Here is an example of that artifacts can be lovely designed and also work perfectly. Even if this spout have some years behind, the statement is up to date and even futuristic. A design strategy not only concern the aesthetics, it's also about sustainability and having the future in mind. We are many that know the strong impact a design strategy have in product development, and I really hope more producers will get it.
Over and out.
All you that have been around for a while have seen the change. OK, in certain countries, such as Italy, you still go into a coffee bar and drink the coffee there, but the "take-away-syndrome" had grown stronger and stronger all over the world - thanks to US.
The "take-away-syndrome" can be seen as one of our strongest contemporary cultural signs: lack of time, stress, always on the run etc. But at the same time it's a new kind of business growing behind. Coffee, hamburgers and more is common as "take-away", but what of this? In Nyhavn, Copenhagen, Denmark I recently saw this signs. And yes, it's about price as well...
Over and out.
Over and out.
Welcome to Designboost in Malmö, Sweden 14-16 October 2009.
I will be one of the boosters, that will discuss the theme of this third Designboost venue: Design for Life. Looking forward :-)
Looking at the speakers list I really looking forward to listen, discuss and argue about this yeas theme "Design for Life". So what does it really means then? Design? For life? Both has wide spread connotations and answers, but life is life, and design is design!
Over and out.
A checklist for sustainability
This issue of David Report is a checklist for sustainability. We will not provide all of the answers, but we will on the other hand ask a lot of questions - one of the most important ways to acquire knowledge. You will also find thoughtful quotes and best practise examples. One thing is for sure - sustainability is not about doing nothing.
Welcome to our world.
25 06 2009.
Michael Jackson.
You are gone.
Just saw the memorial concert at TV from Los Angeles with lots of "stars" and "family". But none talked about the real background - Michael never had a real childhood and that's the simple and clear solution of his unhappiness - if you know psychology.
What we saw were: Black suits, White shirts, Yellow ties, Red roses, Green leaves, Black Sun glasses, Dark skins, Moustaches, Hugs, Notable speeches...
Michael wanted to be "Peter Pan" and had a monkey as his best friend. Some of us are jealous, others see the connections to the missing childhood, and some just loved his music. No-one missed his troubled life the latest years. But where were his friends then? As always all the good comes when he/she is dead. Then all "bad" is gone. Why?
Michael is not the first or the last to suffer from this. Sadly enough. But nevertheless. Let him be, for the last time, please, let him be.
Over and out.
Thanks to TopDollar and 1000wordsmag for this lovely and reflexive picture.
Have a look at this beautiful picture. The lovely "Cathy" have lots of our american (Hollywood) western civilisations trademarks: blonde, facelift, cigarette, sharp eyeliner, fat lips... and for me that don't know the story behind, I read in a lot of connotations.
She's a female, over 50 trying to hold on to the youth and compete with the beauty of the teens - both sad, interesting and puzzled. The story of our western competitive society. We compete everywhere...
But, I think she is absolutely lovely. In all her sadness and loneliness, she radiate a strength, a wisdom of life and a fragile but strong beauty. She know life, she know the inside of a bar, and she know life outside the bar. She is both strong and fragile at the same time. The new post-modern world in a nutshell!
Over and out.
I'm happy to announce the start of a new planning agency. PLANNER Fed. is a agency that will challenge the business- and organisation structures in the advertising business (at least in Scandinavia, where a planner still is a rare occupation). PLANNER Fed. is founded by myself and Robert Dysell, and our mission is to catalyse and cross-fertilise insights, ideas and knowledge and thereby formulate the best marketing communication strategies in the future.
The services we offer are:
- Planning assignments (primarily in Scandinavia)
- Trend watching
- Counselling: What can planning do for you, who is the best suited planner for you company?
- Lectures, education and workshops
- Recruitment /Headhunting of planners
So, if you need a Scandinavian insight, just let us know. Read more at PLANNER Fed.
Over and out.
My partners in product development Scalae AB is the company of the year 2008 in the municipality of Lund, Sweden. Scalae had reached this position with strong engagement, excellent knowledge and new methods in a conservative business.
Congratulations!
Over and out.
At a small medieval street in downtown Lund, Sweden at lunchtime today I meet this “eight”. As a Swede I know all about Luther and Jante, and an orange Lamborghini (that by the way today is one of many brands in the Volkswagen Group) is not what these two “ideologies” promote, so o say. :D
I really enjoy the crossover effect with a lovely designed and aesthetic ”muscle-car” facing a 1000-year historian city - Lund. But what says the licence plate (8888888)?
