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- Keechdesign News (29)
- Design Classics (8)
- Opinion (25)
- Creative Report (36)
- In The Know (14)
- Inspiration (18)
- Design Top Five (10)
Cool Materials: Illuminating Stuff
Posted by: D Cane on 10th Jan 2011 in Opinion
Disney’s ‘Tron Legacy’ opened over Christmas, so doubtless a couple of weeks ago there were lightcycles and Jeff Bridges dolls propping up Christmas trees across the land. The premier party at Tate Modern saw the production design of the film realised in the shape of costumes, installations, furniture, floor coverings and a mind-bending light show.
It demonstrated that this synthetic future may not be that far off after all...
For example, Lumalive was unveiled by Philips a few of years ago at Berlin IFA. It is a textile technology that integrates a matrix of minute LEDs into fabrics to create dynamic light displays. The layered system is capable of millions of colours and uses very little power.
Lumalive: courtesy Philips
comments (2) | read more »
Cool Materials: Harris Tweed
Posted by: D. Cane on 20th Dec 2010 in Opinion
What do Vic Reeves, Miss Marple and Doctor Who have in common? They are all big fans of Harris Tweed.
Slightly older that its Irish competitor Magee, Harris Tweed has been handmade in the Scottish Hebrides since before Queen Victoria's time. The textile we might most readily associate with British gents and game hunting attire has had as many identities as it has uses, but in the case of the Harris product, has been woven in the same place and in pretty much the same way for the last 150 years.
comments (2) | read more »
MUJI
Posted by: Cane on 5th Nov 2010 in Opinion
Japanese retailer Muji have had a presence here in London for nearly 20 years now. What started 30 years ago out of a supermarket with just a handful of products, has grown into an empire that provides the whole gamut of domestic items to consumers across the world, from cat-shaped paper clips, to earthquake survival packs. Back home, they also run cafés, campsites, a cut flower delivery service and are turning their attentions to motor vehicles and even houses.
The full title of ‘Mujirushi Ryohin’ (No Brand, Quality Goods) begins to explain their approach. The aim initially was to provide useful, low-impact goods at an affordable price, without compromising quality.
comments (0) | read more »
MAXXI
Posted by: Kane on 7th Oct 2010 in Opinion
Image: Iwan Baan
This time in August we looked at the nominees for this year’s Stirling Prize for Architecture.
As expected, Zaha Hadid Architects took the prize for the MAXXI, the National Museum of 21st Century Arts in Rome. Of the nominees, MAXXI was mid-table in terms of cost, but arguably the most striking and iconic looking outcome.
In their words, the architects' vision for the museum was to create a ‘field of buildings’ rather than 'an object'. As seen from above this appears to have been achieved. The site is a tangle of linear forms that lie above, below and amongst one another, culminating in the bold cantilevered gallery that has already become the resounding image of the museum.
comments (0) | read more »
MiniDisc
Posted by: Daniel Cane on 2nd Jun 2010 in Opinion
...the swansong of humane home recording.
In the 1990s, you could buy a little piece of the future for just a few pounds…
Ten years later the future is here, but it doesn’t look like MiniDisc. Or DAT, or CD-R, or indeed anything. It is the maligned digital wind that has swept away all of the above, and left the music industry in a multi-billion dollar tizzy.
comments (3) | read more »
What Trends For 2010?
Posted by: Kitch on 6th Jan 2010 in Opinion
This is not actual trends forecasting; that costs money! Just some casual yet assured observations that have blipped on the Keech Radar. So what's in and out for 2010?
comments (3) | read more »
What was it about 2009?
Posted by: Katch on 30th Dec 2009 in Opinion
A quick look back and a long look forward is my way of thinking. So here are a few bests and mosts of the year that was 2009, seen fleetingly, whilst re-focussing the design binoculars.
