Hasta La Ideas

pThese days the internet is so littered with hyperimaginative cell phone concepts that chances are some of you reading this are responsible. So, question is: Can you get your concept board down to a single page?/p

pIf you can, you stand to win a pretty kick-ass first prize of US $20,000 Iand/I a Wacom tablet Iand/I $500 worth of Autodesk software. Korean electronics giant LG is teaming up with Autodesk to sponsor the A HREF=”http://www.crowdspring.com/project/2283311_lg-design-the-future-competition/access/” Design the Future competition/A, which asks you to/p

blockquotePredict what’s next. What do you think the next generation of mobile phones should work or look like for the U.S. market in the next 2 to 3 years? We are asking for your help. We’re NOT looking for a long list of specs or phone ideas that already exist. We’re looking for a cool new concept or “big idea” supported by usage scenario and user experience illustrations.

pWe’re allowing only ONE page per submission (1024 x 3072 pixels). Within this page you will need to visualize your concept phone as well as any relevant usage scenarios that help to explain the benefits of your idea…./blockquote/p

pWe like the one-page limitation, as the challenge then becomes as much about storytelling as it is about design. And even if you don’t take first prize, second and third ain’t bad–with $10,000 and $5,000 plus software–and 37 more people will get $1,000 for an honorable mention./p

pUnlike a lot of design comps we’ve seen, the briefing page for this one actually contains a lot of useful information, like “Things to avoid doing” and “Four tips for success.” Check it out A HREF=”http://www.crowdspring.com/project/2283311_lg-design-the-future-competition/access/” here/A.br /
/pa href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/events/design_the_future_competition_submit_less_win_more_16177.asp”(more…)/a
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Real Simple magazine is celebrating their 10th anniversary next month, and they are throwing two amazing parties you can attend for free.

The first event: Chicago, Friday, April 9, from 12-7 pm at Union Station’s Great Hall.

The second event: New York City, Thursday, April 15, from 12-7 pm at Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall.

Each party will feature: “15-minute workshops led by experts on fashion, beauty, fitness, cooking, and more. Performances by Broadway’s hottest shows every hour in New York. Special commissioned performance by the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago. Mini manicures. Food tastings. Gift bags and more.”

At the New York event, I will be presenting a 15-minute workshop on the topic “time saving tips.” I will repeat the same presentation four times from 4-5 pm. According to the current schedule, I will be in the Dining Room of Vanderbilt Hall for these presentations. (The Real Simple website currently says that I’m presenting in Chicago, which is an error. I’ll definitely be in New York.) I will also be attending the Client Lunch from 12-2 pm on the same day (catered by Charlie Palmer’s Metrazur — yum!), and be available to answer questions, sign books, etc.

Again, both events are free and open to the public. The lineup of speakers is amazing, and I’m honored to be participating. If you are unable to attend, you can follow along through the related Facebook group and through the Twitter hashtag #RS10 and @Real_Simple account.

pimg alt=”Thumbnail image for swdc10_flag.jpg” src=”http://www.core77.com/blog/assets_c/2010/03/swdc10_flag-thumb-468×312-2709-thumb-468×312-2710.jpg” width=”468″ height=”312″ class=”mt-image-center” style=”text-align: center; display: block; margin: 0 auto 20px;” //p

pUnless you’ve severed your internet connection recently, your probably aware that Seoul is currently basking in the glory of the title, World Design Capital 2010. This award, still in it’s infancy having started with Torino in 2008, has been met with mixed feeling from the wider design community, some skeptical of its value to the understanding of “design”./p

pWell, Seoul are not letting this get in the way of putting on great, profile-raising show. We reported on the spectacular a href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/events/seoul_design_olympiad_a_design_festival_of_olympic_proportions_11407.asp”Seoul Design Olympiad/a back in October last year in the run up to the 2010, but many a designer is now left wondering, what is actually going on in the South Korean capital now that 2010 has actually arrived? As it transpires (design enthusiasts passing through Seoul this year beware) the answer is – not an awful lot./p

pimg alt=”” src=”http://s3files.core77.com/blog/images/2010/03/swdc10_assetsflag-thumb-468×312-2685.jpg” width=”468″ height=”312″ class=”mt-image-center” style=”text-align: center; display: block; margin: 0 auto 20px;” //p