Okay, with knowledge in mysticism and oriental numerology the “8” is a Chinese lucky number, and in mathematics there is the Fibonacci number.
But what do seven “8:s” stand for? Just “seven million eight hundred eighty-eight thousand eight hundred eighty-eight” or maybe some kind of lottery-prize? Any Ideas?
Over and out.
No, I'm not either. :D But for those how are can read an article I wrote for the Amsterdam based trend magazine Second Sight's latest issue 2-2009: KLEINSCHALIGHEID.
And you that want the original english version can read below:
Local Hero
Remember the stubborn fisherman living by the sea in Scotland in the lovely film from 1983? He was the only one that not totally lost his head when an American Oil-company wanted to “invest” in the local village.
Today we see another kind of a local hero. Diversity, localism / regionalism and uniqueness are not new phenomena, but they are more important than ever. Localism and small-scaleness is more than a trend, it’s a lifestyle and thereby a much stringer force. We face a more individualistic and heterogeneous world, for good or bad, and one of the best is the growing force of localism and small-scaleness.
The well educated consumer of today demand quality, transparency and ethics. We want to know exactly where our fruit, vegetables and meat come from, as well as where the cotton in our clothes come from, if it’s biological and if the picker is legislative paid. We demand to know the contents, the producer must be total transparent about his behaviour, otherwise he’s out of business instantly. We will not longer accept all those strange chemicals or unnatural ingredients that today exist in the food. We want the natural and fresh, the local and the small produced by our own producer, if we don’t grow it ourselves.
Simultaneously we see more and more careerist “dropping out” – mostly because they don’t want a so-called “modern” life: i.e stress, stress, stress… It’s simply not worth it. Instead they leave cities and move to small villages and start an own webshop, a café or whatever (often a combination) despite losing 50-75% of their income. They simply want quality in life, quality to feel and live the life. Artefacts are not important, experiences and time are. The possibility to decide your own time is the luxury of today.
A perfect example from my hometown Lund is a new bakery that makes stone oven baked bread and homemade chocolate cream for instance. It’s run by some passionated bakers using local produced ingredients. They have a ridiculous small shop, max 9 people can be inside at the same time, the queue runs outside, they don’t accept credit cards and they not seldom carry an infant in one arm and a bread in the other.
The localism “trend” or lifestyle can be tracked back to the shocking 9/11. Before everyone looked forward, travelled all over and where everywhere. After many retreated back “home”, to the familiar space, to local society, to the neighbourhood. Safety and security was the new mantra and all and everyone (at least in Sweden) started to build and/or restore their home. A couple of years later, when finished inside, they continued outside with their garden. Now the “safe area” is expanded; the local and small-scaled produced products and services are in focus. But there is ONE large difference: we will not go back to the anonymous and mass-produced – the Local Heroes had won this race.
Over and out.
Just love this sign. Dead-end street or what? It's so un-clear and what I will say show how our today complex society works. Why do it clear and simple when you mustn't? Is this a sign that shows our tax system or a new artwork or an illustration of the new kind of car that the whole industry looking for or what? One step forward and two backwards (at least), so to say. Thanks to Olle.
Over and out.
How cool can you be at age 2,5 and still wearing diapers? When you (at least if you are a girl) love Hello Kitty, worship everything in pink and want to be a Princess all day long, and yet is far from a guitar solo look. Or is it a biker look?
Nevermind, the pose is good!
Over and out.
When the US bank- and financial crises knocked us in Sweden in the second half of 2008, it made the national media united. As always when a crises or other unpleasant occasion appears, the human race, for once, act as a united unit; and this is not always a good sign!
When the media day after day reports on recession, unemployment, bankruptcies…you sooner or later start believe that’s true, even if your company flourish as never before. When I talk to my colleagues and customers about this topic, most of them say that they are all-time-high - no sign of economic recession here! But at the same time everybody adds that the medias negative views and writing affect them internally, i.e. their mood get affected bit-by-bit and thereby in the longer run their business.
“When you all the time and everywhere hear and read it’s a recession, dismissals or other issues, it sooner or later gets into your skin”. Slowly, bit-by-bit you started to believe that the media reports are the true facts; and not what you can see with your own eyes in your own business. The medias authority of being the “truth-teller” overlooks the true fact! Is this Economical Psychology at the highest level?
