toy box

Thinking/Designing Out of the Box

I'm doing some research for content for my class next week and visited one of my favorite blogs: The Medici Effect.  I was looking for interesting stories about Innovation - who, what, where, why and how.  Frans Johansson, Author of the Medici Effect, talks about "Intersections" and has a collection of "Intriguing Combinations". 

It was there that I found this video and Frans' well written description of how this video and innovative thinking really illustrates one of the main ideas in The Medici Effect:  If you apply existing concepts in fields where they haven’t been used before it dramatically increases your chances of being innovative.

Credit for the video and concept goes to Front Design, a design firm located in Stockholm, Sweden.

NIKE PHOTOiD

Nike always seems to know how to reinvent itself. From their NIKEiD to NIKE PHOTOiD. Now not only you can choose what color and types of customized details you want but also collect your own color palette from your environment. Check out the video here.

Nume house

This is a very lovely cardboard house for little ones. Especially like the idea that kids can decorate their own house with crayon, paper and maybe with more cardboard to inspire their creativity!
via: the SCOOP

Refused: Return to Waster

One reader who commented on our previous blog Matt from greenUPGRADER took the Return to Waster stamp to the next level. Original designer, Frido was not planning to sell the stamp but share how to make the same stamp with whomever was interested. It was an open source design. Matt felt strong about this stamp so wanted to make the stamp more accessible for everyone. He did some calling and made an arrangement with online stamp shop. Now it is available for $11 (instead of original price of $14) and with the revised line "Refused: Return to Waster". This is a great example of how culture of open and collaborative individuals adding additional values to the original idea to make something even more desirable.

Questioning

Thought the opening paragraph was pretty brilliant so wanted to share it with you. "Questioning" is a really interesting component in a creative process. (Browsed through the contents but wasn't too crazy about how he framed the concept of questions.)

“Those who ask ‘why’ are typically more holistic or whole-brained thinkers, those who ask ‘how’ are typically more box thinkers, and those who ask ‘why not’ are typically the challenging thinkers. All types, of course, are equally valuable and equally required for innovation!”

Click here to visit the site.

Thing a day

Anybody up for the challenge?
"Thing a day"

"Join artists and creators of all types and backgrounds in a collective creative sprint. Thing-a-day invites you to join a daily creative endeavor where everyone who signs up commits to making one thing (project, sketch, exercise) per day and shares it online on this collective blog. Take advantage of the opportunity to share ideas and receive constructive advice while developing new work."

Discovery World

We had an opportunity to visit and work Discovery World in Milwaukee last week.

Discovery World at Pier Wisconsin is a non-profit organization located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on the shores of beautiful Lake Michigan.
Discovery World is committed to educational, cultural, and environmental development.
Our exhibits and programs are designed to inspire exploration and creation, and provide life-long learning for our visitors.

Really interesting and forward-thinking concept for a museum to take on. We're looking forward to reporting more of them in the future.

Soap bottle elephant

We love finding inspiration from repurposed object. Thomas Maguire, a designer from Discovery World shared this with us today. An elephant made of old soap bottle. (Designed by Lori Resch) It is really nicely crafted and color is perfect!

We-think

We-think:
Innovation by the masses not for the masses.

"If the 20th century marked the rise of mass consumerism, one feature of the 21st century will be the rise of the mass participation economy: innovation by the masses not for the masses. Now innovation and creativity are becoming mass activities, dispersed across society. We-think is an effort to understand this new culture, where these new ways of organizing ourselves have come from and where they might lead. In a participation economy people want not services and goods, delivered to them, but tools so they can take part and places in which they can play, share, debate with others...They could change not just the way that the media, software and entertainment works but also the way we organise education, health care, cities and indeed the political system."