Blogs | design mind

SanDisk Launches the World’s First Backup USB Flash Drives

Tim Leberecht — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:25:52 -0600

SanDisk, the world's largest supplier of flash storage cards, has introduced an innovative new family of USB flash drives, including the world's first backup USB flash drive with simple backup software activation at the touch of a button. With capacities up to 64 gigabytes, the SanDisk Ultra Backup USB flash drive is designed to protect users' photos, music, videos, personal and business documents, and other types of digital files, with the simple touch of a button. No software installation is needed. The drive protects onboard digital content with a dual layer of security, including password-protected access control and ultra-secure AES hardware-based encryption.

frog provided the design language for the entire new SanDisk USB family. Signature design elements include juxtaposed L shapes that create a dynamic, yet balanced, composition, a bright red USB connector, and a simple cap-less design, which exposes the USB connector for use via a dynamic sliding mechanism. When plugged in to a host device, a glowing, amber-colored LED light alerts users that the drives are ready for reading or writing data.

Here’s what Engadget writes:

“Rather than simply adding a new capacity option or throwing another adjective on the end (i.e. Ultra, Xtreme, Gnarly, etc.), SanDisk is actually launching something in the flash drive sector that's worth paying attention to. The Ultra USB Backup is hailed as the planet's first USB key with simple backup software activation at the touch of a button, and with capacities up to 64GB, we'd say this is a pretty decent option for keeping your digital paraphernalia backed up sans an external HDD.”

慢生活浪潮开始

DONG XI — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 23:02:57 -0600

全球化(Globalization)与本地化(Localization)作为两股强大的相对势力，为人们津津乐道，两方阵营都论据充分。日趋快捷的交通和便利的通讯把地球变成一个村，资源全球性调配，充分体现了世界贸易的由来，资源A地和资源B地相互提供产品和服务，扩大了市场，而且资源运用地更有效率。发展至今，离岸经济已经成为保证世界日常运转重要的一环。这不仅对于把呼叫中心放在印度的500强公司很重要，也是Tim Ferriss《每周工作四小时》的奥秘所在。

另一方面，本地化的号角也没有减弱。全球化使得资本化走向极端，压迫发展中国家的资源，挤兑无数发达地区的本地从业人员，带来巨大的危机感和潜在社会问题。Wal-Mart首当其冲，繁盛扩张之时，所到之处，总是引起很多投诉。

抱怨归抱怨。以经济利益为引擎的系统不会因此放慢速度。如何在诸多问题中找到解决之道才是关键。于是，人们开始创新地寻求新的生活方式。

慢生活不算一个特别新鲜的名词。虽然在中国还没有形成一个很强的趋势，但是在生活的各方面都已初现端倪。人们在快节奏的城市生活中寻求着能够放慢脚步体会生活的时刻。许多环境设计也注意到把这一点融入其中。而最近开始流行的“乐活”(LOHAS)也最为一个新的生活方式概念，开始引起人们的注意。

今天又想到这个词是因为看到了关于本地货币(local currency)的案例。在美国的Berkshire地区，去年由一个非盈利性组织推出了一种本地货币，叫做Berkshares。这种本质上可以看作我们的打折礼券（使用这种货币可以享受10%的折扣）的东西，逐渐成为风行当地的货币。使用这种货币的原理很简单，用90美元到银行买100个Berkshares，可以买到相当于100美元的商品或服务，商家收到这100个Berkshares，可以再到银行换90美元出来。

原理很简单，其实这个系统完全可以用我们熟知的礼券或者购物卡代替，银行的角色可以变成第三方发卡机构。但有趣的就是这事儿有银行这么个权威机构参与，还有真的印出来的Birkshares纸币，面值和真实货币一样，纸币也经过专门设计，有名人头像等等。为什么费如此周折？Berkshares最近的一篇文章Slow Money做了很好的注释。

"Inconvenient," some will say. Yes, when compared to the hastiness and anonymity of an internet purchase. But rich with information needed for conducting public life. A democracy only thrives when its citizens are informed and engaged by public issues.

Slow money is not sleepy money but awake to the flow of economic life pulsing through a region, shaping its future, providing warning signs and creating options for public policy and private initiative. Perhaps the greatest task of concerned citizens in the twenty-first century is to reclaim responsibility for the consequences of our economic transactions--personally, institutionally, and in public spending. Slow money is the start of this process.

... Slow money again makes us conscious of the impact of our economic transactions--not just as purchasers, but as tax-payers, investors, and philanthropists.

