The lawyers and accountants have been working weeks on the presentation: the hubs and destinations, the common culture, the synergy, and why this isn’t a trust-buster merger. If this “flies” they know they’ll be the biggest airline on the planet.
Now alone in the new United Loop office space at 77 W. Wacker, United CEO Glenn Tilton, and Continental CEO Jeff Smisek maneuver to close the deal.
Tilton asks, “Scotch? If we’re going to do this the headquarters stays in Chicago. What do you want?”
“No problem with that. I’ll be the new CEO. I’m now wondering what we stick on the planes? What did it cost to paint your planes grey? BTW, I’ll admit I’m getting an adrenaline flow over this. ”
“Yeah, it may have been bad timing to start repainting the planes while we’re filing for bankruptcy I guess. The jury’s out on what our passengers think of the packaging. Probably don’t give a damn.”
“Ready for another? I went to the trouble to talk to our creatives. They said the marriage could be a complicated brand issue and said to stick with what we have.”
“Let’s keep the process simple. It’s the name and logo. You keep your name and we stick on our logo. They’ll be naysayers but it’s a no-brainer.”
“Come to my computer, I’m getting good at retouching my press head shots.”
Cut. Paste. Cut. Paste. “Wait. Need to type this.” Click. Click. Click. “Shit. Do you text message?” Click. Click. Click. Cut. Paste. “There, what do you think?”
“Very impressive. I’ll be sending you my head shots. I’m hungry as hell, let”s call the wives.”
above: saul bass – designer of united logo / brand identity
Resources:
fastcompany
reuters
chicago architecture
ROHO collection sets new standard for bpa-free hydration bottles. The new line of reusable stainless steel bottles fuses modern art with functional design.
ROHO™ is the latest addition to the historically trusted and reputable line of BPA-free Thermos® products. Influenced by global, political, cultural and environmental issues, the new reusable stainless steel hydration bottles feature a variety of vibrant designs to reflect personal style without compromising safety. Offering safety and convenience advantages over current bottles on the market, the ROHO collection raises the bar of what is expected from a hydration bottle.
“Hydration bottles may have a trendy design on the outside, but many are still made with unsafe materials on the inside where attention to detail matters most,” said Kim Flanagan, ROHO brand manager. “The ROHO collection finally combines everything you’ve been looking for in a hydration bottle.”
Uniting innovative design and safety, the ROHO collection hydration bottles are made from 18/8 stainless steel and polypropylene, which means there is no BPA, no aluminum and no interior coating to be concerned about. The long neck shape of the bottle provides an ergonomic hand grip, while beverage capacity is still a generous 24 oz.
The initial ROHO collection will be available in 18 different designs with a variety of colors and graphics offering new ways to express individual style and personality. Each ROHO stainless steel bottle can be identified from other hydration bottles by the distinct leak-proof red flip-top lid.
The striking lid design also features a one-hand push button and an integrated carrying loop.
“The ROHO brand name was inspired by our signature red lid and our global focus,” said Flanagan. “Rojo means red in Spanish, making the brand fun, approachable and memorable.”
The ROHO collection will be available at Target stores and at Thermos.com.
Price: $14.99-$17.99.
Producer: thermos
crispin, humana and trek bicycle bring bike sharing to the states.
On Earth Day, April 22, B-Cycle will finally become a reality. Denver, Colorado will be the launch city for the bike-sharing program, developed by Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Trek Bicycles and insurance company Humana. 500 B-Cycles at 50 B-stations will be available throughout the city as an alternative to cards for short trips. Register at the b-cycle website. Full story and video.
Milan 2010: at Salone Internazionale del Mobile this week Dutch designer Marcel Wanders presented a chair made by a blow molding technique used to manufacture water bottles.
The Sparkling Chair is made out of PET plastic and produced using the same blow molding technique commonly used for water bottles. After the molding process, the hollow spaces are filled with high pressure air to strengthen the design. With this technique the plastic usage is minimal and the total weight of the chair is only around 1kg. The legs are screwed onto the shell.
Specifications:
Product name: sparkling chair
Color: transparent green
Material: PET plastic
Width: 42.3 cm
Height: 77.6 cm
Depth: 49.0 cm
Designer: marcel wanders
Producer: magis
On 8 March 2010, the solar-powered aircraft Solar Impulse (HB-SIA prototype) had its maiden flight at the military airport in Payerne, Switzerland.
The prototype, with the wingspan of a Boeing 747 and the weight of a small car, started to a two-hour test flight to examine whether the plane can keep a straight trajectory. The Solar Impulse project aims to circumnavigate the world with an aircraft powered only by solar energy.
Producer: solvay, omega, deutsche bank, among others
Resources:
[ following solar impulse across usa ]
solar impulse
the guardian
philippe starck, creator of high-tech lamps, modern-style furniture, and chic hotels, has revealed two highly-anticipated wind turbine designs for home use. “Revolutionair,” the sleek turbines were officially debuted after a lengthy 2 years of research and work.
images from presentation
The “Revolutionair” turbine is “revolutionary” because they’re designed for homeowners. That means wind turbines in yards, gardens, or on roofs to generate power for their households. The clear quadrangular 400W WT model has a power output of 400W and the helicoidal 1KW WT one will be able to generate 1 KW of power.
The designer turbines will be produced by Italy’s Pramac and will sell for around $3,800 USD (quadrangular) and $6,000 USD (helicoidal).
“We have to help people to produce energy, to be part of the fight,” Starck said at the unveiling in Milan. “Energy should not be a punishment, we should create a desire (among people to produce it).”
Designer: philippe starck
Producer: pramac
cool bike contest. deadline: 4/15/2010. cool bikes.
a blurb about public bikes… “We’ve been watching the increase in bike usage in cities around the world for about ten years. It’s been fun. Copenhagen has challenged Amsterdam as the center of biking fashion. Paris launched its Vélib program and now thousands of Parisians get around on city-owned bikes. Berlin, Barcelona, Seville, and numerous other cities throughout Europe followed. New York has put in bike lanes along 9th Avenue and bike racks all over the city. Portland has become the commuter bike capital of North America.”
“We’re joining the movement this spring with a small collection of modern bikes and gear. We will be launching this collection in April. Our bikes have been designed around the style and principles of the classic city bikes of Europe, updated with new technology and modern materials, and adapted to the U.S. market. We have two classic European frame styles, both unisex, both made from strong lightweight steel. We designed them for all sizes and ages and made them especially female-friendly. We will have four colors and three gear configurations all using internal hubs. We think our bikes are pretty, but you can be the judge. Prices will range from about $650 to $1200.”
Producer: public bikes
