designers

Brand Bloodlines

Mark Dziersk — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 17:16:02 -0400

Is China becoming a global design superpower?

Manuel Saez — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:26:35 -0400

In recent years concern has risen about the potential of China as a global design superpower and the threat of China becoming a design source for the west, threatening the livelihood of thousands of designers and designers-to-be in the US and Europe.

Perhaps this is the inevitable evolution of the design profession where the creative input becomes a commodity with no real lasting value beyond it seasonal life span. Or perhaps this broadens the gap between design as a commodity and great design that is driven by context.

Why Design Still Has Such Limited Corporate Impact--and What to Do About It

Mark Dziersk — Fri, 29 May 2009 15:40:38 -0400

Despite the best efforts of the design community to the contrary, design is still struggling to influence companies in meaningful ways. The fault lies mostly within the design profession itself, which is unable to supply leadership equal to the current demand.

Six Ways to Avoid Landing in the Product Failure Bin

Mark Dziersk — Fri, 29 May 2009 10:45:09 -0400

A decade ago the ability to generate ideas for businesses was a terrific and unique offering, and often a good business. Many companies and consultants were conducting workshops aimed at coming up with ideas, hundreds of ideas, and getting paid handsomely to do it. Today, it seems most of the businesses I deal with have more than enough ideas, it's determining the right ones to invest time and energy into that is the trick.

The Myth of the Rational Buyer: How Too Much Thinking Can Hurt Your Brand

Mark Dziersk — Thu, 28 May 2009 11:10:56 -0400

What if something you thought you knew to be true, turned out to be exactly the opposite? What if an approach you imagined was working for you was actually working against you?

Design's Boom-and-Bust Cycle: Ten Years In, Ten to Go

Mark Dziersk — Wed, 27 May 2009 11:05:56 -0400

The topic of design has generated a lot of buzz lately--so much, in fact, that some suggest that the renewed interest in all things creative is a passing fad. Not exactly. If we let history be our guide, we'll see that there's a cycle at work here, and in my view we are presently half way through it. Let's call it the Design Cycle. Case in point: JC Penney.

Ten Things to Demand From Design Thinkers

Mark Dziersk — Fri, 22 May 2009 10:53:33 -0400

Design thinking is currently an "It" concept, the topic of countless books and blogs and conference panels. While it can mean a lot of different things to different people, for me, design thinking is a methodology, a tool, a killer app, and a problem-solving protocol to be used on virtually any problem. It can be equally effective in designing a new product or creating a new brand, to envisioning a new approach to health care or to reinventing city management.

Recession-Friendly Design

Temenouzhka Zaharieva — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 04:47:23 -0400

This was my presentation at the second Pecha Kucha night in Sofia this week. The theme was Theory of Provocation. I used mostly examples from the on-going Milan Design Week to show what happens with design in times of crisis. It was mainly in Bulgarian, but I think that design language is understood by everyone.

Design Matters; Using Design Thinking to gain competitive leverage

Mark Dziersk — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 17:23:11 -0400

Recently, to prepare for a talk at Northwestern University’s - Master of Product Development (MPD) lectures series, I put together a title list of ten top things design thinkers will need to embrace in serious ways in the coming few years.
read more

Paris Fashion Week

Fast Company Calendar — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 09:00:00 -0500

The French capital's prêt-à-porter week may be a magnet for snooty
designers and buyers with wallets the size of Vuitton trunks. But
cities with less history as hubs of couture have tried lately to grab some glamour
by staging their own fashion weeks. In March alone, there will be
dozens, including Dubai; Mumbai; Delhi; Kiev; Toronto; Miami; Montreal;
Melbourne; Aspen, Colorado; Charleston, South Carolina; Palm Desert,
California; and Dunedin (that's the second-largest city on the South
Island of New Zealand).

recession proof....points

Mark Dziersk — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 12:31:20 -0500

Recently, I was researching an article and found out that CNN and MTV were both launched during the double dip recessions of the early eighties. Also the 1974 recession led to the creation of discount brokerage Charles Schwab. So I bounced this off a colleague Julie Anixter, and she cam up with five other proof points of how advantage can be seized regardless, because or in spite of downward trends, by delivering what people want.