当我们走的太快的时候，忽略了什么。慢生活的各种子趋势，慢食物、慢阅读、慢旅游...花多一分钟去享受整个过程，不仅知其然，也就知其所以然了。

The Business Leader 2009: Chief Meaning Officer

Tim Leberecht — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 06:00:55 -0600

2009 will be a year of major uncertainty. The doom and gloom of the economic downturn, the deterioration of mass markets, the pervasiveness of the digital lifestyle, a host of explosive political conflicts, and the fragmentation of traditional societal institutions are causing anxiety and propel a new search for simplicity and non-economic value systems.

Consumption-driven wealth and status are being replaced by identity, belonging, and a strong desire to contribute and do something "meaningful" rather than just acquire things. Trust and reputation are no longer enablers for the exchange of goods, services, and information, they are replacing them. Values are the new value. Meaning is succeeding experience and customer satisfaction. "The job of leadership today is not just to make money. It's to make meaning," writes management consultant John Hagel. Out: Bottom-line-pragmatists and financial wizards. In: philosophers and ethicists.

This new cultural climate presents a historic opportunity for brands to transform themselves into arbiters of meaning. Becoming Chief Meaning Officers, business leaders must move beyond simply connecting products and customers with the goal to facilitate transactions – they must now create "meaning" through actions and interactions. When your brand is a vector, your base becomes a movement – that's what we learned from Barack Obama's campaign.

In 2009, we will see more examples of "meaningful marketing" and businesses generating value that goes beyond just meeting consumers' needs. This will imply several profound paradigm shifts: essence instead of luxury, free sharing instead of monetized scarcity, radical transparency instead of brand control, authenticity instead of image, empathy instead of focus groups, conversations instead of messaging, collaboration instead of dissemination. A "meaning surplus" will become imperative: Only brands that give more than they take will be able to create sustained brand loyalty.

Metromantics

Tim Leberecht — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 08:23:52 -0600

Location matters. Black Swan-author Nassim Nicholas Taleb finds "living in big cities invaluable because you increase the odds of serendipitous encounters – you gain exposure to the envelope of serendipity." That's particularly true for romance. People move to big cities not to advance their careers, party, escape, disappear, be a star, and so on. The chick-flick fan that I am, I remember very well that candid line from Sex and the City (the movie): "I came to New York City to fall in love." Exactly. "Anyone who's predicting the decline of big cities has already met their spouse," writes Clay Shirky.

One of the most effective places for random but potentially life-defining encounters is the public intimacy of the subway. The underground is not only an object of affection but also its catalyst. As reported by The Australian, a recent study commissioned by the Paris Transport Authority ("L'Amour Mobile" – why studies in French sound better than poems in English is another topic) found out that the majority of Internet messages posted by Parisians seeking a stranger whose path they had crossed stemmed from a look, a smile, or a conversation on the Métro. More than 80 percent of the messages were from underground passengers, typically between 18 and 25 years old, and divided almost equally between men and women. They were often reading books or listening to iPods – activities that apparently unite passengers more than they isolate them.

"The Metro is without doubt the foremost producer of urban tales about falling in love," Frank Beau, the author of the study, commented. Mr. Beau further suggested that the physical proximity of passengers fueled romantic tension. The slightest contact – a glance, a word, a jacket brushing against your shoulder – becomes an "extraordinary experience," he said, adding that the seats by the doors were the best spot for romantic exchanges. Encounters in museums, parks, cafes or on the street were far less likely to produce passion.

A second study commissioned by public transportation executives in Paris showed that 12 percent of Parisians had begun a lasting relationship, as friends or lovers, with someone they met for the first time on the underground.

Despite Paris being the "city of love," one can probably find the same pattern on other underground systems: London, Berlin, Moscow, or Shanghai. The "Missed Connections" section on Craigslist is a popular compilation of frustrated amour in US metropolitan areas. In New York, the story of a romantic subway rider going many extra miles to find his subway acquaintance was a hit on local media outlets.

As The Australian suggests, companies should think about developing mobile web services to enable passengers to reconnect with a random encounter. Ultimately, of course, all this would be much easier if everyone just carried an ID tag (on an opt-in basis) – a Clear Card for Metromantics.

Ps. Frank Beau will discuss the findings of the studies at the LIFT conference in Geneva.

