Hasta La Ideas

London Design Festival 2011: Dutch designer Marcel Wanders launched a collection for British retailer Marks & Spencer in London last night, including a pair of gloves with one gold finger tip (below).

The collection for Christmas comprises accessories for men and women, confectionary, cosmetics, homeware and decorations.

See our earlier Dezeen Wire story about the collection here.

Wanders also presents a photographic installation with mermaids floating among the Moooi collection in London this week.

See all our stories about Marcel Wanders here and all our stories about the London Design Festival here.

Here’s some more information from Marks & Spencer:

Marks & Spencer Launches Design Collaboration with Marcel Wanders

On 12th October M&S will launch an exciting new Christmas product range under the creative direction of world renowned designer, Marcel Wanders.

The ‘Marcel Wanders for M&S’ collection is a cohesive gifting range that includes men’s and women’s accessories, cakes and confectionary, cosmetics, Christmas decorations and homewares.

Displayed in store in a unique Marcel Wanders designed gift shop, the collection has been created to excite and surprise customers this Christmas, offering a range of individual and inspiring Christmas gifts.

This is the first time M&S has worked with a single designer to create a collection that spans a range of product areas encompassing food, clothing and home. Marcel was selected for his international reputation, as one of the world’s most influential product and interior designers his work is shown in some of the world’s most important collections including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and San Francisco and the V&A in London. Synonymous with cutting edge design, Marcel co-founded the internationally renowned interiors brand Moooi and has worked with a host of global design brands as well as working on architectural and interior design projects.

The collection comprises over 150 uniquely designed gifts with the Marcel Wanders gift shop present in 60 stores nationwide and a virtual shop avaible online at www.marksandspencer.com.

Stand out products include the unique Teddy Bear nightlight with illuminating nose, an interchangeable set of cufflinks depicting King Henry the VIII and this six wives and the must-have ‘gold finger’ gloves in red leather.

Marc Bolland, Chief Executive, M&S says: “Marcel Wanders is an internationally acclaimed designer and I’ve long admired his original and cutting edge approach to design.

Marcel brings something new and exciting to our Christmas gifting range and I think our customers will be surprised and inspired by his unique and cutting edge designs.”

Marcel Wanders says: “I wanted to create a new collection of personal objects from my heart to you. Design allows us to reach out and inspire and I am so pleased M&S have joined me in my quest to make beautiful design accessible for everyone”.

See also:

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Mermaids by Marcel Wanders	Tableware by Marcel Wanders	Funambule by Patrick de Glo de Besses

Taking a quick look at the artwork on show in the Jameel Prize exhibit—a selection of prize-winning Islamic art and design—we were immediately drawn to this little treasure.

“Negotiating the Space for Possible Coexistences” is an explorations of the contrasts in artist Babak Golkar’s life in America and Persian heritage. If you look closely you’ll notice that the ground plan of these fictional skyscrapers spring directly from the woven rug beneath them. Obviously then, when viewed from above the model disappears back into the pattern.

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Materials Designer (Basketball)
Nike
Portland, OR

As our Material Designer II – Basketball, you’ll plan and execute materials designs, collaborate with design, product marketing, development and material consultants to focus color solutions for market success, review all samples to achieve marketable solution review with design, marketing and development, clearly communicate all changes for final confirmation, and display advanced knowledge and practices in all phases of product execution. You’ll maintain materials calendar/timelines/deadlines for category/division resulting in the timely completion of each product, develop line art, color design server, GPIN, merchandising line, cutting samples & working with material consultant to coordinate materials for products, and finalize product details and proactively follows through on execution of materials on each product. You’ll create innovative, retailable materials solutions for category or gender-specific line.

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The best design jobs and portfolios hang out at Coroflot.

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Over the next months we will be highlighting award-winning projects and ideas from this year’s Core77 Design Awards! For full details on the project, jury commenting and more information about the awards program, go to Core77DesignAwards.com

Designer: Greg Katz and Tom Rim
Location: Deerfield, Illinois, USA
Category: Design for Social Impact
Award: Student Winner

Gobug

Gobug is an interactive toy designed to facilitate an inclusive social learning experience for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. However, individuals of all ages and abilities are welcome to join, play, and learn.

The initial stages of design provided us loads of ideas. We held brainstorming sessions where we “let concepts fly.” Some ideas were worth further exploration while others were held back. During the same time period, we researched the user. It was important to have an understanding of who we were designing for. These activities were continued for a good portion of time to insure a solid platform to work from.

A lot of our user research was performed on an indirect level. We spoke with occupational therapists and read numerous blogs and articles from research databases. We also took advantage of the Core77 Design Arena for the Autism Connects competition. Through this web forum, designers were constantly given feedback for their work from experts in the field of ASD. We took note of these comments and applied bits of information accordingly.

The next stages involved a constant flow of sketching. We narrowed our concepts down to one and began to sketch again. We performed various iterations on the products function; mainly how the user would interact with product and the other users. We also produced loads of concept art dealing with aesthetics and forms.

In a similar time period, we mapped out scenarios in which the toy would be used. Specifically, we used storyboards to present outcomes. This helped us gain a grasp for what would work and what wouldn’t. It also helped us refine our concept into a more tangible and purposeful idea.

From here, we took our concept into CAD and produced a design that best represented our sketch developments and concept art.

Core77: What’s the latest news or development with your project?

We are always looking for new opportunities. Gobug has great potential to make a difference in many children’s lives. We would love to see it go from concept to full development. There’s much work to be done, but the positives that can arise are endless.

What is one quick anecdote about your project?

There was one particular “eureka moment.” We spent time talking to and Occupational Therapist. She mentioned how children with ASD responded really well to a product called the Zoom Ball. This is super simple toy; a football shaped ball threaded with two ropes each with handles tethered to their ends. In short, users pick up the handles and guide them to make the ball move back and forth. Children with ASD have to work together and watch each others body language to play with the toy. We took the fundamental principles of the Zoom Ball and re-imagined them into something with a more modern, innovative and versatile twist. Gobug was the outcome.

Gobug is ultimately designed to be a fun experience, one where everyone is invited. Every individual is unique. We all have certain talents and certain challenges, and we all come in different shapes and sizes. One of the best ways to learn about and understand each other is through inclusive activity.

Read on for full details on the project and jury comments.

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Back in late July, you might remember, the London 2012 Organizing Committee unveiled the David Watkins-designed medals to be given out to the winners of next year’s impending Olympics. Those for the other half of the event, the Paralympic Games, have now been displayed at a press conference held late yesterday. Designed by jeweler and object-craftsman Lin Cheung, they seem to depart a touch from Watkins’ designs, offering something a bit more abstract and, in out opinion, much more poetic and appealing. The organizers describe Cheung’s medals as something that “not only represents the core values, beliefs and spirit of the Games, but that is also a desirable object, rich in elements of illustration, typography and texture,” which is a bit heavy on the symbolism. For a “so what’s the thing look like?” angle, here’s a better description a few lines down on the press release:

The obverse side of the medal represents ‘Spirit in motion’. The image struck into the obverse surface of the Paralympic medal is an imagined close-up section of an outstretched wing of the Greek Goddess of Victory. This image represents forward flight, power and lightness, making it a natural metaphor for the spirit of the Paralympic Games.

The reverse of the medal represents ‘The heart of victory’. Symbolising inclusion and togetherness, it incorporates a direct mould from the heart area of the plaster cast of ‘The Nike of Paionios’, the Greek Goddess of Victory, residing in the British Museum Cast Collection.

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