designBytes: 07.03.06

July 3.2006
Welcome to designBytes, the electronic newsletter of the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA). Here's the latest design news, sneak peeks of features on the IDSA Web site, links to interesting articles elsewhere and upcoming articles in Design Perspectives (DP), the IDSA newsletter.

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• The Best and Brightest IDEAs: BusinessWeek and IDSA officially announced the winners of the 2006 Industrial Design Excellence Awards (IDEAs) on June 29. This year, the jury chaired by Chris Conley, IDSA, co-director and founder of Gravity Tank, bestowed 108 awards—27 Gold, 39 Silver and 42 Bronze—on some of the world's hottest designs, coolest concepts and most innovative problem-solvers. Panasonic and The Timberland Company were the top winners from the corporate world, with six and three awards, respectively. And unlike previous years, no one design firm won an overwhelming number of awards; ZIBA Design led the pack with four awards and Formation Design Group won three awards, while 11 firms each won two awards this year. And design teams from Asia nabbed a quarter of this year's Gold awards, up from 8 percent in 2005. For more information, as well as in-depth descriptions and credits of this year's winners, check out the coverage on BusinessWeek and IDSA's web sites, at http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/jun2006/id20060629_827411.htm?chan=innovation_innovation+%2B+design_innovation+and+design+lead and /IDEA2006/galleries/idea/idea2006/index.htm.
  
  
• Mark Kimbrough Tells You Why You Should Attend IDSA's National Conference and Education Symposium: The "Elements of Change" are coming! IDSA's National Conference and Education Symposium is September 17-20, in Austin, TX: will you be there? If you're still on the fence, take a listen to a podcast conversation with 2006 Conference Chair Mark Kimbrough, IDSA, principal, Design Edge. Mark talks about the new format being used at this year's conference, highlights key speakers and explains what the exciting city of Austin will offer attendees. To access the podcast, visit http://commpartners.client.ninesystems.com/IDSA/podcasts/media/9024692z.mp3. (Your computer must have audio capability to listen to the podcast.) Once you're ready to attend the conference, visit /?q=node/2369 to make your plans.
  
  
• Nokia Sues Chinese Companies for Copying Phone Design: Nokia Oyj, the world's largest maker of mobile phones, started civil litigation in China against companies for manufacturing and selling cellular handsets that copy Nokia's design of the Nokia 7260 phone. In its complaint, Nokia requested the court to order the defendants to stop making and selling the phones and pay monetary damages and other related costs. To read more, visit http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=aoGeyBOnSq2c.
  
  
• "Designers Don't Think Like Engineers": Or so says Ken Cummings, IDSA, industrial design program manager at Humber College in Toronto. In an interview featured in The Globe and Mail, Cummings discusses the difference between automotive designers and automotive engineers, a subject he knows well given his experience working for Chrysler, General Motors, Toyota and Nissan. He also discusses Humber's automotive design program. To read more, visit http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060629.WHVAUGHAN29/TPStory/Education.
  
  
• One More Week To Ready Your Catalyst Competition Entry!: With the growing recognition of the impact of good design on the bottom line, IDSA and BusinessWeek's Design and Business Catalyst Award is more relevant than ever before. July 10 is the entry deadline—take this opportunity to show the world that superior design pays! Steve Kaneko, FIDSA, design director of Windows hardware innovation, Microsoft Corp., is the jury chair; Gordon Bruce, IDSA, principal, Gordon Bruce Design LLC, and Thomas Lockwood, PhD, IDSA, president and executive director, Design Management Institute, are jurors. For more information, or to access the entry form, visit /catalyst.html.
  
  
• What's One of the Latest Additions to the Cooper-Hewitt?: In the midst of a recent Washington Post article chronicling the latest in the lives of First Daughters Jenna and Barbara Bush came an interesting revelation: Barbara recently landed a job in education programming at Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. Need your Jenna and Barbara fix? To read more, visit http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/29/AR2006062900070_pf.html.
  
  
• Less Like a Bathroom, More Like a Spa: For some, indulgence is consuming a pizza on the couch while watching "CSI." But others might tell you it's taking refuge in a bath, away from the chaos of the workaday world. And bathroom fixture manufacturers are banking on the latter view these days, offering an array of at-home indulgences designed to simulate what you find at a spa. For many years, the standard bathroom was 5'x8'. Today, 10'x15' or 20' is the rule, and that gives the homeowner a chance to create a spa that's separate from the usual facilities. For the latest from the design idea center at the recent Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Chicago, visit http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/30/AR2006063000613.html.
  
  
  
• POLL: Visit the buzz at /buzz.htm and answer today's question: "What room in your house do you consider an indulgence?"

designBytes is a service of IDSA. If you have any news for dB email designBytes@idsa.org The Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) is committed to advancing the profession of industrial design through education, information, community and advocacy.