UTS: Designing the Future of Business - a copywriting project with Frost Design

I had the pleasure of working with Frost Design and Professor Roy Green recently, helping UTS Business School articulate its vision for the future of business education.


Professor Green is Dean of UTS Business School and is highly respected amongst Australian business executives. Since joining UTS Business School a year or two ago, he has completely reshaped the university's approach to business eduction, and believes 'integrative thinking' should play a major role in shaping business graduates of the future.

I worked closely with Professor Green and Frost Design to write a new brochure for UTS Business School, which launched at the Opera House on 21 March.

The university's approach to business education is embedded it its new campus, designed by Frank Gehry. The idea is that design thinking is now crucial to management, and the campus is symbolic of the fact that leaders of the future will need to be creative, as well as business savvy.

Gehry describes the building as a "tree of knowledge" - an evolving, growing organism that fosters collaboration and the cross-pollination of ideas - and this sketch (above) is his original design sketch for the campus, which should open in 2013.

Taste promotes its Sydney launch with a new magazine

Taste furniture showrooms recently opened in Sydney, with the goal of bringing affordable European-style designs to Australian renovators.

I've written three articles that feature in the first issue of the Taste magazine...

#1
The first article offers a modernist tour of Europe, from Eileen Gray's E-1027 house in the French Riviera to the Rietveld Schroder House in Utrecht. The house is tiny, but its significance is huge as it typifies the architectural principles of the De Stijl movement. The article also features the Royal Hotel in Copenhagen, designed by Arne Jacobsen, and Villa Tugendhat in Brno, Czech Republic, designed by Mies van der Rohe.

#2
The second article is all about Margarete Schutte-Lihotzkey, Austria's first female architect and designer of the pragmatic Frankfurt Kitchen, which has inspired all kitchens since the 1920s. Without Margarete, kitchens might look very different today - and while her original designs were akin to a laboratory, they were unpretentious, hygienic, affordable and remarkably efficient, making Margarete one of the world's most influential - yet lesser known - architects.

#2
The third article is a 'Design Showcase' featuring houses designed by award-winning Australian architects: MCK Architects, CODA (Perth), John Andreas and Greg Natale Design.

ADFEST 2011 & humility in advertising

Today I returned from the Asia Pacific Advertising Festival in Thailand, where I was Editor of ADFESTbuzz and Lotus News.

The festival's guest of honour this year was Washington Olivetto, founder of W\Brasil in Sao Paolo. I was underwhelmed by Olivetto - many felt his speech only indicated that both he and his agency were far past their heyday in the 1980s and 90s.

The Jury Presidents invited from agencies in Asia were so much more inspiring, and humble. I was particularly impressed by Ram Madhvani, director at Equinox Film in Mumbai, who told me the reason his films are considered so exotic is because they're firmly grounded in Indian culture. He doesn't attempt to create films that global audiences will like; he makes films that are unashamedly local, which is why his Happydent commercial (above) could only have originated in India.

I was also struck by Satoshi Takamatsu, founder of Ground in Tokyo, who has created lots of award-winning integrated campaigns. Satoshi is wise, unassuming and thoughtful - I was touched by his confession that he is too embarassed to tell his family how successful he is -- humility in advertising is a rarity!

To see this year's winners of the ADFEST Lotus Awards, visit www.adfest.com

Polish designer Maciej Zien visits Sydney

Today I interviewed fashion designer Maciej Zien, who is in Sydney for a few days from Poland. I liked him so much I had the odd sensation of wishing we could be friends.

Today Zień is one of Poland’s most celebrated designers, and though I haven't seen enough of his work to know whether his talents live up to his fame, I was struck by his charm, confidence, and ambition to loan his name to a line of products far beyond the world of fashion, like all the world's cleverest designers do.

Maciej also designs interiors and his tile range will be available at Taste showrooms in Australia later this year. The textures are incredible- some tiles look like alligator skin. Here are his interior design tips, which I compiled for Taste's custom-published magazine:

1. USE BEAUTIFUL TEXTILES
“I use a lot of beautiful materials in my home. I have an amazing cashmere couch by Loro Piama, which is incredibly soft and comfortable. She also sells a line of cashmere carpets called ‘One Step to Heaven’. Materials are very important.”

