The Beauty Behind QR Codes

When was the last time you saw a QR a code? If you have walked into a Tube station recently or if you have opened a magazine, you surely will have spotted at least a couple. QR (quick response) codes are used to facilitate the interaction with the digital world: they are a rapid access to the potential of your smartphone.

Whether these little black and white boxes should be used or not when they fight with an advert's graphics, that is Pandora's box.

We can point out though that they can become beautiful and meaningful things. Scott Blake created this portrait of Amy Goodman using the staggering amount of 2,304 QR codes.

The image is surprisingly detailed and the codes actually take the viewers to a nine year span of Democracy Now!, Amy's independent news program. We think that this makes the portrait a proper symbol: not only for the likeliness of the person featured, but for representing her life's work as well.

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A Floating Stadium Concept

Massive floating structures are fascinating and cool; and some represent interesting alternatives to the enormous investments that follow itinerant sport events like the FIFA World Cup. For the 2022 edition, German architects stadiumconcept developed the Floating Offshore Stadium.

Along the lines of the South Africa World Cup and the fixed costs arising from empty, large-scale football stadiums ("White Elephants"), this alternative investment focuses on mobility and multi-decade utilisation. Once the large event is over, the small isle can be shipped to the next venue and potentially host, for example, more than one FIFA tournament. This, maintaining a smart use of renewable energies, being eco-efficiently powered by a blend of hybrid energies such as water, wind and solar power.

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Apple Hits the 500,000 Apps Mark on iTunes

It happened in the early hours of Tuesday: in less than three years the App Store reached the half-million mark.

For some interesting stats, like on the image, a giant infographic was produced by three app-related companies. Mobile app blog 148apps, the search company Chomp together with game developer Chilingo collected a number of curiosities, including a timeline and a various facts.

To understand this data better and make a brief comparison, there have been 10 billion iOS app downloads through the App Store as of January. Although having been on the market 8 months less, the applications Google's Android currently count almost 300,000 apps and 3 billion downloads.

Read more.
Image : 148Apps, Chomp and Chillingo

Compressive: Abu Dhabi's Intuitive Parking Lot

You look at the picture and you imagine many different uses. But this is Compressive, the latest cutting-edge and futuristically designed sky-scraper in Abu Dhabi, and it is an intuitive parking lot.

Together with the design itself, what is truly amazing of this structure is that its intuitive thinking reacts to the weight of both you and your car. The uniqueness of Compressive is that it can sense occupancy, compressing the floors according to the need and depending on the cars parked on them. Groups of up to 5 floors can actually begin to sag, following the programmed use throughout the day. Or, the bright yellow pedestrian paths detect users and create an on-the-spot inverted speed bump to slow cars down.
Isn't this just amazing?

As part of the advanced Exotic Variables and States of Change studio, the project is led by Thom Faulders.

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Massive Energy-Generating Wind Tower for Japan

Take wind energy; imagine the "traditional" wind mill scenery. Three-sails white giants down to the horizon. This may not happen, as producers are starting to "think big". ZENA Systems is developing a new dimension in wind energy generation, dwarfing all its predecessors. 50 metres in height, the Wind Tower is an ambitious project that compressed wind from any direction using a three-point compression technique.

What is most relevant is that the system apparently would not be constrained by the "Bets limit value theory", which places the maximum efficiency of wind power generators at 59%. Higher values, together with the on-site energy storage of this project, would revolutionise the way in which wind is harvested.

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Make Your Way With the Clerkenwell Design Week App

We are proud of our neighbourhood and excited about tomorrow's opening of Clerkenwell Design Week, home to over 60 showrooms and a multitude of architectural and creative practices. Using a digital "guide" was mandatory and we loved the iPhone app, to remind you of the coolest events and make your way through the cutting edge design.

A veritable cultural hub, the festival will be attracting visitors from Tuesday 24th to Thursday 26th May 2011, encompassing an amazing 150 events, pop up exhibitions, installations, talks... Register online for your free entry!

Paper Holds Water at Milan Expo 2015

Eco-friendly design is Andrea Ponti's answer to a very contingent issue: what to do with the thousands of plastic bottles that will be used every day in Milan Expo 2015. The idea is to conceive the whole water problem differently: to use the Life (this is the name of the container) as a refillable solution with water fountains around the global exposition to meet visitors' daily demand.

Crafted in natural cotton and a recycled paper layer, it does not use any chemical ink or adhesives, truly becoming a one-day-use bottle. Eco-green strap to carry along, relevant printed information and there you go: paper holds water.

