!). By reducing the pressing need to go to the river every day, more time was available for education and work. I grew up in the Caribbean where it was not uncommon to see people carrying water over long distances and the simple brilliance of these drums really inspired me. You can read our recap of the experience with that project here.

Since then Project H has really come into its own, and along the way has received great press from everyone from the NY Times to Fast Company. Their advisory board includes impressive folks like Ric Grefé, AIGA President (and awesome guy!), and Amy Novogratz, TED Prize Director.

Project H continues to lead creatives interested in “Product design initiatives for Humanity, Habitats, Health, and Happiness”, the organization’s tag line. Emily was on the Colbert Report recently to talk about their work.

The Colbert Report Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Emily Pilloton
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Skate Expectations

I hope you’ll come out on the 27th to meet Emily and see the fascinating work being done by designers motivated to use their talents to make our world a better place.

Until then, you can help Project H win $50K from the Pepsi Refresh Project. They’re currently in 15th place! Voting ends on February 28th and you can vote everyday!
picture-11

Tags: , , , ,
Categories: Design Thinking, Events, Innovation, Inspiration, Savannah, Sustainability
  • Reddit
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati
  • Digg
1 Comments

Interaction Designers AHOY + AWOL Kids Make Good ‘Choices’

Feb 05
10
Posted by Susan Isaacs

It’s a big weekend for Savannah with events happening all over town. The two on my radar are IxDA’s Interaction 10 Conference and the play ‘Choices: A Romeo and Juliet Story’ performed by the talented kids of AWOL. Tonight, the Paragon crew will be trying to squeeze as much fun into one evening as possible.

interaction10

Interaction 10

You might not be aware of this, but a few hundred of the smartest interaction designers in the world have converged on the creative coast this week for a packed schedule of presentations, challenges, workshops and fun activities thanks to IxDA’s third annual conference.

IxDA (Interaction Design Association) is an international “un-organization” (membership is free) focused on the practice of interaction design.

I love the manifesto:
We believe that the human condition is increasingly challenged by poor experiences. IxDA intends to improve the human condition by advancing the discipline of Interaction Design. To do this, we foster a community of people that choose to come together to support this intention. IxDA relies on individual initiative, contribution, sharing and self-organization as the primary means for us to achieve our goals.

And coming together to do this is exactly what’s on the agenda this weekend. Interaction 10 promises to be an exciting event designed to “connect, educate, and inspire” the interaction design community.

The line-up of speakers is quite impressive and include: Paola Antonelli (MoMA), Kevin Cheng (Twitter), Ben Fullerton (IDEO), Guillermo Torres (Adobe), Steve Baty (Meld), Christian Crumlish (Yahoo!), Jamin Hegeman (Nokia)….and on and on. You ought to eyeball the list yourself!

I’m planning to interact (ahem…horrible pun abuse) with some of these folks this weekend and I can’t wait!

choices

Choices: A Romeo and Juliet Story

Scorsese did his modern-day interpretation of the Shakespeare’s masterpiece, Romeo and Juliet, and this weekend at the Lucas Theater, AWOL delivers a hip hop interpretation that does more than entertain the audience; it’s changing the lives of the more than 100 youth involved, and even better, empowering them to educate their peers on the consequences of the choices they make in life.

The adaptation which was written by AWOL’s Theater Program Director, Lakesha Green, updates the language of the original play and interjects hip hop, R&B and dance, while staying true to the themes that remain as relevant today as they were in the 16th century. And in a few months, at the Savannah Urban Arts Festival, AWOL will deliver yet another remix of this play, this time in spanish and incorporating spanish music and dance…SALSA!!!!

Oh and by the way, AWOL recently announced that 50% of the proceeds of tonight’s showing will go toward the relief efforts in Haiti. What an awesome gesture of generosity by a non-profit that no doubt could have used that money themselves. KUDOS to AWOL. They continue to inspire us with all the good they do.

Come join us at the show tonight, at 7pm at the Lucas Theater. If you can’t make it tonight, you’ve got another opportunity tomorrow night as well. Tickets are available at SCAD’s box office.

