| Maps inspire design, home decor
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Whether you are fascinated by the Old World or prefer a modern look, there's a map for your home.It's easy to find antique-inspired sepia maps of the world that are full of mountain ranges and place names and look as if they belong in your grandfather's study. But there are also more glamorous maps, streamlined of all topography and made of clear acrylic that seems to float when hung on the wall. Fully illuminated maps look like high-def televisions, techy enough to make a gadget geek swoon.But all maps share this: They transport us back in time to the places we have traveled, as well as to the places we dream of going. Maps represent who we are, making them good conversation pieces in the home, says Larry Compeau, associate professor of marketing at Clarkson University in New York and executive officer of the Society for Consumer Psychology.Maps also can signify who we wish we were."Those who haven't really traveled, who have a map displayed, want to convey that they're knowledge-seeking, intelligent people," Compeau says.
Columbia Business School and Parsons School of Design Students Develop ...
NEW YORK, Dec. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- From forward-looking concepts for the Chanel shopping experience in 2012 to a luxury internet site for Bulgari, students from Columbia Business School and Parsons The New School of Design recently marked a semester-long seminar in which teams examined case studies to develop concepts for some of the world's leading luxury goods companies. The course, "Design and Marketing of Luxury Goods," featured projects for Faber-Castell, Lladro, LVMH Perfumes and Cosmetics, and Saks Fifth Avenue, in addition to Bulgari and Chanel. The class functions as an incubator for new ideas for participating companies, not solely for product development but also for enhancing their customer base. This year's projects included increasing brand visibility in the U.S.
Radically visual
Two years ago, Ricardo Viera embraced the idea of an exhibition of snapshots with the typical gusto of a Cuban Falstaff. The director/curator of Lehigh University's galleries and museum operation relished the notion of a show of everything from family pictures to experimental collages. He knew it would neon-light his belief that photography is a level field, that a photograph is a flat world. Viera made just one major proposal to the exhibit's proponents, Donald Lokuta and Robert Yoskowitz, arts professors and owners of large collections of snapshots. Why not, he suggested, pair pictures by amateurs with pictures of similar subjects by renowned photographers represented in Lehigh's collection? Why not invite visitors to debate who takes, and what makes, a better photo? Organized by Viera, Lokuta and Yoskowitz, ''Vernacular to the Masters'' is a visual, intellectual hornet's nest.
MySpace makes deal with states to protect young users
The social networking Web site MySpace will work with officials from 49 states and the District of Columbia to implement new measures to shield young users from sexual predators, authorities announced Monday. The Web site has agreed to implement design and policy changes to protect users from harmful images and contact from adults, according to a statement from state Attorney General Bill McCollum. Some new policies include creating a closed section reserved for high school users under 18 and creating a registry in which parents can submit their child's e-mail address to prevent children from signing in or registering a profile. MySpace will also work with the attorneys general to develop an Internet Safety Technical Task Force to develop an identity authentication system.
|