Oct Design Museum approaches completion in Shenzhen

This impressive piece of architecture is the Oct Design Museum in Shenzhen, China.

It was designed by Studio Pei-Zhu and their inspiration came from both the location, being close to the bay, and from the needs of the museum, a surreal space for design exhibitions.

The Oct Design Museum focuses mainly on fashion shows, product design, and conceptual automotive shows and the goal was to create a space that is surreal to the subject matter but also transcendental in surrounding and feeling.

See and find out more on the Contemporist website.

Image © fang zenning
Image courtesy studio pei zhu

Responding to customer complaints on Twitter

Taking the engagement of their customers on Twitter very seriously, the Sainsbury's PR team this week posted an interesting response to a complaint by U.K. blogger October Jones.

He complained that the chicken sandwich that he had bought "tastes like it was beaten to death by Hulk Hogan."

The response? - "Really sorry it wasn't up to scratch. We will replace Mr. Hogan with Ultimate Warrior on our production line immediately."

Another Sainsbury's account replied by providing a phone number for Jones to call and said the company sincerely regrets that "you had to wrestle your way through the sandwich."

These are great responses but are they really appropriate when dealing with customer complaints? Made us smile though.

AIA launches architecture app

If you're heading over to the States and fancy finding out more about the buildings around you then this is the essential app.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has formed a partnership with Broadcastr and created an app that provides in-depth information about the buildings around you along with exclusive interviews with architects and a vast library of narratives from local professionals that reveal the stories and facts. The app initially works in Los Angeles, New York City and Washington D.C.

“Imagine standing in front of one of the world’s great buildings and listening to the architect tell you about her inspiration,” said Andy Hunter, CEO of Broadcastr. “We are thrilled that our partnership with AIA makes that possible.”

The AIA Broadcastr is available on Apple and Android. Let us know if you make it over there and use it. Should RIBA be launching a similar app?

The top ten best (worse) Jubilee products - some scary and some just naff  #funny #jubilee http://bit.ly/L5Pv58

Top ten best (worse) Jubilee products

The New Statesman has been taking a look at the top 10 best (worse) Jubilee products and it really is amazing what people will buy.

A crown pizza from Pizza Hut, a solar powered waving Queen or even a loaf of Kingsmill renamed for the weekend!

See the top 10 here.

The surprising dangers of fast food

This short animated film 'Happy Food' by Yum Yum is great fun and anyone who likes ketchup will be able to remember a time when they found themselves in this situation.

Luckily there would probably not have been any giant hot dogs around.

We featured one of their other films, Parallel Parking some time ago.

Plus, if you like the film you can also get the characters.

Enjoy!

VW ads celebrate classic cinema moments

VW has created three new ads, which are currently running at independent cinemas across the UK.

Each one focuses on a famous movie - Taxi Driver, Silence of the Lambs and Jaws - and imagines what inspired the classic moments in the films.

The series is directed by Ivan Zacharias and was dreamed up by DDB London as part of the VW 'See Film Differently' campaign.

See the three ads below:

Downstairs, in The Shed at Clerkenwell Design Week

A handbag?

Product design duo Maigrau’s tables were on display,  all made exclusively in Germany  - they’re just behind those large HANDBAGS which really grabbed us!  

Corking

Meanwhile our good friends Deadgood were showing their Cork Coffee Table – the PR team like objects that are made of cork and are rounded in shape…

In material - Clerkenwell Design Week Review

Clerkenwell Design Week saw the launch of Imogen Heath’s first full collection of fabrics and wallpapers since establishing her business in July 2011. 

Contemporary, but we thought with a whiff of nostalgia, her patterns have caught the attention of British retailer Heal’s and us too.  An exclusive collection of colourful cushions were on sale and we were just disappointed we didn’t have our largest shopping bag with us… because when we saw SCP Contracts’ Ernest pouffe and Frank pouffe covered in some beautiful textiles we wanted them too!

A light touch - Clerkenwell Design Week Lighting Review

Review by Samantha Dawe, Director, The Think Tank

Clerkenwell Design Week 2012 basked in some very welcome warm sunshine but that didn’t stop us being inside and having a good look around.   Particularly this year it seemed that lighting was at the forefront of some intriguing design options and what was being shown would certainly create an impact in any space.  

As part of an expanded programme for CDW, a new site was included for exhibition space – the buildings and grounds of the Order of St John. Upstairs the light streamed through the stained glass windows but that did not dim the impact of Vessel Gallery’s display of unique and limited edition lighting.      


