derek jenksins, mazda’s north american design director, splits for an unknown new venture – his linkedIn profile mentions a ‘stealth project’. an art center college of design grad and a malibu resident, his artistic bent obvious in the cars he influenced.
2001 volkswagen microbus concept
2016 mazda mx-5 miata
built as a 4×4 and 6×6. simply a beast on wheels. [ pinsgauer ]
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Michael Graves was awarded the National Design Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. He’s best known for his Postmodernist-style, a label he was not happy with. Graves also designed products for both Alessi and Target which required a high-design as well as an eye for the masses mentality.
[ official release ] Michael Graves (1934 – 2015), the late celebrated architect and designer and founder of Michael Graves Architecture & Design has won the National Design Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Graves is best known for broadening the role of the architect in society and raising public interest in good design as essential to the quality of everyday life. Winners will be honored during National Design Week at a Gala on Thursday, October 15 at Pier Sixty in New York.
Graves, a prominent voice in architecture and design since founding his practice in 1964 has designed with his firm over 350 buildings and more than 2,000 products for clients such as Target, Alessi, Stryker, Kimberly-Clark and Disney.
Few are credited with spearheading a single design movement. Michael Graves led three. In the 1980’s he redirected the architectural conversation away from abstract modernism toward a more humanistic approach to architecture and urban planning – an approach that MGA&D still practices today. In the 1990’s, his partnership with Target defined America’s expectation that great design should be available to all. Over the past decade Michael became a passionate advocate for the disabled and used the power of design to improve healthcare experiences for patients, families and clinicians.
Graves has received prestigious awards including the AIA Gold Medal, the National Medal of Arts from President Clinton, and the Topaz Medallion from the AIA/ACSA. Graves is the 2012 Richard H. Driehaus Prize Laureate. Michael Graves has become internationally recognized as a healthcare design advocate, with the Center for Health Design naming him one of the Top 25 Most Influential People in Healthcare Design. In 2013, President Obama appointed Graves to the United States Access Board. The American Institute of Architects acknowledged Michael’s career with a Presidential Citation. He was the first architect inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame, and was the first recipient of the Michael Graves Lifetime Achievement Award from the AIA-NJ. Fast Company recently named MGA&D one of the 10 most innovative design firms in the world.
In 2014 MGA&D celebrated its 50th anniversary with a major exhibition at the Grounds For Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ. In addition, Michael’s lifelong contributions to design were celebrated by the Architectural League with a daylong symposium at Parsons New School for Design.
above> photo bas princen | courtesy of fondazione prada
the new milan venue of the fondazione prada, designed by oma architects under the direction of rem koohaas, is ready for prime time. three new structures co-exist with the existing buildings so art can now be shared with the public. opening 9 may 2015
photo bas princen | courtesy of fondazione prada
photo bas princen | courtesy of fondazione prada
above> erik l’heureux | image courtesy of harvard graduate school of design.
erik l’heureux, singapore-based american architect, wins $100,000 travel grant for his proposal hot and wet: the equatorial city and the architectures of atmosphere. [ details ]
Ralph Gilles, longtime chief designer for Fiat Chrysler in the United States, has been appointed head of design for the automaker’s global parent. He succeeds Lorenzo Ramaciotti who is retiring. The sizeable move now puts Gilles in charge of designing new cars for Fiat, Maserati an Alfa Romeo.
Over the past 18 months Gilles has overseen design development of the Chrysler 200 (above) and the Jeep Grand Cherokee (below) .
While the company was in bankruptcy, Gilles quietly led the revival of the Dodge Viper.
The move now puts Gilles in charge of designing new cars for Fiat, Maserati an Alfa Romeo.
RadioShack stores are closing up one by one across the country retiring like the baby boom generation whose culture it serviced. RadioShack was a place to get spare parts. RadioShack supplied the strange entities called tubes for radios and television sets. Behind the clerks who were never the brightest was the whole area of accessories known as “the grommet rack.”
