at issue vol6 no2

7/28/2019 At Issue Vol6 No2

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Company 's Alan Webbert he C ha ng i ng W ork p l a c e

d L o o k s C o u n t

, , -


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Volume 6, No.2The Journal of Business and Design

Corporate Design FoundationSponsored by Potlatch Corporation

Delphine HirasunaDelph

PentagramKit Hinrichs, Design DirectorAmy Chan, DesignerShelby Carr, Design Assistant

Delphine HirasunaShelby HypesPeter Lawrence

Amy Guip

Regan DunnickGary KelleyBarry Robinson

Peter LawrenceCorporate Design FoundationJens BernsenDanish Design CentreAgnes BourneAgnes Bourne Inc.Kit HinrichsPentagramDelphine HirasunaHirasuna EditorialPeter LaundyDoblin GroupJames PatellGraduate School of BusinessStanford UniversityChristopher PullmanWGBH Educational Foundation

Corporate Design Foundation20 Park Plaza, Suite 321Boston, MA 02116Telephone: 617-350-7097Fax: 617-451-6355E-mail: [email protected]
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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D O Y O U H A V E T H E WI L L T O L E A D ? ,

F A S T @ M P A N Y |r 4 [The Batt l e for the Soul of the New Economy]BUILT TOEAST

F O R G E T " G R EA T C O M P A N I E S "GET RICH QUICK!

Resolve Rethinks the W orkplaceWith the introduction of new Resolve,Herman Miller shifts its thinking about officesystems furniture by 120 degrees.

IHJ IAlan Webberon DesignFast Company's co-founding editor AlanWebber talks aboutthe changing worldof business, theWeb and design.

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BeyondTechno-GadgetEmphasizing beautyover brawn, thePalm V woos mainstream consumerswith a handheldcomputer thatdoesn't look like itwas created for nerds.

H o w t o Talk W e bHaving trouble com municating what youwant on your website? Here's a basicglossary of commonlyused acronyms andterms.24

Business andDesign ClassicA familiar sight hovering over majorsporting events, theGoodyear Blimptakes corporate identity to lofty heights.

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@1SInternationalSymbols QuizA picture is wortha thousand words,especially if youdon't speak thelanguage. See whatwe mean by taking

this quiz.A n n u a l

Deac14nal Repor tDead?

The A nnualRepo rt GameA recent RoperStarch surveyreveals the importance of design inannual reports - apoint supported byNintendo's award-winning annuals.26


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F a s t C o m p a n y ' s A l a n W e b b e r o n D e s ig nSince i t s l aunch in 1995 , Fast Company ma g a z i n e h a sbecome the voice of the New Economy, chronic l ing howb u s i n e s s i s r e i n v e n t i n g itself. H e r e , Fast Company'sco-founding edi tor Alan Webber ta lks wi th Peter Lawrence ,chairman of Corporate Design Foundat ion.

W hen you and Bil l Taylor started "Fast Co mpany,"what made you feel there was a need for yetanother business magazine?W e s a w a w o r l d e m e r g i n g w h e r e t h e r e w e r efew f i xed po i n t s f rom t he pas t . Sh r i nk i ng t ech n o l o g i e s l a p t o p s , c e l l p h o n e s , p a g e r s - w e r echang i ng how work f e l t . Baby boomers werer i s i ng to pos i t ions of auth or i ty wi th d i f ferentb a c k g r o u n d s a n d e x p e c t a t i o n s t h a n t h e i r p a r e n t s ' g e n e r a t i o n . W o m e n i n t h e w o r k p l a c e w e r eaf f ec t i ng how peop l e t a l ked t o and worked wi t hea ch o t her . Bus i ness peo p l e were j u s t as comfor table f lying f rom Boston to Tokyo, Par i s toTokyo , as f rom Bos t on t o San Franc i sco . Andt he Web and t he In t e rne t were on t he verge o fr e - rou t i ng conver sa t i ons and i n fo rmat i on sot ha t an i nd i v i dua l wi t h a Web connec t i on , aRo l odex and a good i dea cou l d l i t e r a l l y changet he cou r se o f an i ndus t ry . Rat he r t han h i gh l ys t r u c t u r e d , h i e r a r c h i c a l o r g a n i z a t i o n s , w e w e r e s e e i n gp l a c e s w h e r e p e o p l e m a t t e r e d m o s t . W o r k h a d b e c o m e m o r et han a way fo r peop l e t o pu t b read on t he t ab l e i t waswho t hey were . They f e l t t hey cou l d b r i ng t he i r own i deas ,energy and sense o f pu rpose i n t o t he i r work and f i nd waysto do th ings that were fun, fu l f i l l ing , and prof i table at thes a m e t i m e .

