IDEA CHALLENGE 2007

IDEA CHALLENGE 2007 VOTING BEGINS!

IT'S TIME TO CAST YOUR VOTE.

EVERY VOTE COUNTS.

YOU HAVE THE POWER TO DECIDE!

CXD Gallery, T11A

Nov 14 (Wed), 3pm-5pm

Nov 15 (Thu), 10am-3pm

IDEA CHALLENGE 2007 - YOUR SAY

Come down to the CXD Gallery at T11A on November 14 & 15 to cast your vote for the winning IDEA projects!

Over 30 outstanding IDEA projects have been selected for display at the Gallery. This is the first time lecturers and students are invited to participate in judging the entries!

IDEA MCs and IDEA lecturers will be issued 5 green stickers, and all other lecturers and students will be given 5 red ones. All you'll have to do is collect these stickers from the gallery counter, and then proceed to vote for project(s) you deem innovative and deserving of winning. The top 10 shortlisted entries will fight it out on Dec 7 before a panel of industry experts.

The winning school will bring home the Low Wong Fook IDEA Challenge Trophy.

Which School will be the first in SP history to lay claim to this Championship Trophy? Only YOU can decide!

DESIGNING THE LOW WONG FOOK CHALLENGE TROPHY

LEAVE YOUR MARK!

Come on down to the Main Library anytime between Oct 18-Nov 24 to help design the Low Wong Fook Challenge Trophy. This is a prosumer platform where everyone is invited to collaboratively design the Low Wong Fook Challenge Trophy. This trophy will be presented by Mr Low himself at IDEA Challenge 2007.

3 POSTULATIONS FOR EACH MODEL

Here are 2 looks of the same model. See if you are able to propose 3 different uses for this form. You are free to decide on the size of the model in the course of postulating your responses.



Let's see... ... a clothes hook? An uber stylish lounge chair? What else can it be?

ZBRUSH ADAPTIVE SKIN

If this is your first time using Zbrush, you'll find yourself asking the same question as most first-timers would - why does my model look so raw..... so ugly??

In layman terms, your model (which you should have constructed from a Zsphere) provides the structure, or 'bones' if you will, for which you will cover with a skin.

How? Click 'A' at any juncture, and your model will change noticeably. Click 'A' again to edit your original model.

Still not happy with the skin? Look for 'Adaptive Skin' at your bottom-right corner, and select 'MC' and 'MP'. You might like to tweak to your desired density thereafter. Click 'A' for your results. Viola!

If, at any one point, you have made a mistake and would like to 'undo' previous instructions, use this wonderful short-cut, 'Ctrl + Z'.

Have fun!

ZBRUSH 3.0 vs 2.0

You might this updated version 3.0 rather different from its predecessor 2.0 (mind you, an even more updated version 3.1 is already out!) but fret not. Despite the added (and improved) features of 3.0, those of you who've been trained in 2.0 need simply play with the new version a short while to get the hang of it.

Remember, the purpose of using this IDM learning tool is to help students cast off their preconceptions in order to create a 3D sculpture for postulation later. So, do not start worrying if you are unable to change skins, colour etc.

Emm...what can this be??

IDEA CA1: PAIRWORK instead of INDIVIDUAL WORK

Dear IDEA Facilitators,

Due to implications arising from the 7-day trial where students have to share computers, please arrange for students to complete the CA1 (20%) in PAIRS, instead of individual work as previously stated.

Each pair will submit and present their 3D form (in Powerpoint, no less), and postulate possible applications of the 3D design. Both partners will benefit from the same marks given.

All else remains the same.

BUILDING A COSMETICS BRAND FROM SCRATCH

An entrepreneur puts her heart and soul into every aspect of her new company, from the branding and packaging to choosing the right vendors.

The Entrepreneur: Gabriela Hernandez, 42

Background: A successful art historian and graphic designer, Gabriela Hernandez co-founded the Alma Group, a design agency in Los Angeles, with her husband. Hernandez then left the Alma Group and poured $1 million of her own money into creating a cosmetics startup. She set the company apart by basing its products on the style and craftsmanship of cosmetics from the 1920s, '30s, and '40s (see BusinessWeek.com, 10/3/06, "A Big Impression for a Tiny Lipstick").

The Company: Launched in 2004, Bésame Cosmetics were initially sold through the company's Web site but are now available at department stores including Henri Bendel in New York, Printemps in Paris, and Holt Renfrew in Vancouver, as well as a number of smaller retailers.

Sales: Bésame Cosmetics, based in Glendale, Calif., earned about $40,000 in sales in its first year and projects $1.2 million in 2007.

Her Story: I have been in the creative field for most of my life, so the thought of creating something—a painting, sculpture, photograph—was never intimidating to me. What I did not realize is that the endeavor of creating a living brand was going to entail using every skill I had learned in the past 20 years of my career. How do you go about building the equivalent of a person apart from yourself, a person with values and personality, who speaks to customers when you are not there?