According to a professor in Economic Psychology in Stockholm, Sweden, Henry Montgomery, it’s not about that the humans are biological creatures that makes irrational choices, it’s all about the training and the experience all involved in the system have: bankers, analysts, journalist etc. Even if all kind of rational behaviour is non-existent when unexpected situations occur, when irrelevant stress interfere and when unconscious impulses rule the decision-making process. But it’s not this irrelevant behaviour that set the rules; it’s the training and experience. And this is very scary, when we know, that (nearly) all professional financial workers, or journalists, have exactly the “same” education, experience and lifestyle. According to Professor Montgomery’s theories above, this lead us to a worst-case scenario!
So what’s the solution then?
As always it’s not a single answer that solve the problem, but one thing is crystal clear: all and everyone in the media circus must act, and take their full responsibility reporting and writing about the whole situation, not only about subjective fragments in short messages easy to read. It’s easy to say that bank X had problem and that company Y will dismiss 100 workers due to this or that.
But please, Dear Journalist, do better and more adequate research as well as look into the whole situation before writing! Remember that the audience are the 6th player in hockey, the 12th in football/soccer etc. In this context I will say that media ARE the x-tra player, and thereby must take it’s responsibility full out, and not hide behind the symptoms.
Another “truth” is of course to recruit and form organisations by different competences, ages, gender etc. The old fashion way, that unfortunately still rules in many organisations, that all and everyone looks the same, have same education, social class, live at the same place etc. is absolutely outdated, unfashionable and directly hostile to a natural and needed progress. And I’m not only writing this on my behalf (yes - I’m the black sheep in the white crowd :-)), all younger executives I meet have the same mindset, but more or less all in the old school don’t! But when we got different backgrounds, education, experiences, knowledge and so on in a working group, a more dynamic and better arena is formed and thereby a better solution will occur - no doubt about that! How long must we wait?
Over and out.
5 key design trends
In the new report we introduce 5 key design trends that in one way or the other will change our future; Cooltural, Rationaissance, Responsibiz, Sensuctive and Breaking Boundaries. We will leave the surface to instead go in depth and relate our design trends to social, economical and ecological patterns and phenomena's over the entire global - local scale.
You will also find an interview with legendary trend forecaster Faith Popcorn.
Welcome to our world.
Just watching a fashion show on TV at a hotel in Warsaw, and trying to rest after a long day. As a true design management planner I’m just in the middle of a mission: supervising that the design idea is performed correctly. In this case it’s a booth-concept at a fair for the Swedish forth-coming stock-market company Tigran. As always one or two days before an event everything is up-side down – it’s some kind of natural law…
However, walking around in downtown Warsaw I noticed that Warsaw and Copenhagen, Denmark has (at least) one thing in common: every pedestrian wait until the traffic signal is green before they cross a road. This behaviour is not so familiar in Sweden, where nearly everyone walks facing the “red man” crossing a road – and we certainly can wonder why?
This question is one that I hope will be raised at Designboost in Malmö, Sweden 15th -17th October 2008, that my friends David and Peer arrange for the second time. The theme this “boost” is just the city, and as I wrote earlier, a city’s identity is much about how it’s constructed, and I compeered Stockholm, Sweden and Copenhagen.
So back to fashion: it’s just to admit it, Scandinavia (Denmark and Sweden with for example Copenhagen fashion week and Stockholm fashion week) is beyond Warsaw and Poland in the fashion race. At the same time this is good to see that despite the globalisation force the local identity rules. The common global identity is more a worst-case scenario than some realistic scenario, I will say. But the question is not that easy, all around the world there are people that feel more connected to someone in another country or part of the world, than to its neighbour.
These forces are the opposites, but that is one of the explanations. Today we can’t be A or B. All the different subgroups (that also will be more and more for every minute), give you a look what will be seen. What we will see in the future is both a local strengthen force, as well as a stronger globalisation force.
What "group" do you follow?
Over and out.
The new baldism. It’s not a new trend or a new social movement, it’s more a scary future way to go, I will say.
When I lived in Copenhagen in the late 90:ies I noticed that more and more males shaved their heads. This behaviour has old connotations and automatically transforms thoughts and minds to skinheads and/or the Auschwitz look-alike-nazi-camps. In the 90:ies several soccer player and other athletes turned into the bald group. And so did lots of their fans, and others: all from contactors to those that wanted to hide their coming baldness.