W e b e g a n Fast Company wi t h t he no t i on t ha t none o f t ha tw a s b e i n g w r i t t e n a b o u t i n a m a g a z i n e . T h e s t a n d a r d b u s i ness magaz i ne d i dn ' t l ook l i ke t he wor l d we were l i v i ng i n .Mos t s t i l l l ooked l i ke t hey were i n t he ' 70s and t he pho t og -

Alan Webber founded FastCompany with Bill Taylor in1995 after six years as themanaging editor/editorial director of the Harvard BusinessReview. During Webber's tenureat H B R , the publication wasnamed a three-time finalist forthe National Magazine Awards.Webber went to Harvard Business School in 1981 to serveas senior research assistantand project coordinator on theAmerican auto industry. Theproject culminated in the book,"Changing Alliances." Previouslyhe served as special assistantto the U.S. Secretary ofTransportation. Webber's mostrecent book with Taylor is"Going Global," published byViking P enguin.

r a p h y , t y p e f a c e s a n d p r e s e n t a t i o n w e r e p r e t t ym uc h r e f l ec t i ve of t he k i nd s of o rgan i za t i onsb e i n g w r i t t e n a b o u t ."Fast Company" didn't just introduce newcontent; it departed from the look and feelof traditional business magazines.Des i gn was a key e l emen t f rom t he s t a r t . Wefe l t t he magaz i ne had t o be as much a per sona l t oo l as a l ap t op , ce l l phone o r pager ,and i t had t o have t he des i gn a t t r i bu t es andenergy t ha t t hose t oo l s have . Ear l y on webegan t o ca t a l og t he l anguage o f des i gnemerg i ng i n bus i ness , i n work t oo l s and i nh o t p r o d u c t s l i k e N i k e s h o e s . W h i l e e d i t i n gHarvard Business Review? I i n t e r v i e w e d N i k e ' sh e a d d e s i g n e r . T h e w a y h e d e s c r i b e d h o wN i k e c a m e u p w i t h d e s i g n s w a s t r a n s f e r a b l et o i mag i n i ng a new k i nd o f magaz i ne wheret he myt ho l ogy o f t he shoe de s i gn ca m e f rom

l ook i ng a t how ac t ua l peop l e run and t he k i nds o f s i t ua t i onst ha t t hey f i nd t hemsel ves i n . B i l l and I began t o t a l k abou tt h e m a g a z i n e i n t h o s e t e r m s t he k i nd o f energy on t hepage , t he t ouch o f t he paper . The des i gn , l ook , f ee l , t ouch ,t ypography , p r i n t i ng qua l i t y , a l l o f t hose a t t r i bu t es he l p t oc o m m u n i c a t e t h e m a g a z i n e ' s v a l u e s , m i s s i o n a n d p u r p o s e ,and we wan t ed t hem t o be r i gh t f rom t he s t a r t .It seems that more entrepreneurs are workingwith designers before seeking venture capital.Y e s . For Fast Company, we recru i t ed Roger B l ack , one o ft h e n a t i o n ' s p r e e m i n e n t m a g a z i n e d e s i g n e r s , t o c r e a t e a


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pro t o t ype wi t h r ea l a r t i c l es i n i t . Hav i ng a handsome des i gna i ded ou r ab i l i t y t o a t t r ac t h i gh l y r egarded i nves t o r s l i keM o r t Z u c k e r m a n w h o f i n a n c e d o u r m a g a z i n e . I n v e s t o rs k n e wwe had a c l ear i dea o f where we wan t ed t o go wi t h t he l ookand f ee l . I t ' s i mpor t an t t ha t des i gn ge t s "cooked" i n t o t hep roduct a t t he s t a r t , whet her you ' r e t a l k i ng abou t so f t ware ,o f f i ce space , o r a web des i gn . I t ' s no t an a f t e r t hough t .Why is communication designso important to the Web?The Web i s t he bes t , mos t i mmed i a t e and mos t d i r ec t med i umfor de t ec t i ng phon i ness , hypocr i sy and bad v i b ra t i ons . I t i sso i n your f ace t ha t t he charac t e r o f t he webs i t e i s a l mos tt o t a l l y n a k e d t o t h e u s e r . W h a t ' s o f t en o b s e r v e d i s t h a td e s i g n e r s a n d b u s i n e s s e s b r i n g t ot he Web a l l o f t he b i ase s and mi n ds e t s o f p a p e r a n d o t h e r m e d i a ,w h i c h f r e q u e n t l y d o n ' t t r a n s l a t ew e l l . Y o u h a v e t o o p e n y o u r m i n da n d e x p e r i e n c e t o w h a t y o u k n o ww o r k s i n y o u r o w n i n t e r a c t i o n s o nt h e W e b a n d l e t d e s i g n s p e c sg r o w o u t o f t h a t e x p e r i e n c e .Is the quality of designon the Web getting better?Abso l u t e l y . L i ke any en t e rp r i se , t hemore peop l e who t ake a hand t o i t ,t he more t a l en t i t a t t r ac t s , t he moreyou see peop l e s t r i pp i ng away f i r s te f fo r t s t ha t were cu t e bu t no t r ea l l y p roduct i ve . The i n s t i nc ti s a l ways t o overdo t h i ngs a t f i r s t and t hen g radua l l y honei n on p r i nc i p l es o f des i gn t ha t work and a re fun t o engagei n r a t h e r t h a n s e l f - s e r v i n g , p o m p o u s o r d o n e t o e x c e s s .Over t i me , qua l i t y , exper i ence and sens i b i l i t y emerge a l ongw i t h w h a t w o r k s a n d t h a t e n d s u p b e c o m i n g t h e d o m i n a n tdes i gn sens i b i l i t y .W h at is t h e r o le o f b r an d o n t h e W eb ?I t ' s huge . The wonder fu l t h i ng abou t t he Web i s t ha t anybody can c rea t e a webs i t e . The t e r r i b l e t h i ng abou t t he Webi s t ha t anybody can have a webs i t e , and does . The Web i ss o o v e r l o a d e d w i t h c l u t t e r a n d i n f o r m a t i o n , b r a n d b e c o m e san i mpor t an t d i f f e r en t i a t o r . Who do you t ru s t ? Why got h e r e ? W h a t d o t h e y d e l i v e r not just the f i rs t t ime, but thesecond , t h i rd , fou r t h t i me? The Web has so much t o choosefrom that in order to use i t product ively, you only want tov i s i t t h e s i t e s t h a t k e e p t h e i r p r o m i s e s . T h a t ' s w h a t a b r a n di s . A brand i s a p romi se t o t he u ser t ha t ge t s kep t cons i s tent ly . The companies that perform in ways that respect yourt ime , in tel l ige nce a nd the l imi ts of your technology a re s i tesyou ' r e go i ng t o wan t t o see aga i n .

