something in the way

Scrabble is a standard board game worldwide which celebrates today its 60th birthday. With 100 millions of boxes sold throughout 121 countries in 29 languages, it is the most sold letter game ever. Despite this success, Scrabble is mostly seen today as an elitist and outdated game. Its play dimension is in a constant slow down. Eventually, the penetration rate is already high in France, and therefore we must recruit (new) young families. Scrabble’s present stakes: - Revamping the brand and its values - Getting rid of an a priori: “Scrabble is not a game only entertaining for the lovers of words and figures”. - Helping to rediscover the richness of the game experience The strategy behind the campaign : our “Big Ideal” for Scrabble: What is the Big Ideal ? Cultural Tension + Brand’s Best Self = Big Ideal For Scrabble : Loss of words in a fast, electronic media driven age + Scrabble is a great fun with words = For Scrabble, the world would be a better place if we loved words more. The principle of the campaign : Different words accidentally encounter during a Scrabble game, giving by chance birth to a world as unexpected as enchanting. Picture a board of Scrabble at the end of a game: words that have nothing to do with each other are crossing and overlapping, to the point that they sometimes tell a crazy story ! Our creative idea is to turn this fabulous potential into images. Everything will be executed by different illustrators, in order to come out with the best diversity in the possibilities offered by SCRABBLE.

Advertising Agency: Ogilvy&Mather, Paris, France
Chris Garbutt Executive: Creative Director Ogilvy and Mather
Arnaud Vanhelle: Copy Writer Ogilvy and Mather
Benjamin Bregeault: Copy Writer Ogilvy and Mather
Mihnea Gheorghiu: Copy Writer
Antoaneta Metchanova: Art Director Ogilvy and Mather
Alex Daff: Art Director
Najin Ha: Art Director Ogilvy and Mather
Benoit de Fleurian: Managing Director Ogilvy and Mather
Marie-Charlotte Lafront: Group Director Ogilvy and Mather
Herve Parizot: President Mattel
Arnaud Roland Gosselin: Marketing Director Mattel

The goal of MICA’s Center for Design Thinking is to develop and publish original research on graphic design while providing opportunities for MICA faculty and students to create and publicly disseminate their visual and written work. The Center uses profits from its commercial publishing projects to fund special research and to provide grants to graduate students to assist with design and production.

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Greener Groceries

MICA was one of six schools selected to display student work at the ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Fair) in New York City. Our project, created by GD MFA students and Environmental Design students, proposes new ways to package and deliver food. What if people ordered their groceries online and had them delivered directly to their homes and neighborhoods? What if we started seeing packaging as a beautiful and valuable resource rather than as trash? What if we could customize package labels to meet our own needs? What if vacant lots and abandoned big box stores were reborn as local farms?

Exhibition: May 2009, New York City
Curators: Inna Alesina, Faculty, Environmental Design; Ellen Lupton, Director, GD MFA

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Exploring Materials: A Hands-On Guide to Product Design
An action-oriented guide to design thinking, this book uses student exercises and inspiring examples from the world of contemporary product design to show readers how to use materials as tools for thinking and making. The book examines materials from several points of view, including traditional uses, experimental uses, techniques and directions for prototyping with everyday objects, and environmental implications. This book is a collaboration with MICA’s Environmental Design program.

Authors: Inna Alesina and Ellen Lupton
Publisher: Maryland Institute College of Art and Princeton Architectural Press
Release date: Spring 2010
Graduate Design Fellowship: Justin Kropp, GD MFA 2010

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Type + Code

After completing their MFA degrees at MICA, Yeohyun Ahn and Viviana Cordova worked to refine their thesis research on code-based typography into a book, Type + Code: Processing for Designers. MICA published the book using print-on-demand technology in 2009.

Authors: Yeohyun Ahn, GD MFA 2007, and Viviana Cordova, GD MFA 2008
Book design: John Corrigan, GD MFA 2008
Publisher: MICA
Release date: Spring 2009
Graduate Design Fellowship: Yeohyun Ahn

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Graphic Design Theory: Readings from the Field
This is the first-ever publication initiated by the Center for Design Thinking to be authored and designed solely by a GD MFA student. The book was conceived, written, designed, and produced by Helen Armstrong (GD MFA, 2009). The Center for Design Thinking helped Helen create a viable book proposal and helped her present the proposal to Princeton Architectural Press. GD MFA faculty provided guidance to Helen throughout the process of creating the book and the associated website, which serve as her thesis work.

Editor: Helen Armstrong, GD MFA 2009
Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press
Release date: Spring 2009
Graduate Design Fellowship: Helen Armstrong, GD MFA 2009
Buy it on Amazon

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Exploring Studio Materials
The Center for Design Thinking seeks to assist faculty from outside the GD MFA program in developing book proposals. We were approached by Mary Hafeli, director of MICA’s Master of Arts in Teaching program, to help her create a book proposal. The Center designed a format for the book, two sample chapters, front matter, and cover for Professor Hafeli’s book. She is using these sample materials to approach various publishers in her field.