Today a decade later this “movement” escalate and I still wonder about it. Okay, it got at least one rational answer: if you turn bald, it better to shave it all off. Another is the power-language that this hard look generates (at least is this what most of this bald “team” hope!).
So as a man with hair; can I say anything else than - Get haired!
Today almost all and everyone have chosen to be bald. Why? As I see it it’s the old “jante law” that’s set this rule. In the business life it’s old news that the “seller hair due” is the most common, and the most powerful and by unwritten rules dictated hair-cut. And fill this up with a dark suit, white shirt and red tie: then you got 110% of all that want to rule in the boardroom as well as at the business meeting.
So when will I, and many of my friends with more hair (including females) compete with this seller-hair-due-force at an equal matter? Never in a life-time says someone. When it's an old male "structure" it takes time to change, and of course it vary in different sectors, but....
I hope for more. Let’s here your thoughts!
Over and out.
Welcome to Designboost in Malmö, Sweden 15-17 October 2008.
I will be one of the boosters, that will discuss the theme of this second Designboost venue: The Sustainable City. Looking forward :-)
So what is a "Sustainable City" then? One thing, to start with, is that a sustainable city must be human oriented instead of object oriented: i.e build the city for humans 24 hours a day, not for vehicles, consumers or just for "office hours". A short evidence for this is comparing the capitals Copenhagen, Denmark and Stockholm, Sweden. Downtown Copenhagen includes shops, offices and residents, meanwhile downtown Stockholm mainly consists of shops and offices. So what happens after closing hours in Stockholm? Of, course the downtown dies, while downtown Copenhagen's life get into another phase.
Over and out.
Heard about Tigran Technologies? Thought so, but now you will. I’m going to assist them in all kind of marketing activities, starting NOW.
Over and out.
I shop therefore I am
Shopping has turned into a lifestyle. We consume as leisure and a way to pass time. But at the same time many realizing that the power of consumption stopping us from finding true and sincere happiness; and that shopping often works as a substitute for something that we’re missing in life. At what point does the accumulation of material goods become less fulfilling and more stressful and overwhelming? Can we resist shopping and still be happy?
Our consumption grows in the same pace as our economic growth. Studies shows that in hundred years we consume eight times as much per capita as today. Can our globe take such a strain? The power of consumption is being questioned and there’s a change in attitude and way of life. We don’t want to be consuming goofs, we want to be considered aware and responsible. It is all about WHAT we buy and WHAT we choose to invest in, the world we live in will be the result of those choices.
In the future consumption will be more about experiences and services than things. Perhaps giving will be more important than having. Are the companies, who survive on our consumption, prepared for this transition?
The David Report bulletin issue 9 “I shop therefore I am” also offers insight on the subject from strategist Kristina Dryza and Zen-Buddhist Sante Poromaa. On top of this an interview with Mathilda Tham, guest professor at Beckmans school of Design.
Welcome to our world.
The Ventalists changes clothes! My first article about the Ventalists (Venture Capitalists) can you see here. Now the story continue, and my humble reflection wonder what CHEAP MONDAY, H&M and SUNDAY SUN have in common?
Check out INFLUX where it first is published.
The Story
The well-known Swedish fashion company H&M enters a new phase. H&M always followed the same route: cheap trendy fashion. Now they enter a new phase. By buying the upcoming Swedish fashion company Fabric Scandinavien (behind brands like SUNDAY SUN , CHEAP MONDAY . H&M enters a new role as a venture capitalist. Before H&M had to produce products to get revenues, now (with acquisitions) they have to control the portfolio of stocks.
This could be a boring, dangerous and reactive way to go. Before they were forced to lead and forge a path, now they can just look and follow. In the long run, this could be a problem: when you fall back and get satisfied, the world around seems to fade away.
The acquisition strategy marks a shift from H&M’s old approach of launching sub brands (or rather sub companies in another category such as COS
Where will it end for H&M? Will it become the new PPR ?
Over and out.
The Sustainable Wheel
Design interacts constantly in our lives, it both solves problems and creates desires. Design is everywhere around us and affect our lives in most evident ways. But how constant and sustainable is design? One says that something is ecological or green and therefor automatically good, but it may still be a crappy product that no one wants. In this issue of the David Report Bulletin we will go deeper and propose a new definition of sustainable design.