"The W ebA* is so over- r *~i loaded

with c lutte r andin fo rmation , brandbecomes an important differentiator."

Explain "Fast Compa ny's" premise tha t design is a cr i t ica lp a r t o f h o w we c o mmu n ica t e , co l lab o r a t e an d co mp et e .We have a l ong - s t and i ng s l ogan a t Fast Company: T h e n e wMBA i s an MFA. At t he hear t o f t he New Economy i s t hecha l l enge o f des i gn . I t ' s no t a nar row def i n i t i on o f des i gn .I t ' s no t j u s t o rgan i z i ng t ype on a page o r a r r ang i ng an o f f i cei n t e r i o r . I t ' s t he des i gn o f a bus i ness model . I t ' s t he way youdes i gn t he r e l a t i onsh i p wi t h your co l l abo ra t o r s , you r ne t work ,y o u r c u s t o m e r s , y o u r e m p l o y e e s . T h o s e a r e d e s i g n i s s u e s .Business people probably don't appreciatebeing told that they should learn to think like designers.L e t ' s b e h o n e s t , t h e r e ' s b e e n a h i s t o r y of a n i m o s i t y .B u s i n e s s p e o p l e l o o k a t a d e s i g n e r a s s o m e b o d y j u s t i n t e r

es t ed i n do i ng p re t t y t h i ngs . Andt he des i gner l ooks a t t he bus i -n e s s p e r s o n a s a b a r b a r i a n w i l l in gto sacr i f ice qual i ty to win at thebo t t om l i ne . Bu t i n t he NewEconomy, t he capac i t y t o t a l k t oe a c h o t h e r a n d s e e e a c h o t h e r a sn e c e s s a r y c o l l a b o r a t o r s i s m o r ei mpor t an t t han ever . What do succ e s s f u l e n t r e p r e n e u r s a n d b u s i n e s s p e o p l e i n t h e N e w E c o n o m ydo? They r econf i gu re r ea l i t y . Theyr e i m a g i n e t h e s p a c e i n w h i c h t h e i rc o m p a n y i s g o i n g t o c o m p e t e .T h e y r e d e s i g n t h e i r o r g a n i z a t i o n a l

o p e r a t i o n . T h e y r e c o n c e i v e a m e t a p h o r f o r t h e i r b u s i n e s s .In f ac t , t hey opera t e i n a l and t ha t ' s o f t en p re t t y i n t ang i b l e .V e n t u r e c a p i t a l i s t s a n d i n c u b a t o r c o m p a n i e s a r e c o n s t a n t l yt ry i ng t o fo resee what doesn ' t ex i s t . They l ook fo r open i ngsw h e r e t h e r e a r e o p p o r t u n i t i e s .

Now how does a good des i gner work? A des i gner o f t ens t a r t s wi t h t h i ngs t ha t a r e very t ang i b l e . How do peop l ework , t a l k t o each o t her? How far do t hey move f rom t he i rdesks? How do t hey ge t i n fo rmat i on o f f t he p r i n t ed page?H o w m u c h t i m e d o t h e y s p e n d m a k i n g d e c i s i o n s a t a n e w s s t a n d ? W h a t t y p e f a c e s e n d s t h e r i g h t m e s s a g e ? T h e s e a r et ang i b l e p ropos i t i ons t ha t t hey work f rom t o c r ea t e t he o rgan i z e d p r i n c i p l e s t h a t w i l l s o l v e t h o s e t a n g i b l e p r o b l e m s .Design is critical for product acceptance.So why is there so much clumsy design?U n f o r t u n a t e ly s i t u a t i o n s c o m e to p a s s w h e r e d e s i g n e r s a n dt echno l og i s t s p l ay t o each o t her ' s wors t i n s t i nc t s . Theybel i eve t ha t i f somet h i ng i s poss i b l e , i t mus t be necessary .D e s i g n e r s a n d t e c h n o l o g i s t s c o l l a b o r a t e to p r o d u c e m o r eface t s o r func t i ona l i t i es t han anyb ody cou l d poss i b l y w an to r need . The r esu l t i s no t t he s i mp l i f i ca t i on and user -


