Thorneywork Studio at Spring Fair 2013

Following previous tweets and blog post, I thought you might like to see some images from Thorneywork Studio's stand at this year's Spring Fair.

Francesca Duffield & her Thorneywork Studio stand at Spring Fair 2013

A close up of the Thorneywork Studio stand

'Ophelia' lamp from Thorneywork Studio

Francesca is a graduate of our Interiors & Lifestyle Futures Ventures' programme. You can read more about her here

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Adrian Burns is part of a team supporting  the West Midlands community of interiors & lifestyle companies. Find out more at ILFutures

Spice up your (creative) life: five manifestos for starting a personal revolution

Very useful piece by Kirstin Butler gathering together manifestos on kick-starting your creativity and nudging “ideas out of your head and into the hands of the world.”

1. Right Brain Terrain: create to create – “to learn a little more about yourself”
2. The Cult of the Done Manifesto: “Pretending you know what you’re doing is almost the same as knowing what you are doing”
3. Holstee:  “Do what you love and do it often.”
4. Work Is Not A Job:  “You are responsible for the talent that has been entrusted to you.”
5. Do The Work: “There is an intelligent, active, malign force working against us. Step one is to recognise this.”

I’d highly recommend taking five minutes to check out Butler’s piece on the brilliant Maria Popova’s Brain Pickings site for the details. Five Manifestos For the Creative Life

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Adrian Burns is part of a team supporting  the West Midlands community of interiors & lifestyle companies.  Find out more at ILFutures

What do you know about graphic design?

Here’s one for the wish list –a terrific boxset of 500 land mark graphic designs.

Even if you don’t agree with all of the choices and I know how strongly opinionated the Interiors & Lifestyle community is about design, The Phaidon Archive of Graphic Design is a wonderful idea.

Instead of fixing the images in place as a book format would dictate, Phaidon has cleverly boxed their selection as loose cards. That means you can skip the original chronological order and arrange them to suit your own themes and uses.

There are 3000 colour illustrations and 300 black and white illustrations, ranging from the Gutenberg Bible to “newspapers, magazines, posters, advertisements, typefaces, logos, corporate design, record covers and moving graphics from around the world.”

It isn’t cheap but then a reference source like this wouldn’t be. I can hear art and design walllahs trying to get this through on departmental expenses even now!

Sean O'Hagan writes about the collection here and you can go straight to Phaidon here and on You Tube

 Thanks to Ken for pointing this my way.

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Adrian Burns is part of a team supporting  the West Midlands community of interiors & lifestyle companies.  Find out more at ILFutures

Design 101: managing design at project level

Another in the teeny blog’s occasional series of basic design guides (and apologies to grannies who know all about those eggs)

Four project level design management tips

1. Always do your market research as part of the design process. The main reason for a design failing in the market place is not understanding customer requirements.
2. The early stages of the design process are the best time for change . They don’t cost too much.
3. Make sure you regularly review the design process against the design brief and specifications.
4. Keep track of all improvements/changes to processes and technical performance identified in the regular reviews and final evaluation. This will be of major benefit to future projects.

Four general planning tips 

1. Identify resource and equipment needs. For example, admin support, storage, technical information and external specialists.
2. Set key dates for specific objectives and tasks including start and finish dates. Plan design activities, establish overall targets for the design team and monitor progress.
3. Fix a project budget plan for all costs including any external funding elements.
4. Have an effective system of management information for control purposes with good communications in place.

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Adrian Burns is part of a team supporting  the West Midlands community of interiors & lifestyle companies. Find out more at ILFutures

Word-up! 'Six design myths (and one fact)' from Design Week

John Spencer, co-founder and creative director of Spencer du Bois tells it like it is in Design Week.

Myth: The logo is dead

Myth: ‘A brand is a promise wrapped in an experience…’

Myth: Young designers have all the best ideas

Myth: There are ‘creative types’ and there’s everyone else

Myth: Brainstorming works

Myth: Research wins over instinct

Fact: Good design is honest

John has some thought-provoking and entertaining things to say about each of the above. Though, I do disagree with his writing off brainstorming! For the full text see here

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Adrian Burns is part of a team supporting  the West Midlands community of interiors & lifestyle companies. Find out more at ILFutures

Gold stars - Plant & Moss continue to shine

This summer is proving a busy time for designers James Plant and James Moss. Following on from their successful showing at the Birmingham Made Me Design Expo, Heal’s is now turning the spotlight on the talented duo. Their Bisley Suite is featuring in Heal’s Discovers project, which celebrates “the work of the best up-and-coming furniture and homeware designers.”

