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.

Swine Flew with panel at the conference.

For those of you who were never a Boy Scout, the Pinewood Derby is a competition in which contestants build a small wooden car to race on a 40 foot track against other cars of the same approximate size and weight. The goal is to work within the parameters of the rules to build the fastest car.

Several years ago, the IDSA (Industrial Designers Society of America) decided to sponsor a derby car race for designers at their annual IDSA National Conference in Pasadena. The response was overwhelming as designers and engineers entered dozens of impressive cars that would lie, cheat and creatively steal their way to the finish line.

Since that first race in 2004, the competition has raged on, with designers from all over the country fielding extraordinary cars. For this years IBM Unlimited Derby held at the IDSA conference in Miami, Continuum approached their participation in the race in a new way. Rather than trying to create the fastest car, the team decided to create the most memorable car. To accomplish this, we started by brainstorming themes that would be relevant to what’s going on in the world.

The planet is currently going through a financial crisis that hasn’t been experienced in eighty years. We’re all being forced to pinch pennies and find creative ways to save money. At the same time, worldwide concern is high around health threats like the swine flu. Continuum took these themes and turned them into a statement of hope, a piggy bank car called Swine Flew.

The generous contribution of the IDSA audience.

Throughout the four-day conference, the attendees were encouraged to add their spare change to the piggy bank. This served two purposes. First, each coin made the car slightly heavier, and consequently, faster. Second, Continuum offered to multiply every contribution by 10 and donate the final amount to design education.

The Swine Flew pit crew members, Jung Tak, Damien Vizcarra, and Kevin Young (many thanks to the non-traveling crew of Jake Childs, Rich Ciccarelli and Bruce MacRae) have returned from the IDSA National Conference and are proud to bring home the award for Fastest Car in the Gravity Weight Class as well as the award for Most Fun.

We’re also proud to say that the generous contributions of the IDSA audience helped Swine Flew raise a total of $1,274.40 for design education.

The crew members are proud to bring back two IBM Derby awards.

swissnex Boston, the Consulate of Switzerland in Cambridge is pleased to announce an event on innovation strategies and on the intersection of innovation and sustainability. The two-day conference takes place on April 30th and May 1st and will bring together large corporate, entrepreneurs, venture capitals, startups, academics, business leaders, consultants and other professionals involved in innovation management. Its main objectives is to present and discuss recent methods, practices and innovation for coping with downsizing and troubled economy and the new paradigms required to build new business model based on open innovation and innovation partnerships.  Harry West, VP of Design Strategy, will be participating in the first panel discussion and Mark Bates will be leading a breakout session on Sustainable Design.

The event will take place on Thursday April 30th and Friday May 1st at: swissnex Boston, Consulate of Switzerland, 420 Broadway, Cambridge, MA (close to Harvard Square). The program can be viewed here. The fee to participate in this event is $150 the 2-days, or $80 per day (either April 30 or May 1). Seating is limited.

Please contact Pascal Marmier at swissnex Boston for more information: pascal@swissnexboston.org 

We are facilitating a design thinking workshop as part of Boston AIGA’s 25th Anniversary Celebration on this upcoming Saturday, March 28th. The description is below. If you know anyone interested in learning more about Continuum’s approach to Design Thinking please forward along the link below.

Bridging Business & Design: The Power of Design Thinking
with Matt Carlson, Principal, Brand Experience
30 participants  |  9am – Noon

Design Thinking is a structured approach to the creative process, a powerful tool for communicating the value of design to clients through a collaborative process. In this half-day workshop Continuum will show how to apply the principles of Design Thinking to solve business problems big and small, creating lighthouse concepts that can guide design and galvanize organizations.

Matthew is a principal at Continuum, with a focus on brand strategy and experience design. For 15 years, he has helped companies to understand their customers, identify unmet needs and envision brands and products that meet those needs. He works with industrial designers and ethnographers, engineers and MBAs to make ideas real and bring them to the marketplace.

People can register for the event at the Boston AIGA Website.

Picked this is up from Core and its right in our own backyard.  Definitely one to attend if you are in the area.

Design and Play

Featuring Constantin Boym, Chris Foster, Jim Crawford, and Ellen Lupton
Looking at the prevalence of playful, brightly colored, and unique design across many design disciplines, the panelists will address how their work has developed in recent years and why people want to play.

Details are here. Give us a shout if you’re going to attend.

Last week, my friend and former classmate Saul Griffith visited Continuum’s Boston office to share some of his thoughts on energy.

Saul is a busy guy and, among other things, he runs a renewable energy startup in Alameda, California called Makani Power.  Many folks have inquired (with rightful interest) about Makani’s work with high altitude wind, but given that the company is still operating in “stealth” mode, there’s not been much to share.  Instead, Saul has been taking his speaking engagements as opportunities to talk about another topic close to his heart, energy literacy.  He believes, as do I, that we need to reframe the conversation from being about what is politically possible to what is technically necessary.

At Continuum, Saul shared two stories with us – one global, one personal – aiming to give us a more tangible sense of our energy consumption, and of what it will take to meet that consumption in the future.  He told us the global story in very big numbers, addressing the issues of climate change, global energy consumption, and fossil fuels.  He shared his second story, the personal one, by focusing on the decisions we make in our everyday lives and the energy impacts that come with them.  While sick in bed with the flu last winter, Saul rigorously calculated his own energy footprint, taking into account his home, his workplace, his travel and commuting, even getting into the nitty gritty detail of the stuff he owns, the food he eats, the trash that’s hauled from his house to the dump every week, and his 1/300 millionth share of the U.S. government’s energy expenditures. By combining a broad world view with his individual perspective, he clearly illustrated the magnitude of the energy challenge.

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On October 4th, 12 of us from Continuum joined the Rodman Ride for Kids, the country’s largest single-day biking event to benefit different organizations throughout Massachusetts that help at risk children. Continuum has a tradition of generously supporting the Italian Home for Children at this event.  It gives us the opportunity to challenge ourselves and make a difference for a worthy cause.

The ride is a 25, 50, or 100-mile non-competitive cycling tour. It was inspiring to see riders of all abilities and limitations participate. “There were a number of people not only riding recumbent bikes, but the ones you pedal with your hands and arms rather than your legs. I was impressed,” said Gianna Ericson, who rode the 50 mile route.

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We recently hosted the Boston release party for Rob Walker’s new book, Buying In. As the author of New York Times Magazine column “Consumed”, Rob Walker has been a uniquely insightful chronicler of our ever evolving relationship with brands. In his new book, he discusses a new and lasting groundswell in both marketing practices and the consumer culture. We spoke with Rob about our changing dialog with brands and why we continue to buy in.

 
Check out the pics from another successful AIGA Afta Party!