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@ S S U E :f r i end l i ness t ha t a r e u l t i ma t e l y mea su re s of g rea t des i gn .I t ' s t he r ad i ca l overex t ens i on o f capab i l i t y fo r capab i l i t y ' ss a k e . T h a t i s ba d d e s i g n .How would you define a great designer?A g r e a t d e s i g n e r i s s o m e o n e w h o u n d e r s t a n d s h u m a n b e i n g sand what t hey r ea l l y wan t , need and wi l l u se . My wi fe , at r a i n e d a r c h i t e c t , t a u g h t m e e v e r y t h i n g I k n o w a b o u t d e s i g n whi ch i s t ha t des i gn i sn ' t abou t bu i l d i ngs t ha t l ook l i kew e d d i n g c a k e s . I t ' s a b o u t c r e a t i n g t h e e x p e r i e n c e f o r t h eperson who works inside the bui ld ing as wel l as for the personw a l k i n g b y o u t s i d e . W h a t d o p e o p l e e x p e r i e n c e w h e n t h e ywal k i n t he f ron t doo r? What do t hey exper i ence a f t e r ane i gh t -hour day? Are t he i r eyes f r i ed? Have t hey had goodf resh a i r because t he ven t i l a t i on sys t em works? In t he same ve i n , someo n e w o r k i n g a t a t e c h n o l o g y c o m p a n y s h o u l d n o t b e t h i n k i n g a b o u tw h a t c o l o r t o m a k e t h e c a s e , b u ta b o u t t h e d e s i g n of t h e e x p e r i e n c et h a t t h e u s e r h a s .Is there a revolutionoccurring in workplace design?Y e s . I t i s a b l a s t s e e i n g t h e m a n yw a y s y o u c a n o r g a n i z e a n d d e s i g no f f i c e s p a c e . B u t t h e r e i s a s e n s et ha t peop l e ha ve go t t en car r i ed away .They ' ve sa i d , "We know how t o makea cool off ice. We f ind expo sed br ic k ,pu t i n a co f f ee bar and g i ve everyone an Aeron cha i r . Nowwe ' r e coo l . " So r ry , t ha t ' s no t des i gn ; t ha t ' s r ear r ang i ng t hedeck cha i r s on t he Ti t an i c . Bu t sudden l y t here i s g rea te n e r g y b e h i n d d e s i g n i n g w h e r e p e o p l e w o r k a n d h o w t h ework ge t s done . I t ' s fundamen t a l , bu t i t ' s g r ea t .What about redesigning the relationship with customers?That ' s fundamen t a l bu t i t ' s o l d news . I once had t he p r i v i l ege t o hear S t an l ey Marcus speak . Af t e r l i s t en i ng t o peop l esay t ha t t he g rea t t h i ng abou t t he Web i s t ha t cus t omersare i n charge , S t an l ey go t up , a t t he age o f 90 , and sa i d , " Idon ' t wan t t o sound l i ke a fuddy-duddy , bu t when I wen t t ow o r k a t Neiman M a r c u s , m y d a d d y ' s s t o r e , w e a l w a y st h o u g h t c u s t o m e r s w e r e i n c h a r g e . W h a t ' s t h e n e w s h e r ee x a c t l y ? " I t ' s a c l a s s i c t r u t h , b u t t h e c o n n e c t i o n n o w i sm o r e i n t e n s e a n d u r g e n t . T h e r e ' s m o r e c h o i c e . W h a t ' snex t i n t he New Economy i s r e focus i ng on t he t h i ngs we ' veb r i e f l y fo rgo t t en abou t what r ea l l y mat t e r s .There's a lot of talk about buildingnew kinds of communities. Can design help?I t ' s a hot topic now. The Web i s a b ig par t of i t becauseyou can use t he t echno l ogy t ha t b l ew up pyrami da l o rgan i -

"A g re a t design eris someo ne whounderstands humanbeings and wha t the yreal ly wa n t,n e e d a n dwil l use." i

z a t i o n s to c r e a t e a l l k i n d s of c o m m u n i t y c o n n e c t i o n sa n d r e l a t i o n s h i p s t h a t p r e v i o u s l y w e r e l i m i t e d b y g e o g r a p h yo r b y t h e c a p a c i t y of s h a r i n g a n d s p r e a d i n g i n f o r m a t i o n .O n e t h i n g t h a t i s o n t h e p u l s e o f t h e m o m e n t i s t h e n e e dfo r peop l e i n t he New Economy t o have a sense o f commun i ty , t o r e i n f o r c e i t w i t h w e l l - d e s i g n e d c o m m u n i c a t i o nt o o l s , t o d e s i g n a n d d e v e l o p t h e i r o w n r i t u a l s , t h e i r o w np r a c t i c e s t h a t m a k e t h e c o m m u n i t y m o r e th a n ju s t a c h e a pf a d of t h e m o m e n t . T h a t ' s w h a t d e s i g n d o e s . I t p r o v i d e st h e r e c o g n i z e r s a n d t h e h a b i t s a n d t h e s i g n p o s t s t h a t p e o p l ed e p e n d o n s o t h a t y o u h a v e m o r e t h a n j u s t t h e t r a p p i n g so f c o m m u n i t y ; y o u h a v e t h e r e a l u n d e r p i n n i n g s a n dm u s c l e o f c o m m u n i t y .