We hardly think of RadioShack as a design store but it was. The RadioShack provided supplies for those who created the mobile phone and the computer and indeed it supplied America with the first personal computers. But today we live in the age of the app. Like many electronic stores they have nothing left to sell but mobile phones. Now that it is closing we can understand what it contributed.
above> tandy 400 ad – 1987
the designers and engineers get to play ‘what if’. images courtesy of aston martin
[ official release ]
DBX Concept redefines the luxury GT segment for the 21st Century
World debut for idea of first all-electric, all-wheel drive, Aston Martin
Sophisticated design and innovative engineering to broaden appeal
3 March 2015, Gaydon: Aston Martin today challenges the nature of luxury GT travel in the 21st Century with the debut at the 85th Geneva International Motor Show of the innovative DBX Concept.
Created to defy conventional thinking about the luxury GT segment, the DBX Concept widens the appeal of the iconic British luxury brand and reaches out to a more diverse global audience than ever before.
Unveiling the concept, Aston Martin CEO Dr Andy Palmer said: “The DBX Concept is a challenge to the existing status quo in the high luxury GT segment. It envisages a world, perhaps a world not too far away, when luxury GT travel is not only stylish and luxurious but also more practical, more family-friendly and more environmentally responsible.
“I asked my team at Aston Martin to expand their thinking beyond conventions, to explore what the future of luxury GT motoring would look like in years ahead, and the DBX Concept you see before you is the result.”
Dr Palmer added: “This is, clearly, not a production-ready sports GT car, but it is a piece of fresh, bold thinking about what Aston Martin GT customers around the world could request of us in the future.
“The DBX Concept is more than a thought starter for us and for our customers, though. We will, in due course, be entering a car into the new DBX space and I am very much looking forward to seeing how this concept is received not only here today, but also by our legion of existing loyal customers and by those potential customers around the world who have, to this point, yet to consider one of our cars.”
[ harmonious design ]
Imagined by Chief Creative Officer Marek Reichman and his team at the brand’s global headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, the all-electric DBX Concept showcases not only cutting edge engineering but also a major evolution of the British brand’s world-renowned and highly-regarded design language.
Clearly signalling an extension to the brand’s existing model lines in the future, the all-wheel drive DBX Concept seamlessly combines traditional Aston Martin beauty with elegant new engineering that gracefully aligns form and function.
Capable of accommodating four adults in comfort, the DBX Concept also majors on day-to-day practicality. It offers generous luggage capacity by virtue of the fact that its rear trunk and forward load bay can both accept passengers’ belongings.
Opulence and cutting edge style go hand-in-hand in the DBX Concept thanks to a unique fusion of high luxury and advanced technology. These characteristics, allied to the ingenious use of unconventional materials and finishes inside and out, are calculated to further broaden the appeal of Aston Martin.
The concept’s exterior bright work emphasises the brand’s approach to the use of authentic materials, and is made up of machined billet aluminium with visible milling lines in a piece of exquisite craftsmanship intended to be seen as the car’s jewellery. The DBX Concept’s unique paint finish – Black Pearl Chromium – has been specially created to mimic the look of a genuine black pearl, and comprises a micro-fine layer of chrome to deliver a level of reflectivity that cannot be obtained through normal paint finishes.
Inside, the deliberate use of non-automotive standard materials generates a uniquely soft, cocooning ambience. The extensive application of velvet-like Nubuck leather contrasts with the concept’s hard, hi-tech equipment. The exposed leather reveals a sandwiched accent layer, more akin to high-end furniture, while the car’s interior bright ware matches that of the exterior with the addition of a gold ‘pin striping’ element on the edging.
Marek Reichman explained: “The exceptional craftsmanship, with detailing more typically seen on luxury consumer goods or fine jewellery, gives the DBX Concept genuinely global appeal.”
