Great Books out of the conference

Joe Hoke of Niki (now Converse) cited George Nelson as one of his biggest influences. George Nelson (1908 - 1986) was one of the founders of American modernism, along with Charles and Ray Eames. You've probably seen his clock -- I have one (a cheap imitation) in my living room.



Paul Rand: A Designers Art. http://www.amazon.com/Paul-Rand-Designer`s-Art/dp/0300082827/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209603176&sr=1-2
Paul Rand designed many of the big players throughout the 60s, 70s, 80s. Joe Mansueto, CEO of Morningstar, approached him to design their logo. Joe told this story because he understood from the beginning of his business that great design was going to give him a competitive edge.

Typography : A Manual of Design, Emil Ruder, the kingpin of Swiss Design. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Emil%20Ruder


Can't wait to delve into these!

Business & Design Photos

1) is theater at NYTimes Center. The architects talked about the theme of transparency. Here you can see all the way through the garden, through the NYTimes lobby onto 8Th Ave.

2)is David Thurn, VP and CIO of NYTimes. He talked about the importance of design in space and how the transparency of the space translates to employees and the NYTimes brand. He's an attorney and an old time corporate guy -- and out of his mouth came these words: Design matters because it can propel what you do as a business.
































3. To make their signage, the interior graphics company -- Pentagram -- went through the NY Times archives to find iconic photos that would embody the names on the sign. This one made me laugh. It is the sign going out to the NYTimes balcony.















4. Gael Towey (Left) and Robin Marino (right) from Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. I'm curious to read Gael's pending new book about the creation and evolution of the Martha Stewart brand.

Olafur Eliasson at MOMA

More shoddy video, but perhaps you can get an idea. The entire idea of place, space and surprise set this exhibit apart. Exactly what we are trying to create at the library.

For a review, go here -- and for a much better photo: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/arts/design/18elia.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=olafur+eliasson&st=nyt&oref=slogin

Monet at the MOMA

Today Kerry and I went to the MOMA to check out a spatial exhibit of Olafur Eliasson. He is a Danish-Icelandic inventor and engineer of minimalist spectacle. We wanted to see how he utilized space and observe the public's interaction with it. As we move to install more interactive experiences at the library, this seemed to be at the far end of what is possible. While there, Kerry wanted to take in the beautiful Monet Waterlillies. This was supposed to be just a photos, but I had my daughter's camera and it recorded as video.

After dinner: more thoughts about today. We heard from Michael Todman, president fo Whirlpool North America. They have had fantastic success with The Duet, a colorful matching front-loading washer and dryer. He attributes their success to an unrelenting focus on :
1)outstanding consumer brands
2)innovation -- answering customer desires
3)employees
4)commitment to do the right thing

He asked: what is great design? A robust understanding of consumer needs and the ability to deliver great experiences to the user. Good design leads to great products customers want to buy.

Design is business strategy visualized. -- what a great statement!

Next we heard from David Thurm, the CIO of NYTimes and the designer of the interior spaces and the company that designed the interior graphics. It was great to hear these presentations while sitting in the space and seeing -- literally -- through walls to the street and the outside. The concept of the building is transparency. We were living it. The building is a wonder. Designed by Renzo Piano. Here's more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Times_Building

Lunch gave us the opportunity to sit with speakers. Kerry & I chose to sit with Ed Wood, principal of Gensler, who designed the interiors of the NY Times Building. I asked him if he had designed any libraires. He has done some legal libraries, but -- like libraires everywhere -- the spaces are becoming collaborative gathering spaces and not places for books. He added that legal firms are highly competitive when it comes to hiring top notch talent -- it is getting harder and harder. What is making the difference is really great working space.

In the afternoon we heard from Brian Walker, the CEO of Herman Miller -- sitting appropriately on Aeron chairs. I loved what he said. I am so tired of the cliche -- to think out of the box. He said: we have a really great box. What we need to do is get deep into the box. Make it bigger.

Brian Walker was joined by John Hoke, who is VP of Global Product from Converse (most recently Nike.) Loved him. Here's an interview from Business Week with John that you will enjoy: http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/apr2008/id20080425_383266.htm?chan=search

One thing I found especially meaningful from John Hoke -- Nike and Converse are already training 10 year olds how to recognize good design. Also: design is a tipping point. It is a competitive edge.

The day ended with two women from Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia -- or MSLO as they call it. I loved this concept from them: Martha Stewart Omnimedia creates the demand. Omnimerchandising fulfills it.

After a day that started at 7 Am and ended at 5:30, Kerry and I went to dinner and walked to the NY Library on 5th Ave. We were stunned to find that it closes at 7:15! Here is my esteemed leader sitting on a chair right in front of the front door of the library. As he said, it is probably the only time we'd ever be able to do that!

Hey, everyone. Kerry and I are in NYC at the Business and Design Conference hosted by the Corporate Design Foundation. Held at the newly built New York Times building -- what a fantastic structure.
About 200 people here from all areas of business and design, featuring outstanding specialists in the field.
For the full agenda go here: http://www.cdf.org/forms/the_third_issue_business_design_conference.html

Day started with a presentation on Publicolor, a mostly NYC-based nonprofit designed to fill sad public schools with color. To quote Ruth Lande Shuman, the founder and president, "Color has power."They have demonstrated that by filling schools with rich, happy colors, kids are more engaged, there is less hostility in the school and kids feel respected. For more on Publicolor, go here: http://publicolor.org/

Also really enjoyed a presentation from Joe Mansueto from Morningstar. He told the story of how they incorporated design from the day the company started in 1984. As he was quick to say, using design as a business decision was niche then. Now it is just and ante to get into the game.
Here's Morningstar: http://morningstar.com/