BIG thinking + INTEGRATED disciplines + REAL WORLD applications

This is worth a closer look  - CNN's NEXT LIST -  a great piece on architect Bjarke Ingels as well as a blog contribution by him.     CNN NEXT

BIG thinking + INTEGRATED disciplines + REAL WORLD applications. Three things that rarely come together in one place. I think his energy and insight are refreshing and if his approach is can be grasped and practiced more widely even the smallest design projects can be elevated to a more meaningful place. 

Have a look.

SOLVE THE RIGHT PROBLEM

"Wow, that was the easiest meeting we have ever had with the client". 

"The account team was astonished that the client liked what we presented on the first shot".

While we were very happy to take the compliment after the fact, the real groundwork for success was laid well before those meetings.  And it started with listening at the input session. 

• Not only to the list of "needs"  - which were dutifuly recorded
• Not only to the budget challenges - which were clear and present
• Not only to the logistics issues - which were typically complex

But to the one or two very essential elements that would constitute success for the client.  Defining what success looks like is the primary step to achieving it.  Many very handsome solutions can fulfill the bulleted needs listed above, but fail to succeed for the client.

So for us understanding the real problem is half the battle; often times it’s two-thirds the battle. We employ a rigorous process of discovery to look at problems from different perspectives, define the right objectives, and uncover solutions in what may seem like unexpected places.

Drop us a note to find out how, with FREEMAN, we helped NCTA and CTIA set their eyes on new solutions for 2012.

DESIGN IS ART IN THE SERVICE OF COMMERCE

We share our building with music studios, film production companies, a trendy fashion magazine and architects.  Jay Z even has a studio called Rock the Mike.  It's a pretty creative place.

And like any creative space, it has it's share of creative types utterly fed up with the business realities of design.  A common refrain in the elevator - "we don't do art anymore" - but I ask - did we ever?  This is not a new question - it has been asked for centuries.  Oxford University Press has a paper on the subject in its Journal of Design History discussion the issue in the 18th century.  In it I found the core of the issue...
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"The conflicts arising from the different objectives of commercial success on the one hand and the protection of [creative] standards on the other" has vexxed creative types since the time of the Greeks.

Of course we create- and often with beautiful results, but it is for the benefit of another -and that is what makes it "design" and not wholly "art".  When commissioned to solve a problem on behalf of a client or customer our immediate challenge is to solve an aesthetic problem on top of practical and economic ones.  

Perhaps one of the most inspiring lives in design was lived by Buckminster Fuller... who best summarized our philosophy toward our work:

"A designer is an emerging synthesis of artist, inventor, mechanic, objective economist and evolutionary strategist.

When I am working on a problem, I never think about beauty but when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong"    - R. BUCKMINSTER FULLER

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We take the creation of a beautiful solution very seriously...  and we seek to create experiences that deliver more than just beautiful spaces. We create experiences that serve your business objectives and net you concrete results.

Ours is the art of the aesthetic solution:

Bottom line – our success is measured by your success in the marketplace.

DESIGN TEAM CONTINUES TO GROW

 
Elke Schnittker and Ann Bartek came to us from very different paths.  They each have recently taken on direct design roles at DesignContact, working with Principal Tony Castrigno adding fresh ideas while drawing on the combined 50+ years of experience Tony and managing partner John Moyik bring to the work.

The team draws on the talents of designers like Elke Schnittker (top left) – whose architectural training brings a studied aesthetic as well as a critical eye on design to her work. Elke contributes to the design, creative development, ideation, and visualization on the projects she leads as well as those she collaborates on with the principals. These skills are complemented by her abilities in 3D and CAD, where she helps assure ideas and concepts become the drawings that bring them to life.

Bringing a theatrical sensibility to our studio is designer, Ann Bartek, (top right) whose critical mind is always seeking the “why” behind every detail and who brings a fresh perspective to our design solutions. She looks for the design to tell a visual story – be it branding, product or narrative – and that becomes the foundation of her thinking. Ann is also critical to the DesignContact workflow that assures a continuity of concept ‐‐ from idea to reality ‐‐ that is unparalleled in our business.

Please look for them as we introduce them to projects in their new roles. In the meantime, find them at:

Elke.Schnittker@DesignContact.com   or +1.212.792.2948

Ann.Bartek@DesignContact.com    or +1.212.792.2943

DesignContact's subsidiary, DC Connect recently launched the [i]connect Kiosk, which makes [i]cell technology available for the first time in an affordable, all-in-one, standalone kiosk. The reception of the technology has been strong as with [i]connect, museums, galleries and other exhibitors can take advantage of [i]cell technology’s unique “no-touch” interactive capabilities without the time and expense of a custom design and build.


You can see this techology at AAM and at Mutual Concerns in a few weeks.

The [i]connect Kiosk display is an easy to set up frame and graphic system with the monitor, computer and all the techology filling in a space  less than 4" thick!  Just plug in the power cord and you are set to go. No network connection is needed. The [i]connect Kiosk can be customized to include more cells, a larger panel and/or different face materials.

The newly introduced unit is already on its way to such diverse users as Southern California Edison and the Rancho Cucamonga Public Library.  The custom version of the technology has been used by Idaho National Labs, the Ah Tah Thi Ki msueum of the Seminole Indian Tribe, and pharmacuetical giant BAYER.

RETURN ON DESIGN (or icing on the cake)

Many companies have been looking to reduce their meeting and events budgets to the 'essentials'. Often this means looking at design elements - especially custom created ones - and seeing dollar signs --- for COSTS. Yet, few look at the INVESTMENT in a branded experience as having a real "return on design". Interactives, presentations, graphics, and demonstrations can all be persuasive, but the first, and often largest impression comes from the look and feel of the environment these elements live in.

A booth, stage set or exhibit that is by its nature relatively large and often relatively static is the constant in many visual schemes. It is seen first, seen by everyone, and is pervasive and omnipresent. It is also often the ONLY impression made on passers by- even if they are not drawn into the event. So missing a chance to use the environment to make an impression - or a series of impressions - that influences a visitor can be a real lost opportunity.

This is especially true when considering the huge base investment in getting the program up and running. Often the ("nice to have" but unaffordable) design elements are a very small percentage of the overall cost - but have the most impact. So cutting them reduces the potential ROI on the initial investment.

Think of it like ICING ON THE CAKE. You need to bake the cake, develop recipes, buy ingredients, put in the labor and have a place to display it and advertize to draw in customers - yet none of that sells the cake.

Good STRATEGICALLY CONCIEVED DESIGN has the same impact as the investment in the "icing" - it can and should MAKE THE REST OF THE INVESTMENT PAY OFF.

LIGHTING UNPLUGGED

DesignContact, working for AMCI Global of Marina Del Rey, developed a program for LEXUS That included these free standing, solar powered light trees. 

These units, with weighted bases and inbuilt lift points were dropped in position in moments and provided lighitng all night on a day's charge.  Battery packs in the base were charged by panels on the tops of each "branch".  Light sensitive switches turned the cells on at dusk and the LED light sources burned brightly all night, turning themselves off at dawn.

While used only for lighting in this application, there was ample power to supply juice for interactives and other applications.

Working with our sister company DC Connect, we are developing free standing [i]cell system technology interactives that are fully self sufficient for power and light, and impervious to weather.  More on that as it develops.