Best Architecture
James May's Lego house
Best News Article
Epic struggle? Gap under the door? Arrest the snake? Sounds more like a Viz article than a BBC News one.
comments (0) | read more »
From Charlie Parker to Jackson Pollock to Ducati
Posted by: Kitch Design on 13th Nov 2009 in Opinion
Thank you to all of you who attended my CPD lecture at KLC School Of Design in Chelsea last night. For those of you who couldn't make it, here's a selection of the images, in no particular order, to give you a flavour...
1.
Oi music industry! Stop going on about how radical punk was! Can you imagine what it must have been like to hear the likes of Charlie Parker's Ornithology or Yardbird Suite for the first time? And that was in the mid 1940's!
comments (2) | read more »
Starckdrives
Posted by: Kooch on 10th Nov 2009 in Opinion
LaCie hard drives by Philippe Starck
Philippe Starck, after his recent outing on the Good Old British Telly is even more in the public eye than usual. Creater of objects weird, wonderful, beautiful, provocative and occasionally daft, his latest offering for LaCie; mobile and desktop hard drives, are good ones to have a look at.
I had a look at one this morning, courtesy of graphic design guru Jonathan Miller of Alembic...
comments (1) | read more »
What You got?
Posted by: Keech on 14th Oct 2009 in Opinion
Products are everywhere. Branded products, designed by designers and made by manufacturers. We love them dearly, lavish our hard-earned money on them, and keep them like fetishes or talismans in our houses, in our pockets, and (in some cases) in the bedside cabinet. They range from objects of worship to highly sophisticated tools without which our life would be difficult.
So what you got? What products do you own that you cannot live without, or that you simply adore for the sheer sake of it? If you take a pen and write down the first five that come to mind, it's a fair bet that they are your true faves. Here are mine...
comments (0) | read more »
Design For Life
Posted by: Keech on 7th Oct 2009 in Opinion
This is the BBC reality TV show on design that everyone seems to be taking about, with design superstar Philippe Starck taking the role of Big Brother. I'll assume you've seen it, but if not be sure to catch previous episodes at BBC iPlayer. If you don't know what it's all about then here's the concept in the BBC's own words:
BBC Two and Philippe Starck are teaming up for a brand new TV series to find the next great British designer. Internationally renowned designer Starck will be heading up a specially created School of Design in Paris. Ten aspiring designers with the talent, drive and vision to create the next 'must have' products of the 21st Century will be given the unique opportunity to learn and work alongside Starck and his team over a period of several months.
To add to that there is the tired old format of gradual elimination and winner takes all at the end. By the way, one of the candidates had designed an innovative cork-screw coffin, so technically that's Design For Death, but we won't split hairs.
comments (6) | read more »
Spot The Difference
Posted by: Keech on 18th Sep 2009 in Opinion
Our beloved Harry Beck 1933 masterpiece - the London Underground map is every inch a design classic. For me it sits very firmly in the top 10 greatest designs of all time. But over the years it has become increasingly cluttered with all sorts of bits and pieces, including the addition of grey fare zones, which have diminished its purity and elegance.
comments (3) | read more »
Today's Mix
Posted by: Keech on 7th Apr 2009 in Opinion
Yeah, yeah - recession, global downturn, blame the bankers and so on. The world we live in is as rich and inspiring as ever.
Observations from a designer, 7th April 2009:
comments (0) | read more »
Twitter
Posted by: Keech on 19th Feb 2009 in Opinion
I like networking websites. What designer wouldn't? Rapidly moving technology, global context; the chance to see what millions of people are thinking, seeing, doing all of the time and at any time. And the chance to add your own little bit of seasoning to the mix. From Linkedin to Twitter there are mind-numbing possibilities for interaction and expression.
comments (0) | read more »
44 Great Things America Has Given Me
Posted by: Keech on 20th Jan 2009 in Opinion
Musical geniuses, epic films, iconic design, unique art movements, great novels; Barack Obama's inauguration reminded me of America's vast creative legacy and how I have feasted upon it over the years. So, by way of personal celebration, here are the first 44 highlights that came to my mind. In alphabetical order for reasons of equality...
