Design for the Developing World Conference

As someone who has had the opportunity to experience a portion of my life in the developing world, namely the Caribbean and Brazil, I have been following some of the outcomes from the Design for the Developing World Conference.

Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO, from my experience living in the developing world made a very valid point. The real secret is the combination of design, communications, and implementation. Good design can add real value to our experience of the world but it is equally important that developing nations have information on how any designed solution can benefit the consumer, where to find these products, and to also make sure we design the distribution systems so that good design is accessible to people.

He also alluded to the idea that Philanthropy by itself does not have the power to make system wide change in the developing world but businesses can because businesses inherently build the systems that enable people to access good design.

The Art of Hotel Design

The travel industry has definitely raised the stakes in the last few years and realized that a good hotel is more than location, a bed, and room service. While the grand hotels still exist and attract a certain clientele, the new "boutique" hotels have come up with innovative product offerings tailored to the tastes of their guests.

The key to any successful business is knowing your clientele and then offering an experience that will bring them back again and again. The Drake Hotel in Toronto & Listel Hotel in Vancouver have certainly taken that approach.

The Drake has become a landmark for what is happening in art & culture in the reinvigorated Queen West neighborhood and serves up a great hotel with a enticing dessert of music, entertainment, and art to its guests.

The best hotels are more than a place to sleep but rather a destination to explore at the end of a journey. The Listel Hotel boasts art, elegance, and culture in each room with a showcase of art via a partnership with the British Columbia's Museum of Anthropology and the Buschien Mowatt Art Gallery.

Good music, art, & sweet dreams! The perfect way to end the day.

Website Design & the Pedestrian Scramble

One of Canada's busiest intersections frequented by over 60,000 pedestrians daily has just adopted the pedestrian scramble format.

A recent visit to the intersection this week reminded me of some of the important aspects of website design. The intersection is a "pedestrian destination" driven by the "content" presented on all four corners by shopping facilities, business offices, dining, entertainment, Ryerson University, TTC transit, and the public space of Dundas square. It brings to mind the importance of well designed content & copy in generating relevant traffic to your website. Content is king and too often this important element is overlooked by organizations when developing a website.

The other key element is how design impacts the user experience and engages the visitor. The new pedestrian scramble format provides easy navigation for pedestrians to quickly cross to any corner of the intersection and access the various facilities and "content" featured at Yonge & Dundas. Web design should  also provide logical, clear, and functional ways for site visitors to access, enjoy, and experience your site.

Building a campaign for the Vendee Globe Race

In November, thirty racing machines powered only by the power of the wind will leave the Atlantic coast of France far behind and head out into the ultimate challenge in ocean yacht racing, the Vendee Globe Race.

The Spirit of Canada Open 60 yacht is a masterful combination of design and technology that has been funded by over 5,000 individual sponsors.

This venture is an inspiring example of what can be accomplished by a strategically designed social media and marketing campaign. To date the team still lacks a corporate sponsor, but with over 270 hours of internationally planned media coverage, this is also an exciting opportunity for a major Canadian company to throw its support behind this round the world challenge and testament to the human spirit.

Wishing you a safe journey & a fast boat, Derek Hatfield!

Good luck!

Is Microsoft cool?

The ad agency of Crispin Porter + Bogusky has a reputation for advertising campaigns that generate excitement about a brand, but they certainly have taken on a big challenge with the task of making Microsoft cool!

The reality today is that it is not just about MAC OS vs Windows anymore! While Microsoft still remains a technology brand, Apple has successfully become a lifestyle brand. Apple has managed to craft an experience with Mac OS, iMac, iPod, iTunes, and now iPhone that melds design, technology, media, photography, and communication into a beautiful roller-coaster ride.

The highly anticipated $300 million Microsoft ad campaign recently launched but response from viewers has been pretty bland.

Jerry Seinfeld is funny for sure, but is he cool? Not in 2008, and Microsoft isn't cool yet either. This will be an interesting campaign to watch!