uncluttered white spaces » News

1 of Six Tips For Designing a Memorable Brand

Rennie — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 08:01:17 +0000

Fast COmpany have created an article highting 6 really cool tips for creating an engaging brand. “You never see a logo by itself,” says Yang Kim. Instead, it’s usually part of an overall brand that when well-executed takes into account everything from self- and outward perception to media landscape. For their new book, Kim and Budelmann culled their top 100 picks from 3,000 submissions of recent work around the world.

Here is our favourite of the 6, for the full list head over to Fast Company:

Logo Flexibility: Can you have a constant logo that is still recognizable but also for its variety? Absolute Vodka perhaps? And also, Kapulica Studio. The K is constant but the treatment of it ranges form rigid to flexible – making variety also part of its graphic identity.

To see all 6 steps, click here.

Infograph | An Interesting Look at Price Drops Since 2000

Rennie — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 07:31:45 +0000

This is a great infographic that looks closely at the changes in prices heading south since 2000. Sourced via Mint, the graph indicates what lies behind many of the prices are business strategies: Starbucks, for example, has made it’s basic coffee cheaper on the theory that it’s better to bring more people through the doors, so that they might purchase higher margin items. In recessionary times, lower prices are often the best tool that businesses have to fight off ugly sales results.

In Australia, we are all too familiar with the Banana shortages in 2001 sending prices sky high however this graph has been created considering the US economies. Interesting take aways for us however not surprising is the Music CD, Levi’s and domestic travel.

Via Mint

IF Talks Launch New Website

Rennie — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 04:25:15 +0000

uncluttered white spaces has given the IF website a quick overhaul prior to the upcoming talk on sustainable futures in July.

The IF talks bring together inspiring speakers in to one location with the hope that you to go away better informed and inspired to bring about change that matters.

The idea of creating the innovation forums was developed by uncluttered white spaces as a way of sharing the content they were curating online into an offline forum.

After bouncing the idea around with Jason Pollard, James Hewitt (Public Design Group) and Johannes Weissenbaeck (PLAY), we went ahead and curated a panel of 6 innovators. Captains of industry who lead the market in inspiring design, strategy, business, marketing and leadership. Since then, we have held 4 forums and had over 200 guests and 20 speakers.

The first IF was held in November 2009 at Danks Street Depot in Sydney. The talks have been designed to remain small and personal attracting a boutique audience of innovators who can connect, share and inspire in an environment conducive to inspiration and creation.

The idea is simple. What if you can get inside the minds of some of the worlds leading innovators.

What if?

Our Wildest Ideas Untamed are a Powerful Asset

Rennie — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 05:05:10 +0000

Shaun White. Small Guy, Big Planet.

Yesterday I had a great conversation with a good friend from a business based in Sydney. We moved onto the discussion around the creation and the redundancy of ideas in her company which seems a common discussion point of late.

I spent a lot of time working for a global organisation where great ideas were almost viewed upon as threatening or controversial. So, they either did not happen or when they did, they were quickly filtered out through focus groups and watered down through management to the point where they were in fact, no longer good ideas, just re-hashed versions of what exists.

We all have ideas, some good and some bad. Why do we feel the need to continually ask people if they are in fact good ideas. Henry Ford famously commented “If I’d asked my customers what they wanted, they’d have said a faster horse.”

It is time to start to create things based on your original hair-brained idea. The one that your friends hated but some loved. Ease back on the filter and create something that sticks out in the crowd, something that can speak to people and engage. Something that matters, quirky, original and unconventional.

Our wildest ideas untamed can be a powerful asset. I think Henry Ford would agree. Once you have it, don’t hoard it, share it, collaborate and bring in consumers, family and friends to partner with you on taking it to market. Technology has given us a powerful gift of connection which in turn, creates a great platform for collaboration.

So next time your boss says in a meeting, we need a really big idea. Just smile. Then create a really powerful small idea that matters. We all know full well that small is the new big and today’s technology creates opportunities for everyone.

Louis Gray Selects 50 Startups Worth Watching

Rennie — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 22:39:08 +0000

Louis Gray has prepared a list of 50 top startups that he is watching. Serving up the list in his ranking order from one to fifty in terms of both interest and viability.

I am sure that if I ran this exercise 10 times, I would get a different list 10 times.