The idea of making a cosmetic product came to me after working on several branding projects for other manufacturers in the industry. I owned many originals from my grandmother's time, and the thought of reinterpreting such lovely items was irresistible artistically. Of course, the market is saturated with makeup brands, but I never saw Bésame as a direct competitor to any specific brand in the market. I saw our market as a very well-defined niche, because our product was targeted and specific as well as being easily distinguishable.

Standing Out in a Crowd
I wanted to build a company with heart and a soul that people could feel from just touching one of our cases, and that could affect women in a positive way. The product had to have the power to bring a flood of memories to the wearer, positive associations that immediately made it endearing and familiar.

How did I make the brand stand out in a crowded marketplace? Creating a brand is like making a person entirely to your specifications. This person has a personality, a moral standing, a temperament, and a physical appearance. When I created Bésame, I infused the brand with a distinct personality that is carried to the customers with every detail in their interaction with the brand.

From the feel of the containers to the smell of the product to the consistent use of patterns and designs to the way our phones are answered, everything is part of a whole, and adds to a distinct experience. Customers know who we are, what we represent, and they even tell us what products they want us to make. Customers are happy to interact with me at events and tell me what they like or dislike about our products.

Brand Personality
A brand's personality is one of the main points of difference in the product landscape, and a memorable one is key to making the brand stick in the consumer's mind. A moral standing is another main component of a successful brand. Customers have to know where the company stands on issues that are important to them. They have to identify with it and share common values to want to display it as something they believe in and trust. Wearing our product really condones our activities in their minds, so [helping them] feel good about their choices is a great way to grow our customer base.

Good brands also have a temperament. They are level-headed, like your favorite financial institution, or hot-blooded like your favorite rock band. Great brands make a strong emotional connection with their customers, and a temper makes a brand more human, and easier to relate to. I chose to make Bésame feminine, romantic, elegant, and unique. Bésame has old-fashion values, is trustworthy and ethical. The brand is anchored in history and it has a heritage by association.

Consistency Is Key
To define how I wanted to communicate the uniqueness of our brand, I first looked at the landscape of consumer brands. I saw a sea of black plastic containers with different logos stamped on their surfaces. I decided to make Bésame unique by molding our own cases, and using more metals in our pieces. Our own molds and designs make our products very distinctive and instantly recognizable.

In the use of graphics, consistency is key. Colors, textures, and lettering all work together to create an image for the consumer to remember, and are the first point of entry into the image of the brand. Color is one of the most powerful features in the packaging. It can be instrumental in finding the brand on a crowded store shelf. I chose brick red and cool cream because red represents passion and a regal elegance, while cream balances the power of the red with a cool counterpart. Our flower motif is used in every product and communication we produce. It is our calling card, and it clearly identifies our brand in any retail environment.

My experience as a photographer, stylist, art director, and designer helped me maneuver the tough terrain of building a cohesive packaging system as well as a retail and Web presence. A new brand is as demanding of your time and energy as a newborn child. Just like your social decisions change when you have children, your decisions also change to serve the needs of the brand when you create it. My choices of advertising venues, brand alliances, and even product offerings had to be filtered through our vision for moving the brand forward.

Vendors as Partners
This is a very hard thing to do, especially when there are so many choices to make that are tied to financial repercussions. We decided early on to mold our components. This required longer lead times and resources, but it made sense for our brand, since the look and materials we use are an integral part of it. We do not follow trends, choosing to produce products that are seasonless, and useful to most women year-round. We do not want to follow the cycle of seasonal goods that are discontinued every three months.

Following our vision also entailed finding suppliers who could see why the brand was different and embrace the challenges of producing its products. These vendor-partners needed to respect our work, our designs and vision, and take the journey with us.

Many formulas that have been presented to us did not fit our vision for the brand. While some of these products were innovative, and would sell well in the right environment, we had to decline. Our customers feel they know the brand so well that the wrong product would seem deceitful or an obvious mistake to them. Just as they would not expect Ferrari to make an economy car, they do not expect Bésame to make the latest wrinkle cream.

Loving It 24/7
At the same time, it was difficult to turn away stores that wanted the brand but did not share our vision for it. The job of brand custodian is one of the most challenging hats I wear in the company. Also, by being a new brand in the luxury market, and occupying a space that was once reserved for beauty's giants, it has been challenging to communicate our position to retailers, who are used to independents that service the junior market or larger brands that have their own boutiques.

People ask me if I take vacations or stop thinking about work, and I have to say no on both counts. But I truly enjoy my work, and it has become part of who I am—I can't just turn it off, nor do I want to. It is the curse of being an entrepreneur, always reaching for the next accomplishment and never satisfied with the norm. Running a company and building a brand is not easy, but for me, it is the most rewarding thing I have ever done.