In David Report we argue for an open-minded attitude concerning sustainable design. As always we have a true design perspective in everything we do and in this issue we are happy to present the event Designboost. David Carlson of David Report, is the founder of Designboost together with his long-time friend Peer Eriksson. The theme for Designboost 2007 was sustainable design and the first Designboost event ever took place in Malmö, Sweden October 17th to November 17th.
Welcome to our world.
Went to a meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark the other day and got some good ideas as well as connections.
Walked by a park in the town center and saw this sign: “Do not walk on the grass” it says, but look at it: even a non-naturalist will see that grass is grass is grass…
Or is this some angle of the never-ending story about the civic employed? I.e One work and three looks. Or in this case: as this is not grass, we don't have to cut it....
Over and out.
Look at this ad for an aspirin. In a free translation it says:
“Will you also participate at a Christmas party? – TREO melt headache faster”
In between lines this means that everyone got a bad hangover and need some refreshing stuff, after a Julefrokost. And as I had lived there, I know this is not an exaggeration. The day after the day before, is just an “off productivity day” and these days are not seldom at weekdays.
I just love this irony and clear-sighted message. In Sweden this will never exist, of many reasons. One is the different regulation about alcohol comparing to Denmark, and another the tradition and culture of drinking (a lot) at these events at weekdays.
Over and out.
Welcome to Designboost in Malmö, Sweden 17-19 October 2007.
I will be one of the boosters, that will formulate and discuss the theme of this first Designboost venue: Sustainable design.
I looking forward to this event and are hungry for new ideas, as well as full of them…
Over and out.
How beautiful is this badge really?
I both love and admire it. The shape, colours and aesthetics, everything is just perfect. Or is it the connotations that I read in the "image" of the brand “Italia” that convince and overwhelm me?
Italy stands for superb design, delicious food, powerful cars, the blue Mediterranean sea, history and myths, architecture and art…the list is long.
My point is not to question Italy as an image phenomenon, but just to make a simple analysis of the visible and the non-visible forces that form the brand “Italia”. This issue got me curios when I met an Italian student a while ago. He explained that Italy today is not what was in several ways. And just an example of this is the male football/soccer team (who got World Champions 2004!), and not gets dressed by Italian design anymore. Before Robe di Kappa design the outfit for the matches, but today “Gli Azzurri" wear American design by N... or German by A....., or XX by XX. It uninteresting, which label it is, the interesting part is the change.
Italy had forever been one of the guardians of traditions, and as one of the guardians of design in general, and clothes design specific, it seems really strange that the national team perform in a “foreign” design.
When globalisation is everywhere, local and national identity and belonging turns more important than ever. And this is simple to understand: all and everyone need to belong somewhere, and the globalisation erode this psychological need. Therefore local patriotism and more interests in the neighbourhood, fulfil the forces and power of getting a “clear view” of today’s landscape – so to say.
But what will all this end?
Over and out.
Look out!
This marvellous Moose, an illustration of a John Bauer character (right now to be seen in Lund, Sweden at Kulturen, brings forward some myths and fairytales of the north.
Entering the dramatised room, where you can watch a ballet on a screen or try several mythical clothing outfits in the John Bauer wardrobe, helping you to connect to the myths and the fairytales. My daughters, Alva 3,5 and Elisa 1,5 just love this room and the stories. In their minds it’s fun and relaxing, and also a bit scary to entering the world of John Bauer. What do you think?
Over and Out.
Look! The delicious cowberries show the way to the top.
In Scandinavia the late summer/early autumn means a flourishing period. Among all fruits, berries and vegetables the cowberries is one of my favourites. The blood-red colour and the several ways to use this marvellous berry enlighten the coming darkness the autumn brings.
Make a lovely jam of cowberries or mix them into a vargtass/wolf-paw = a vodka based drink with cowberries – try it and you get hooked!
But take a real look at the berries. The all looks the same, but each one is unique, just as every company or organisation; consultancy or agency. This is just a metaphor that shows how hard or delicate it is to find the right guide into the future.
Just as delicious the cowberries are, just as competent is my advice and working method. Cocky words! Perhaps, But don’t get moody, as an honest and good karma influenced consultant I will lead you and/or company into the future. Don’t hesitate to contact me, a true Design Management Planner, for a meeting and discussion how to succeed in the future.
Over and Out.