Louis explains: I looked below the uber-players such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Groupon, Craigslist, Tesla, and others, with a focus primarily on Web services, with a tendency toward social, and apps I am using frequently. I am more than happy to share with you the list, and it would be great to hear those you think I left off the list and missed, or how this is off base. Thanks to Symbaloo being out there, I hope to keep similar lists updated on my Webmix.

Without further ado…

CinchCast: http://cinchcast.com/
Sports Blog Nation http://www.sbnation.com
Bit.ly http://www.bit.ly
my6sense http://www.my6sense.com
Thing Labs http://brizzly.com/
Plancast http://www.plancast.com
Seesmic http://www.seesmic.com
Lunch http://www.lunch.com
Gowalla http://www.gowalla.com
DropBox http://www.dropbox.com

Untitled Startup http://www.untitledstartup.com/
Twazzup http://www.twazzup.com/
The Cadmus http://thecadmus.com/
Branchr http://www.branchr.com
Graphic.ly http://www.graphic.ly/
BlockChalk http://blockchalk.com/
FitBit http://www.fitbit.com/
RockMelt http://www.rockmelt.com/
Live Intent http://www.liveintent.com/
Fabulis http://www.fabulis.com

Via @louisgray on Twitter

Pepsi Hiding Video’s in Barcodes.

Rennie — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:47:19 +0000

Simon Mainwaring points us towards Pepsi as they announced a new experiment around barcodes in collaboration with a startup called Stickybits. VentureBeat reports:

Using a barcode-reader application on a smartphone, users can scan barcodes on Pepsi products like soda cans or bottles and access videos and links hidden in the code. Users can also upload their own videos, photos and comments about Pepsi and its products.

All of this is powered by Stickybits, which specializes in tagging barcodes with information and accessing it. Stickybits’ product allows people not only to access information that is already programmed in a barcode, but add more information to it by uploading a video or photo to the barcode for other users to see.

Pepsi thinks the Stickybits pilot is a way of providing consumers information they might want while offering a two-way communication channel, and could conceivably be a vehicle for delivering special deals, or coupons, or promotional rewards.

Photo by Pepsi. Image Pepsi France.

Via Simon Mainwaring (@simonmainwaring)

Win a Website Worth $7500 from uncluttered white spaces and 6.2 Digital

Rennie — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 01:45:33 +0000

uncluttered white spaces and 6.2 Digital is giving you a chance to win a website to the value of $7500. The website will be a wordpress based blog or website created by 6.2 and will include all content pages, seo, newsletter feature and social networking capabilities.

To win, simple tweet this hash tag #freewebsite and include @white_spaces letting us know is 140 characters or less the answer to this question!

What the world needs right now is: “ ………….” @white_spaces #freewebsite

All contestants need to be subscribed to uncluttered white spaces to be notified of the winner.

1) All the above details provided by you will be held by us and used in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
(2) The Prize: A wordpress website valued at $7500 and includes all content pages, search engine optimization and newsletter feature.
(3) There will be 1 prize drawn on the 30th of June 2010 and is not redeemable for cash.
(4) The winner will be selected by uncluttered white spaces and the decision will be final. It will be based on the coolest idea as to what the world needs right now. The winner will be notified by e-mail or phone and the prize must be redeemed within 6 months from the day of the respective draw.

New Business Ideas for Just About Everyone

Rennie — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 23:15:45 +0000

With an audience that extends to just about everyone, the music business can be a great source for new business ideas. Here are five Springwise spotted recently:

1. MOOD TRAXXER — Traxx.fm’s Mood Traxxer aims help users find music to match their mood by getting them to describe their current state of mind, activity, needs and ‘drug’, and then serving them tunes according to those choices. Options include moods such as “Darth Vader on a Bad Hair Day”. Stereomood is based on the same concept.

2. THE COOL TV — Ever come out of a great gig and wished you could relive the experience straight away? As part of its hyper-localised strategy, digital music TV network The Cool TV is selling recordings of concerts as soon as they finish—both online and as CDs and DVDs available outside the venue.

3. CORONA HOTEL — Rock fans at the Rock in Rio event in Madrid next month will get a taste of an unusual promotion from beermaker Corona: a branded, pop-up hotel. Winners of an international contest get flights and tickets to the festival and will stay in purpose-built, luxury accommodation at the festival site. Of course, there’s complementary Corona beer for all guests.

4. MIXMATCHMUSIC — MixMatchMusic is a music community featuring a suite of tools that emphasise and facilitate musical collaboration. Content creators upload individual tracks which can be mixed online by fellow musicians and remixed by fans. Royalties are shared by all those involved.

