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Articles on Design

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For businesses to make a success of design thinking, they must exercise common sense by being clear about their goals and setting realistic targets. (Shutterstock)

How businesses can determine if design thinking is right for them

Design thinking isn’t a cure-all for every organization, nor is it a dying fad. But in the right circumstances, it can bring great value to a business.
Researchers studied whether subtly being exposed to different colors could change tipping behavior. Anutr Yossundara/Shutterstock.com

Want better tips? Go for gold

Studies show a weak relationship between tip amounts and quality of service. But the color gold seems to have a way of making diners feel wealthier – and more generous.
Senior leaders need to move beyond design thinking as it’s often introduced in non-design-savvy settings, like business schools, and get to deep design thinking that inspires and ultimately produces results. (Shutterstock)

Beyond Post-it notes: How to drive innovation in 2019

Leaders in private and public organizations should seek creative problem-solving skills to better innovate. Design thinking may be the answer.
Record companies released stereo demonstration albums that showcased how sound could move from left to right, creating a sense of movement. From the collection of Janet Borgerson and Jonathan Schroeder

How stereo was first sold to a skeptical public

Sixty years ago, stereo promised to forever change the way people listened to music. But how could record companies convince customers to buy a new record player, speakers and amplifier?
Tokyo design studio nendo responds to the work of M. C. Escher. Sean Fennessy

Escher x nendo will surprise, delight and challenge

There is nothing to prepare us for the shock to the senses in the National Gallery of Victoria’s latest exhibition combining the works of M. C. Escher with Japanese design firm nendo.
Loneliness has become a global epidemic, and urban design can be either part of the problem or the solution. Melbourne School of Design

Designing cities to counter loneliness? Let’s explore the possibilities

The cities we build in turn shape our society. So when so many of us feel lonely, we should aim to apply what we know about the social impacts of design to help people connect with each other.
Tiny Paley Park, surrounded by skyscrapers in New York City, introduced the concept of a ‘pocket park’ in dense urban centers. Aleksandr Zykov/Flickr

Parks help cities – but only if people use them

Research shows that access to urban green space makes people and neighborhoods healthier. But parks can’t work their magic if their design ignores the needs of nearby communities.
Design is now being lauded as a much-needed mindset for business leaders – those seeking a customer-centred approach to innovation, reimagining operations and rethinking supply chains and financial models. (Shutterstock)

Why designers have arrived in corporate boardrooms

New design executives are making the case that integrating design across an entire company will have a positive impact on employees, customers and the bottom line.
Some believe the color pink can calm unruly inmates. Others say it’s a form of humiliation. Mohd KhairilX/Shutterstock.com

Can pink really pacify?

Famously feminized by the Nazis – and later used in prison cells to limit aggression in inmates – the color pink toes a shaky line between social psychology and gender stereotyping.
The on-paper designs for furniture belong to the designer, just like any other artists. But things get more complicated when designs become physical objects. Shutterstock

Explainer: can you copyright furniture?

How are furniture designers protected by law, and what is an ‘original design’ when aesthetics meets functionality?
The basic principle of ecodesign is the concept of life cycle, which aims to take into account end-of-life considerations. paulaphoto/Shutterstock

How eco-design earned its place in the corporate world

To reduce the impact of its activity on the environment, a company must take into account not only the effects generated by its production, but also the end of life of its products.
Murri sculptures (2012) by Reko Rennie (Kamilaroi) at Melbourne’s LaTrobe University. LaTrobe University

Ten classics of Indigenous design

From the Budj Bim acquaculture system to the Aboriginal flag, Australia has a long history of Indigenous design excellence. Here is our pick of 10 contemporary design classics.
Peter Thomas of the Winnipeg Art Gallery (left), Marcel Dionne of Roarockit (centre) and Jaimie Isaac, curator for Indigenous/Contemporary at the Winnipeg Art Gallery (right), are seen building a skateboard using a do-it-yourself kit in this 2017 photo. Art and design schools should reward those who actually build and create more than they do design theorists. (Author provided)

Art and design schools must cultivate creators, not theorists

Even as our world goes digital, there will always be an appetite for craftsmanship, for art and for the work only human hands can truly bring to life. Art and design schools should celebrate creators.

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