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http://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2016/7/5/12100524/font-detector-tool-color-eyedropper-spector  
This student-made gadget can detect fonts and capture colors  

Some people take photos of designs they see out in the world that inspire them. Others create mood boards for tracking inspiration. But having a photo of something isn't the same as being able to it in your own work. Knowing this, Fiona O'Leary, a student at the Royal College of Art, developed a prototype called the Spector, so she could capture any font and color she sees in the world. If she loved the font London uses on its subway maps, for instance, she could use this device to capture that font and load it into Adobe InDesign. Spector takes a photo of the font and uses an algorithm to translate that image into information about the shape of letters and symbols. It then cross-references that information with a font database to...

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https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/4-10-july-2016/coke-zero-rebrands-coca-cola-zero-sugar/  
Coke Zero rebrands as Coca Cola Zero Sugar with message of moderation  

Coca Cola Zero Sugar has been re-launched in the UK, backed by a £10 million ad campaign, a new name and new design.

Formerly Coke Zero, the renamed drink fits in with other products in the Coke family as part of it's “one brand” strategy, as we found out from vice president of global design at Coca-Cola James Somerville in April. You can read the full story here.

The new Coca Cola Zero Sugar design, which features a red disk was unveiled in April but only rolls out to the UK market now. It carries the strapline “Taste's more like Coke, looks more like Coke”.

The new campaign and the positioning are part of Coca Cola's drive to encourage consumers to cut down the amount of sugar they consume.

Coke Zero's last overhaul was in 2014, which was designed by Bulletproof and positioned around a “Just add Zero” campaign.

The post Coke Zero rebrands as Coca Cola Zero Sugar with message of moderation appeared first on Design Week.

 
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https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/4-10-july-2016/rebrand-charity-well/  
How to rebrand a charity and do it well  

It's been a tough year for charities. According to a report by the Charity Commission, their reputation has collapsed. We're uncomfortable with their aggressive fundraising, we distrust how they spend our money and we have doubts about the difference they make to the causes we support.

Design can't change the way charities behave. But the connections they make with us are what creates trust, so their need to communicate well is greater now than ever.

What's with all the fake kid's drawings?

It's been decades since charities first latched onto the importance of identity so why does the sector still look like a design scrapyard? Why is it awash with clichés and me-too design? What's with all the corny people icons, fake kid's drawings, and vacuous, clipart-like symbols? Why are so many charity identities mind-numbingly ordinary if not downright garbage?

A shortage of half-sensible budgets is one reason. But there's more to it than that. Charities do themselves all sorts of disfavours. They like jumping on bandwagons. They're inclined to imitate rather than embrace ideas that are individual to them. And they want to be loved by everyone, which can make impossible demands on their communications.

Trustees that know nothing about communications

What's more, charities can be exasperating to deal with because of their governance and the “democratic” way they're managed. Trustees usually have the final say on a new identity, but they generally know little or nothing about communications so their opinions can be irritatingly subjective.

So here's how to survive in the curious world of charity identity and how to go about conjuring up work that invites people in and makes them want to know more.

Stop peddling snake oil

You know who you are. You use words like differentiation, touchpoints, behaviours and learnings. Time and again, gibberish is passed off as “brand insight” and the upshot is work that's not what it's cracked up to be. Quit trying to bamboozle people and do your job properly. If you expect charities to behave with honesty, integrity and straightforwardness, you should too.

Listen

Listening is the most important thing designers do. Everyone's got stories to tell so listen to trustees, listen to management, listen to staff and listen to volunteers. You only learn things when you listen.

Have an opinion

In the creativity game, you're not a player unless you've got an opinion. Be single-minded. Don't waste time trying to please everyone. Be crystal-clear about what you need to do and get on with it. One bloody good idea is all it takes.

Trust your intuition

Charities are increasingly risk-averse. Consultation and research are used to lessen the risk of failure rather than boost the chance of success. Design should be about the sheer joy and excitement of doing things that haven't been done before. So if you want your work to be truly unforgettable, you've got to be daring and you've got to trust your intuition it's always right.

Don't take no for an answer

Intelligent, idiosyncratic identities can be hard to sell because they drag people into their discomfort zone. Charities are inclined to resist ideas that rock the boat, so design that's never going to get noticed usually wins the day. Don't let it happen. Gutsy, ballsy, feisty ideas are what charities really need and it's up to you to make sure that's what they get.