2. LAMPS CREATE ROMANCE
“I put lights in the same part of the window where you would see the sun, and I put lamps around my couch to create a romantic atmosphere.”

3. CHOOSE COLOURS THAT CHANGE WITH THE LIGHT
“Taupe is my favorite colour. In the morning it looks greyish, but in the evening when you turn on your lamps you can see beige. It changes a little throughout the day.”

4. DESIGN FOR THE SENSES
“Some apartments make you think about an emotion – that’s very important for me. Fragrance and music help to evoke emotion; when you are in one of my stores, you can smell candles and hear music, so if you closed your eyes you would still know you’re in my shop.”

5. MIX OLD AND NEW
“It is sad to forget history, so I love to mix old details with modern design. This is also why artwork is very important. When you change your home, you take your artworks with you. When you put them in your new apartment, it immediately feels like home.”

Things I’m researching… the history of kitchens

This may not sound very exciting. But this week I’ve learned that if weren’t for an Austrian architect named Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, kitchens might look very different. In 1926, Grete got the sensible idea of designing a kitchen that facilitates the tasks it’s used for. Seems obvious, but before Grete kitchens were just big, smoky rooms filled with clunky furniture.

After Grete, kitchens became much tinier but a lot more functional, with built-in stoves, stainless steel sinks, cupboards and storage.

She was one of the first architects to realize that design fused with functionality would become an important 20th Century trend.

And her kitchen – called the Frankfurt Kitchen – influenced every other kitchen that came after it. Grete was also an anti-Nazi campaigner, a Communist, and the earliest female architect to feature at MoMa in New York. She died aged 102.

Picnic Etiquette: six steps to a delightful afternoon

This summer, the National Gallery of Victoria has been hosting picnics in its sculpture garden – a darned delightful way of attracting patrons.

I love to picnic often and always, so last weekend in Melbourne I stopped in at the NGV and ordered a hamper with bubbles to enjoy with friends. I noticed this thoughtfully penned guide to picnic etiquette, which accompanied the menu - if only all marketing directors could commission such charming copy:

"the Basket
Even when lunching on a lawn in the city, one’s basket should give the impression of a day in the country. A good basket should be large enough to appear plentiful, but not so heavy that it makes one perspire.

the Blanket
To make the right impression, one needs the appropriate blanket. Laid flat, it should seat approximately four persons and, as you are in public, sleep only two. Colour should be chosen in accordance with one’s clothing.

the Perfect Spot
While arriving early does prevent one from being fashionably late, it can be necessary for securing the ideal location. Look for grass that is not damp underfoot, and sun and shade in equal measure.

the Refreshments
No need to overcomplicate this matter. Drinks simply need to be properly chilled and never-ending.

the Long Lunch
Remember, there is no such thing as a quick picnic.

the Conversation
Dull weather and dull conversation are the only two things that can ruin an afternoon picnic. Make sure to choose guests wisely and, if in need of inspiration, attend an exhibition prior."

Words by: Chris Barton, Right Angle

One Central Park... now under construction

Last year I worked with Frost* Design to write a magazine and website promoting Central Park - a property development that will transform the old Carlton United Breweries site in Chippendale, Sydney into "a $2 billion urban village with a beautiful, spacious park at its heart".

There was lots to write, but I have to say it was amazing to be involved in promoting a development that will transform the city so visibly. Frost* have given Central Park a vibrant brand identity to reflect Sydney's own vibrancy, and photographer Ant Geernaert did an incredible job capturing the faces of the inner-city.

Designed by starchitects including Jean Nouvel, Sir Norman Foster and local talents Richard Johnson, Alec Tzannes and Tim Greer, with a vertical garden by French botanist Patrick Blanc, Central Park aims to raise the benchmark for sustainable living not just here but globally. It replaces an industrial, drab corner of the city (Broadway has never been Sydney's prettiest strip) with a new hub for living, working and playing.

One Central Park, which will be covered in native Australian plants and vines, is now under construction.

You can visit the Central Park website here