Entrepreneur's Journal August 20, 2007, 11:43AM

THINKABOUT: TOUCHPOINTS & DESIRED EXPERIENCES

PERPETUATING THE LEGO EXPERIENCE

DEGW Project Faraday - Box Lego Serious Play Workshop. A Lego Serious Play workshop held with four students and two teacher from East Barnet School, and DEGW's Project Faraday team, to explore the future science experience and it's implications for learning settings and interactive experiences. This is part of the research phase of a project to create next generation exemplar science spaces in all UK secondary schools.

AMERICAN APPAREL ON SECOND LIFE

Velvet Tripp walking to the virtual American Apparel Store.

THE BMW EXPERIENCE - DEFINING INNOVATION

Source: www.bmw.co.za/innovations. Shot in the Netherlands utilising the moving sculptures of world-renowned artist Theo Jansen, this commercial, entitled "Kinetic Sculptures" forms part of a broader campaign which serves to highlight BMW's market leadership in the fields of technology and innovation.

PINE AND GILMORE ON AUTHENTICITY

Joseph Pine and Jim Gilmore, authors of the best-selling book, The Experience Economy crashes a conversation and talks about the Statute of Liberty, and the idea of Authenticity and Referential Authenticity.

JOSEPH PINE DOES THE 'YES, AND' EXERCISE

Those who have read The Experience Economy would know what is the 'Yes, And...' Exercise, and how it can help build ideas and encourage innovation.

EXPERIENCE DESIGN: A SIMPLE EXPLANATION

Designing for deeper human experiences...think Disney, Walmart, Starbucks.

IKEA...UNBORING EXPERIENCE

This Spike Jonze piece was commissioned by IKEA to advertise its new lamp...The result? Another typical IKEA experience...unboring.

HARLEY DAVIDSONl LIVE BY IT

Join the club. The faint-hearted need not apply.

WELCOME TO SECOND LIFE

Here's a quick introduction to the virtual world, Second Life.

SECOND LIFE APPLE STORE

APPLE has a Second Life too!

THE GOOGLE EXPERIENCE

How Google internalizes its experience to its staff...so that the internal clients (the staff themselves) can (re)produce the fun stuff we enjoy as customers.

Of course, that'll be the ideal environment... ...

MAC vs PC: WINDOWS VISTA

Witness how APPLE pushes its message over and over again...APPLE simplifies your life.

Poor PC.

NIKE'S AD (RUSSIA)

Don't understand Russian? No sweat. Nike helps you to JUST-DO-IT. See how Nike shares its Just-Do-It ethos across the plethora of sports available today.

Pike Place Market

There's nothing fishy about this place! See how Pike Place Market turns a daily ritual into an experience.

This public market takes friendly customer service to a new level. It's all about fresh food, fun and fish-throwing.

AMERICAN GIRL PLACE

Spend a day at the American Girl Place and witness how American Girl delivers THE Experience!

HOMARU CANTU

A man who knows how to serve an incredibly innovative dining experience - here's Homaru Cantu at the IACP 29th Annual Conference in Chicago.

Centre for Experience Design - Experience Design Interfaces

testing

LESSON 9 - DISABLING COLOURING & PRINT SCREEN TO POWERPOINT

Learn how to disable the colouring command, and to output images of your object into Powerpoint.

LESSON 8 - COLOURING YOUR OBJECT

Learn how to assign a texture to your model and colour the surface.

LESSON 7 - DEFORMING THE ADAPTIVE SKIN

Learn how to further modify your model using skin deformation.

LESSON 6 - DISLODGING PARTS FROM MAIN OBJECT

Learn how to separate various parts of your model from one another.

LESSON 5 - ADDING & SUBTRACTING ZSPHERES

Learn how to add and subtract "joints" from your object.

LESSON 4 - ADAPTIVE SKIN MODE

Learn how to toggle between Zsphere and Adaptive Skin mode.

LESSON 3 - NAVIGATING THE OBJECT

Learn how to navigate around the object.

LESSON 2 - MODIFYING THE OBJECT

Learn how to modify the zspheres and also how to bring your tool back if something goes wrong.

LESSON 1 - CREATING ZSPHERES

Learn how to start creating Zspheres as part of the Ideation component of your IDEA 2.0 module.

WELCOME to IDEATION COMPONENT USING IDM TOOL, ZBRUSH

We are preparing a series of video tutorials. These videos will provide bite-sized, step by step instructions on how to model freeform models in Zbrush.

For more information, you can visit Pixologic's website and download the trial version. If at anytime, you need some assistance, you can post in the Zbrush Central forum. There are many active participants in the community who will be willing to help you.