On March 3^rd, Continuum and CCA hosted a panel discussion on the future of consumerism. The event drew an impressive crowd and great connections were made. 

Our LA team hooked up a dual quad-core CPU Mac tower to enable Professor Tim Kasser to present and participate remotely. Supported by a great deal of analytical data supported by psychologists, Professor Kasser predicted a future focused less on extrinsic values (materialism) and more on intrinsic values (spiritualism). This is important, he explained, because when people focus on extrinsic values, their level of happiness and gratification goes down, and vice versa. To further explain the difference, he compared people who focus on the material against those who focus on the spiritual the day before and after Christmas. 

Nathan Shedroff presented a thought-provoking piece around meaning and how to find it. He said that traditionally, when people say “Less is More,” it generally makes people nervous, as they believe things are being taken away from them. He proposed re-phrasing it as “getting more for less.” With a strong focus on meaning, he also spoke about how any two people can have their own definition of values such as freedom and security, but the expression of those values can be very different. One example of this is that while NRA folks believe possessing firearms is an expression of security, others may think the exact opposite. 

Sean Brennan’s presentation looked at a shift occurring in Gen Y; the first generation that will not be as economically successful as its predecessors. Since they can’t afford more, their aspirations and spending behaviors will be different (and incomparable to previous generations). He looked at how this generation is using the internet as a way to rapidly prototype new identities, form relationships, and use their creativity and experiences as currency (Flickr travel photos, twitter updates). They spend their money on tools and services that allow them to do these things. Sean also echoed Professor Kasser’s points by sharing some of the thinking that’s happening in Continuum’s NEXT community, particularly around how sharing plays an important role for members of this new generation and how technology and services allow this generation to be green and thrifty by default. 

The crowd was very engaged in the panel discussion and raised some very good questions. Since half of the audience was design professionals, the conversation focused around what the implications would be for the future of design. The event lasted well into the evening hours, and everyone walked away with new insights in the future of consumerism.

PBS’s Boston affiliate WGBH continues to have success with the reality competition series Design Squad. We had fun a year or so ago being the host studio for the show’s first season finale.

This year, to support the show, we are again the host studio for a Design Squad related segment. Max Wallack, a 12 year old inventor and “whiz kid” won an online contest with his Home Dome idea, a shelter made from discarded and reused materials. Max will be here next month, building a prototype for his design in our shop.

Some recent articles on Max, the contest, PBS and us….

Boston.com
Christian Science Monitor
Telegram

Roger Martin, Dean of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, visited our studio and talked with Chris Flanagan of the Business Innovation Factory. Roger is a renowned expert on the marriage of innovation and business, an author of several books on the topic, and the mind behind Rotman’s pioneering business and design curriculum.

Listen to the podcast.

One of our goals at Continuum is to partner with the best designers across the globe.  Elephant, a leading design consultancy in India, has become our newest partner in the quest to offer the best design and innovation to our clients worldwide.

Continuum and Elephant share a belief in the value of design. Both firms believe that design can help drive business success and that it is an essential contributor to the creation of value for economies, businesses, citizens and society.

Continuum and Elephant will use this partnership to: educate, share a cross cultural understanding of ideas and processes, assess emerging opportunities together and provide thought leadership on design’s ability to enact economic and social change.

Over the past five years, Continuum’s business has shifted dramatically toward a diverse project portfolio with global emphasis.  This partnership will help further strengthen this reality.

“Elephant is a respected and inspiring member of the global design community. Working with them thus far has provided a wealth of opportunity and learning. By formalizing this partnership we can continue the great work we have started and put our heads together toenvision bigger and better possibilities,” noted Dan Buchner, vice president of organizational innovation.

Read more

Targus recently launched their first-ever line of Mac accessories. I bet you are thinking, “Wait…Targus…I know them, don’t I? Laptop bags right?” Well, you’d be correct in this thinking and as it turns out, they have expanded their business into several other areas.

Targus is a major global supplier of mobile computing cases and accessories (Targus’ own words – from their website). When I first checked out their website I was amazed by the number of different computer peripherals they offer. The next time I was in Best Buy (I seem to often find myself aimlessly wandering their aisles); I couldn’t help but notice that Targus was getting great placement alongside some impressive names like Kensington, Microsoft and Logitech. Who knew this relatively quiet “laptop bag” company had such a significant presence in this category?
Read more

We were really pleased to hear that our friends over at Design Squad were the recipients of a Peabody Award for last year’s season. We had a great time hosting the finale in our studio last Summer. Great job guys!

Here’s the press release.

Also check out this time lapse video of our shop crew deconstructing the enormous grass hill we built in our lobby for the kids to test their designs on.

In order to bring the complete vision for the Sprint Studio to life, Sprint and Continuum partnered with their photographer Ron Eshel and German light artists from Lichtfaktor. Working collaboratively in two adjacent photography studios, the team captured both lifestyle photography as well as time lapse imagery of actual light in motion. The resulting images help to elevate the Sprint Studio above the status quo and engage the consumer in a truly amazing retail experience.

Check out this light art. Really amazing stuff.

Roger Martin, dean of the Rotman School of Management and Continuum partner, talks with BusinessWeek about the potential pitfalls and rewards of trying to “buy” innovation

Read it here.

Also check out Continuum’s recent interview with Roger on his new book The Opposable Mind.

We think what Roger and the Rotman School is doing for design education is inspiring for the future of design and business. Other universities should follow suit.