Hasta La Ideas

We’ve just pulled the switch on the latest 1 Hour Design Challenge: Ideation Sketches! This time, we’re inviting designers to create the most number of ideation sketches, on any subject, in 60 minutes. Here are all the details:

THEME:
The Most Ideation Design Sketches in 60 Minutes!

DOORS OPEN:
August 4, 2009
9 PM PST (4PM GMT)

DOORS CLOSE:
August 30, 2009
9 PM PST (4 AM GMT)

BRIEF:
Run to the closest printer or copier, grab a small stack of copier paper, and show us some ideation love. Yup, it’s as simple as that–create the most number of ideation sketches in as many angles, forms, and scribbles of a single subject of your choice. If you love shoes, sketch ’em. If you’re feelin’ it for cars, we want to see those. If you’re into cellphones, gadgets, gizmos, fashion, or accessories, have at it! We’ve all seen these ideation pages populating your Coroflot portfolios; now’s your chance to prepare a stunning array live with the kitchen timer set to 60 minutes!

HOW TO ENTER:
Sketch your best pages onto letter-sized sheets of paper (yes, you can go digital also, just have your board be 8.5″ x 11″), scan ’em, and post ’em to the 1HDC submissions forum here.

JURY:
Winners will be selected by Core77 Admin. Quantity counts here of course, but so does beauty–you’ll want to create the s3x, most compelling set of ideation sketches possible. Community discussion is encouraged to help ensure that the best designs win.

CRITERIA:
Judging will be based on sketching and design excellence, focusing on form variation, sketch quality, and composition.

PRIZE:
1st, 2nd, and 3rd place designs will be featured in the Core77 Newsletter, on the Core77 Blog, and gain bragging rights heading into the Fall of 2009.

Good Luck!

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Ctrl+Alt+Design, JOIN:Design Seattle’s Annual Design Review 2009 (photo courtesy of JOIN)

As a young American designer, I am both involved with and excited by the emerging trend of design clubs in America. Although very new, these groups have the potential to create a design scene in the U.S. as vibrant and well-supported as that of Europe. Furthermore, their simultaneous formation signals a shift in American design culture—we now live in a moment where design is cited regularly as a source of economic, social and cultural growth; a national design policy is stewing; and young designers are encouraged to go into business for themselves.

Three independent design associations formed in 2009: the American Design Club in New York, JOIN:Design Seattle, and the Object Design League in Chicago. Established by designers who are dedicated to working independently, these three clubs share a common goal: to support emerging design in the United States by raising the visibility of young designers, helping them find an audience and, ultimately, structure a business. Paralleling a movement on the national stage by the National Design Policy Initiative, these clubs compensate for a serious lack of design support with their own gumption.

While it’s true that young designers are always joining forces, the most striking aspect of AmDC, JOIN and ODL is the similarity and precision of their definitions. None of these groups define themselves as collectives, opting instead to function strictly as associations. Historically, collectives have allowed like-minded people to share resources and produce experimental work, as evidenced by designRAW and release1 in the early 2000s, so why have these clubs deliberately chosen to function as coalitions? The difference is primarily one of disposition: while collectives look inward, focused on their own ambitions and sensibilities, these groups look outward, attempting to build a lasting infrastructure for young American designers, capable of outliving changes in personnel and design culture. This change in outlook indicates two things: first, there is a structural gap in the design industry that demands filling, and, second, design collectives are ceasing to function as a satisfactory solution to this problem.

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This year, Istanbul Design Weekend took place between June 18th and 21st, with the theme of “Mediterranean Design between Present and Future”. The four day event aimed to offer two core groups of activities linked under the theme of Mediterranean design: major exhibitions and cultural events and a showroom circuit of Istanbul’s design shops and galleries, who were invited to compete for best installation. See Esin Arsan’s impressions of the event here.

>> view gallery

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Featured Forum Topic of the Day:
Business Books
by The_Boogey_Man in general design discussion

I realise there’s a ton of websites out there recommending business books but I want a designers point of view. Does anyone know any good books for a designer interested in entrepreneurship and business?

>>Read and Reply

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Designer
LG Electronics USA Inc.
New York, New York

We are currently seeking a Designer for our LGE Design Team. This person will: create designs for the US Market; plan, create concept, idea visualization and rendering while profoundly focusing on the early phase of the project; conduct outside field work such as interviewing consumers & researching retail environments; collaborate with the Corporate Design Center to add value based on US customer and consumer insights; participate in evolving and/or improving LGEUS’ internal design capabilities.

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The best design jobs and portfolios hang out at Coroflot.

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