Idiosyncratic + ruthless = unforgettable

I've said it before and I'll say it again, this is my formula for an unforgettable identity. It has to be idiosyncratic; that's to say, everything an organisation says and does and the way it looks should be so individual and characteristically ‘them' that they just couldn't be mistaken for any other. It's those idiosyncrasies that need to be uncovered, given form and voice, and ruthlessly protected.

John Spencer is the founder and creative director of Offthetopofmyhead

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https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/4-10-july-2016/dyson-brings-engineering-life-new-london-store/  
Dyson “brings engineering to life” with new London store  

Technology brand Dyson will open its first ever permanent London store this week, which will allow people to try out products first-hand and learn about the science behind them.

The Dyson Demo is based on Oxford Street, and showcases the company's portfolio of products including its regular, cordless and autonomous vacuum cleaners, purifier fans, LED lighting and the recently launched Supersonic hairdryer.

Dyson Demo has been designed by Dyson in partnership with WilkinsonEyre, the architectural practice which also recreated the brand's headquarters and factory in Malmesbury, Wiltshire in a £250 million project in 2014.

The space is spread over two floors the ground floor features white plinths presenting the portfolio of products, including the Dyson Pure Cool Link purifier fan, the Dyson 360 Eye robot (robot vacuum cleaner), Supersonic hairdryer, and the Cu-Beam lighting range.

The walls are also adorned with copies of the V8 cord-free vacuum, alongside pots containing different types of dust, food and debris. Visitors are then invited to test the vacuum cleaner on four different floor surfaces, with the dirt of their choice.

A glass staircase designed by WilkinsonEyre leads to the first floor, which includes hair salon stations where visitors can have their hair styled with the Supersonic hairdryer. The area also includes moving, mechanical installations which demonstrate the product testing phase of the hairdryer on real samples of human hair.

Dyson “experts”, who work alongside engineers at the headquarters in Malmesbury, will also be stationed around the store at all times for visitors to speak to about the science behind the products.

Tom Mogridge, a Dyson senior design engineer, says that these “experts” “understand how the engineers think” and have “good insight into the company's products”. “It's really exciting that a product that I've worked on is able to be demonstrated for visitors in store,” he says.

The space also includes digital screens used across walls, which show the products in action.

There are no tills, but visitors are able to buy products in-store once they have spoken to somebody and tested out a product.

Jake Dyson, research, design and development director, and the son of company founder James Dyson, says: “The Dyson Demo encourages people to be hands-on. It's all about showing the inner workings of products it's really important to demonstrate them first hand so people understand the engineering behind them.”

Max Conze, chief executive officer at Dyson, adds that the space will help to educate visitors about the “fundamentally different ways” that Dyson technology works, and will “bring engineering to life”.

The space will also be used for engineering workshops for school children during holidays, hosted by the James Dyson Foundation.

The Dyson Demo concept was originally created in Paris, France in 1999, also designed by WilkinsonEyre. A space was created in Tokyo, Japan last year, and in Jakarta, Indonesia earlier this year. Dyson hopes to roll out more Demo retail spaces worldwide, including in the U.S.

The interactive learning environment concept is similar to that of Apple, which opened a San Francisco learning space earlier this year. The first similar conceptual Apple store was opened in 2001.

The Dyson Demo London retail space is based at 447 Oxford Street, London and opens 6 July.

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https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/4-10-july-2016/doppler-labs-set-launch-earphones-can-customise-sound-around/  
Doppler Labs set to launch earphones that can control background noise  

Doppler Labs has designed a set of sound-customising earphones, which can be used for everything from dealing with an open office to amplifying hearing.

The product includes two wireless bluetooth earbuds and a connected mobile app that use Doppler Labs' sound-morphing technology.

A limited release of 10,000 of its first generation Hear Active Listening earphones were distributed in January to people including early backers and professional musicians.

Tested out at festivals like Coachella

They had several features, including real-world volume control, EQ and sound effects.

The earphones were tried out at events such as LA music festival, Coachella, where users were able to customise their festival experience by altering sound settings such as the bass level.

While Hear Active Listening received positive feedback when it came to music functionality, the tech company's focus for the second generation Here One earphones was more on everyday use.

Adaptive filtering and layered listening

Features include highly targeted adaptive filtering, meaning that the wearer will be able to block out or turn down sounds such as sirens or crying babies, as well as layered listening that blends the sound coming from the headphones with the outside world.

This means that in the future you could be watching a baseball game in person while having commentary layered over the top.

Here One goes on sale to the public in November, and will cost $299 (£228).

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