Having grown up in a house where proper etiquette and table manners were strongly enforced, this product strikes a cord. From Demelza Hill’s website, her Snap and Dine product encourages proper tableware use even in an informal outdoor evironment.

via CoolHunting

One of the many great photos I took. It’s like my very own postcard!

Labor day weekend I became a bit of a tourist in Boston- the city I grew up in. As a local or a tourist, I would definitely recommend taking a PhotoWalks tour to get a different perspective of the city (both the story of the city and through the camera lens). Not only did I learn a bit of Boston history, but I learned some great reinforcing tips on composition and camera angles. It really is fun and interesting for beginners or photo-hobbyists. The 1-1/2 hour tour really went quick and I’m sure I’ll be back for another. Thanks Saba for the tour of Beacon Hill!

Dutchland Drive-thru in West Bridgewater, MA
For snacks, goodies, and all your convenience store necessities.

This is such a clever (and marketable) way to bridge emotional connection to comfort foods, as well as addressing chocolate for health benefits!

The range, which includes The Chocolate First Aid Kit, Mini Emergency chocolate bars, and Seven Day Prescriptions, will be available across the UK from Waitrose, John Lewis and Fenwick.

via DesignWeek

Above is from an event that’s passed, but I just liked the image

via It’sNiceThat

Do You Matter? won’t exactly be an eye-opener for most industrial designers. Indeed the author podcast makes it clear that business leaders are the target audience. Fortunately for Core’s readership, from a personal perspective, the answer to the title question is a resounding yes. Brunner and Emery have literally written a book saying that industrial designers are the answer to corporate irrelevance! So while designers may not learn much from Do You Matter?, it would be in all of our best interests to get a copy in the hands of senior managers everywhere.

via Core77

read more at BusinessWeek

Q: How do you view the current state of Chinese design?
A: We’re not short of good designers in China, nor good design agencies and good clients. What we do lack is a systematic approach to design, a design process with a particular cultural basis. I’ve always believed that it’s the underlying economic foundation that determines what can be built. The current boom in the Chinese art market is a result of the expansion of the economy.
I am convinced we will soon be seeing a similar boom in Chinese design. The important thing for a designer is to be able to use economic, artistic, cultural and scientific methods to make design something three-dimensional. Design that only considers artistic or scientific aspects is not good design. So many designers now fail to use this three-dimensional approach when they design a product. They only consider aesthetic aspects and try to copy that clean European look. That is someone else’s creation and they’ve been developing the style for decades now. Even if we do design like that really well, that’s not being creative, it’s just continuing what’s gone before. We ought to be creating an age of three-dimensional design
that is our own thing.

Q: What kind of designer would you like to become?
A: I don’t think China is short of good designers, what it does lack is professional ones. There are no professional standards by which you can measure this industry. I think a professional designer needs to have passion for design, a sense of responsibility and sincerity in their job, and the will to learn. Design is like digging a well. If you haven’t found water it’s because you haven’t dug deep enough. All you have to do is keep on digging deeper and eventually you’ll find fresh water.

Q: Do you have any advice for young designers?
A: Study. Keep at it. Love life. A designer should be a person who really knows how to live.

via visionunion

Left: Chairs seen at an Antique store in Hingham, MA
Right: Cherner Armchair from DesignWithinReach

I got to see an old high school friend this weekend and we were taking a nice stroll to Starbucks. On our way there we passed this cute little antique store (chairs on left). They are quite interesting and the fabric is so vibrant! It so happened in one of my recent magazine subscriptions that there was an advertisement for the DWR Cherner Chair (chair right). Now, this got me to do a little simple research and found: aha! Custom Cherner Chairs. Now, who will be the one fooled to buy very contemporary furniture from an antique store? I wonder if the store owner knows the whole story…

Check out the very simple, yet necessary information at the Green Drinks site. They have groups worldwide!

Good to know basic information, especially as I’m starting to think of my own career path at 1 year out of school and on the job. Go me!

Hierarchy and lifecycle of design titles in Part 1.

Responsibilities and expectations along with some portfolio guidelines in Part 2.