Author: Mary Hafeli
Publisher: to be determined
Release date: to be determined
Graduate Design Fellowship: Tony Venne, GD MFA 2009

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Social Studies: Educating Designers in a Connected World
MICA hosted a national conference for design educators on campus, October 17, 18, and 19, 2008. The conference was sponsored by the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) and Adobe Systems. Leading educators from around the U.S. presented their ideas. Numerous MICA faculty are involved as presenters and moderators. GD MFA students designed the event, website, conference materials, and more.

Date: October 17, 18, 19
Web: www.socialstudiesconference.org
Conference Abstracts: Book designed with guest artist Mike Perry

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Indie Publishing: How to Design and Produce Your Own Book
A team of graphic design MFA students at MICA, under the direction of Ellen Lupton, produced a practical guide to publishing, directed at people from all walks of life who want to create and distribute their own content at various scales of endeavor, from personal projects that use traditional bookmaking techniques to larger projects employing industrial production methods. We address the business aspects of independent publishing, from how to get an isbn number (and why you might need one) to using the Internet to market your work. The book also addresses the visual design of books, taking the reader step-by-step through the process of planning and designing a book that has personal style as well as visual coherence and authority.

Editor: Ellen Lupton
Publisher: Maryland Institute College of Art and Princeton Architectural Press
Release date: Fall 2009
Graduate Design Fellowships: Joseph Galbreath and Lindsey Muir, GD MFA 2009
Buy it on Amazon

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Science Zine with Mike Perry
In Spring 2008, illustrator and graphic designer Mike Perry visited MICA to do a design and publishing workshop with GD MFA students. The result of the workshop was “Science,” a collaborative zine created by all sixteen students working on concert.

Release date: July 2008
Distribution: informal

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Graphic Design: The New Basics
This book represents the collaborative efforts of faculty and students across MICA’s graduate and undergraduate design programs, under the leadership of Ellen Lupton and Jennifer Cole Phillips. The book revisits Bauhaus ideas from the perspective of twentieth-century technology and global society. Marketed as “the new basics,” the book has become a must-have text for designers and educators around the world, integrating formal design thinking with digital technology and contemporary media theory.

Authors: Ellen Lupton and Jennifer Cole Phillips
Publisher: Maryland Institute College of Art and Princeton Architectural Press
Release date: May 2008
International rights: Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese Complex, Chinese Simplified
Web: http://www.gdbasics.com
Graduate Design Fellowship: Viviana Cordova, GD MFA 2008
Buy it on Amazon

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D.I.Y. Project Cards
As a spin-off from the D.I.Y. book, Princeton Architectural Press and Chronicle Books invited MICA to produce a boxed set of project cards. The cards were designed and produced by Alissa Faden, alum of the GD MFA program, who was contracted directly by Chronicle Books. Ellen Lupton is co-author.

Authors: Alissa Faden (GD MFA 2006) and Ellen Lupton
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Release date: Fall 2007
Graduate Design Fellowship: Alissa Faden
Buy it on Amazon

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D.I.Y.: Design It Yourself
This is the project that started it all. In Spring 2006, the Princeton Architectural Press published D.I.Y. Do It Yourself, a design handbook edited by Ellen Lupton and written and designed with MFA students and faculty. The book has had a significant impact on design thinking and culture, selling over 40,000 copies. An Amazon.com bestseller in the design category, it has been one of the few books on design that has had a significant cross-over into popular culture.

Editor: Ellen Lupton
Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press
Release date: January 2006
International editions: German, Korean, Chinese (Taiwan)
Graduate Design Fellowships: Katherine Cornelius, Kim Bost, Kristen Spilman, and Mike Weikert, GD MFA 2006; Nancy Froehlich, GD MFA 2007
Buy it on Amazon

Google Newsmap, the timeless online news treemap that not so long ago inadvertly was shut down by Google, has recently undergone an significant update. What originally could be found at marumushi.com (old version) has been redesigned and relocated to newsmap.jp (new version). According to Marcos Weskamp's recent blog post, version 2.0's new features include:

- Rectangularized Treemap Layout: cells are as rectangular as possible, so that there is more room for headlines without chopping them off in several lines.

- Search as you Type: users can search for keywords on the top right, and Newsmap will update immediately.

- Deep Linking: users can "deep link" to any state of Newsmap. As the view is updated, the URL will update as well. This URL can copied and shared.

- Mouse Hover Newstip: news story summaries and accompanying photos are revealed when hovering over the headlines.

- One can also notice the miniscule "Google" logo, what makes me wonder whether Google has somehow endorsed the visualization?