创新因时而变，创意应需而生

DONG XI — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 20:50:38 -0600

《环球企业家》中国年度最佳产品设计奖

创新助企业成就基业常青。21世纪的工业创新，从上世纪90年代的“科技创新”一变而为“设计创新”，高品质工业产品不仅具有实用性能，而且体现“人性化”理念的卓越设计。立足中国、竞争全球的时代，“中国制造”向“中国创造”全面转型的时机逐步成熟，科技进步致力满足人性需求，外观设计越来越成为企业产品差异化和树立品牌的主要手段之一。

以推动中国商业国际化为依归，在“环球商业，中国创意”的主题下，环球企业家杂志社邀请青蛙设计担任这次“中国年度最佳产品设计奖”的顾问，本次大奖主要推选以中国市场为服务对象的高水准设计产品和公司，为中国创意工业的崛起提供助力。

产品创新力是公司创新能力的外在集中体现，产品能推动公司成长，塑造公司品牌，更能推动行业革新，拓展未来市场。通过产品创新设计来全面提升企业服务公众的能力，并借此扩展和巩固自身品牌的公司。

本次评选由国际优秀设计专业人士(包括 Tom Mantano, Tom Tjaarda, Prof. Ron Nabarro, Raefer Wallis from A00),咨询专家 (包括Ravi Chhatpar 和 Li Xiaojun, IDG capital), 企业专业人士 (包括 Wei Wen, Intel 和 Gregory Perez, Microsoft) 以及北京师范大学 Lipinig He共同组成资深评审团，对参评产品进行背靠背的匿名评审，根据得票数量获得最终上榜资格。

根据面向中国市场和专为中国市场设计的特点，最佳产品设计奖根据最具独创精神奖、最佳用户体验奖、最具商业影响力奖、最具环保精神奖、最适合中国市场奖等分别评选2-3款获奖产品；共有25个产品最终获得年度最佳产品设计奖。评审结果将刊登在12月份的<<环球企业家杂志>>。

Monocle Launches Monocle Weekly: Small Talk, Big Issues

Tim Leberecht — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 12:17:52 -0600

Yes, we live (again) in the "age of conversations." There is something reassuring about listening to smart people having cultured conversations. When I was young, I would listen for hours to music-free radio programming that sounded like black-and-white movies.

Today, Monocle Magazine brought some of that magic back by launching Monocle Weekly, a 30-minute audio podcast. Hosted by editor in chief Tyler Brûlé, the short-form show extends the publication's monthly print content by offering fresh angles on stories in current and past issues, discussions, previews, field reports, and interviews. The light conversations on serious issues are entertaining and informative, and the old-fashioned stereo split of voices evokes the coziness of good old vintage radio.

Highlights of the first issue include FT markets correspondent Rachel Morarjee revealing why 'under the mattress' has become a favorite place to keep your savings (at least in the UK), and philosopher Alain de Botton explaining why happiness will be more important than watching your salary in 2009: "There is no wealth but life, so concentrate on your portfolio of life, and not your portfolio of cash."

Well said. Although this may not be the most effective response to someone who just lost his or her job, the longing for new meaning in private and public life ("why exactly do we work?") will likely be an overarching theme in the forthcoming year. This presents a huge opportunity for brands of all kinds and industries: they are the arbiters of meaning.

Listen yourself: http://monocle.com/The-Monocle-Weekly/ (also available on iTunes)

Corpus 2.0: Design and the Elastic Body

Tim Leberecht — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 06:53:54 -0600

In reviewing this year’s design highlights, I came across a quite disturbing set of seven portraits originally presented at the Dutch Design Week this Fall. Corpus 2.0 by Marcia Nolte illustrates how the human body could adjust itself to the design of products, including a hole in the lips for smokers (above) and an extended shoulder for holding a phone (below). Product design as body enhancement.

The photos present a provocative counter-thesis to the much acclaimed “Design and the Elastic Mind” exhibit at MOMA: what if it‘s not products that need to adjust to elastic minds, but rather our bodies that need to become more elastic in order to cope with ever-more demanding products?

Via Dezeen

Newsweek Features frog design’s Concepts for “Resurrecting the Republican Brand”

Tim Leberecht — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 15:37:18 -0600

frog design was asked by Newsweek magazine to provide ideas and design direction for “resurrecting the Republican brand,” featured in this week's (December 29) print issue. frog was one of four "hot (and nonpartisan) design firms" that Newsweek invited. Besides frog, the full-page feature presents concepts by Pentagram, Razorfish, and The Groop. The article is not available online (yet) so check it out at a news stand (and support print media!).

Since there was only so much space in Newsweek, here’s some more background on our concept, developed by our studio in NY:

"The Republicans need to signal that it will be different in 2012 – that they will be on top of their game. After all, it is the Republicans who have the best opportunity for political theater over the next four years, building up to 2012. That is their biggest advantage. They should make this theater as open as possible to participation from the American public.

Our approach focuses entirely on the build-up to 2012 and America’s fascination with how the Republicans will handle the race. In developing the visual language for New Vision we took our lead from a different four-year spectacle – The Olympics. The symbols of the party, the elephant, and the slogan have been re-rendered in a friendly, gestural style to suggest that the Republican Party is not set in stone, that it thinks on its feet and acts quickly. We have used a handwritten font to signal their new spirit of openness. And the imagery focuses entirely on youth, on the next generation to come of age in this country. This generation will look at politics as a competitive sport in the great American tradition. And will eagerly participate in determining the next Champion-Elect."