pCheck out the only design related event we found in Seoul – the Seoul Design Assets Exhibition, after the jump./pa href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/events/seoul_wdc_2010_seoul_design_assets_exhibition_16170.asp”(more…)/a
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pimg alt=”Big-Rethink-Logo.png” src=”http://s3files.core77.com/blog/images/Big-Rethink-Logo.png” width=”241″ height=”247″ class=”mt-image-none” style=”” //p

pOver the past couple of days, there’s been a flurry of information coming from our live-blogging team at a href=”http://www.economistconferences.co.uk/redesigningbusiness/home”emThe Big Rethink, The Economist’s Redesigning Business Summit/em/a. To make it easier for you to navigate, we’ve rounded up all their reports in one handy place./p

pIn chronological order: /p

pa href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/events/the_big_rethink_introducing_the_core77_team__16139.asp”The Big Rethink: Introducing the Core77 team/a/p

pa href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/business/ready_for_a_big_rethink_16133.asp”Ready for a big rethink?/a/p

pstronga href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/business/the_big_rethink_designing_around_what_consumers_want_ethical_underwear_16135.asp”The Big Rethink: Designing around what consumers want (ethical underwear)/a/p

pa href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/business/the_big_rethink_the_challenge_to_business_16134.asp”The Big Rethink: The challenge to business/a/p

pa href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/business/the_big_rethink_thinking_about_the_car_in_a_completely_new_way_16136.asp”The Big Rethink: Thinking about the car in a completely new way/a/p

pa href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/events/the_big_rethink_design_driven_innovation_16137.asp”The Big Rethink: Design driven innovation/a/p

pa href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/events/the_big_rethink_embracing_uncertainty_16147.asp”The Big Rethink: Embracing uncertainty/a/p

pa href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/news/the_big_rethink_day_two_16151.asp”The Big Rethink: Day Two/a/p

pa href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/news/the_big_rethink_ge_case_study_16152.asp”The Big Rethink: GE Case Study/a/p

pa href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/events/the_big_rethink_how_companies_are_changing_16150.asp”The Big Rethink: How companies are changing/a/p

pa href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/news/the_big_rethink_penguin_case_study_16153.asp”The Big Rethink: Penguin Case Study/a/p

pa href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/business/the_big_rethink_virgin_atlantic_case_study_16154.asp”The Big Rethink: Virgin Atlantic case study/a/p

pa href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/events/the_big_rethink_how_companies_will_be_built_around_consumers_in_future_16155.asp”The Big Rethink: How companies will be built around consumers in future/a/p

pa href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/business/the_big_rethink_four_visions_of_the_world_tomorrow_and_how_to_shape_your_company_around_them_16163.asp”The Big Rethink: Four visions of the world tomorrow, and how to shape your company around them/a/strong/pa href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/events/the_big_rethink_all_posts_in_one_place_16166.asp”(more…)/a
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pimg alt=”baskin.png” src=”http://s3files.core77.com/blog/images/baskin.png” width=”177″ height=”169″ class=”mt-image-none” style=”” //p

pa href=”http://www.jonathansalembaskin.com/”Jonathan Salem Baskin/a, author of a href=”http://www.amazon.com/Bright-Lights-Dim-Bulbs-Brilliance/dp/1440178402/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_2″emBright Lights Dim Bulbs/em/a, describes himself as a Chief Heretic. He started out challenging the idea that customer centricity was a new idea. “Did we build western civilisation by accident? Have we not been listening to our customers?”/p

pJonathan counsels us against the idea of the crowd running things. It is dumb that companies like Ford and Microsoft listen to customers and utilise that listening answering the customers’ wants directly./p

pJonathan wants to present us with new ideas for what customer centricity might mean, and explain what we need to do from a design and brand perspective./p

pstrongRecognise we’re all customers: /strongbr /
We’re not passive consumers but potentially active purchasers. If you’re not selling something to your employees they are less likely to be loyal. If you’re not selling to customers they really aren’t your customers. If you’re not selling you’re just talking.br /
/pa href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/events/the_big_rethink_how_companies_will_be_built_around_consumers_in_future_16155.asp”(more…)/a
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