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Categories: Art, Design Thinking, Events, Savannah, User Interaction
  • Reddit
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati
  • Digg
0 Comments

Kickstarter - A New Way To Fund Ideas and Endeavors

Nov 12
09
Posted by Susan Isaacs

kickstarter

There’s a common theme that seems to apply to more than one conversation we’re having around the office of late: community funded projects. You’ll be hearing quite a bit about this from us in the coming weeks.*

Right now though, I thought I’d share a recent discovery, Kickstarter.

I love the way they introduce themselves:

We believe that…

* A good idea, communicated well, can spread fast and wide.
* A large group of people can be a tremendous source of money and encouragement.

Simply put, Kickstarter is a way for creatives to receive (online) community funding to execute their ideas.

It’s quite clever: a filmmaker, artist, musician, inventor, etc submits an idea along with a request for the amount of money they need to make their concept a reality. The online community is able to review these ideas and if so inclined can pledge money to help make them happen.

The creator is able to propose any type of reward system they’d like as a “thank you”. This could be as simple as access to ongoing project updates or something fancier like a T-shirt or an invitation to a party. Regardless, the creators retain full ownership of their ideas. No politics. No big investor demanding final sign-off on production.

But here’s the part that I really love. No-one’s credit card is charged up-front. ONLY if the total amount requested has been pledged within the specified time frame, is the money actually collected. Once the mark is hit all the cards are charged at once. This way a filmmaker is not obligated to make a $6000 independent short for $2000 if that’s all he was pledged. It’s an all or nothing scenario.

If you’ve got a brilliant idea and need a cash to give it wings, perhaps Kickstarter might be the place to go. They charge 5% of the pledge goal, so you’ll need to factor that into your budget.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
*Just a final note: we (Paragon) believe that many people doing a little can often have a much greater impact than a only a few people doing a lot. We’re putting this theory to the test with a new project, 2K Strong. We’re currently working on the site, but you can sign up for project updates now at www.2kstrong.org

Tags: , , , , ,
Categories: Art, Design Thinking, Innovation, User Interaction, social media
  • Reddit
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati
  • Digg
1 Comments

Design Inspiration Starter List

Nov 11
09
Posted by Andrew Davies

During our panel discussion this past Geekend we promised a list of sources of inspiration for the parched designer running out of creative juice. A complete list is impossible but here are a few of the places the team here uses for a bit of brain caffeine, categorized by our different  interests for your browsing comfort:

Web Related

Package Design-related

Brand-related

Motion Graphics- related

Typography-related

Just Plain Design-related

Creatives

——————————————————————-

Creative Resources on Twitter

Writers & Communication Consultants
1. @AllenaT

2. @anti9to5guide

3. @BobSchaller

4. @copyblogger

5. @EdGandia

6. @JennyCromie

7. @jewelsann

8. @kristenfischer

9. @kristenking

10. @menwithpens

11. @michellerafter

12. @milehighfool

13. @problogger

14. @quipsandtips

15. @stephauteri

16. @TraceyDooley

17. @WantToFreelance

Designers & Developers

18. @andrewyee

19. @azwebdesign

20. @BazDeas

21. @bdsexton

22. @benbrunt

23. @cgw3

24. @chrisspooner

25. @Cmonalready

26. @justcreative

27. @gracesmith

28. @HuddyDesign

29. @notoriouslb3

30. @Othella

31. @RibbonsofRed

32. @SBWebDesigner

33. @webfreelancer

34. @wFreelance

Other Freelancers (translators, photographers, videographers, stylists, etc.)

35. @BillCammack

36. @darkmotion

37. @EN_ITtranslators

38. @languagenews

39. @louisechrystal

40. @nicholaspatten

41. @nj_linguist

42. @sarahdillon

43. @vincentvalle

Freelance Resources

44. @freelanceadvice

45. @freelance_jobs

46. @FreelancePulse

47. @FreelanceSw

48. @ProgrammerScoop

49. @theredstapler

50. @weblittlepieces

Hopefully this’ll get you started.


Categories: Advertising, Branding, Design Thinking, Graphic Design, Inspiration, Motion graphics
  • Reddit
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati
  • Digg
1 Comments

The Fun Theory

Oct 16
09
Posted by Susan Isaacs

I can’t take credit for finding this (a friend emailed it), but it’s too good not to share.

The Fun Theory (thefuntheory.com), an initiative of Volkswagen, is a “site is dedicated to the thought that something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better. Be it for yourself, for the environment, or something entirely different, just so long as it’s change for the better.”

