June 2009 Archive
World Industrial Design Day
Not a public holiday... yet!
In this time of connectivity and the global community it seems every life pursuit needs it's own "day", and ours is no exception. World Industrial Design Day 2009 is fast approaching, and this year's theme is "Industrial Design: the product of human creativity."
According to the organisers WIDD aims "to provide designers with a collective outlet to acknowledge the merits of the profession of industrial design, as well as provide the general public with an opportunity to appreciate design not just as an abstract, but also as a tangible expression of everyday life."
In it's 2nd year, WIDD has received considerable attention globally and continues to grow with activities and events coordinated in many design hotspots around the world. Although it's not at the stage where it warrants a public holiday, we at Katapult applaud any initiative that promotes good product design :)
Get involved!
Winter is here, let's have some fun!
The Zai Spada high performance ski's and the new Capalina helmet.
Swiss luxury ski manufacturer Zai is renowned within the European ski scene for their beautifully handcrafted skis. By leveraging their extensive ski experience with a desire to push the boundaries of design they have developed an innovative range that sets the pace in a largely conservative industry.
Along with the cutting edge plan shapes used in their skis, the designers at Zai strive to utilise unusual combinations of materials and processes to deliver the highest performance possible for their customers.
Their latest range of skis are a result of a collaboration with exclusive watchmaker Hublot and include materials such as carbon fibre, stone, cedarwood, steel, carbon and rubber. These materials are skillfully blended and laminated to provide optimum performance and durability.
Zai's commitment to design and innovation is keeping them at the head of the pack.
Does your brand need some stimulation to take on your competitors? Contact Katapult to see how we could use design to slingshot you past your competitors.
It's a bird, it's a plane... no it's Dumbo feather, pass it on.
Good reading... Dumbo feather, pass it on.
As regular visitors to our site will know, we like keeping up to date with things. This involves lots of research, reading, tracking blogs, websites and current affairs and continuously observing the general public at work, rest and play.
Since it debuted in 2004, one of our favourite sources of inspiration has been the "mook" (cross between a magazine and a book) called Dumbo feather, pass it on.
Edited by the talented Kate Bezar, this quarterly publication presents 5 insightful stories in each edition about interesting and talented individuals or teams working in the broad creative arts.
Whether it is rapping with musician Morganics, talking public art installations with Daniel Tobin or frothing over home made soap balls with Carolyn Imlach, the stories are always informative, well researched and personal in their account. They are also often quirky, challenging and surprising, something we designers love.
If you like being inspired, check out the next edition at good magazine stores or subscribe. We don't think you'll be disappointed.
Sony Ericsson finds a GreenHeart
The Naite and C901 Cybershot from Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson have recently launched 2 new eco-friendly mobile phones, the Naite and the C901 Cybershot. After developing the GreenHeart concept phone in 2008 to showcase their commitment to a more sustainable future, Sony Ericsson have now followed through with these stylish new product releases.
Surprisingly, one of the key eco-improvements for these phones was changing the phones' manuals to an electronic version, stored on the phone itself. This elimination of paper, combined with other green initiatives like reduced packaging, 100% recycled handsets, energy saving chargers and a genuine phone recycling program for end of life have enabled a 15% reduction in the carbon footprint of the phone.
Any efforts to reduce the environmental impact of mobile phones should be applauded, but we need to keep it in perspective. When you consider that 426 000 mobile phones are "retired" each day in the US alone, there is a considerable way to go before we can claim them to be low impact.
Check out some other green phone initiatives by following these links.
Samsung Blue Earth - We've discussed this one before.
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"Don't mistake legibility for communication" David Carson |
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