comments (6) | read more »
Small Is Beautiful
Posted by: Keech on 13th Jan 2009 in Opinion
It seems that most designers (and especially architects) that I meet have an innate love of aircraft. Perhaps it's because the design has been so utterly condensed in the pursuit of the ultimate goal. Aircraft are beautiful but they do incredible things too; like fly. They are a kind of visual onomatopoeia; they look like what they do, in a more profound sense than the maxim 'form follows function' can convey.
comments (0) | read more »
Unboxing Clever
Posted by: Keech on 2nd Dec 2008 in Opinion
What exactly is unboxing? It's an amateur video of someone taking a product (usually a piece of technology, and more often than not a laptop, mobile phone or camera) out of its packaging, for the first time. The video is then posted on a video-sharing site such as YouTube for all to see. Design, sociology, psychology and good old geeky fun all play their part, and in a rather odd way, it's compelling viewing.
Rather than chuck this in in the nerdy bin, I'm taking note, because according to Iain Mackenzie, Newsbeat technology reporter for the BBC's website;
One of the most viewed clips is a three-minute film of a Macbook Air laptop being taken out of its box. The video has been watched almost half-a-million times.
comments (0) | read more »
Duet (Ladies In Mercedes)
Posted by: David Keech on 21st Nov 2008 in Opinion
Saw this chair at 100% Design in Tokyo. I don't know much about it other than that it's designed by Shiro Nakada and Studio Mebius of Tokyo and that its material is listed as "special painted wood".
Duet (Ladies In Mercedes)? Strange name for a chair perhaps, but that's where it gets more interesting for me.
comments (0) | read more »
Highwire
Posted by: David Keech on 17th Nov 2008 in Opinion
For me the most striking objects at 100% Design Tokyo this year were products by Japanese manufacturer Balmuda. Exquisitely engineered, proudly Japanese and displaying both technical and physical beauty in a way that reminded me more of wonderful exhibits in the Science Museum than the often "over-styled" pieces found at design shows.
On their trade stand, Balmuda showed their beautifully machined aluminium components alongside the finished products. I was reminded of my old boss Norman Foster, who was so intrigued by the industrial components within commercial products that he once had us put together an entire exhibition of all the Foster products from Thonet chairs to Alessi trays displayed in component form, right down to the last washer.
comments (0) | read more »
Tent London
Posted by: David Keech on 10th Oct 2008 in Opinion
The second Tent London design show was an inspiring event - in an inspiring place too. You get off at Liverpool St. tube, stroll past Gilbert and George's house on Fournier Street and by the time you've reached the Truman Brewery via the permanently buzzing Brick Lane, you can't fail to be in a good mood. Here is my pick of the contents of Tent London...
Baek-Ki Kim
Seatub, Lounge Chair
comments (1) | read more »
100% Design 2008
Posted by: David Keech on 9th Oct 2008 in Opinion
Now that the dust has settled and we've had some time to go through all the business cards, CDs and brochures collected on a day's march around Earls Court (it's not often you get blisters on your feet in the name of design) here's what caught our eye in this year's show...
comments (0) | read more »
Frankfurt Musikmesse 2008
Posted by: David Keech on 31st Mar 2008 in Opinion
On the 14th March I went to Frankfurt to visit the 2008 Musikmesse. For those of you unfamiliar with the event this is the world's leading trade fair for musical instruments and music equipment.
...Just Said Hello To iPhone
Posted by: David Keech on 27th Nov 2007 in Opinion
and like all other Apple products it looks good, feels good and packs a mean technological punch. Preaching to the converted, really. As a devout Mac user I was ready to like the iPhone long before saying hello to it.
TOKYO!
Posted by: David Keech on 31st Oct 2007 in Opinion
Some call it a designer's paradise. I'm not going to argue. To be in this city is inspiring, bewildering, unnerving. Especially when those buildings start a-rockin'
From Pizza To Cobra
Posted by: Annette Gelling on 15th Oct 2007 in Opinion
PizzaKobra is Ron Arad's recently released lamp for Iguzzini, and it's not only the name that's intriguing.
