Looking for Inspiration for Hotel Design? Try Violent, Profane Movies

Linda Tischler — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:55:28 -0500

Quentin Tarantino's cult classic, Reservoir Dogs, with its cast of violent, sociopathic killers with names straight out of a Crayola box--Mr. Orange, Mr. Blue, Mr. Pink--was the inspiration for a 10-pack of rooms at the recently-opened Paradise Tower at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. Like skulls stenciled on your bedroom wall? Got that. A bed illuminated by blue neon? Check. Wall-sized images of topless women enjoying a post-coital smoke above the headboard? No problem.

What's Thwarting American Innovation? Too Much Science, Says Roger Martin

Linda Tischler — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:18:21 -0500

The folks at McKinsey, Bain, and BCG should be happy that Roger Martin likes his job. Otherwise, he could cause them a heap of trouble.

Soundscape of Immigrant Voices Shapes Exhibit at the Museum of Jewish Heritage

Linda Tischler — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:42:53 -0500

The view from the second floor of the Museum of Jewish Heritage at the tip of Manhattan is spectacular: It faces the Statue of Liberty, who lifts her torch over the harbor, close to Ellis Island, the first landing point for many immigrants to these shores. Overlooking that inspirational scene, a new museum exhibit captures those refugees' voices as they recall seeing America for the first time, as well as the experiences that caused them to flee their homelands and the joy and angst their arrival here engendered.

Legends of the Fall: Patti Smith, Marc Jacobs, and David Rockwell Headline Pratt Gala

Linda Tischler — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:56:22 -0500

"Godmother of Punk" Patti Smith didn't go to Pratt. She didn't have the money and, she says, she was "too erratic a student" to get past the admissions office. That didn't stop her, however, from enthusiastically accepting an award from the art and design school Thursday night at the Pratt Legends 2009 gala (click for pics of the event).

Five Burning Questions About How to Work With Headhunters

Linda Tischler — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:09:41 -0400

The unemployment numbers continue to rise. The pundits are predicting a slow--some say 'jobless'--recovery. If only you could get on some hot shot headhunter's radar, you'd be all set, right? Not necessarily, says a contrarian new book by Nick Corcodilos, aka the "Ask the Headhunter" dude.

Introducing Guest Blogger Joe Duffy: Forging a Creative Link With China

Linda Tischler — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:34:31 -0400

Chances are you know Joe Duffy's work, even if you don't know the name of the mastermind behind it. Every time you pick up a can of Diet Coke or Fresca, pour a glass of MinuteMaid OJ or a shot of Knob Creek bourbon, or find yourself dreaming about the Bahamas inspired on their cheerful brand identity, you're in Duffy World.

Introducing Guest Blogger Graham Button: Designing Experiences That Are "True from the Center"

Linda Tischler — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:23:41 -0400

While he didn't know it at the time, Graham Button hit a significant career turning point the day that Grey Worldwide won the Frontier Airlines account. In the course of working with the airline, Button, the ad agency's creative director, became friends with Jim Adler, founder of the strategic consulting group Genesis Inc, and the guy behind Frontier's unique livery, which features bears, elk, and little wolf cubs.

Want to Improve Democracy? Try Design Thinking

Linda Tischler — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:37:47 -0400

Better ballot design could have changed the results of the 2000 election. A better design for information sharing might have prevented 9/11. Now, could design thinking help fix something fundamentally broken in American democracy: how we engage in national debate?

The Secrets Behind Great Design: IDSA Announces Catalyst Case Study Winners

Linda Tischler — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:11:18 -0400

The greatest design innovations invariably have a story behind them: the insight that led to a radical new way to solve a problem, the failure that led to a breakthrough, the serendipity where colliding forces led to a profound creative leap.

What Recession? Designers Storm the Waldorf for Gala

Linda Tischler — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 10:40:30 -0400