5. CHARTFIXER — Those who habitually complain that the charts are fixed may derive some grim satisfaction from the advent of Chart Fixer in Australia—a service that pledges to get a single into the charts for those who can afford it … and to do so legally. By paying private individuals to download tracks (and taking a cut) the website promises to generate a buzz that may even lead to what it calls ‘natural sales.

Via Springwise

Infograph | Country to Country Entrepreneurship

Rennie — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 03:57:13 +0000

According to the data, the U.S. is far ahead of any other country in the portion of our GDP that comes from entrepreneurship–11.3%, compared to our next closest competitor, the U.K., which clocks in at 6.3%. This can be interpreted two ways: Either we’ve had a longer history of entrepreneurship–and other countries are perhaps catching up–or we simply make it easier for entrepreneurs to create viable businesses.

Click here for larger view

Via Fast Company Via Grasshopper.

PSFK Presents the Future of Retail Report

Rennie — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 03:14:16 +0000

PSFK presents Future of Retail report

View more presentations from PSFK.

Traditional physical retail remains as important as ever. So does providing the environment in which a retailer can provide an unparalleled experience. Through the dynamic use of space, the most successful store owners are pushing the boundaries of storytelling, product testing and education – aspects of evolved services that lead to retention, sales evolution and growth.

PSFK have created this report on the future of retail. It is 84 pages for anyone who has ever walked into a retail environment. uncluttered white spaces consulting arm, 6.2, works with business as diverse as eyewear, government, publishing and retail. It is the companies creating an engaging environment and generate service based experieinces in the process of tradinal retailing create amazing results.

Three critical factors remain constant, the power of storytelling, experiences and education.
Via of course: PSFK.

4Food NYC | Taking Orders Via iPads, Tweets and Streaming Foursquare Checkins

Rennie — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 08:11:38 +0000

4food is a socially networked quick service restaurant company. The mission is to bring fast food that’s fresh, delicious, and nutritious to all ages, lifestyles, incomes, and ethnicities. No fads, fillers, or anything artificial. Revolutionizing counter culture, in real-time.

Location #1 opens on Tuesday, July 6th, 2010 at 40th Street and Madison Avenue, between Bryant Park and Grand Central Station – the heart of the highest density workday population in the US.

What is unique about this venture is its use of web-based technologies in operating the store. Its customers are encouraged to create their orders online and are given customization options to produce several food choices. Customers can even name their creations and market it, receiving $.25 in store credit for every sale of their customized food creation. To complete the techie theme of the fast food joint, 4Food will feature a 240 square foot monitor that will stream Foursquare check-ins, Tweets and info from the restaurant, while its staff will take orders on iPads.

Similar to Melbourne based social enterprise STREAT who employ homeless youth, 4Food’s workforce will be made up of people from New York City’s work displacement program.

http://4food.com/

Greenpeace Release the Guide to Greener Electronics

Rennie — Mon, 31 May 2010 00:29:59 +0000

Greenpeace has just released its latest quarterly “Guide to Greener Electronics.

The guide ranks the 18 top manufacturers of personal computers, mobile phones, TVs and games consoles according to their policies on toxic chemicals, recycling and climate change. Last updated: May 2010.

The three goals for this guide are to get companies to:

Clean up their products by eliminating hazardous substances.
Take back and recycle their products responsibly once they become obsolete.
Reduce the climate impacts of their operations and products.

Nokia and Sony are way out ahead, just as they were last time around. And while Wii tennis might be good for your heart, Nintendo isn’t doing the planet any favors.

As an avid user of Apple products, I was surprised by the companies unimpressive rank. Apple is great when it comes to eliminating toxic stuff like PVC vinyl plastic, but falls short in its transparency about energy use and future plans.

Via Fast Company. (Read the #1 placed Nokia review below).

Nokia stays in 1st place with a slightly increased score of 7.5, up from 7.3. It gains points for achieving its goal of phasing out brominated compounds, chlorinated flame retardants and antimony trioxide in all new models of products and for its CEO’s statement in support of 30% cuts in greenhouse gas emissions in industrialised countries by 2020. However, despite Nokia’s support for further restrictions for chlorinated and brominated substances in legislation, it loses a point on its position on the RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances in electronics) Directive, as it does not openly support restrictions on at least PVC vinyl plastic, chlorinated flame retardants (CFRs) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in the next 3-5 years i.e. in RoHS 2.0.

Nokia background | Nokia report PDF