Monday, August 17, 2009

I am no "other" therefor must be a "Designer " advocate.

Are you a Designer? I trained as one, it's in my blood, 24/7 ever heard of Designer dreams?
This is why Designers and Artist we are nocturnal and the night is our world. Finally when we have to sleep our brain is the still a Designers brain and keeps on creating.
Lucky are those of us who wake up and sketch down the ideas in the middle of the night, often they are the best. But then aren't we surrounded with everything Design truly 24/7 I guess nothing touches us more in life than Design. Ok now Design may be called many other things these days such as "Branding" and the list is long

Abracadabra Abracadabra Abracadabra its still D.E.S.I.G.N. and nothing else

This is my 1st blog post so bare with me, it's a bit long but I promise shorter ones will follow .

If you are not or are an aspiring Designer, welcome to our world, where everything, but Nature has been designed by Designers back to the initial most ancient Art form known the Spiral.

Even as nature is being dabbled with, by relentless gene innovation, there will never be an end to the path climbing the mount Everest of Design. A question will remain. Have we reached camp one or two or are we climbing the treacherous killer north facing wall ?

This reminds me, years ago in an interview, I told a magazine. "I rather be caught naked alone on a deserted beach, than without a camera". In this digital age this has become even more true since I am armed with 10megapixel shotgun unless I sleep. Visualsenses is my web photo presence. Then I was asked to explain "Why naked on a beach"? I replied, because nature is perfect and can't be redesigned. So for me it is the only place where my mind can totally relax. If I see a swim suit or anything designed, my mind will attempt to re-Design the colors the shape, I can't control it.

The world of Design is all about brief, directions, inspirations, imagination that I take from the beauty of nature and anything that fuels my imagination. Books, magazines, museums, the net and make these the path to follow what I call "DesigneReligion" that suits my motto well :

There is light since there is Beauty

This blog will be about:

  • Design with a capital "D"on a personal scale. Showing some of my Design concepts, good or bad. I leave you judge and look forward to your comments and thank you for your time in advance.
  • Linking to with other Designers and their work will be part of several points I'd like to focus on here.
  • Attempting to raise awareness and recognition for the listing of our Design skills and trade on websites registration forms worldwide.
  • Making this the trampoline to networking with Designers. Creating something as a team, would catapult me into "Blog heaven". Getting concepts listed on http://gizmodo.com "Gizmodo" or other informative Tech Blogs would be most than appreciated. OK, I admit it would be an ego thrilling Internet achievement in my eyes.
Honestly said, I always wonder who do they get the "Design Concepts' delivered like fresh bread every day to the pleasure of our eyes. And how can I send them some of my concepts to have them judged good or bad or unnecessary. Where is the " Send your concept " button ?
Another subliminal idea why this Blog is being created, so I can tweet about it. Although I never fancied seeing my self sitting on a branch telling the world " What am I doing now" but it's the "IN" thing to do. Although the tweeting branches seem to be "over capacity" way too often.
So I will rough my feathers stand my ground and hopefully find answers to some questions.
Where do most concepts shown, end up? How many of them will ever be made? How many use Blog platform to increase exposure? Who can tell that his Blog put him in touch with the right RD entity? Who dares to tell that her/his Blog created that hanging bridge connecting him to household name brand telling him " We want to talk to you about your concept and how can we together take it to market" and paid handsomely for doing so.

Sharing a concept safely in public, a good one that is, has never been easy. Due to, eagles, falcons and sharks combined, going for the kill. Just my vision of the speed, shrewdness and intelligence some in our world can "re-create" anything. Naturally for their own profit, and usually faster than the initial creator, most of the time leaving them out of the equation. Has the Internet not also become a new fuel for these kind action called "industrial espionage"? Sure a question to be debated. Anyone?

It usually goes upstream. Working from Canada now I'd love to compare it to Salmon swimming upstream and Grizzlies sitting there fishing for Design Ideas as feast, to bolster their winter hibernation while the Designer try their best to swim up stream to spurn something noticeable before passing.
Poor Van Gogh, I wish he had the Internet then he might have made some online sales.
Lets face it. There is a world between Designing a concept and realizing a 1st sample .
Although it's getting easier. At least we can now create in 3D and conceive visually what years ago was refined labor of love made of cardboard glue and anything that could simulate your concept model. Now our mailbox receives frequently invitations from Asia based companies offering RD services for a fee.
Do I recall sharks, eagles or only lovely Panda bears? Having worked in Hong Kong and China for nearly 30 years I can't help recalling iPHONE or anything worthwhile a making $ copies.

As really funny example: A close friend of mine then owner of the Louis Vuitton stores in many Asian capitals called me asking for Designer advise. Her staff has just uncovered a factory holding a significant amount of LV branded rolls ready to produce counter made goods. She managed to have police seize the goods and bring it to her ware house. So the dillema was how to distroy the chic plastic ? That was her query. Burning was too polluting and no other choice came accross her mind. Teasing her at first I insisted on enough of the material to wallpaper all my appatment doors as fee. Joke by side. We came to the conclusion if she used some of her skilled labor to cut across the entire roll every 1cm or so nothing could be done with it further.
So she did. Weeks later Hong Kong was flodded with cutest looking LV key chains with brass name tag and brass rings etc. It just shows there is always a Designer ready to Design what is needed. She gave up on it like Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel. Who says that being copied may cost the brand a lot of money. But in the end its the best free advertising. Those buying copies would never spend the money or have the budget for the real thing anyway.
To me having studied in Paris and trained at YSL and run one of his Rive Gauche Stores in Europe it comes down to the same Designer Diffusion. Pierre Cardin made the best choice. Selling the name the flodded so many continents in the 70s and 80s for a fee ( and it still was copied) as there is always cheaper and cheaper the hierarchy never stops. If Chanel couture and other Couture brands would produce Cardin Style ranges their revenues may ( or may not) multiply . Don't quote me on it . But there is a reason why most Designer brands make more money with Perfume and Cosmetics than with clothes. Its still cheaper to wear Chanel V than a Chanel suit or Handbag. Our Cat Chanel a real "Kouture Kitty" adores the brand as you can see.