Plant & Moss are also part of UK Trade and Investment showcasing of great British design and innovation in support of the 2012 Olympics. You can catch Plant & Moss’s work at the British Business Embassy from July t to September at London’s historic Lancaster House.

Find out more about  Interiors & Lifestyle Futures members Plant & Moss here


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Adrian Burns is part of a team supporting  the West Midlands community of interiors & lifestyle companies. Find out more at ILFutures

Businesses that use external support are more likely to build the right foundations to survive and succeed

We would endorse that of course -  it's a quote from a report by Lord Young. It's included in Harriet Minter's 'Mentors, networking and professional advice - how they help your business' online article on the Guardian Small Business Network


Well, if you disagree (or agree) her article also includes an invitation to contribute  your say to a Q& A on Monday 25 June. 


One point that caught my eye, no just about  poked it out (!) is the claim that an astonishing 900,000 more businesses "could be created if the right spirit of entrepreneurship can be created in the UK", with the appropriate mentoring support.


Harriet's write up and details of the Q&A

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Adrian Burns is part of a team supporting  the West Midlands community of interiors & lifestyle companies. Find out more at ILFutures

7 etiquette essentials for networking

Corporate giant or one man/woman and their dog outfit, it doesn't matter. Networking is a fact of business life.

Connections expert Tony Altham has spoken at Interiors & Lifestyle Futures workshops before. Here's a reminder of his seven principles of networking success while you can find fuller details in the link below:

1. Rapport  - building rapport quickly is essential in building great relationship
2. Your handshake - match the pressure of the other person - don't crush, don't flounder like a wet fish
3. Respect & courtesy - regard the other person’s space and don’t get too close too soon
4. Certainty & conviction - strong and confident language will convey confidence and certainty
5. Etiquette - wait your turn to speak, avoid dominating a conversation. Instead, be the catalyst that draws other people into your group
6. Moving on - often at networking meetings you want to meet a number of people and the people you meet feel the same way. Acknowledge this and respect their time and yours
7.  Business cards - exchanging business cards is a simple activity that frequently has a big impact on how you are perceived

For the full details

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Adrian Burns is part of a team supporting  the West Midlands community of interiors & lifestyle companies. Find out more at ILFutures

5 reasons to visit the Birmingham Made Me Design Expo Friday 15 June- Friday 22 June

The Birmingham Made Me Design Expo kicks off next Friday (15 June) at The Mailbox in Birmingham. And, here are five reasons not to miss this week-long celebration of the best in Midlands design and innovation.

• It’s the first one and it’s telling a unique story - drawing together strands of design inspiration to create a unique platform for growth - featuring over 100 exhibitors from business and education in the Midlands.
• It’s all about design for everyone – thought provoking, inspirational, conversational, challenging.
• It’s been created and led by the region’s leading businesses, to pass on their unique experiences.
• It’s showcasing new talent, new design and providing inspiration for new collaborative opportunities. Many of them Interiors & Lifestyle Futures companies.
• The only cost of accessing this wisdom is your time!

Thanks to Charmaine Stint, Enterprise Development Manager at Birmingham City University

 For more see ilfutures blog and for a detailed programme Birmingham Made Me 

And, don't forget to call into the Entrepreneurs store

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Adrian Burns is part of a team supporting  the West Midlands community of interiors & lifestyle companies. Find out more at ILFutures

Olympic heroes - Bean2Bed

Three cheers for Bean2Bed who’ve landed a very cool deal to provide its bean bags, which convert to full size beds, for both the Jamaica and USA Olympic teams.

The company - an active member of the Interiors & Lifestyle Futures community  - will be providing specially-embroidered bean bags for both the Jamaica track and field team and USA athletics team’s training camps in Birmingham. 