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Take a Break, Live Your Roof

Have you ever walked on your roof, for the very pleasure of doing so? Have you ever dreamed of living up there when you were a kid?

The Living Roof appears to be made exactly for that purpose: it is a refuge to recover, plan excursions into the city, or simply stare into the stars.

Clean, minimal interiors allow for concentration and thought, but the real wonders are eco-friendly. Based on the assumption that the contemporary citizen seeks mobility, but does not want to drain the environment, NAU designed Living Roof. Astonishingly, this small housing unit produces more energy than it consumes.

All the functions of daily life are condensed in a compact and self-sustaining capsule (it measures only 8.5 metres), which is ready to be airlifted from your rooftop. The beautiful twist of the windows gives you the chance to see both the sky or the street below. Real life or sci-fi, it is worth dreaming of.

Read more and be fascinated.

Images © NAU

Social media campaign improves visibility for OKI C300/C500

The Think Tank was asked to extend a pan-European OKI product launch campaign in the UK marketplace using social media channels to widen reach and promote the product in a non-traditional manner.

The creative campaign that was developed for the launch of the OKI C300 and C500 series of printers featured the products as real 'stars' on the covers of leading publications. A fanzine style micro site was developed to act as a focal point for the campaign and this included a blog which was used to deliver content for the social media element of promotion in the UK. The regular addition of content to this blog was communicated via Twitter over a six month period, with additional content being added to Flickr and YouTube to provide additional links back to the micro site. 

The campaign resulted in almost 12,000 views of content over the period and engaged a wide range of sector specific individuals, with Twitter followers reaching more than 1,300.

The Demographics of Social Media

Did you know that 86.5% of the people who like cats on Facebook are Women? An interesting fact, but have a look at the demographics pulled together in this table. We are often debating on the value Social Media and on their role in a company's life. It was quite time that we shared some stats.

Be it that you are looking at the ever growing 35-54 demographics or that you are considering Twitter's penetration (less than 10%), how should this affect your Social Marketing?

Read more on Advertising Age.

Top Five Building Product Brands Chosen by Architects

A new survey of UK architects lists Kingspan, Trespa, Velux, Schüco and Otis as the "strongest brands in building materials."

In the Q1 2011 research from the European Architectural Barometer, which is a quarterly study of attitudes of 1200 architects across Europe, architects were asked which brands they perceived as "strongest" in building materials such as bricks, concrete, mortar, insulation, facade and cladding material, aluminium systems, construction floors and roofing material. The top five firms for the UK were Kingspan (with 40% of responses), Trespa (15%), VELUX (8%), Schüco (7%) and Otis (6%).  

Read more on Building Products

Dispelling the myths of Social Media

Marketing through Social Media channels has become a commonly discussed subject in recent years. It is a topic that The Think Tank is regularly asked to explain, clarify and recommend how it can be used to expand and supplement traditional forms of B2B marketing. The topic itself is quite complex, however Social Media can be used effectively to supplement a wide range of marketing activities including Brand Development, Media Relations, Direct Marketing, Promotions and Advertising.

Social Media is being used extensively within the B2C marketing environment however it has only really starting to take hold in business to business marketing recently with many organisations struggling to find justification for engagement. It is essential to ensure that this marketing channel is used to meet specific objectives, expand current marketing activities and not try and replace them.

Social Media campaigns should be developed to ensure relevance to each organisation's marketing objectives, however for those investigating whether they should engage or not Liam Bateman, Director, The Think Tank, dispells a few myths of Social Media that you may wish to consider:

1. We need to use every Social Media channel that we can find. 

2. Social Marketing is free!

3. If we set up profiles people will follow us

4. Social Media is just for chatting with friends   

Click here to view the full article  'Dispelling the Myths of Social Media'

Amphibious 1000: Qatar's Luxury Semi-Submerged Hotel

The name is revealing: Amphibious 1000 is Qatar's first semi-submerged hotel designed by the Giancarlo Zema Design Group. Like a big aquatic animal plunging into the sea, the project encompasses a land section and a sea section: the facilities follow a semi-circle around a central tower (a restaurant with dazzling panoramic views).

"Jelly fishes" are the 80 floating suites. They boast incredible underwater views of the surrounding artificial reef, bringing the experience of a luxury resort to a totally new level. Another truly amazing structure!

Read more.

Image © Giancarlo Zema Design Group

British Council opens fashion exhibition in Kazakhstan

The first venue for the British Council's touring exhibition, Reconstruction: Cultural Heritage and the Making of Contemporary Fashion is the Central State Museum in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The exhibition features seven of the UK's leading fashion designers and offers a snapshot of some of the traditions and cultures that inspire these designers.