Any thoughts on the marketdownturn and what IPOs need todo differently to survive?Make money . I can ' t t e l l whet hert h e r e i s a d o w n t u r n . W h e n P a u lSaffo , one of the world ' s mostq u o t a b l e p u n d i t s , w a s a s k e d i fw e h a d a b u b b l e e c o n o m y , h er e s p o n d e d , " N o , it ' s a f ro th e c o n omy." I t ' s more l ike the top of ac a p p u c c i n o w h e r e t h e r e i s n o t o n eb i g bubb l e bu t l o t s o f l i t t l e ones .S u r e , a n u m b e r o f s t a r t - u p s m a yno t su rv i ve , bu t , a t t he same t i me,d a t a i n n e w s p a p e r s s u g g e s t t h a t

t h e I P O m a r k e t h a d a b e t t e r m o n t h l a s t m o n t h t h a n t h emon t h befo re i t was dec l a red defunc t . We don ' t know howt o m e a s u r e t h e s e p h e n o m e n a e x a c t l y . I t ' s l e s s a m a t t e r o fsay i ng , " i t ' s over " t han say i ng , "what a r e t he des i gn specsf o r w h a t ' s g o i n g t o w o r k ? " W e c a n s e e s o m e d e s i g n s p e c s ,some o f wh i ch a re no t a l l t ha t new.

A l o t o f what I honor as g rea t des i gn , whet her i t ' s anarch i t ec t u re o r magaz i ne o r o f f i ce space o r webs i t e , i s c l as s i c des i gn . I t ' s e l egan t des i gn . I t ' s good , smar t des i gn t ha tc o u l d h a v e b e e n d o n e 1 0 0 y e a r s a g o a n d i s r e f r e s h e d , r e i n v e n t e d a n d m a d e c o n t e m p o r a r y f o r w h a t w e ' r e d o i n g r i g h tnow. That ' s t rue i n many l essons abou t how t o succeed i nt he New Economy. You have go t t o bu i l d o rgan i za t i onswhere you a t t r ac t t a l en t and where peop l e wan t t o work .The b i g myt h t ha t ' s been exp l oded i s t ha t peop l e wi l l on l yrespond t o t he p romi se o f i n s t an t wea l t h , IPOs t ha t t u rnt hem i n t o overn i gh t mi l l i ona i r es . Fo r some peop l e t ha t ' st rue . Bu t a l o t o f o t her fo l ks r espond t o t he i dea t ha t t he i rwork i s somet h i ng t hey care abou t . They wan t t o go i n everyday and do s t u f f t ha t mat t e r s t o t hem. That ' s no t new, wej u s t n e e d e d t o b e r e m i n d e d .


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R e s o lv e R e t h i n k s t h e W o r k p l a c eWith 'Tree Dilbert" as i ts rallying cry, Herman Miller'sResolve design team set out to l iberate the beleagueredcartoon office worker from the confines of his cubicleand place him in an environment offering light, air andcollaborat ive s t imulat ion.

Ayse Birsel, Product DesignerOlive 1:1 Inc., New YorkBefore designing Resolve, Ayse Birsel created award-winning water products for Toto. Born in Turkey, shemoved to New York in 1986 to study at Pratt Institute.

Rick Duffy, Vice President, Genesis TeamHerman Mil ler, Inc. , Zeeland, MlRick Duffy has been providing insight into the causesand effects of change on organizations and their work-

Mk. places for Herman Miller since 1984.F or more than 30 years , the Act ion Off ice I I , thewor ld ' s f i r s t open off ice sys tem des igned by BobProps t for Herman Mil ler , has been de rigueur incompan ies a round the w or ld . Today 58% o f A mer icanoff ice workers s i t in such paneled cubicles . But as succes s fu l a s the cub ic le has been , even Herman M i l l e rr ecogn ized the need to r econs ide r the s ys tem i t p io nee red . Lap tops , ce l l phones , pager s and emai l acces shave made i t pos s ib le to w ork anyw here , any t ime .P ro jec t -bas ed w ork t eams tha t inc lude t emps , pa r t -t imer s and cons u l t an t s have emphas ized co l l abo ra t ionover h ie r a r chy . E xorb i t an t r ea l e s t a t e cos t s have pu toff ice space a t a premium.

"We knew w e needed to do s ometh ing ," s ays J imLong , H erm an M i l l e r ' s d i r ec to r of r e s ea rch , add in gtha t the company dec ided to exp lo re tw o app roaches ."One w as to t ake eve ry th ing w e knew abou t s ys temsfu rn i tu r e and op t imize the cub ic le des ign , " Longr e v e a l s . "The other was to s tar t over ."

S tar t ing over quickly won out , wi th Turkish-bornAyse Birsel of Ol ive 1:1 s e lec ted to des ign a r ad ica l

new s ys tem, named Res o lve . The cho ice o f B i r s e l ' stw o-per s on (he r s e l f and an in te rn ) M anha t t an f i rm w asdar ing fo r s uch a b reak th rough p roduc t , bu t HermanMil ler has a h is tory of making bold moves , wi th suchdes igner s a s Char le s E ames , G eorge N e l s on and B i l lStumpf. "We bel ieve that var ie ty is very impor tant tothe creat ion of des ign," says Rick Duffy, who leadsHerman M i l l e r ' s G enes i s Team, w h ich ge t s invo lved inal l mat ters of innovat ion and invent ion . "And our bel iefis that that variety only comes from outside perspectives."

A l though B i r s e l had no exper i ence des ign ingof f i ce fu rn i tu r e , s he had ea r l i e r s en t Herman M i l l e r aconcep t p ropos a l a s k ing w hy o f f i ces cou ldn ' t cap tu rethe feel of a garden and sugges t ing that the tangle oftechnology cables in of f ices could be managed in anaqueduct- l ike sys tem. While that proposal went nowhere ,i t mus t have lef t an impress ion . Months la ter , the company invi ted her to f ly to i t s Michigan headquar ters tor es pond to one o f i t s in f amous p rob lem s ta t emen ts : I fyou were Bob Props t today, how would you des ign theAction Office?