Matt Roberts pictured, January 2012, on the Interiors & Lifestyle Futures' stand the UK  Interiors Show

Visit Bean2Bed

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Adrian Burns is part of a team supporting  the West Midlands community of interiors & lifestyle companies. Find out more at www.ilfutures.co.uk

Obsession - because it's worth it*

The human instinct to collect is a natural one – an expression of individuality and yes of obsession. The big stuff, the famous pieces, the historical and the archaeological, get housed in galleries and museums to be admired by professionals, enthusiasts and tourists ducking the rain.

But, who gives voice to the personal collectors – of artificial grass, say, or Japanese guitars? Well, Helen and Graham Powell’s Obsessionistas is doing just that. The company, one of our recent ILF members, may only be a few months old but it has amassed a staggering online repository of design archives, collectors and their collections. It has also garnered serious attention from broadsheets, tabloids and glossy mags. 

Obsessionistas also hosts exhibitions of various collections – recently at the Milan Fair in April while y ou can catch them next at the Design Expo in June at Birmingham’s Mailbox.

If you have your own obsessive collection, Helen and Graham would love to hear from you.

On a personal note, talking of wonderful collections, if you are ever up in the North West, make sure you visit the Pencil Museum 

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Adrian Burns is part of a team supporting  the West Midlands community of interiors & lifestyle companies. Find out more at www.ilfutures.co.uk

*I know that's Klein not L'Oréal!

At last.... some real alternatives to death by powerpoint

These days there really is no excuse for boring people to death with powerpoint bullets. For example, here are two great web-based tools:

 

 

Prezi  is described as  The Zooming Presentation Editor and  is a cloud-based presentation software/ storytelling tool for exploring and sharing ideas on a virtual canvas and its unique is that it enables users to zoom in and out of their presentation media. Checkout the official Prezi introductory video.

 

 

Sparkol  allows you to build a presentation by concentrating on the content rather than the format a bit like putting a movie together. If you sign up for a paid sparkol accound you also get free access to videoscribe.tv which lets you build animations in the same cartoon style but obviously nothing like as good as the RSA Animate videos. Here's the official Sparkol introductory video. 

Ken Thompson (aka The BumbleBee) blogs about bioteams, virtual collaboration and business simulation at www.bioteams.com.

What's the point of a designer-maker video?

In our workshops, the concept of uploading a video to the designer-maker's website often arises. The aim is to tell the 'making' story and illustrate the craft involved, reinforcing the value of the end product. A justification of why this item costs more than a mass produced version.

Rob Walker's 'The Theater of Making' article takes a fairly critical approach to these videos - but he makes points that will be useful for anyone planning to make or remake such a video.Plus, he has links to several examples of the genre.

And, by the way, Design Observer, source of this article,is well worth  a regular read for anyone designing or interested in design.

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Adrian Burns is part of a team supporting  the West Midlands community of interiors & lifestyle companies. Find out more at www.ilfutures.co.uk

Designing for the 3rd Age competition (closing 3 July)

Just because people lose their hair or the knack for doing the lambada, doesn’t mean they've lost their sense of style and taste! Yet, too many objects aimed at making life more comfortable for the older generation could, at best, be described as utilitarian if not downright ugly.

So, any encouragement of attractive design and function in products for the ageing population – who have money to spend we are told - –is to be welcomed.

Domus Academy – post graduate Design School in Italy – is collaborating with the LN-A Foundation in an international competition that aims to stimulate and reward “the design of a new generation of products with a high aesthetic worth and performance to meet the needs” of this key market.

Conveniently, there are two entrant categories: professional and student. Group entries are allowed. First prize is €3,000, second €2,000 and third €1,000. The six winning designs will be prototyped.

Deadline for registration of designs: 3 July 2012.

Competition details

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Adrian Burns is part of a team supporting  the West Midlands community of interiors & lifestyle companies. Find out more at www.ilfutures.co.uk

Keep abreast in design by checking your Wallpaper daily

Wallpaper describes itself as the leading global design destination for showcasing all thats best in art, architecture, fashion, interiors and contemporary lifestyle. Check out their Watches and Jewellery Hub and their Lifestyles section. They also have a neat iPhone app.


Ken Thompson (aka The BumbleBee) blogs about bioteams, virtual collaboration and business simulation at www.bioteams.com.

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Design brief 101

You've thought of a new product or service and are keen to get it out there. But, remember most products fail due to poor market research. 