The British Council says, 'The launch kicked off with a packed press conference attended by Kazakhstan’s leading TV Channels and newspaper titles followed by the official opening by the British Ambassador and the Director of Central State Museum. 600 people attended the opening to see the work of seven of the UK’s leading fashion designers: Paul Smith, Vivienne Westwood, Hussein Chalayan, Marios Schwab, Peter Jensen, Sophia Kokosalaki and Osman Yousefzada.'

Read more here

Gamezone instant win promotion adds theatre to Travis Perkins

Following a very successful Summer Scorcher promotion through merchants Travis Perkins in 2009, The Think Tank was asked by AkzoNobel to develop a new sales promotion that would again engage customers and increase sales of Dulux Trade, Glidden Trade, Polycell, Hammerite and Cuprinol products.

The 'Gamezone' promotion was created and actioned across the Travis Perkins estate, bringing the products to the forefront of the store and offering customers the chance to instantly win a range of prizes related to the theme. The promotion created a sense of theatre in-store and encouraged recommendation by branch staff through a back of house promotion.

Read and see more here

Villa Ronde provides an organic flavour

This amazing building, set on the coast of Japan, houses a private museum, a guest house and a resort. It has been designed to allow a free organic space to be created, with rooms opened or closed to the internal patio area. The circular design captures the best of the views whilst also helping to resist the strong typhoon winds.

An amazing design and a great space that works with its environment whilst optimising views and offering resistance to the elements.

It was designed by Architects Ciel Rouge.

Read more on Arch Daily

Images © Henri Gueydan

Creating a profile for Permasense in the Oil and Gas Sector

Permasense is an offshoot of Imperial College London that has developed a unique inhospitable wireless monitoring system to accurately measure the corrosion of pipes in Oil and Gas processing.

The Think Tank created a range of marketing and presentation materials to launch the company, including web site, sales brochure, presentation tools and video. Working with BP we then promoted the technology and company through the use of PR to a global industry sector.

This resulted in a successful launch and the trial of the system by many of the world's leading Oil and Gas players. Interest in the product is significant and has led to the rapid growth of the company.

See and read more here

Vintage Festival comes to the Southbank

The Vintage Festival ios coming to the Southbank, London in July celebrating vintage Britain - an event not to be missed!

This is what they have to say about the event,

'Whether your thing is swing, rockabilly, mod, soul, funk, disco, ska, electro, cabaret, film, art or design, or if you just want to dress up and get an authentic make-over for a day, Vintage at Southbank Centre is a sensual delight, a big dressing-up box, a collector’s dream and a joyous creative feast for all ages. For one glamorous weekend we celebrate the music, fashion, film, art , design, and dance from the 1920s to the 1980s (and maybe even a peek at the early ‘90s) that has made Britain the world’s creative and cultural hotbed....

The event takes place over the three days at the Royal Festival Hall which will be set dressed across the six levels. It will be transformed into a multi-venue playground where pass holders can ‘learn the dances’, enjoy a makeover take in the live performances, exclusive DJ sets, catwalk shows, wonderfully conceived food and cocktails, the cream of the crop vintage retailers and surprises galore. Vintage favourites The Soul Casino, Let it Rock, The Torch Club, The Leisure Lounge and The Warehouse are amongst the ten nightclubs contained within Royal Festival Hall.

To find out more visit their web site.

Prototype Desert House Interacts with Views

A prototype house by Marmol Radziner has been built to capture the views of San Jacinto peak and the surrounding mountains near Desert Hot Springs, California.

The Desert House works with the landscape and includes a covered outdoor living area, 2000 square-foot  of interior spaces and a detached carport that allows the owners to “leave the car behind” as they approach their home.

The house is built with prefabricated technologies comprising twelve feet wide modules that can extend up to sixty four feet in length and which can use any type of cladding, including metal, wood, or glass.

Find out more on ArchDaily

© Joe Fletcher

Using Social Media to Promote the News

Retail news aggregator My Retail Media approached The Think Tank to raise their profile online and to build awareness of its services and content.

The Think Tank developed a social media campaign, based around a retail news blog, to publicise this groudbreaking web site which sources retail news from around the world. Providing an outlet for unique content, the blog was then publicised through social media channels such as Twitter and LinkedIn.

Having set up the social media channels and started the process of building a following, The Think Tank provided training to My Retail Media to allow them to manage the content delivery themselves. This has resulted in a significant increase in new traffic to the web site and an increase in subscriptions.

Try My Retail Media for yourself - click here