Posted by: D Cane on 10th Jan 2011 in Opinion
Disney’s ‘Tron Legacy’ opened over Christmas, so doubtless a couple of weeks ago there were lightcycles and Jeff Bridges dolls propping up Christmas trees across the land. The premier party at Tate Modern saw the production design of the film realised in the shape of costumes, installations, furniture, floor coverings and a mind-bending light show.
It demonstrated that this synthetic future may not be that far off after all...
For example, Lumalive was unveiled by Philips a few of years ago at Berlin IFA. It is a textile technology that integrates a matrix of minute LEDs into fabrics to create dynamic light displays. The layered system is capable of millions of colours and uses very little power.
Lumalive: courtesy Philips
comments (2) | read more »
Cool Materials: Harris Tweed
Posted by: D. Cane on 20th Dec 2010 in Opinion
What do Vic Reeves, Miss Marple and Doctor Who have in common? They are all big fans of Harris Tweed.
Slightly older that its Irish competitor Magee, Harris Tweed has been handmade in the Scottish Hebrides since before Queen Victoria's time. The textile we might most readily associate with British gents and game hunting attire has had as many identities as it has uses, but in the case of the Harris product, has been woven in the same place and in pretty much the same way for the last 150 years.
comments (2) | read more »
MUJI
Posted by: Cane on 5th Nov 2010 in Opinion
Japanese retailer Muji have had a presence here in London for nearly 20 years now. What started 30 years ago out of a supermarket with just a handful of products, has grown into an empire that provides the whole gamut of domestic items to consumers across the world, from cat-shaped paper clips, to earthquake survival packs. Back home, they also run cafés, campsites, a cut flower delivery service and are turning their attentions to motor vehicles and even houses.
The full title of ‘Mujirushi Ryohin’ (No Brand, Quality Goods) begins to explain their approach. The aim initially was to provide useful, low-impact goods at an affordable price, without compromising quality.
comments (0) | read more »
MAXXI
Posted by: Kane on 7th Oct 2010 in Opinion
Image: Iwan Baan
This time in August we looked at the nominees for this year’s Stirling Prize for Architecture.
As expected, Zaha Hadid Architects took the prize for the MAXXI, the National Museum of 21st Century Arts in Rome. Of the nominees, MAXXI was mid-table in terms of cost, but arguably the most striking and iconic looking outcome.
In their words, the architects' vision for the museum was to create a ‘field of buildings’ rather than 'an object'. As seen from above this appears to have been achieved. The site is a tangle of linear forms that lie above, below and amongst one another, culminating in the bold cantilevered gallery that has already become the resounding image of the museum.
comments (0) | read more »
MiniDisc
Posted by: Daniel Cane on 2nd Jun 2010 in Opinion
...the swansong of humane home recording.
In the 1990s, you could buy a little piece of the future for just a few pounds…
Ten years later the future is here, but it doesn’t look like MiniDisc. Or DAT, or CD-R, or indeed anything. It is the maligned digital wind that has swept away all of the above, and left the music industry in a multi-billion dollar tizzy.
comments (3) | read more »
What Trends For 2010?
Posted by: Kitch on 6th Jan 2010 in Opinion
This is not actual trends forecasting; that costs money! Just some casual yet assured observations that have blipped on the Keech Radar. So what's in and out for 2010?
comments (3) | read more »
What was it about 2009?
Posted by: Katch on 30th Dec 2009 in Opinion
A quick look back and a long look forward is my way of thinking. So here are a few bests and mosts of the year that was 2009, seen fleetingly, whilst re-focussing the design binoculars.
Best Architecture
James May's Lego house
Best News Article
Epic struggle? Gap under the door? Arrest the snake? Sounds more like a Viz article than a BBC News one.
comments (0) | read more »
From Charlie Parker to Jackson Pollock to Ducati
Posted by: Kitch Design on 13th Nov 2009 in Opinion
Thank you to all of you who attended my CPD lecture at KLC School Of Design in Chelsea last night. For those of you who couldn't make it, here's a selection of the images, in no particular order, to give you a flavour...