Sorry for drifting along the Brand stories . Back to thinking how to protect a Design I can only say that my pockets to protect my Design are sure no match a very glossy shiny Apple.
I am no Apple fan beside Granny Smith but I must admit "Apple" sounds more natural then "Zoon" to me and nearly every one ends up wanting or just "oogling" at the not next of kin's "iPHONE" with a look that says iWANT or disdain.
MS must admit it's defeat. It is one, if not "the" Dsign object of the decade. But the restraint that comes with these Designer gadgets make me wait further for total "Open Source,-Android" kind of devices that my partner is a great supporter of.

As Designer we often need to sacrifice years of savings to fit the bills of one particular project, close to our heart. Unless one finds the willing RD partner to invest jointly or fully. Heaven forbid it is electronic, then the fees are astronomical to have something made by a professional RD department.

So I wish to all Designers that a brand has spotted your Design, offers you to become part of their effort to bring your idea to market and particiapted to allow the "Dsign convergence."


Convergence: The occurrence of two or more concepts coming together, the approach of an multiple and infinite ideas coming meeting to create the center that is the Design, the ideal of common ground between the brief. the theories make the act of converging coming closer.

So the author want to write a blog but can't spell design? You may say so. But there is a reason for everything. Here is my explanation for custom spelling "Dsign".
Anything from THEsign to Designcandy etc has it's registered URL. Worcester sauce is spelled that way but if you are a true English speaker you'll know one tells it another way.
So why not "Dsign" as D = De? Therefore I will always write Designer or Design with a capital "D" my way to make my statement.

What is a good Design concept? We know it, there is no good or bad Design. There is always a market for something and a need to cater to a particular object. Sadly in this world, it's the ugly that wins the race at the relentless mercy of the bottom line of sales.
Most Designers will always attempt to create better nicer more aesthetic, but the bottom line and , no not man in black, but men in boring grey suits and their slaves to numbers only decide what and how things will be produced or not. No surprise many USA cars look they way they do.
Ever wondered how a "Madeoff Brand" designed (with a small "d") would drive? I am sure you can guess. He would be driving a RR and you will be stuck waiting for help.
Sadly the same goes for many Designed goods in this world produced by giants who may have invested big with the latter chap now sitting tight and who are only interested in the bottom line, be it personal or corporate.
Why so many Designers will not claim their stake in the line up for Designer recognition. Who wants to be famous to have designed the teddy bear print on 2ply toilet paper although it makes millions and sold all around the world? Well sadly there are more tissue paper like brands than Designer goods. I think you will agree with me on the principle that here is no Brands of expensive Designer goods that outsell the simplest of plastic bag advertising the logo of its supermarket in any continent. In Hong Kong alone statistics show that daily a minimum of 60million little plastic shopping bags are used. They were "Designed" and produced by someone somewhere for a fee way below the Gucci or Prada, Handbag hoarding socialites worldwide.

But the end is near. Nature may be winning as rumors have it that Top Models in New York are saying it is more fashionable to be preganant than strutt your Designer bag down on Fifth avenue. So Designer Bag eat your heart out . If the Baby is naturally made and not by some Designer clinic genious fertilisation than Nature may be on to something of a winning streak or is she?

Without Design nothing would and does exist. I'd like to compare this to the fact, that nearly nothing that we touch in our every day life has not been once moved by truck. Hey, even myself
in my younger years.

Have you ever registered on a website?

I am sure you have. How many times were you asked to describe your profession by the clicking on one of your choice.
Would you agree with me that it is then that you were confronted with the usual drop down window, listing every career type in the world, but that of "Designer".

No this Blog will not be an ongoing rant about it.

This Blog will attempt somehow to raise awareness with all entities involved.
  1. Query the forgetting of our skill in most registering drop down options.
  2. Possibly invite Designers to list comment and subscribe to this blog
  3. Attempt to contact and list all major companies who seem to forget our skill
  4. Gratify and list those who do have us listed as an existing skilled labor force
  5. Maybe will debate and compare the ration companies working with Designers but ignore their skill in their online etiquette in general.

Since I started noticing that in most online drop down menus our profession does simply does not exist I have made a point to write Design with a capital "D" on purpose and throughout my Blog I will continue to do so. English grammar eat your heart out. Ja, Oui, Si, Yes to "Dsign"

ǝlʇʇıl ɐ sǝʞɐʇ ʎluo ʇı
uʍop ǝpısdn plɹoʍ sıɥʇ uɹnʇ oʇ


Thank you Google for this platform. But why you the Guru of search, do you not give me the choice to click on the word "Designer" when creating my online profile within the setting up of this Blog?

It is amazing that corporations that scream out loud that everything is Design and who would not exist without all forms of Design have website of the utmost intricate architecture
but do forget that we exist.

When you want us to register with our e-mail and fill your database with our personal information please do not leave us with a total void when it comes to tell you that it is Design we do and Designers we are.
Nor am I "other, or accountant or the usual kind of profession listed.

I am a Designer (just one of close to 2 Million listed on Google "Bloggers with an occupation of Designer" 190.000 pages of 10 listing exactly).
I would appreciate to find my profession fully listed, not only in your options dearest Google, but on the Internet as a whole.