Can design reduce crime? Local councils around the UK certainly seem to think so. Starting today, they will all be using a new M-shaped bike stand called the ‘caMden’, in the hope that it will deter thieves from stealing bicycles. It’s a simple idea: the main feature of the caMden is that it has more […]
Continue ReadingWhy we should swat The Mosquito
Originally published on spiked. Yesterday, civil libertarians and concerned officials launched a campaign called ‘Buzz Off’, with the aim of ridding Britain’s streets and estates of 3,500 ultra-sonic devices called ‘the Mosquito’. Introduced at locations around the country in January 2006, these little machines emit a disturbing buzzing noise that is only audible to those […]
Continue ReadingTracing the history of Helvetica
Originally published on spiked. What do the brands MUJI, AGFA, SAAB, IBM, Oral B, BMW, Staples, Kawasaki and Panasonic have in common? Their logos are all designed in the Helvetica typeface, which is the subject of a new documentary that explores how typography and graphic design affect visual culture – and our lives. Chances are […]
Continue ReadingComment: Design in denial
Originally published in Blueprint (now defunct). Nowadays, design is justified in terms of being sustainable and ethically responsible without much debate. Consequently many have become shy to defend aspects of good design that we’ve previously taken for granted. After all design is the result of how we able to process and master resources, taming them […]
Continue Reading‘It looks like Lisa Simpson giving head’
Originally published on spiked. The unveiling of the newly-designed London 2012 Olympics logo caused a storm of protest and bad publicity. Designed by Wolff Olins, one of the world’s leading design agencies, it has been rubbished by commentators and there is now even a petition against it (27,000 people had signed up at the time […]
Continue ReadingThe tyranny of technology
Originally published on spiked. The contrast couldn’t be more striking. Rwanda, 13 years after its bloody civil war, is pouring money into information technology (IT) and is fast becoming the hub of Africa, transforming from a society riddled with desperate poverty to one of promise (1). Google has sensed an opportunity and is promising to […]
Continue ReadingPolitical blogging: logging on, dropping out
Originally published on spiked. The Tory Party election campaign slogan, ‘Are you thinking what we’re thinking?’, shows a desperation to connect with the voting public. In February 2005, former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith (now head of Centre for Social Justice) wrote in the Guardian that the Tory party needs to connect with the electorate in […]
Continue ReadingDisabling innovation
Originally published on spiked. Website publishers and designers like myself have been targeted under the act since October 1999. In a recent survey of 1000 websites, the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) found that over 80 per cent did not meet basic accessibility standards and so discriminated against the disabled. While the legal definition of what […]
Continue ReadingWhat’s the big idea?
Originally published on spiked. What is it about politicians and the internet? Many are keen to explore the possibilities of using the net to interact with voters. Even UK prime minister Tony Blair is toying with the idea of using a weblog (a kind of online journal) for the next general election. But more often […]
Continue ReadingDean and not heard
Originally published on spiked. The Democratic Party contest to find a challenger to George W Bush for the November US presidential elections is well under way. Massachusetts Senator John Kerry stormed ahead of his rivals this week, winning Delaware, Missouri, Arizona, North Dakota and New Mexico in the ‘Super Seven Tuesday’ caucuses and primaries, held […]
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