By Simone | Published:
April 28, 2010
Millennials Go to College is a continuation of the theory presented in Generations- that the United States has seen four repeating general cohorts since its inception, and that these cohorts have a significant impact on national trends. Millennials focuses on one of these cohorts in particular- the Civic generation. Today’s manifestation of the Civic generation is what authors Neil Howe and William Strauss call the Millennial generation, and what many others refer to as Generation Y.
Millennials Go to College discusses the implications of this generation entering university grounds. Strauss and Howe argue that, because this generational cohort is inherently different, it must be treated differently by university administrators and faculty- lest they suffer backlash or loss of prestige and interest.
By Simone | Published:
April 27, 2010
While pageant crowns might be associated with modern contests such as Miss USA, Miss Universe, and its numerous counterparts, the shining circlets can be traced back to the 1500s, during which symbolic kings and queens were selected during local May Day festivities and other seasonal celebrations.
According to YGo Beauty Tips, the first modern American pageant was staged in 1854 by P.T. Barnum, however the modern (and widely accepted) pageant process was not widely accepted until the 1920s, when beauty contests were first utilized by local areas to draw tourists and press. The competitions have since evolved to become highly publicized international events with multiple sub-competitions (talent, swimsuit…) in which a broad range of demographic and psychographic types compete.
By Simone | Published:
April 26, 2010
The Cool Hunter presents itself as “the world’s top design, architecture, creative marketing and cultural portal” with over 1 million monthly readers from around the world. Ask any layman about coolhunting, and The Cool Hunter is usually the first brand to cross their lips- indeed, this trend spotting company may be one of the best known in its industry by insiders and outsiders alike.
By Simone | Published:
April 24, 2010
Guess what? I’ve written a book on trend photography!
By Simone | Published:
April 23, 2010
Today Richard Watson posted a link to a recent ABC interview he had with Margaret Throsby.
In the interview, Watson recommends a number of books, discusses important trends (e.g. social media, time famines, etc.), explains how he got started as a futurist, and discusses various aspects of the trend spotting process. I recommend you listen to the interview, but should you have no time, I’ve listed some of his interesting trend-spotting-related observations below:
By Simone | Published:
April 22, 2010
A couple of days ago, The Cool Hunter posted a piece titled “The Anatomy of Cool” which describes the ephemeral nature of “cool” and also details bit of the company’s philosophy and approach to cool hunting and trend spotting. Below are some notable excerpts from this post:
Posted in Practices, TREND SPOTTING / COOLHUNTING | Tagged cool, coolhunting, fads, fashion, objectivity, research, subjectivity, The Cool Hunter, trend spotting, trends |
By Simone | Published:
April 21, 2010
Adaptive Path is a consulting firm that utilizes its insights on consumers’ contemporary needs to design customer experiences. The company works on user interfaces, product strategy, and integrated customer experiences, and provides not only experience design, but also experience research, strategy, implementation, and training, making it a true all-in-one research. Adaptive Path has served a broad range of cutting edge companies, including Skype, Hitachi, Flickr, MySpace.com, Sony, and Nike.
By Simone | Published:
April 19, 2010
A couple months back, I read Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, a book by Cory Doctorow describing a future world in which wealth exists in the form of whuffie, which is a reputation-based currency. The more highly people think of you, the more wealthy you are.
Well, it looks as though we are moving toward this futuristic economy already.
By Simone | Published:
April 17, 2010
There is something iconic about Chinese lanterns- they appear to be at once ancient and modern in their streamlined simplicity and adaptability to modern technology. Though they are seamlessly integrated into modern design, these fashionable light sources emerged as early as 230 BC.
By Simone | Published:
April 15, 2010
I stumbled across another short film that speaks to the times today- Kapitaal by design firm Studio Smack:
