Hasta La Ideas

Reader Roberta submitted the following to Ask Unclutterer:

Do you have any tips to keep track of upkeep for your vehicle, such as when to have tires rotated, etc.?

Unfortunately, there isn’t a cross-the-board answer to this question. All cars need regular oil and filter changes; brake, hose, spark plug, and belt inspections; coolant system flushes; tire rotations; and some need distributor cap, rotor, power steering, manual line, and gas line checks. However, when your car needs these things done is based on the car’s manufacturer, model, production year, and type of engine under the hood. For example, my old Dodge Colt could go 7,500 miles between oil changes, but my VW’s engine needs it every 5,000 (or earlier).

The specific information for when to have your car serviced can be found in your car’s owners manual. If you don’t currently have your car’s manual, you can likely find it in its entirety online or at least order a new one. The website Edmunds.com has a comprehensive list of “Where To Find Your Car Owner’s Manual Online.” (Porsche and Mitsubishi owners will need to contact your dealerships directly to obtain a new manual.)

My car’s manual feels like it is written for a 10-year-old with a first grade reading level, so it was really easy to create a spreadsheet of all of my car’s maintenance requirements. If your manual isn’t written as basic as mine, I suggest finding an online community of people who own the same make, model, year, and engine you do. Someone in the community has probably already created a similar spreadsheet and would eagerly share it with you. If you can’t find an owner’s online community, turn again to Edmunds.com and their recommended maintenance schedule to at least learn what basic work you need done at your car’s current mileage. (The recommendations for my car aren’t 100 percent in line with my manual, but they’re close enough that I think it’d be fine to follow it in a pinch.)

I taped the maintenance spreadsheet I made to a page in the front of a Moleskine notebook that I keep in my car’s glove box. In this notebook, I also record work I have done on the car, dates, mileage, and store my registration and insurance cards in the notebook’s front pocket. If I sell the car, I’ll take out my cards and just pass the notebook along to the new owner. Nothing fancy, but I’m not certain my little VW really needs fancy.

Thank you, Roberta, for submitting your question for our Ask Unclutterer column.

Do you have a question relating to organizing, cleaning, home and office projects, productivity, or any problems you think the Unclutterer team could help you solve? To submit your questions to Ask Unclutterer, go to our contact page and type your question in the content field. Please list the subject of your e-mail as “Ask Unclutterer.” If you feel comfortable sharing images of the spaces that trouble you, let us know about them. The more information we have about your specific issue, the better.

While Architectural Record is flying high this week with their new iPad/iPhone availability, they’ve also been handed a bit of bad news. Their longtime designation as the American Institute of Architects‘ official magazine has now left them, with the AIA’s announcement that they’ve partnered with the publisher/media group Hanley Wood, which in turn makes their Architect the magazine that will be receiving the organization’s seal of approval. So for you AIA members, consider that your explanation when your free issues of A.R. stop arriving and this strange new glossy with a somewhat similar name shows up in your mail slot. Be not afraid, timid architects — here’s a bit about what members are going to get out of the new deal:

Under the new partnership agreement, AIA members will receive four Hanley Wood publications as a benefit of membership. Hanley Wood’s ARCHITECT becomes the official magazine of the AIA. It will feature exclusive coverage of all AIA programs, and initiatives, including AIA Knowledge Communities, State and Local AIA Chapter activities, and efforts that involve individual members, with an increased focus on three primary areas-design, business, and technology. The magazine will showcase design and design excellence wherever it is evident.

Members will also receive digital editions of Hanley Wood titles residential architect, EcoHome and Eco-Structure, including full access to their respective web sites. Each of these magazines will provide AIA members with the information they need to take their practice — or careers — to the next level through news, case studies, and research on essential sustainability practices and products as well as a niche focus on residential design, important to a large number of AIA members.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Eindhoven designer Laurens Manders has created this lumpy safe for stashing possessions with sentimental value. (more…)

London design studio Construct has given the branding of London’s famous Claridge’s hotel a thorough overhaul, starting with the hotel’s crest which has been redrawn and the logotype which has also been redrawn using a refined weight of typeface SangBleu…

Because it is a working hotel with a huge number of items traditionally branded (from teapots and egg cups through to slippers and dressing gowns), Construct’s task of not just branding, but implementing a consistent and cohesive sense of identity throughout the hotel and the objects within it was by no means straightforward. In fact, the rollout of the new branding is ongoing throughout this year as there are so many different ideas to implement across a huge range of items.

As well as introducing a sophisticated colour palette of jade, gold, white and black, bold architecturally inspired chevron patterns appear on the inside of bags, envelopes and on various objects, publications and goodies guests at the hotel are lilkely to encounter. Here are a selection of images of some of the items (some are mock ups yet to be produced) that display Claridge’s new look:

The branding goes way beyond letterheads and crests emblazoned on the front of menus. On the large inventory of branded innovations is an eye-catching take on a traditional rocking horse – it’s a rocking zebra (the black stripes are playfully on-brand); a rather wonderful chevroned Kimono instead of a dressing gown (a design graphic shown above); a jogging map for guests to plan their morning run in Hyde Park; a quarterly guest newspaper; and a rather nice sterling silver chevron bookmark (below). Even the TV interface has received the rebrand and guests will also come across various seasonal luxury gifts such as an appropriately packaged Easter Egg or a Christmas Pudding. As well as handling the business of creating and conveying a strong brand, Construct have seemingly managed to do something else: inject fun (and not at the expense of luxury) to the proceedings…

Behold, the Claridge’s easter egg!

When parents check in to the hotel, their kids (if of appropriate age and disposition, of course) are given this rather fetching canvas bag which is full of various goodies, including toys, card games and stickers

“We put aside design dogma that prescribes the corporate and repetitive approach of a consistent logo on every item possible in the belief that if you see it often enough it will be remembered,” says Construct’s creative director Georgia Fendley of the approach to the rebrand. “We felt that this was overkill and in fact did not allow the personality of the hotel to shine through. Better, we felt, to celebrate Claridge’s unique qualities by expressing them through a hundred exquisite experiences. Claridge’s needed branding with a degree of flexibility and imagination that enables staff to deliver a level of service that cannot be prescribed but is intuitive and personal.”

constructlondon.com/

claridges.co.uk/

we have been asked by WARSAWA DESIGN WEEK organizers to prepare exhibition which would be for this event in June from 4-13. Name will be DESIGNEAST OF..