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I S S U E

Birse l di spa tched the f i rs t par t of the quest ion bypoint ing out , "I f I were Bob Propst today , I would be a70-ye a r -o l d whi t e ma n . " She t he n we nt on t o e xp l a i nwhy me re l y modi fy i ng Propst's r e n o w n e d c u b i c l ewou ld not be eno ugh . "A lot has ch ang ed in off ices andin how we work s ince 1968," Bi rse l told them. "Todaypeople can work anywhere and ye t they s t i l l come tooff ices . Why? I be l ieve they come to be long, to be par tof a communi ty , to be par t of a group. The emphasisshoul d be on c onne c t i ng pe opl e , no t on se pa ra t i ngt he m." He rma n Mi l l e r a gre e d . "The y t o l d me t ha t wa swhe re t he i r he a ds we re a t , t oo , " she sa ys .

Inde e d , he r a s se s sme nt c onf i rme d muc h of t he i ri n i t ia l f i nd i ngs . A re se a rc h-dr i ve n c om pa ny , H e rm a n

Mi l l e r c ond uc t s ongoi ng s t ud i e s o f work pl a c e i s sue sa nd m a ke s re se a rc h a n i mpor t a n t pa r t of t he d e s i gnprocess . So the f i rs t s tep a f te r br inging Bi rse l on boardwa s t o fo rm a "c onc e p t t e a m" t ha t i nc l u de d re pre se nt a t i ve s f rom ma rke t i ng , e ng i ne e r i ng , a pp l i c a t i ons ,p l a nn i ng a nd re se a rc h . Toge t he r t he t e a m t oure doff ices of var ious s izes to ident i fy i ssues companieswere confront ing. "When I saw the off ices ," Bi rse lreca l l s , "my f i rs t reac t ion was , i f thi s i s how peoplework, I don ' t want to work in a corpora t ion." Dubbingi t the "Di lber t Syndrome" ( the car toon middle-managercrea ted by Scot t Adams) , she observes tha t "off icesha d be c ome p l a c e s t ha t box pe opl e i n . L i be ra t i ngDi l be r t be c a me our pa ss i on . "

Designed fo r FlexibilityAn a la carte selection of sidetables on wheels, storage units,lights and accessories (includinga flower vase) allows users tocreate an environment that meetstheir needs and preferences.

Hanging ShelvesResolve makes

optimum use ofvertical space,using poles to

hang shelves an dother things.

Porch LigA porch ligbrings a sen

of communito the plac

where pe ospend eighours a da

Ayse Birsel's SketchesIn designing how theResolve system wouldwork, Birsel sketchedout its many parts andthe way they couldfunction together.

Corner Sh Shelf

Versatile PolePoles raise ke yappliances off theboomerang-shapeddesk, leaving thework surface clear.


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I S S U E :

T o do t ha t , B i r se l c a me up wi t h a n unor t hodoxsolut ion a imed a t put t ing people and the i r t echnol ogy a t the center of every thing. Her idea revolveda round a ve r t i c a l po l e , b ra c e d by t wo fabric-coveredbe am s se t a t a 120 -deg ree ang le . To kee p the power andcable de l ivery sys tem from dic ta t ing the off ice a rrangeme nt , she p ropose d runni ng t he wi re s t h rough ove r he a d t roughs , ou t o f s i gh t ye t a c c e ss i b l e , a nd br i ng i ngt he m down t o e a c h works t a t i on t h rough t he po l e s .

At f i r s t , B i r se l c ons i de re d d i v i d i ng t he workspa c e si n t o 90-de gre e a ng l e s , bu t soon c onc l ude d t ha t 120de gre e s ma de for a more s t a b l e a nd i nv i t i ng s t ruc t ure ."The d i f fe re nc e be t we e n s i t t i ng i n 120 de gre e s a nd 90de gre e s i s l i ke n i gh t a nd da y , " B i r se l d i sc ove re d . "One

ma ke s you fe e l we l c ome whi l e t he o t he r se e ms t o pushyou outs ide . 120 degrees i s the angle you intui t ive lyma ke whe n you ope n your a rms t o we l c ome some one . "

I t ma t c he s t he body ' s na t ura l move me nt a s we l l ,she no t i c e d . " I t ' s a l mos t a n e qua l r e a c h on a l l s i de swhe n you swe e p your a rms . I t ' s l e s s c onf i n i ng t ha n90 de gre e s , ye t i t su r rounds you a nd s t i l l f e e l s ope n . "I t i s a l so na ture ' s favori te angle , as evidenced inh o n e y c o m b s , s n o w f l a k e s a n d s o a p b u b b l e s .

T h e pole-and-beam c onc e p t , howe ve r rough , s e e me dviable to Bi rse l , but f igur ing out a way to expla in i t tot he He rma n Mi l l e r t e a m wa s a c ha l l e nge . " I we nt t ot he me e t i ng wi t h a doz e n pe nc i l s , a l l k i nd of s t a nd i ngu p , se t them on the table and told them thi s i s what

Translucent ScreenMovable privacyscreens an d

canopies let inlight and can bedigitally printed

with patterns,pictures or logos.

