Category: Interviews

Interviews

Business Strategy Behind Newell Rubbermaid’s New Design Center

By Delphine Hirasuna |

Newell Rubbermaid’s new Design Center in Kalamazoo, Michigan, marks a monumental shift in the company’s design thinking and practices. This consolidation of design functions in a single location addresses how design in the 21st century has become a team activity that pulls in disciplines beyond design.

Chuck_Jones
In 2012, after Newell Rubbermaid adopted its Growth Game Plan strategy focused on four winning capabilities, including design and R&D, it brought in acclaimed designer Chuck Jones as its first Chief Design and Research & Development Officer to make the company more agile and responsive to consumers through design. Jones’ reputation preceded him, having successfully built global design and development teams that boosted sales and won awards for innovation at companies including Whirlpool and Xerox. Here, Jones talks about how Newell Rubbermaid is creating a brand-and-innovation-led company that is famous for design and product performance.
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Interviews

Maira Kalman on the THNKR Channel

By Delphine Hirasuna |

THNKR is a new YouTube channel launched by Radical Media last July. It gives viewers access to extraordinary people, stories and ideas that are transforming the world. Its programming lineup is divided into four categories – Bookd exploring noteworthy books, Prodigies profiling young geniuses, Podium exploring the art of public speaking, and Epiphany featuring renowned thought leaders. Each episode presents provocative thoughts intended to “change your mind.” Here, Maira Kalman, visual columnist for the New York Times, talks about the differences she sees between thinking and feeling, emphasizing her points with her delightful illustrations.

Interviews

Interview with Authors of
“Pantone: The 20th Century in Full Color”

By Delphine Hirasuna |

Looking for a Christmas present that a designer will appreciate? Try “PANTONE®: The 20th Century in Full Color” (Chronicle Books) by color experts Leatrice Eiseman and Keith Recker. The book takes readers on a color-palette tour of the last century presenting a decade-by-decade account of fads, fashions, films, social and art movements, objects, and events and the colors associated with them. Each subject is presented with color chips of the palette, complete with exact Pantone numbers — e.g., Buttercup Yellow (PANTONE 12-0752), Nile Green (PANTONE14-0121), Lipstick Red (PANTONE 19-1764). Perusing this book, it becomes apparent that color is very much a part of our collective memory, evoking a sense of time and place and the emotional climate of the era. It’s a unique way of seeing the 20th century.

Here authors Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, and Keith Recker, Pantone color and trend consultant, join us for a brief interview.

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Interviews

Erik Spiekermann — 2011 German Design Lifetime Achievement Winner

By Delphine Hirasuna |

Designer/typographer Erik Spiekermann, who founded the globally renowned MetaDesign and FontShop, is the recipient of this year’s German Design Lifetime Achievement Award. Here, he spoke at length with gestalten.tv on his approach to and philosophy of type design, visual languages, design processes and other subjects. His remarks are thoughtful, informative and inspiring, and though this video is nearly 14 minutes long, we think it is worth viewing. Congratulations, Erik. Well deserved.

Interviews

@Issue Publisher Peter Lawrence on Good Design

By Delphine Hirasuna |

A tireless advocate of good design in business, Corporate Design Foundation Chairman Peter Lawrence recently talked to Fast Company magazine about why design matters. CDF has been the publisher of @Issue: Journal of Business and Design since its inception 16 years ago.