More features are anticipated, including storing search queries as new tabs, adding personalized RSS feeds to the map, and personal maps, revealing how one consumes news stories through Newsmap.

So, what do you think of the redesign? While I appreciate the sophisticated new features, it seems the new version has somewhat less aesthetic appeal. Is it the washed-out color scheme? The more scientific looking rectangular algorithm? Or the convoluted treemap that results when too many options are selected?

Check out my new Google profile.

rAndom International was commissioned by Royal Philips Electronics' Lumiblade division to create an interactive installation that unlocks the creative potential of their next generation OLED technology. With the opportunity to work with thousands of OLEDs straight from their lab, we started this project by creating "You fade to light", the worlds first OLED media wall. Fascinated by the beautiful mirror finish quality of the individual OLED modules we developed an installation that allows the viewer in front of it to engage with the light in a physical way. The wall is reflecting the person in front of it and then subtly fades their mirror image into light.

The ultra-thin Lumiblade wall is on show at a special exhibit at Superstudio Piú in Zona Tortona in Milan from 22 – 27 April.

A special thanks to Kristin Knappstein and the brilliant team at Lumiblade.
"You fade to light" - OLED Installation from rAndom International on Vimeo.

by rAndom International for Philips Lumiblade, with software by Chris O'Shea.

Wish granted!

Think 3D in the browser will never catch on? Think again. The folks at Google Labs have built an incredible-looking 3D API called O3D. It does just about everything you want, and then some:

• It’s multi-platform: Mac + Windows + Linux.
• It can render to both OpenGL and DirectX render pipelines.
• You can write your own vertex and pixel shaders. You have to use O3D’s own language for doing this, but that actually enhances compatibility, as frustrated shader coders may already know. (See the FAQ)
• It’s a scene graph, so managing complex 3D scenes isn’t a chore.
• It has powerful built-in functions like viewports and pickers (plus custom pickers), so you can actually get something up and running in a reasonable time.
• It has an import workflow with COLLADA, an open standard for 3D assets (and which, incidentally, has support in Google’s own SketchUp).
• You code in JavaScript, using the powerful V8 engine (developed for Chrome).
• Gears lets you run offline.

There are already some complaints about “another standard,” but to me, putting together a whole package here and employing other, lower-level standards (JavaScript, COLLADA, OpenGL, DirectX) makes a lot of sense.

http://code.google.com/apis/o3d/

I expect the folks working on Java and JavaFX are busy thinking about the fact that Sun just got bought by Oracle – something I’m hopeful, at least, ensures Sun’s future and is ultimately a good thing. But I hope someone on those teams is starting to get the message: 3D isn’t just something that’d be “nice to have.” It’s essential. And while even most developers likely don’t have a clue about things like custom shaders, having access to customize the graphics pipeline is likewise something ultimately benefits all developers – even if they just wind up relying on someone else’s code. I really do hope this is a priority with the coming development of Java and JavaFX, which could have the power to do these sorts of things. (Heck, Java could even benefit from the code Google just posted.)

On the proprietary side, this to me is a big blow to Microsoft’s WPF and Silverlight and Adobe’s Director. Unlike those products, O3D looks simple, powerful, flexible, open source, and directly programmable with JavaScript.

That’s not to say there aren’t some questions here – and the Java/JavaFX comparison is especially relevant:

• Another plug-in: You do have to install a plug-in to work with O3D, something that actually isn’t necessary with JavaFX (when it finally does 3D) or right now with JOGL and Java3D.
• Mobile, or just desktop? My big question I have is what this means for mobile. I’d love to have O3D work with OpenGL ES on, say, Google’s own Android platform.
• Not Just JavaScript? It would be nice if eventually you could use other languages like Java to program O3D.
• Sound? Oh, yeah, that. 3D sound is an ideal complement to this sort of scene, and the browser may be a bit constrained in that respect. I’m curious whether O3D might eventually include an audio API. (And yes, that’s where something like Director is still unparalleled.)
• Making it actually work: Okay, there’s also the fact that I haven’t successfully installed it just yet. Working on that.

(I’ll try to get answers to those questions.)

Oh yeah, and then there are details like the necessity to write your own custom shaders just to add more than one light to a scene – I think this will initially appeal only to folks with some real 3D experience.

But am I excited? Ohhhhh, yes, indeed. O3D itself looks fantastic, and I think this is a sign that 3D times ahead are going to be really fantastic.

And as long as you have the plug-in working and a browser in full-screen mode, you could literally set up an O3D project as a performance / installation tool. O3D visualists? Absolutely. Enjoy.

Gavin Newsom describes innovative ways of thinking about electric cars. He suggests a pricing plan for electric cars modeled after cell phone pricing plans. “Instead of buying minutes, you buy miles.” He also mentions switching the batteries in a car and the Tesla electric car.