StorageCustomizable

storage cabinets,with areas for bothpersonal and work

items, give userscontrol over their

work tools.


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Display ScreenEarly testers of Resolvefelt they had enough worksurface, but wanted moredisplay area to personalize their space. HermanMiller complied by creating a unique patentedmaterial that is tackable,Velcroable, translucentand digitally printable.


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Pencil Demonstration

t he c onc e p t i s ba se d on . The y a gre e d , bu t a ske d , 'Howyou are going to ge t the poles to s tand up? ' This wask i nd of funny be c a us e he re i s a c om pa ny t ha t ha s b e e ns t a nd i ng up wa l l s fo r ye a r s a nd t he y t hought po l e swoul d be ha rd t o de a l wi t h . "

Returning to her off ice , Bi rse l se t about const ruc t inga ful l -sca le mock-up wi th off- the-she l f par t s - a Speed-ra i l s c a f fo l d i ng sys t e m c onne c t e d wi t h s l i p -on t ube suse d for c ha i n- l i nk fe nc e s , p l ywood c u t i n t o de sks ,b l a nke t s f rom Ikea fo r d i v i de r sc re e ns , swe a t e r ba gsfor s torage holders , and plas t ic cut into c i rc les for f loorma t s . As a f i n i sh i ng t ouc h , B i r se l a dde d a porc h l i gh ta nd bud va se . "We bu i l t e i gh t works t a t i ons . The y we re ve ry c rude , bu tcomple te ," she says . "When we invitedt he H e rm a n M i l le r t e a m i n , t he y we retotal ly convinced, and said they wantedt o bu i l d t he ne x t moc k-up wi t h t he i ro w n e n g i n e e r s a n d m o d e l s h o p . "

A s u n c o n v e n t i o n a l a s B i r s e l ' sa pproa c h wa s , i t s a t i s f i e d t he pa ra me t e r s t ha t He rma n Mi l l e r ha d p l a c e don the des ign: 1) tha t it be f ree-s tand ing from the a rchi tec ture ; 2) tha t i tbe a modul a r sy s t e m t ha t one de c i s i on-ma ke r c ou l d orde r fo r a n e n t i r ec ompa ny , a nd 3) t ha t i t be e c onomi c a l t o c ons t ruc t , sh i p a nd ma i n t a i n ."We a re c ommi t t e d t o t he ph i l osophyo f ' r e d u c e , r e u s e , r e c y c l e , ' w i t h a ne m p h a s i s o n r e d u c e , " s a y s D u f fy .R e so l ve prove d t o be one - t h i rd t hewe i gh t o f a c ompa ra b l e pa ne l sy s t e m a nd c ou l d be pu tup in a f rac t ion of the t ime. "I t can be shipped blanket -wra ppe d i ns t e a d of i n c a rdboa rd , " Duf fy a dds . "And wecan fi t three t imes as many workstat ions in the same conta iner , which reduces shipping cost s and energy usage ."

T h e pole-and-beam sys tem offered other advantagesa s we l l . On re se a rc h t ours , B i r se l r e c a l l s t ha t e ve ryone of t he o f f i c e s l ooke d t he sa me e ve n t hough t he ywere in diverse busi nes ses . To add ress tha t i ssue , B i rse lt ook a dva nt a ge of ve r t i c a l d i sp l a y a re a s c re a t e d byR e s o l v e ' s t r a n s l u c e n t d i v i d e r s c r e e n s . T h e s c r e e n s ,which s l ip snugly over the meta l f rame, can be digi ta l lypr i n t e d wi t h a ny gra phi c t r e a t me nt l ogo , pa t t e rn ,p i c t u re o r e ve n d i re c t i ona l s i gns a nd c ha nge d wi t h

6

Designer Ayse Birsel first used pencils toshow the Herman Miller team how workstations could be built around a verticalpower pole anchored by two horizontalarms set at a 120-degree angle. This economical infrastructure offered maximumstability and could be configured into allkinds of constellations without infringingon windows or walls.

re l a t i ve e a se . "Wi t h t he c omput e r , work ha s be c omeabout ver t ica l di splay ," she says . "You have thi s rect a ng l e i ma ge ma ke r whe re you c a n d i sp l a y fa mi l y p i c t u re s , t he In t e rne t , a ny progra m you ' re work i ng on .Once you have tha t , i t seeps into the res t of the envi ronme nt . An a na l ogy i s 42nd S t re e t a t T i me s Squa re ,whe re you ha ve i ma ge s ove r i ma ge s . "

irsel a lso made use of Resolve ' s ver t ica l infra s t ruc ture to c rea te mounts for objec t s tha t a reusua l l y spre a d ou t on hor i z on t a l p l a ne s . Through

hooks a nd sh e l ve s t ha t a t t a c h t o t he i n f ra s t ruc t ure ,e ve ry t h i ng f rom pa pe r t r a ys t o c omput e r moni t o r s c a n

