Look at houses, workplaces, stores and gyms. Everything is designed. So much creative thought goes into our environments. From Gucci to Apple to Target, the way objects function and look is of critical importance in the 21st century. Good design has become good business. It differentiates companies. Separates them from the competition. Gives them an edge. Workers have job security, because creative capacity cannot be easily copied or outsourced to other countries. How do we develop our design sensibilities in the New Year? Think about visiting a design museum online to see examples of beautiful design. Collections can be accessed digitally. Plenty of inspiration for 2012. Start developing your eye for design today.
At an independtly organized TED event, Simon Sinek, author of “Start with Why“, spoke about how great leaders inspire action. He starts by writing three words on a flip chart: why, how, and what. Mr. Sinek goes on to state that people in leadership positions usually focus on what their organizations do and how they do it, two very important areas. Advertisements for those organizations usually echo the same focus. Here is the rub according to Sinek. What and how usually don’t inspire people to action. Sinek believes that why companies do what they do is really the essence of it all. Why is the larger vision and mission that touches people at their core, makes them jump out of bed and work their tails off, or makes them want to be first in line to buy new products even if it is pouring raining outside.
This video got me thinking. Should we only focus on why at work or when we purchase our favorite things? At Doux Nid, we believe creating a home is a chance to think about why in a very personal way. Why we do things at our core? Home is the perfect place to ask the biggest questions. It is a place to showcase and nurture our largest purpose, encourage our wildest dreams and anchor us to our deepest values. At Doux Nid, we definitely start with why at home.
I love to use nailheads in all kinds of shapes and sizes small and big alike. They have been around forever in design circles tracing their origin back to the reign of Louis XIII. In modern times, nailheads can be used in a variety of ways from outlining upholstery to giving decorative distinction to walls. They come in all looks and finishes ultra modern to very traditional.
I recently decided to use them in a foyer to make a grand entrance. First, I outlined the walls using nailheads that come on a roll. Outlining unifies a space. Then, I created decorative panels on the wall using more of the nailheads. Since creating the panels. I have been brainstorming about what to put in the panels. Maybe a hand-painted motif using a stencil for the design and outlining the silhouette in coordinating nailheads? Maybe a design created with shells? I love shells. Shells have a long history of being used as decorative material from 18th century grottoes to garden pots to Victorian Valentines.
Over the summer, I visited Newcastle, Maine and picked up vintage corks that were used in the fishing industry. The floaters have a patina colored dark taupe to light brown that is just beautiful. In a moment of inspiration, I decided to use the cork and shells together. The corks would serve as medallions on the walls and the shells would be placed in a design around the cork.
The combination turned out to be smashing. Each decorative panel took about an hour to create. The install was easy. I did run into a few snags. One was the glue. I tried several different types from silicone adhesive to Elmer’s to a glue that claims to bond anything. I found that Crazy Glue worked the best. Take a look at the video to see the process. Enjoy!
A critical component to becoming more creative is developed through studying great solutions, so that you can discern the differnece between the forumlaic and the creative. — Robin Landa
Conversation Starters
What inspires you? What gets your creative juices flowing? Here are some snapshots to get the conversation started. To see what else speaks to you, start collecting snaphots and magazine clippings of your own. Enjoy the hunt!
Look at houses, workplaces, stores and gyms. Everything is designed. So much creative thought goes into our environments. From Gucci to Apple to Target, the way objects function and look is of critical importance in the 21st century. Good design has become good business. It differentiates companies. Separates them from the competition. Gives them an edge. Workers have job security, because creative capacity cannot be easily copied or outsourced to other countries. How do we develop our design sensibilities in the New Year? Think about visiting a design museum online to see examples of beautiful design. Collections can be accessed digitally. Plenty of inspiration for 2012. Start developing your eye for design today.