1.
Oi music industry! Stop going on about how radical punk was! Can you imagine what it must have been like to hear the likes of Charlie Parker's Ornithology or Yardbird Suite for the first time? And that was in the mid 1940's!
comments (2) | read more »
Starckdrives
Posted by: Kooch on 10th Nov 2009 in Opinion
LaCie hard drives by Philippe Starck
Philippe Starck, after his recent outing on the Good Old British Telly is even more in the public eye than usual. Creater of objects weird, wonderful, beautiful, provocative and occasionally daft, his latest offering for LaCie; mobile and desktop hard drives, are good ones to have a look at.
I had a look at one this morning, courtesy of graphic design guru Jonathan Miller of Alembic...
comments (1) | read more »
What You got?
Posted by: Keech on 14th Oct 2009 in Opinion
Products are everywhere. Branded products, designed by designers and made by manufacturers. We love them dearly, lavish our hard-earned money on them, and keep them like fetishes or talismans in our houses, in our pockets, and (in some cases) in the bedside cabinet. They range from objects of worship to highly sophisticated tools without which our life would be difficult.
So what you got? What products do you own that you cannot live without, or that you simply adore for the sheer sake of it? If you take a pen and write down the first five that come to mind, it's a fair bet that they are your true faves. Here are mine...
comments (0) | read more »
Design For Life
Posted by: Keech on 7th Oct 2009 in Opinion
This is the BBC reality TV show on design that everyone seems to be taking about, with design superstar Philippe Starck taking the role of Big Brother. I'll assume you've seen it, but if not be sure to catch previous episodes at BBC iPlayer. If you don't know what it's all about then here's the concept in the BBC's own words:
BBC Two and Philippe Starck are teaming up for a brand new TV series to find the next great British designer. Internationally renowned designer Starck will be heading up a specially created School of Design in Paris. Ten aspiring designers with the talent, drive and vision to create the next 'must have' products of the 21st Century will be given the unique opportunity to learn and work alongside Starck and his team over a period of several months.
To add to that there is the tired old format of gradual elimination and winner takes all at the end. By the way, one of the candidates had designed an innovative cork-screw coffin, so technically that's Design For Death, but we won't split hairs.
comments (6) | read more »
Spot The Difference
Posted by: Keech on 18th Sep 2009 in Opinion
Our beloved Harry Beck 1933 masterpiece - the London Underground map is every inch a design classic. For me it sits very firmly in the top 10 greatest designs of all time. But over the years it has become increasingly cluttered with all sorts of bits and pieces, including the addition of grey fare zones, which have diminished its purity and elegance.
comments (3) | read more »
Today's Mix
Posted by: Keech on 7th Apr 2009 in Opinion
Yeah, yeah - recession, global downturn, blame the bankers and so on. The world we live in is as rich and inspiring as ever.
Observations from a designer, 7th April 2009:
comments (0) | read more »
Posted by: Keech on 19th Feb 2009 in Opinion
I like networking websites. What designer wouldn't? Rapidly moving technology, global context; the chance to see what millions of people are thinking, seeing, doing all of the time and at any time. And the chance to add your own little bit of seasoning to the mix. From Linkedin to Twitter there are mind-numbing possibilities for interaction and expression.
comments (0) | read more »
44 Great Things America Has Given Me
Posted by: Keech on 20th Jan 2009 in Opinion
Musical geniuses, epic films, iconic design, unique art movements, great novels; Barack Obama's inauguration reminded me of America's vast creative legacy and how I have feasted upon it over the years. So, by way of personal celebration, here are the first 44 highlights that came to my mind. In alphabetical order for reasons of equality...