[ experimental engineering ]
Embracing the very latest engineering techniques and theories, the DBX Concept needs no engine compartment thanks to its use of electric, inboard-of-wheel, motors powered by lithium sulphur cells.
Drive-by-wire electric steering, toughened glass with an auto-dimming ‘smart glass’ inter-layer, and bespoke driver and passenger head-up displays are further examples of its cutting edge technology.
Active LED exterior lights, carbon ceramic brakes with a kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) and rear view cameras in place of conventional mirrors also underline the mould-breaking nature of this luxury GT concept.
Dr Palmer explained: “A concept car such as this should, in my view, challenge conventional thinking and explore the art of the possible. In the DBX Concept, I believe we have created a new type of luxury car that can not only broaden the appeal of Aston Martin to a whole new generation of customers, but sit with pride alongside the rest of our range.”
above / below> mercedes f015
this year ‘s winners of the eyes on design awards at north american international auto show in detroit have been announced. there were very few concept cars offered and except for the mercedes futuristic f015 (above) they were quite restrained. the production models stars were super cars like ford’s gt and acura’s nsx. the judges are an all-star cast of former auto design studio chiefs.
above> acura nsx
[ eyes on design awards ]
best designed production vehicle sponsored by lacks wheel trim systems (above)
finalists: acura nsx, ford gt, mercedes benz gle class coupe
winner: ford gt
judges cited the winner as “capturing the original gt40 in a modern interpretation…and the optimism it showcases for both the ford brand and the industry.”
best designed concept vehicle sponsored by dassault systemes (above)
finalists: chevrolet bolt ev, buick avenir, mercedes benz f015
winner: buick avenir
judges cited the avenir as “something special that you could tell designers really liked doing…it represents presence, elegance, sportiness all rolled into one.”
innovative use of color, graphics & materials sponsored by axalta (above)
finalists: audi q7, buick avenir, mercedes benz f015, vw cross coupe gle
winner: buick avenir
judges cited its “attention to detail…the way its materials worked together…its understated elegance which was true to the brand.”
best designed interior sponsored by abc group (above)
finalists: audi q7, buick avenir, infiniti q60
winner: audi q7
judges cited its “beautiful theme…wonderful fit and finish…great ergonomics and use of materials.”
and finally, the 2015 catalyst award was presented to automotive veteran robert lutz. lutz, senior advisor at katzkin leather interiors and patrick le quement of renault will receive the lifetime design achievement award.
the 21 june eyes on design automotive design exhibition will be held at the edsel & eleanor ford house in grosse pointe shores, michigan.
for additional information visit [ eyes on design ] or contact judi dara 313 824 4710. sponsorship information > cyndy doherty 313 515 9050. media inquiries > kathy lightbody at 313 587 6677.
above foreground bruumruum! interactive installation designed by david torrents
a new iconic building designed by barcelona’s mbm arquitectes, completed in 2013 and recently filled with collections from four different museums in 2014. the museu del disseny (design museum of barcelona) is now the main institution in barcelona dedicated to the world of design. admission will be free of charge thru january 2015.
the museum includes collections featuring decorative arts, fashion, graphic and product design, from: the museu de ceràmica (museum of ceramics), the museu tèxtil i indumentària (museum of tissues and dresses), the museu de les arts decoratives (decorative arts museum) and the gabinet de les arts gràfiquesv (gallery of graphic arts).
above> la pedrera chair: the first piece of the collection of furniture designed by juan francisco barba corsini in 1955 for apartments built between 1953 and 1955 for architect antoni gaudí / below> an exhibition dedicated to fashion design reviews trends from 1550 to 2015. photo by jose luis fettolini.
above> poster for industria y arquitectura 2ª exposición g.r, 1954 by ricard giralt miracle, on show as part of the graphic design: from trade to profession (1940-1980) exhibition. photograph by xavier padrós / below> graphic identity system by atlas – from 2008 to 2013 the building was called design hub barcelona.
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