May 2015

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 27 may 2015

Staying close to the customer and fulfil his needs and wants has been the mantra of successful brands and businesses. Technology has brought the customer even closer and given brands the opportunity to better understand and analyze the customer behavior and focus strategies to satisfy him/her. Considering the highly competitive and fast paced world of fashion and luxury, established luxury brands need to think like disrupters by putting customers at the center of their strategies. Disrupters focus on 'jobs to be done' in the present. Clayton Christensen's disrupter framework focuses on consumers' social, emotional or functional problem, and turns business into its solution. This framework makes innovation independent of the latest technology or the hottest new gadget and firmly relies on human behavior. Thinking about customers and their behavior patterns provide brands insights into the future. Understanding the next generation of customers and removing friction from their brand experience with a well thought out solution will hold the key for the brand's survival. Following are four ways established luxury brands can succeed by staying close to the customer - (1) Create a seamless path from inspiration to purchase. (2) Make your brand narrative attainable, intuitive and immersive. (3) Evoke in your customers the feeling of belonging and being special. (4) Serve and reward. Read on...

AdAge: Luxury Brands Must Innovate or Die in the Digital Age
Author: Ana Andjelic

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 19 may 2015

Today's architects require knowledge and expertise of architecture-focused technology tools and softwares to stay ahead of the curve. Moreover they have to continue to upgrade and update their skills through variety of courses and tutorials available through traditional educational institutions, corporate training programs, paid online courses and free tutorials on internet. ArchDaily has compiled a categorised list of online tutorial websites that offer learning of architectural softwares - (1) General Purpose Tutorial Sites: Lynda.com (Online courses and video tutorials site); Visualizing Architecture (Alex Hogrefe has created a comprehensive list of tutorials for creating compelling images. Most techniques can be achieved using SketchUp and Photoshop); Ronen Bekerman's Blog (Provides case studies. Showcases their own work, explaining how they created a single render from the modeling stage to post-production). (2) Pre-Production (Modeling, Drawing and BIM): Autodesk's Youtube Channel; Bond-Bryan BIM Blog by Rob Jackson; Nick Senske on Youtube; Jose Sanchez's tutorials at Plethora Project on Unity3D game engine, Autodesk's Maya software, C#, Python and Javascript and also Rhino and Grasshopper; NYCCTfab on Vimeo (Tutorials by New York City College of Technology's Department of Architectural Technology Fabrication Lab, on Revit, Rhino and Grasshopper). (3) Production (Rendering and other forms of image creation): Simply Rhino Webinars; V-Ray Website. (4) Post-Production (Adobe Photoshop and other image manipulation software): Vyonix Tutorials; ARQUI9 Visualisation on Youtube. Read on...

ArchDaily: Architecture Software Tutorials - Which Are The Best Out There?
Author: Rory Stott

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 02 may 2015

Seven design experts and judges of the 2015 Innovation by Design Awards define what an innovative design means to them - (1) Richard Florida, founder of the Creative Class Group: Innovative design is strikingly elegant but simple and intuitive to use. (2) Mark Rolston, founder of argodesign: By its very nature it should surprise us. It exposes the intrinsic power of technology. It reminds us of the profound nature of invention...should make life more beautiful. (3) Bradford Shellhammer, founder of Bezar: Did this design change the world and change it for the better...I am much more interested in the problem design solves. (4) Andrew Dent, vice president of library and materials research at Material ConneXion: How is it solving the problem it was designed for? What new approaches have been taken in this solution? Is it really offering an improvement over other designs or is it just 'new'?...I always initially zone in on the materials choices. I feel that there needs to be at minimum an 'appropriateness' when selecting them. (5) Bobby Martin Jr., co-founder of Original Champions of Design: Innovation comes from pushing beyond the expected... Innovative design is thoughtful, appropriate and ambitious. Innovative design is risky, so not everyone can be an innovator. (6) Dan Gardner, co-founder and executive creative director at Code and Theory: Is the design timeless? Does the design demonstrate new thinking and/or solve a problem in a new way? Does it have broader impact and application beyond the specific instance of the design? Does the design affect behavior in a meaningful way? (7) Stuart Karten, founder of Karten Design: Innovative design is new and different. It introduces aesthetics that haven't been seen before...the product must be meaningful. It must respond creatively to a real market need...when 'inventive' tech-driven products have functionality that is driven by people and connects to human needs that innovation occurs. Read on...

Fast Company: What Is Innovative Design? 7 Designers And Thinkers Weigh In
Author: Suzanne LaBarre