Trading Places: Ten Year of the DBA Inclusive Design Challenge at the RCA

To celebrate ten years of the DBA Inclusive Design Challenge, the Helen Hamlyn Centre is organising a special exhibition at the Sackler Centre for arts education at the V&A in spring 2010, sponsored by the Department of Work and Pensions.

This exhibition, entitled Trading Places: Ten Year of the DBA Inclusive Design Challenge at the RCA 2000/10, will be held from 19 April to 16 May 2010. A special creative industries night will be held at the Sackler Centre on 27 April in partnership with the DBA and V&A to celebrate the show.

The Trading Places exhibition will then travel to Boston's Institute for Human-Centred Design in autumn 2010 for a showing before an American audience.

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USB recharging now via the wall socket...

guess it was only a matter of time and a cute little startled expression to boot!

www.rodd.uk.com 

Inside Burton Snowboards.... 'makeit' video

Rodd are always a sucker for a good 'makeit' video and this one from the boys at Burton snowboards is a cracker. 

Make the jump dudes.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxZ-zLUe4T4

Carbon Foodprint...

The Government says that food packaging should be labelled to show products’ carbon footprint, country of origin and animal welfare standards in its new food strategy, Food 2030.

Given our current 'Portion Control Innovation' fascination we are keen to understand what real relevance this information overload is having on consumers? Whilst I support the 'information is power' train of thought, how much credence will consumers give to the Ecological Load Factor of their beans on toast? 

We would be fascinated to hear your opinions on this.... Hit the jump for the full article.

http://www.designweek.co.uk/new-food-labelling-legislation-launched/3008271.article

Inclusive Design - Makes sound commercial sense...

BT is inviting businesses to attend a free seminar in London which will set out the business case for inclusive design, and provide hands on advice through practical workshops on how to start implementing inclusive design principals. Stephen Timms MP, Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Minister for Digital Britain, will give the keynote address at the event (February 2 2010), which aims to explain the how and the why behind inclusive design.

The event will mark the introduction of a lengthy collaboration between BT, Helen Hamlyn Research Centre and Cambridge University. For more information and to register your interest in attendance make the jump below

http://www.btplc.com/inclusion/Events/seminar2010.htm

Jabra Stone - At last a bluetoothe that doesn't make you look like a chav!

A short design article and glamour pics of the new Jabra Stone. Just don't wear it and walk around in public talking to yourself.

http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/10/20/an-interview-with-johan-birger-part-of-the-jabra-stone-design-team/

Why do we shrink wrap a cucumber?

94% of consumers feel that shops should help them reduce wastage and save money at the same time.

63% of consumers believe that packaging affects their choice of product and 66% believe that products are over packed.

Just two stats from of a staggering array of evidence that supports that we consumers think the junk that gets wrapped around the products we buy really must change. This link to a piece of ethnographic research carried out by the Guardian makes for fascinating reading.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2006/jan/29/shopping.conservation

Trendspotting Ambiente 2009

To keep abreast of the latest trends in consumer goods, Rodd took a trip to Ambiente, one of the largest trade shows of its kind. Wading through the immense array of products from the sublime to the less so, is very difficult. Fortunately the organisers make it a bit easier by grouping some of the more interesting things together.

It is great to see pattern and colour being used much more than in the past. A nod to the past is certainly evident in some of the patterns and colour combinations being used. Many companies are conveying a much more social and eco aware message through their products with the use of recycled plastics or more sustainable materials and combinations of materials. The scandinavian housewares exude sophistication along with simple interventions based on lifestyles and user behavior. It's great to also see the art of simple, beautifully made products remain, perfectly captured in the traditional knives and simple vessels being produced by particularly many japanese manufacturers.

Today is the day!

Rodd have been working on our submission for this years DBA design challenge and today is judging day! Although a winner will be decided today a press embargo means that judges must remain tight lipped until March!

http://rodd.uk.com/

Rodd win Tokyo 48hr Innovation Challenge

Ben has returned victorious (and knackered) from this years Tokyo 48hr Inclusive Design Challenge. Rodd were invited to lead a team in this years design challenge following three successful years as finalists in the UK DBA Design Challenge.

The challenge was organised by Julia Cassim (Royal College of Art Helen Hamlyn Centre, London) Nikkei Design and Tokyo University and held there as part of the Design Innovation Forum 2008. 

Three British design professionals (all former finalists in the DBA Design Inclusive Challenge) were invited to each lead a multi-disciplinary team of Japanese designers from leading companies Cambridge University engineering postgraduates and their counterparts from Tokyo University. 

The theme of this year’s event was natural disasters in dense urban environments and the teams were asked for innovative and inclusive design responses to the theme. A disabled design partner joined each team to provide a contrasting viewpoint while disaster survivors and relief organisations were invited to give their input and critique the design solutions as they developed. 

Each team had just 48 hours to research, identify and incubate their ideas before making a presentation to a capacity audience of design and disaster professionals and company representatives. 

The teams each addressed different aspects of urban disaster, ranging from a LED crowd management system, a highly visible logo to encourage forward thinking and Rodd’s submission of a water bottle concept that addresses two survival basics - hydration and sanitation. Elixir: Is a Universal redesign of a water bottle that could be deployed to cities in the first 72 hours of a disaster. Beyond its primary function the bottle is shaped to provide a makeshift disposable toilet for both men and women. 

The supply of clean water and management of human waste were cited as key objectives by the disaster experts. Elixir was voted overall winner by the audience and was selected for the Design prize by Professor Seiichi Onobo of the Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music. UK Team leaders Hazel MacMillan of Wolff Olins and Jim Dawton took Best Technology and Best theme prize respectively.