comments (6) | read more »
Small Is Beautiful
Posted by: Keech on 13th Jan 2009 in Opinion
It seems that most designers (and especially architects) that I meet have an innate love of aircraft. Perhaps it's because the design has been so utterly condensed in the pursuit of the ultimate goal. Aircraft are beautiful but they do incredible things too; like fly. They are a kind of visual onomatopoeia; they look like what they do, in a more profound sense than the maxim 'form follows function' can convey.
comments (0) | read more »
Unboxing Clever
Posted by: Keech on 2nd Dec 2008 in Opinion
What exactly is unboxing? It's an amateur video of someone taking a product (usually a piece of technology, and more often than not a laptop, mobile phone or camera) out of its packaging, for the first time. The video is then posted on a video-sharing site such as YouTube for all to see. Design, sociology, psychology and good old geeky fun all play their part, and in a rather odd way, it's compelling viewing.
Rather than chuck this in in the nerdy bin, I'm taking note, because according to Iain Mackenzie, Newsbeat technology reporter for the BBC's website;
One of the most viewed clips is a three-minute film of a Macbook Air laptop being taken out of its box. The video has been watched almost half-a-million times.
comments (0) | read more »
Duet (Ladies In Mercedes)
Posted by: David Keech on 21st Nov 2008 in Opinion
Saw this chair at 100% Design in Tokyo. I don't know much about it other than that it's designed by Shiro Nakada and Studio Mebius of Tokyo and that its material is listed as "special painted wood".
Duet (Ladies In Mercedes)? Strange name for a chair perhaps, but that's where it gets more interesting for me.
comments (0) | read more »
Highwire
Posted by: David Keech on 17th Nov 2008 in Opinion
For me the most striking objects at 100% Design Tokyo this year were products by Japanese manufacturer Balmuda. Exquisitely engineered, proudly Japanese and displaying both technical and physical beauty in a way that reminded me more of wonderful exhibits in the Science Museum than the often "over-styled" pieces found at design shows.
On their trade stand, Balmuda showed their beautifully machined aluminium components alongside the finished products. I was reminded of my old boss Norman Foster, who was so intrigued by the industrial components within commercial products that he once had us put together an entire exhibition of all the Foster products from Thonet chairs to Alessi trays displayed in component form, right down to the last washer.
comments (0) | read more »
Tent London
Posted by: David Keech on 10th Oct 2008 in Opinion
The second Tent London design show was an inspiring event - in an inspiring place too. You get off at Liverpool St. tube, stroll past Gilbert and George's house on Fournier Street and by the time you've reached the Truman Brewery via the permanently buzzing Brick Lane, you can't fail to be in a good mood. Here is my pick of the contents of Tent London...
Baek-Ki Kim
Seatub, Lounge Chair
comments (1) | read more »
100% Design 2008
Posted by: David Keech on 9th Oct 2008 in Opinion
Now that the dust has settled and we've had some time to go through all the business cards, CDs and brochures collected on a day's march around Earls Court (it's not often you get blisters on your feet in the name of design) here's what caught our eye in this year's show...
comments (0) | read more »
Frankfurt Musikmesse 2008
Posted by: David Keech on 31st Mar 2008 in Opinion
On the 14th March I went to Frankfurt to visit the 2008 Musikmesse. For those of you unfamiliar with the event this is the world's leading trade fair for musical instruments and music equipment.
...Just Said Hello To iPhone
Posted by: David Keech on 27th Nov 2007 in Opinion
and like all other Apple products it looks good, feels good and packs a mean technological punch. Preaching to the converted, really. As a devout Mac user I was ready to like the iPhone long before saying hello to it.
TOKYO!
Posted by: David Keech on 31st Oct 2007 in Opinion
Some call it a designer's paradise. I'm not going to argue. To be in this city is inspiring, bewildering, unnerving. Especially when those buildings start a-rockin'
From Pizza To Cobra
Posted by: Annette Gelling on 15th Oct 2007 in Opinion
PizzaKobra is Ron Arad's recently released lamp for Iguzzini, and it's not only the name that's intriguing.
