modern8 eNews: October 2003

The power of design is evident in a lot of places lately. This month, the eNews reviews the strategic value of design. We illustrate it with photos of objects around the offices and homes of modern8 employees.

One of the world's best-known management thinkers, Tom Peters, says that "design, like lifestyle, is one of the few differentiating factors, and companies that ignore the power of elegant and functional design will lose". The co-author of one of the most popular business books ever written (In Search of Excellence, HarperCollins, 1982); his Peters Principles are profiled in the October issue of Fast Company magazine (Link). One of his six principles states that "design is so critical that it should be on the agenda (along with a professional designer) of every meeting in every single department".

The cover story of this week's issue of Newsweek (Link) is titled "Design Gets Real: How It's Changing the Way We Work and Live." In the first issue ever devoted to design, Newsweek says, "Design has never been more accessible or more emotional...Today the best designers worry as much about the way things feel as the way they look". The magazine features a guide on names to know, objects to covet and ideas to ponder, including an article on how Target Stores use design to "solidify it's position as the alternative to Wal-Mart, a place for people who believe that quotidian life holds satisfactions beyond getting the lowest price on paper towels".

The American Institute of Graphic Arts, (Link) the oldest and largest association for design professionals, held its bi-annual conference last week in Vancouver, British Columbia. The event, titled "The Power of Design", was attended by modern8 Creative Director, Randall Smith. Speakers and presentations focused on the value that design adds to the economy and society.

No design fanatic is more obsessive than Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Computer. He demands that every phase of the customer's experience-right from the ritualistic opening of the carton-be an esthetic adventure. A columnist for SFGate, (Link) the online San Francisco Chronicle, explains it this way; "Apple actually cares about this sort of thing. Which is odd. Which is rare. Which is why they deserve gushing adulation now and then. They actually put the time and energy and labor into creating a gorgeous package most people will toss anyway". It's no wonder that Apple is the computer of choice for creative types in any industry

We believe that design has a powerful role in business strategy and adds significant value to clients' interests. As practiced by modern8, "Design" is a larger concept that includes strategy as well as artifacts across a variety of disciplines. Not only do we design objects - brochures, logos, books, posters, websites and the like, but our approach to thinking plays an important role. We are catalysts in the process of designing, opening up new opportunities for our clients. No matter what the project, the process of designing at modern8 - its overall approach - is consistent. The process is described in detail on our website (Link)