I. LOVE. THIS.

I dare you to watch these short clips and not be inspired to do something similar in your community:

Bottle Bank Arcade Machine

The World’s Deepest Bin

And my favorite…

Piano Staircase

If you’ve got a great idea for something similar, perhaps you should enter the Fun Theory competition…you could win €2500.

Tags: , ,
Categories: Design Thinking, Inspiration, Just for fun
  • Reddit
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati
  • Digg
1 Comments

Learning From Our Mistakes - A Cautionary Tale

Jun 30
09
Posted by Susan Isaacs

Today I’m giving you a peak at the sort of thing designers would rather not point out: sometimes we make mistakes. Gasp! Unfortunately it’s true, and with the permission of one of our fav clients, I thought I’d share one of our mistakes from a few weeks back…and what we did to fix it.

More than anything else, I want to share it because in Architecture school my professors often told my studio-mates and I to “measure twice, cut once.” We practice this on a daily basis, but there are those occasions when everyone forgets to measure that second time. Even more importantly, I’ve learned over the years that a pair of fresh eyes can sometimes catch a problem you’re too close to see. Usually it would not be a big deal (after all we work hard to get it right the first time!), but this particular snafu was the perfect storm of mis-measurement, tired eyes and a real error we should have caught.

I recently read a great article by Steve Baty of Meld Consulting entitled “The Idiot Check” in which he uses a simple metaphor to explain the value of doing “a last minute, top-to-tail, make-no-assumptions check before you turn out the lights and close the door behind you.” I recommend you read it.

To make use of Steve’s analogy, we did the walk through about 50 times, but then drove off with the front door unlocked, because it was so ‘obvious’ we all thought someone else had checked it. Someone else hadn’t and here is our humbling story of what happened:

Read More of this post


Categories: Architecture, Business, Design Thinking, Graphic Design
  • Reddit
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati
  • Digg
3 Comments

Getting Your Hands Dirty

Apr 28
09
Posted by Susan Isaacs

dirty-hands

For designers who spend much of their time working in virtual environments, the act of creating something real with your hands can also be a vital tool to help innovate.

I just read this interesting article which describes software giant Adobe’s daylong workshops in which their product designers are faced with creating motion games, using simple elements like plastic beads and tiny sensors. If you’re a creative person I think you’ll find this a good read. It’s nothing revolutionary, but sometimes we need a little reminder to revisit the simpler tools as a way to help conceptualize the next new thing. If the continuous improvements made to Adobe products are any indication, it’s an investment worth your while.

In the last few years, I’ve found myself appreciating the tangible things I can create with my hands. Simple things like growing herbs or baking bread are activities I find satisfying because I can dig in and get a little dirty…and have something to show for it at the end. At work, taking the time to sketch concepts, build mockups or diagram relationships has only ever helped the problem solving process further along, yet it’s tempting to leap-frog over that step and grab my mouse. The thing is, not only is getting your hands dirty a great tool for designing a solution, but it’s fun too…think of it as therapy at work.

This Friday SCAD is holding it’s annual Sand Arts Festival. If like me, you spend most of your time staring at a computer monitor, this could be a great opportunity to get in some creativity and the great outdoors. Let’s call it dirt therapy.

And on a final dirt related note, I recently I came across this TED presentation by Mike Rowe, host of Dirty Jobs on the Discovery Chanel (a personal fav). While he starts out talking about the show, his ultimate point about the value of work is excellent.

Tags: , ,
Categories: Design Thinking, Innovation
  • Reddit
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati
  • Digg
4 Comments

Can Anything Save the Newspaper Industry?

Apr 22
09
Posted by Susan Isaacs

newspaper

You’d have to to be living in a cave not to be aware of the rapid decline of the newspaper industry in the US. Actually…it’s happening everywhere. There’s an article on Tech Crunch that’ll give you an idea of how rapid that decline has become, in terms of the havoc it’s reeking on advertising revenues: $7.5 billion last year. OUCH.

Of course, the interweb is being blamed, the argument being that big bad Google is allowing the public to access newspaper content for free, so that now no-one wants to buy the newspaper. CORRECT. And also WRONG. Newspaper-type-folks please allow me to weigh in:
Read More of this post

Tags:
Categories: Business, Design Thinking, Graphic Design, Pop culture
  • Reddit
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati
  • Digg
5 Comments