The guys made a depressing impression, or maybe clueless when I joined them at the bar. They seemed to have all agreed on the fact that something was changing fundamentally – and that it would involve all of them.
But as much as they were in for a change, like in all those endless debates with clients and commissioners, the change happening right now was quite something different, and they didn’t have a clue how to deal with the situation: it seemed that their very existence was at stake!
They made the appointment together, father and daughter, to find out what the bachelor’s program in design management is all about. Apparently, she was looking for a program that would allow her to pursue her affinity for creativity, whereas Dad seemed to have something in mind that would lead to a solid job qualification and be of real value in the economy as he knows it. That’s why the ‘management’ in the program’s title seemed to ease him a bit, and accordingly, he was very curious to find out what the heck ‘design’ had to do with it.
We all want superstars, supermodels – or an ‘idol’!
Millions of TV viewers are following seemingly ordinary people in their battle against competition and aim to shine in the limelight – and with that to gain fame and fortune! It seems to be irrelevant what these people actually do; they just have to convince ‘the jury’ with features others don’t have: if you’re not the prettiest, then be the ugliest; if you can’t sing like Pavarotti, why not name the cat food brand by sniffing at your kitties’ poo? To be at the top of the ladder, it’s essential to be unique and deliver uniqueness; it doesn’t matter if the uniqueness doesn‘t add to anything; it just has to add to yourself. more…
It was one of these design events, like many others in Germany: after the panelists had given their speeches, it was time for the Q&A! Finally, the audience had the chance to express their opinions, and some immediately took the opportunity. It was just a question of minutes for the question to be asked – the one on the status of design within companies! more…
Desperately but somewhat clueless, he was trying to unlock the entrance door with his ID card – like all of us, he had this plastic card on a practical belt clip – but the door didn’t open. I released him from this hopeless situation by opening the door with my personal card and letting him in. It was quite obvious that he was a colleague from within the company, and as it turned out, he was actually looking for me. “Why are the doors locked for company employees?” he immediately wanted to know. “Isn’t there a control right at the main entrance?” more…
Now, after many years of collaboration, I can say for sure that he’s truly favorably impressed: by design, and by designers. I would even assume that he secretly admires us, the designers.
His initially reserved and rejective stance against any member of the ‘design-species’ was resulting from, what I believe, the awareness that he could never do what designers do, but designers might be able to do, what he’s doing – at least if they wanted to… and luckily enough, they didn’t! more…
It’s the time of year, so I was strolling the local Christmas market and passed by a craftsman weaving a basket. Somehow, I was instantly impressed and stood still, observing the basket-maker: his movements were swift and confident, and he even managed to hold a conversation with other observers whilst craftily weaving this basket. All of a sudden, he paused – he was about halfway finished with his piece – as if he felt something was not right: and indeed, the basketwork at the bottom had a different color from the one at the top, also the braid seemed thinner. So he pulled it all apart and started over. Upon which an old lady couldn’t resist and mentioned how pitiful this was, and that she’d never noticed, and that he was almost finished anyway. “Dear Madam, he replied, you have to this work with conviction!” Baskets, he added, should only be sold if they’re tip-top. “If you can improve, you have to improve, even if it means starting all over. You can’t sell inferior crap!” he finished off in a truly convincing manner and continued weaving. The older lady patiently waited until he was done, then bought the basket. more…
It starts to irritate me, the more and more I’m confronted with it: the job title ‘design manager’.
And the longer I spin my head around it, the more this title ends up being an oxymoron (Greek for ‘oxy’ = sharp and ‘moron’ = foolish) – next to this, it’s also not clear to me, which part in the title is the ‘sharp’ one, which the ‘foolish’! more…
In some companies, the design, be it for products, communication, or services, seems to be conceived and executed by a single person: everything just fits together perfectly. But we know that many design activities go into creating this perfect picture. Brands that have understood that a well-orchestrated, holistic experience across all touchpoints solidifies their identity are creating the basis for customer loyalty and are a leading example to all other companies. Like an orchestra playing out of tune, customers will turn away from companies that cannot harmonize the ‘interplay’ of their organizational parts to create a collective performance. Remember the story of the kitchen nightmare? more…
The project team met, and the representatives from the various departments gathered in the so-called war room. This room showcased the progress of the ongoing project through posters stuck on a wall. My contributions to the war-room – the design proposal – were covered with neon-coloured post-its, which made me wonder if this meant any good…