Business Generation Model

introducing the Business Model Canvas

Because of my interest in service design and the desire to get a better understanding of business models in general I decided to read Business Model Generation.

Business Model Generation offers you powerful, simple, tested tools for understanding, designing, reworking and implementing business models.
It provides you with the big picture by identifying the nine most important building blocks of a business model, visually layed-out in the Business Model Canvas. Furthermore the book talks about different business model patterns, techniques to help you design business models, re-interpreting strategy through the business model lens and a generic process to help you design innovative business modes.

It might all sound grey and dull, but trust me it's not! It is a visual feast for the eye, easy to understand and inspiring.

As a designer this approach helps me to consider all aspects that could influence a design/service, positive and negative.
And it generates a more holistic approach that (hopefully) leads to added value for companies, costumers and society.

Overall a great book...


You can download a preview at www.businessmodelgeneration.com

Keywords: books, business, designthinking

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Service Design Netwerk

a Dutch foundation for Service design

As we all know innovative concepts are no longer just about a product, a device or a website. It is the combination of all different elements that are responsible for the overall experience.
Service design focuses on understanding and designing this overall experience.
Or as one of the leading firms Engine states:
"...we believe that the services people use everyday define their relationships with organizations and with other people; and ultimately shape quality of life. It's well worth designing them well."

This relatively new design field is becoming more and more established and is now also slowly but surely blossoming in the Netherlands. The Service Design Netwerk (SDN) is hosting multiple events to share thoughts and ideas among like-minded and people interested. The SDN is a foundation which provides an independent platform for anyone who interested in the most up to date knowledge about service design.

The great and intriguing thing about service design is that it uses many different different disciplines (anthropology, design, business analysis) and uses design tools, techniques and thinking to create 'Human centered' services that matter. Something a lot of companies could benefit from.

For more information about the network, or upcoming events please visit servicedesignnetwerk.nl (in Dutch)

Or, if you're not based in the Netherlands, you can also have a look at www.service-design-network.org

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Cloud Creative Network

joining forces

I am a proud partner of CLOUD!
Cloud is a creative network of supertallented professionals that share their expertise and experience from various industries (product design to strategic business management) to develop valuable, context-relevant creative concepts.

Cloud = positive, flexible, organic and full of energy.
You can recognize cloud members and projects by a fun little Cloud logo =]

Cloud (from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
A cloud is a visible mass of droplets, in other words, little drops of water or frozen crystals suspended in the atmosphere above the surface of the Earth or another planetary body. A cloud is also a visible mass attracted by gravity, such as masses of material in space called interstellar clouds and nebulae.

www.cloudcreative.net

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Lucky lucky girl?

ADCN nomination

The ADCN Lamps are the most renowned awards for advertising and design in the Netherlands dedicated to recognize creativity and originality.
Oilily's Lucky Girl (produced by Colorful Licences) is nominated for one of these prestigious awards.
Lucky girl is designed by the BrandNew / Pilots collaboration team and we sure hope Lucky girl gets lucky!

The award ceremony will take place on the 23rd of April in the Amsterdam City Theatre.

Keywords: adcn, award

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Yike Bike

Fetish worthy

I came across the Yike Bike in the Fetish section of Wired magazine (UK Version).
And I can only say it rightfully earned its spot.

The Yike Bike is a lightweight collapsable electric bicycle designed in New Zealand. The Yike Bike is reaches a top speed of 25 km/hr and weights 9.8kg (thanks to its carbon fibre frame!).
The way it folds into itself is just stunning, actually the whole design is pretty amazing!
It sure beats the annoying electric scooters you find on every bicycle lane here in Amsterdam!

Check out the Yike Bike website for more info.

Keywords: bicycle, green, mobility

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Daniel Kahneman

The experiencing self vs. the remembering self

Everybody is in search of happiness these days, but it seems almost impossible to think straight about happiness.
Daniel Kahneman argues that there are too many traps to really get to the bottom of it. First of all wellbeing is a complex thing, it applies to too many different things. And then there is a great discripency between our two selfs; the experiencing self, that only lives in the present, the now;  and the remembering self, that keeps score and maintains the story of our life.