Of course, you'll create a design brief but, if it is going to work,  you must begin with four essential steps.

• a clear statement of the design opportunity, communicated with passion
• a definition of your target market (age, income level, gender, social group & geographic location)
• a run down of who your competition is 
• a concise profile of your ideal customer

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Adrian Burns is part of a team supporting  the West Midlands community of interiors & lifestyle companies. Find out more at www.ilfutures.co.uk

The strange tale of why aircraft toilets have ashtrays

Matt Simmons writes an excellent article with lots of helpful pictures , Engineering Infrastructures For Humans, on why aircraft toilets have ashtrays. In a nutshell Matt explains that airlines do not want us to smoke on flights and will do everything in their power to prevent this happening whilst airline regulators mandate that no commercial jet can take off without a fully functioning ashtray in all its lavatories. Disconnect? 
Matt concludes "That’s an awfully strange stance to take for a vehicle with such a stringent “no smoking” policy, but it really does make a lot of sense. Back in 1973, a flight crashed and killed 123 people, and the reason for the crash was attributed to a cigarette that was improperly disposed of. The FAA has decided that some people (despite the policies against smoking, the warning placards, the smoke detector, and the flight attendants) will smoke anyway, and when they do, there had better be a good place to put that cigarette butt!" 


So it actually makes perfect sense that aircraft toilets have ashtrays and is an example of the principle of good design known as affordance.

Ken Thompson (aka The BumbleBee) blogs about bioteams, virtual collaboration and business simulation at www.bioteams.com.

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100% design talent

Great write up about talented designers Plant & Moss in the promo material for this September's 100% Design.

 James Plant  and James Moss are part of the Interiors & Lifestyle Futures community and took part in the ILFutures-backed stand at the Interiors Show in January as well as our Celebration Exhibition at the School of Jewellery in March (see also our picture blog below).

If you are planning to go to 100% Design, make sure to call in on Plant &  Moss.

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Adrian Burns is part of a team supporting  the West Midlands community of interiors & lifestyle companies. Find out more at www.ilfutures.co.uk

Buzzing debut for Brum Made Me team

 Hailstorms and streets awash with rain did nothing to deter a throng from attending the debut of the Birmingham Made Me store on Tuesday evening. If anything, the buzz inside the Mailbox's newest retail venue was so great it threatened an electrical storm all of its own.

As executive dean of Birmingham Institute of Art and Design, Chris O'Neil said this venture by talented entrepreneurs, with strong support from the University's employability team, is an opening salvo in the forthcoming IDEA Birmingham Design Expo, which doesn't just rival anything London has to offer, it trounces it.

Interiors & Lifestyle Futures is delighted so many of its member companies are part of the Birmingham Made Me store. Go see all the companies* soon and often at the Mailbox. Bring your friends and your wallets!

A hot bed of West Midlands-based design talent, photo Ronald Gunawan

*Angela Burman Fine Arts, Bangers & Mash, Bonnie Lush Hair, Coco's Closet, Creative Lab, Grabkowska Applied Arts, HCF Boutique, Penelope Jordan,  Sara Page Design, Sit On My Face and Tiny Chair,


Adrian Burns is part of a team supporting  the West Midlands community of interiors & lifestyle companies. Find out more at www.ilfutures.co.uk

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Stuck for an idea? Try the generation game

Fed up staring at a blank piece of paper as you try to get some fresh ideas flowing for a new product or piece of art? You need to organise an ideas generation session. Easy enough if you work in a company with other people. If you are a one-person outfit, call in a few favours from your business network, creative community and/or family. Lay on the coffee and plenty of biscuits.

Four dos and don’ts to get the best out of the session:

1.    appoint a chair and a separate notetaker

2.    set a time limit of around 30 minutes

3.    encourage off the wall ideas – as many as possible

4.    analyse and combine ideas

5.    don’t have a group of more than 12

6.    don’t allow criticism of ideas

7.    don’t be afraid of some silence –it will encourage thinking

8.    don’t allow any individuals to hijack the session

At the least, this should shake up your ideas and give you a fresh perspective. Even better, it will produce some creative solutions. 


Adrian Burns is part of a team supporting  the West Midlands community of interiors & lifestyle companies. Find out more at www.ilfutures.co.uk



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