Whilst Tsai and Yoshikawa’s sculpted piece ‘Blooming Spark I’ was centre stage, each piece displayed was a work of art in its own right.  

 
 















While big is not always best, Guinness Book of Records holder Beau McClellan’s (world’s largest chandelier) eponymous company had presented a stunning large-scale lighting installation which hung in the Farmiloe Building and appeared to change colour.


     











































Looking down from the upper tier of the Building on this installation and the Anglepoise stand was a moment to savour.          



















The heat was rising but we took the plunge and continued to climb where we spotted Lightyears’ elegant lamps, highlighting the best qualities of minimalistic Scandinavian design. Simplicity is beautiful.  



                     















Alongside this Swedese, exhibiting we were told for the first time at CDW, was showing pieces launched at this year’s Stockholm Furniture Fair but again it was the lighting that caught our eye.  Maybe it was that the pieces lent themselves so well to creating atmosphere and intrigue in this quirky building where they seemed right at home.

Bloomberg Businessweek offers Euro crisis relief

Bloomberg Businessweek magazine has offered some light relief from the Euro crisis. We feel a brick wall may also be appropriate!

Earned, owned and paid for

The Think Tank PR team has been discussing ‘Earned’, ‘Owned’ and ‘Paid for’ media.  This came about as we saw a quote in PR Week from Freud Communications’ chairman, Matthew Freud, saying that: “The basic model for media and marketing is broken”.  

While media fragmentation has long been talked about we thought it was interesting that it is the interactive marketing space which is helping use define new universes.  

Although full definitions may vary, the basic premise is that ‘Owned’ media is the channel you control such as your website, or partially-owned, your company Facebook page or Twitter account.  

‘Earned’ media covers press coverage, however the term has evolved to cover the word-of-mouth that is being created through social media channels.  

‘Paid for’ media does what is says on the tin, and covers advertising in its many formats online and in print, and extends into paid search for example.  

Categorising your media in this way helps to identify the roles they can play in delivering your communications; understanding their benefits and challenges can be a critical next step, and of course that they work best working together.  

But of course the real test is what you say, not just how you are delivering your message, and increasingly how you are then listening, engaging and responding is key in this new ‘networked’ age.

A blind date to remember

Scary ad for IRN-BRU - puts you off blind dates for life!

Prada short film premieres at Cannes Film Festival

As part of the Cannes Film Festival Prada has launched a short film called 'A Therapy', directed by Roman Polanski and starring Helena Bonham Carter and Ben Kingsley in a beautiful 70s setting.

The film was premiered right before the official screening of Polanski’s film Tess.

A great twist at the end.

The ghost in the kitchen

This great little kitchen gadget was created by Taiwanese designer Chih-Ching Yang. 'Gasper Pad' is a dish pad shaped as a ghost.

Creating a decorative piece, that could be displayed on the worktop, whilst providing a heat protective mat it stands as a ghost when not in use and when a hot pan is placed on it the 'Gasper Pad' stretches down and outward into a protective mat.

Great practical design with a fun twist.

See more here.

How to QR code a whole town

A town in South Wales has taken the step to promote its local landmarks through QR codes in a project called 'Monmouthpedia'.

The town is Monmouth and in a six-month initiative they have affixed QR codes to their notable landmarks, organizations and even people which link to Wikipedia entries on each.

The original idea came from TEDx talk in Bristol, where they suggested that Wikipedia should "do a whole town" using QR codes. With more than 1,000 QR codes residents and businesses have taken up the challenge and launched Monmouthpedia last weekend.

The Wikipedia entry for the project says "Lest you think this is a passing interest, the town of Monmouth is in it for the long haul. Many of the QRpedia codes are printed on ceramic plaques that should last for decades. The information in articles is backed by the Wikipedia community and will be continually improved and expanded. Physical guides and maps will become outdated, but the Wikipedia articles will always be able to be updated. This potential for on-site access to up-to-date information in any language is what makes the Monmouthpedia model so exciting."

Speaking as someone who never has a guide book to and in a new town this is a great idea and very engaging.

Find out more on Wikipedia here.

What babies actually mean

This is a very funny ad that suggests what babies might actually be saying if we could understand them.

Made us chuckle:

Guinness beer glass that reveals a QR code

QR codes have been a popular addition to marketing campaigns in recent years. Now BBDO New York has created a QR code on a beer glass for Guinness.

The QR code is only visible when the glass is full and when scanned it "tweets about your pint, updates your Facebook status, checks you in via Foursquare, downloads coupons and promotions, invites your friends to join you, and even launches exclusive Guinness content.'

A great promotional gimick and use of QR codes.