The capacity to concentrate

Concentration is under-rated. Maybe it's just me, but it's getting harder to carve out quality time of late. Meetings. Projects. All important, necessary stuff. But when the rubber meets the road and deadlines draw near, concentration is key. Enter Ommwriter... interactive agency Herraiz Soto & Co.'s humble attempt to recapture what technology has snatched away: our capacity to concentrate. I've been using it a bit at home and on the road, and love it. Alot. In beta form, Ommwriter is a simplified, less-is-more text processor that makes writing your focus—and keeps the distractions at bay. If you spend a fair share of time writing as I do, you will love this.

Do you know what you want? Spielberg Does.

Incredibly easy for me to understand; not particularly easy to explain; and a complete lack of understanding (or a denial) by many businesses, are the myriad of reasons why senior design thinkers (Creative Directors, Art Directors, [not design stylists]) should be involved in the crafting of every day business, not just design. Spielberg says it best here. Knowing what you want is in large part the result of having spent years of your life imagining things from the inside out. Making things that are completely unrelated and intangible, that when connected in a new context, create a tangible whole. The supreme irony to the business bottom line is this: many people who can champion this often untapped business tool are themselves unable to picture it. The exact people who hold the purse strings literally don't see this potential, and by familiarity and lack of action relegate design to the important but marginalized business of aesthetics. As everyone looks to innovate, compete and pursue business in this new economy, I recommend looking close to home. As Spielberg says..."Can you see this?" For me, that's an easy answer. Vision is the ability to see. Seeing is the ability to think. And in companies wanting to prosper, top thinkers are given the chance to grow.

George Nelson Exhibition at Vitra Design Museum

Anyone who reads my blog with any frequency knows I am a Herman Miller and specifically George Nelson admirer. In fact as I watched this video, I felt a real connection with him for the way he thinks, and his passion for the integration of design into all areas of business. He was a lifetime educator in and out of the classroom. He was a leading writer on design. He was also a designer. And an architect. And to me the most value he added to the world at large was his abilities as a thought leader. He was so ahead of his time. I suspect part of what made him successful was Herman Miller's leadership and their desire to have someone of his caliper involved in the decisions of the company. The rest of his success I'm sure can be chalked up to vision, passion, intensity, and a spirit to innovate that I bet was really contagious. Hope you enjoy this video as much as I have.



( via whatwedoissecret )

Frog Design: Design Coversations, not Products

I'm a big Frog Design fan. I read about anything these thought leaders have to say. I don't always agree, but in this case I couldn't agree more. So how do you apply this idea to a culture entrenched in products? You know, products with three sides...Front, Back and Inside.

Frog's marketing chief Tim Leberecht says..."When you start with the idea of making a thing, you're artificially limiting what you can deliver. The reason that many of these exemplar's forward-thinking product design succeed is explicitly because they don't design products. Products are realized only as necessary artifacts to address customer needs. What Flickr, Kodak, Apple, and Target all realize is that the experience is the product we deliver, and the only thing that our customers care about."

Read the entire article here.

Thought Leader Rob Roy Kelly: On Collecting

I don’t know if collecting springs from some sublimated form of man’s primeval instincts to hunt, but it certainly can be just as intense. I am never happier than when hot on the trail. Whenever I find a good piece after years of looking, and especially if the dealer does not recognize it's true value and it is underpriced, I could easily throw back my head, raise my arms and bay at the moon. Success in the hunt is a most rewarding feeling.

The pleasures of collecting for me have always been more than acquisition of items. It has been the travel; meeting other collectors or dealers who often are interesting people and the thrill of finding something new or unexpected. I experience as much satisfaction discovering information as I do finding items for the collection. I have researched almost everything I collected and knowing how, when, and where appropriate, who made it to be extremely important. Equally satisfying is writing about the subject and attempting to communicate with others about what is most interesting for me.

I live with my collections using them for decoration in both my working and living space. I enjoy looking, comparing, studying and thinking or speculating about each item. The kitchenware collection has been most rewarding in this respect. The materials, ingenuity and craftsmanship are all worthy of respect.

There is often an innate sense for shape, form, color or use of materials demonstrated by the makers that induce true admiration for their sensibilities and workmanship.

For me, maturity of a collector is shown by placing the most prized items into inauspicious corners where knowledgeable visitors can discover the treasures for themselves.

Previous BarryBlog coverage of Rob Roy Kelly.

( via Rob Roy Kelly Obsessions )

Rob Roy Kelly - Thought Leader

Seeing often has more to do with understanding than it does with observing.

Just because something is new or different does not always mean that it represents progress.

A sense of responsibility is revealed by the actions of an individual and not their job title.

Cost is never to be confused with value.

More from the late (and great) Rob Roy Kelly

( via swissmiss )