The remembering self is a story teller. Our memory tells our stories, it is what we get to keep from our experience.
In that perspective it is good to question what defines a story?
Changes, Significant moments and Endings (probably the most important)
These parts will define your influence memory.

One of the biggest differences between the experiencing and remembering self is the handling of time.
Your experiencing self might find overall happiness whilst undergoing an event but one significant moment or ending can ruin the whole experience and your remembering self will tell you the event was horrible.
This underlines the conflict in valuing hapiness, for one part of your self tell you the experience was good but the other clearly doesn't.

Another great TED talk to think about how experiences are established and perhaps how we (as designers) can use this knowledge to make design matter.

Keywords: experience, ted

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Incomplete Manifesto for Growth

and a personal addition

It is always great fun and inspiring to read Bruce Mau's Incomplete Manifesto for Growth. Even though he started writing it in 1998 it still represents Bruce Mau’s beliefs, strategies and motivations. Collectively, they are how his studio approaches every project.

I thought about the long list of statements and decided to add one for myself:

44. Feed your intuition. Intuition is a funny thing you can expand/grow it by opening up for the new and unknown. Learn, share and explore and you will collect the sparks that will release themselves in most unexpected ways at unexpected times.

Like to read the other 43 statements? click here

Keywords: bruce, manifesto, mau

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Post-it viral

nike viral Argentina

As designers we are well known for our post-it brainstorm session...

This viral commercial is taking the concept a bit further!
Can't help wondering how much fun the makers would have had during the brainstorm session and making of the video.

It is already a bit dated since it was posted somewhere in 2008 but nonetheless still enjoyable =]

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Parenting technology

Thoughts by Kevin Kelly

Kevin Kelly was one of the guestspeakers at TEDxAmsterdam back in november (2009) and he is also Senior Maverick at Wired magazine (US). But most of all Kevin Kelly is a pioneer in exploring and writing about the history, meaning and purpose of technolgy in our lives.
He sees technology as an extension of life and technology is anything useful invented by a mind. It is fully intertwined with our lives and it is not only expressed through the devices we carry in our pockets, it is also expressed in things like law or systems like cities.

After watching the TED-talk I quickly browsed the internet to find more information about Kelly, and bumbed into many different sites including the Monitor talent site which has a nice overview of Kelly's activities and thoughts;
....
Why More Technology is Good for the World
Technology has become the primary driver of society and civilization. New technologies alter politics, the arts, social norms, science, and even our identities. The progress of technology is making the world better, but no body is very happy about it. Progress is out of fashion. Yet the march towards the next innovation seems inevitable. Do we even have a choice? We do. We have a choice in how to devise technology that will increase the possibilities and opportunities in the world. The answer to a bad idea is a better idea, rather than to stop thinking, so we should be increasing the good technology in the world.

Read the full article at the Monitor talent website here

You can also watch the TEDxAmsterdam-talk. I particulairy liked the part when he compared technology with children:
" ...technologies are sort of like children. Our job as humans is to parent our mind children, to find them good friends and to find them a good job. And so every technology is a creative force looking for the right job. There are no bad technologies just as there are no bad children. We don't say children are neutral. Children are positive we just have to find them the right place..."

Kevin Kelly is currently researching/writing his next book, in which he hopes to answer the question, “What does technology want?” It will be most likely published by Viking/Penguin sometime in 2010. His thoughts-in-progress can also be seen and read on his extensive semi-blog, The Technium.

Keywords: technology, ted

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Wieden+Kennedy, Masters of advertising

Is it Monday yet? & MVP Season II

Just a quick pick out of the amazing Wieden + Kennedy portfolio. Engaging, inspiring and well executed!

Go check out the video's on their website

ESPN - Is it Monday yet?
Nike - MVP season II

Keywords: advertisement, wieden+kennedy

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