The State of the Twittersphere

Tim Leberecht — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 09:35:56 -0600

When Twitter made its first big appearance (at SXSW Interactive in 2007), it was a relatively small community of techies and web 2.0 geeks. Now it's mainstream and keeps growing at an explosive rate. HubSpot, the developer of Twitter Grader, just released its "State of the Twittersphere" report. The report reveals that an estimated 5,000-10,000 new Twitter accounts are opened every day.

According to the study, Twitter appears to be most popular in major English-speaking cities. The top 5 Twitter cities are London, San Francisco, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

Also, not surprisingly, the Twittersphere has a long tail:

- Only 0.8 percent of all Twitter users have more than 1,000 followers.
- Five percent have more than 250 followers.
- 24 percent (the largest group) have between 11 and 25 followers.
- Three percent of Twitter users have ten or fewer followers.
- 22 percent have five or fewer followers.
- Nine percent of Twitter users follow no one at all.

Other interesting findings:

- Twitter is dominated by newer users: 70 percent of Twitter users joined in 2008.
- There is a strong correlation between the number of followers you have and the number of people you follow.
- The most popular days of the week to tweet are Wednesday and Thursday.

You can download the full report in PDF format and click here to tweet about the report.

Thinking about Design Trends

frogs on the road — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 02:37:24 -0600

Design seems to behave in a reactionary manner; a trend towards minimalism will find a reaction in emotive expression, while a push toward digital might be met with a return to analog. This makes sense, as design – as a human phenomenon – is as dialectic as politics or economics. I’m aware of trends that are happening right now, because I’m helping push those trends with my day to day work. But most of us don’t want to be caught up in the current of now – we are looking at the periphery to catch the next human phenomenon, or to understand how our present will be turned on its side in the future.

In fact, an economic downturn is probably the best time to trend-jump, because out of this downturn will come prosperity the likes of which we observed in the early nineties, and then as we crept back on to our feet after the dot com fiasco. Our clients should be preparing now to service the markets that will have purchasing power in three to four years.

I look to many sources to try to understand reactionary trends. One of these sources is conferences; as I’ve written here before, the conference acts as a “pulse” of what is to come, as it is a conglomeration of thought leaders offering their views of what is important, and what will be important. IxDA has a conference coming up in February, and in evaluating the conference content, I played a bit with Wordle to create some visualizations. I fed in the abstract content for the 28 talks and 6 keynotes, and then I removed the words and variations of “design," “experience," “interaction," and “workshops." I was left with this visualization:

There are some familiar terms – some things that are expected, including Sustainability, Web, New, and People. But I’ve highlighted some of the elements that might indicate subtle professional trends, as described below:

There’s a push toward services and systems, which is the same push that has been noted by Richard Buchanan in his writing about the progression from signs to things to actions and thoughts; it’s also the same push we are seeing embodied in the evangelistic writing by Bruce Nussbaum of the power of design thinking. Interestingly, however, the words “services” and “systems” were tempered by the word “product," which might indicate a rejection of the heady intellectual stuff and a return to the simple artifact.

Another element that I found intriguing was the inclusion of “World." The notion of designing for a single, western market is outdated, as evidenced by the types of work we do at frog and the presence of our Shanghai studio. This is obviously tempered by “Understanding” – we are finding, over and over, that our old steadfast methods, techniques, and approach that we use in the states need major retooling when applied in the Asian business context.

I was pleased to see an emphasis on Methods, Research and Patterns, because I’ll be giving a talk on Design Synthesis Methods – ways of making sense of, and finding patterns in, the data collected through various forms of user research.

Finally, I’ve found a new interest in the presence – and repetition – of the word “Rhythm." The text is an anomaly from a trend perspective, coming specifically from Peter Stahl’s talk on The Rhythm of Interaction. Yet I’ll ignore the fact that only one speaker is interested in this sort of connection to music, and instead focus on the intrigue of his talk description: “As guardians of dynamic behavior, interaction designers own rhythm. Yet our work practice lacks appropriate tools and vocabulary. How do you portray a groove in a flow chart, mockup, or PowerPoint deck?” I’m also intrigued that Peter “holds a degree in music theory and composition from Harvard”. I'm even more intrigued that there was a Peter Stahl who was the vocalist for the punk band Scream – could this be the same Peter Stahl?

Hope ya’all have a great holiday, and I’ll look for you in Vancouver, catching a groove at the IxDA conference.

Jon Kolko