Recession Possibilities

Mark Dziersk — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 19:43:55 -0500

In a down economy the natural instinct is to draw inward. Cut spending, slash budgets pull back initiatives and horde cash and resources. The problem with that approach is that a down economy may in fact be the best time to win by being creative. That means investing in creativity when the competition isn't. When it comes to leveraging an investment in innovation and "Design Thinking" it requires an investment in not only capital but risk as well. To succeed by design in a down market not only will require the opposite of withdrawal but ad some risk thrown in for good measure.

A Bigger Design Tent

Mark Dziersk — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:10:28 -0500

another turning point

Mark Dziersk — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 23:54:13 -0500

Earlier this year I served on a jury. The IDEA jury, (the Industral Designers Society of America /Businessweek)sponsored competition. It was a great experience and a well qualified jury by any measure. In that competition my company Brandimage, entered a design, a paper water bottle concept. (you can see it here; www.brand-image.com Or just Google it). It didn't win one of the big awards, ( I was recused from the judging by the way), but it did make finalist.

Perception vs. Reality

Mark Dziersk — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:55:31 -0500

Going through the blogs on the Fast Co site, I was particularly struck by the insights contained in a blog entitled: Fish on Friday: Two Dramatic Statistics Bracket Today’s Sweet & Sour Economy.

The writer, Charles Fishman explains:

Buy.ology: Why We Buy What We Do

Mark Dziersk — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 19:03:39 -0400

It seems that I spend a great deal of time these days talking about the subconcious emotional drivers of designs. It turns out that there are very good reasons we all "buy" what we do. Reasons that are tied into our biology, culture, and our individual manner of nuture.

The Designer-Small Biz Connection

Rachel King — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:49:06 -0400

If you want your business to be noticed, design is everything. However, a lot of startups and small businesses often don’t have the budget for an in-house design department. In an effort to facilitate the connection between freelance designers and small businesses, there’s 99designs, an online crowdsourcing contest that creates a forum for designers to showcase their work and win new clients. The Melbourne, Australia-based operation just opened up their American headquarters in San Francisco.

Innovation's true character....

Mark Dziersk — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:27:05 -0400

So the economic crisis is in full force and juxtaposed against what also currently appears to be a full commitment to Design and Innovation by business. In front of us, there is a moment of truth. The question now becomes, will the commitment to innovation survive the enevitable onslaught of cost cutting and retreat to safer ground?

How many newly minted Chief Innovation officers will be able to make the case and continue to take risks and advance and nuture a vision of the future?

The answer my friend...

Mark Dziersk — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 11:25:53 -0400

There is a change in the wind. I am just back from a recent design conference, the IDSA National Conference, and one has the sense that two dramatic changes are in play. First, the idea that design's service to society should be its primary purpose, not design as leverage for commericial purposes. If this is to be the future, the question then becomes: how is it funded? I wonder if anyone has thoughts on that.

A Glass Half Full...

Mark Dziersk — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:41:30 -0400

I was speaking with my colleague Rob Swan who found most of the following on Mark Sigal’s Blog. A simple, yet profound truth. I believe that most designers are naturally disposed to think this way. Of course, not all designers and not all the time. That said, when teams are all disposed to think this way that's when the real magic happens...

The Water Cube

Mark Dziersk — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 20:28:59 -0400

Is it just me or does anyone else want to live in the Water Cube? Well not the actual Water Cube, but in an environment like that. If you are not familiar with it, the Water cube is the clean and smart looking modern structure built as the swimming venue for the Beijing Olympics. It, along with the "Birds Nest", (the much heralded Olympic stadium), are making this designer's veiwing of the Olympics a very enjoyable experience. The Water Cube looks a little bit like a giant Apple store.

Branded in China

Mark Dziersk — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:43:37 -0400

Post contribution by Craig Briggs- Brandimage

Designer Nomads

Mark Dziersk — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:59:52 -0400

Designers are everywhere these days. The profession like many others, has become extremely portable.