The Corvette C6.R
(running the 24 Hours of Le Mans this weekend)
Innovation Means Really Being There
Here’s an intriguing interview with Gary Flint, chief engineer for the innovative new Honda Ridgeline.
This new vehicle redefines what a pickup can and should be. How did Honda get there? By getting out and observing real people. Says Flint:
We didn’t look at what people were buying. We listened to what they wanted… During the Ridgeline’s development I spent an hour
every Saturday morning at Home Depot with my tasty beverage, and I
watched people load things in the parking lot.
When was the last time you got out of the office and just simply observed people going through the stuff of daily life? Out there lies the kind of inspiration that leads to game-changing innovation.
How to survive Art 60…
Jolie-Laide, part 6
The 2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca
(I really like the new Tribeca. Yes, it’s definitely another example of jolie-laide, and I certainly suffer from ugly-car-itus, but I quite fancy this new Subaru. Last year I wrote that "Subaru is the New Saab". With the introduction of the B9, that sentiment has become aesthetically true:
The 1963 Saab 96
Tooting It Without Blowing It…
In other news, metacool appeared in several legitimate (read: print) business publications over the past few months:
- Learning From Blogs, by Virginia Postrel, in Forbes
- The New Instant Companies, by Michael Copeland & Andrew Tilin, in Business 2.0
- More Intelligent Design, by Jena McGregor, in Fast Company
Fast Company’s article made me want to pick up the phone and call my mom: "… Rodriguez’s blog is a must-read for anyone who wants to incorporate design thinking into their work."
Beauty, eh?
And the title of this post? From a book I heartily recommend: Brag! The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn without Blowing it
Form Ever Follows Function – NOT
If you’ve been reading metacool for a while, you know how much I like Don Norman’s Visceral-Behavioral-Reflective model of design. It’s a nice way to reach a deeper understanding of the design of things as varied as cars, jeans, and shopping bags.
Or even fingers (or more precisely, the lack thereof). Here’s a great example of the importance of reflective design, from Joi Ito: Differences in the meaning of finger chopping in Korea and Japan
It’s fascinating how an absent digit can communicate so differently depending on cultural context. Clearly, there’s more meaning in a missing finger than can be captured in its lack of visual presence (Visceral Design) and/or its functional absence (Behavioral Design). Reflective design is about meaning and culture and is where things get interesting in the art and science of bringing cool stuff to life.
metacool Thought of the Day
"I’m a storyteller. I think of a designer as a processor of information — like a scriptwriter or a novelist."
Beausage For Sale
Want some Suntour Superbe brake levers with a sprinkling of beausage?
eBay auction # 716160266
(no, it’s not my sale)
Seth Godin at metacool: An Overview
I’m all about creating beautiful user experiences, so for your viewing pleasure and ease of reference, here’s an overview of Seth Godin’s visit to metacool and our conversation about his new book All Marketers are Liars:
More Beausage, please
Okay, so it’s a neologism; that won’t keep me from liking the word beausage a whole helluva lot.
Here are some more examples of beausage (the beauty that comes with usage):
- Wrinkles on a grandfather’s face
- Gouges and dents on the bed of a 1955 Chevy pickup
- Wear patterns on a boot tread
Would love to hear about more beausage — leave a comment below with your own example.