be ra i sed off the work surface .As Bi rse l worked out de ta i l s in

t he e a r l y mode l s , t he re se a rc h t e a m,ma de up of e mpl oye e s a nd c onsu l t a n t s , i n c l u d i n g C h e s k i n R e s e a r c hin Redwood Ci ty , CA, f ie ld- tes tedt he c onc e p t . J i m Long a nd h i s t e a mshowed a videotape of Bi rse l ' s f i rs tm o d e l s d u r i n g o n e - o n - o n e i n t e r v i e ws wi t h 200 fa c i l i t y ma na ge rs ,a rc h i t e c t s , de s i g ne rs , i n forma t iont e c hnol ogy ma na ge rs a nd c orpora t ed e c i s i o n - m a k e r s . " W h i l e R e s o l v ege ne ra t e d e xc i t e me nt , we re c e i ve d ami xe d re sponse , t e nd i ng t owa rdne ga t i ve , " Long re ve a l s . "Tha t ' s t heresponse we were looking for . Wee xpe c t t ha t t he more i nnova t i ve weare , the less cer ta in people wi l l be .Tha t t o l d us we we re t a k i ng e nough

c ha nc e s . Any t h i ng e l se a nd i t woul d ha ve sa i d we we rebe i ng t oo i mi t a t i ve . "Wha t a l so re a s sure d t he m we re t he a nswe rs pa r t i c i

pa n t s ga ve whe n a ske d who woul d use t he sy s t e m a ndwh at kin d of work i t wou ld supp ort . Al tho ugh they sa idt he y woul dn ' t buy i t t he mse l ve s , t he y c ou l d se e how i tc ou l d be a be ne f i t t o o t he r s . "The i r a nswe rs c onf i rme dwe we re he a de d i n t he r i gh t d i re c t i on , " s a ys Long .

The c ompa ny pu t more we i gh t on t he re sponse f romt he 60 e nd-use r s t e s t i ng t he fu l l - sc a l e p ro t o t ype s fo rup t o t e n we e ks . "Pe opl e l i ke d t he ope nne ss o f t he sy s t e m, whi c h a l l owe d t he m t o c ommuni c a t e more e f fe c t i ve l y , " Long sa ys , c i t i ng some fe e dba c k . "Ma ny sa i dt he 120-de gre e a ng l e i s a be t t e r f e e l i ng t ha n work i ng

l i


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@ I S S U E

into a corner . From a performance s tandpoint , theyl i ke d t he c onve ni e nc e of t he e l e c t r i c a l ou t l e t s . "

A more thorough tes t to work out spec i f ic de ta i l swa s c onduc t e d a t t he c ompa ny ' s De s i gn Ya rd c ompl e xin Ho l land , M ichig an, wh ere a ful l -sca le R esolve officee nvi ronme nt wa s c ons t ruc t e d t o obse rve pe opl e us i ngthe space and to conduct inte rviews.T he se va r i ous s t ud i e s he l pe d t o shor t e n de ve l opment t ime as wel l as address i ssues ra i sed by part i c i pa n t s . One c ha nge ma de i n re sponse t o t hefe e dba c k wa s t he a dd i t i on of a more ve r sa t i l e d i sp l a yscreen. "At tes t s i t es , we had some display screens tha twe re t r a ns l uc e n t a nd t a c ka b l e , a nd some t ha t we ret h i c k a nd Ve l c roa b l e , " s a ys B i r se l . "Use rs sa i d t he y

l ove d t he t r a ns l uc e n t s c re e n be c a use i t l e t s l i gh tt h rough , bu t a lso l ove d Ve lc ro a s a func t i on . " He rm a nMi l l e r r e sponde d by de ve l op i ng a f a br i c t ha t wa st ra ns l uc e n t , Ve l c roa b l e a nd t a c ka b l e a l l i n one .

A n o t h e r i s s u e a c ous t i c s c onc e rne d t e s t e r s l e s sthan the Resolve team expec ted. "We fe l t tha t acoust icswere going to suffer , but our emphasis was on connec t i ng pe opl e ra t he r t ha n se pa ra t i ng t he m," B i r se l a dmi t s ."We fel t people come to the office to be part of a group,fo r information-sharing a n d s p o n t a n e o u s e x c h a n g e s . "Quest ionnai res f i l l ed out by par t ic ipants a f te r t es t ingthe sys tem for two months , however , ra ted Resolve equalin sound leve l to cubic les . "We couldn ' t be l ieve i t , " saysB i r se l . "Whe n we we nt ba c k a nd a ske d t he m, t he y sa i d

Patterns of ResolveThe basic Resolve groupingis three workstations surrounding one powered pole.This grouping can bearranged into different constellations to suit individualor collaborative work.

linkta

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i n Res o lve , you have a s ens e o f the peop le a roun d youand modu la te you r vo ice acco rd ing ly . I n a cub ic le , youfeel you are a lone, so you may ta lk louder . Another reas on i s tha t Res o lve s c r eens a r e no t made o f ha rd ma te r i a l , s o s ound d i s s ipa tes . Tha t w as a happy s u rp r i s e . "

A n o t h e r s u r p r i s e w a s t h a t c o n s e r v a t i v e c o m p a n i e sbecame the ea r ly adop te r s . The cons ens us w as tha t thef i r s t cus tomers w ou ld be dot.corns and c r ea t ive agen c i e s . "Funny th ing was our f i r s t c l ient was a bank, andour f i r s t tes t ins ta l la t ion was a u t i l i t ies company," saysB i r s e l . "Since t hen , s ome of the mos t c ons e rva t ivecompan ies have been buy ing Res o lve . They s ee inRes o lve e l emen ts tha t a r e in ha rmony w i th how w orkh a s c h a n g e d . "

B i r s e l c r e d i t s th i s a c c e p t a n c e t o H e r m a n M i l l e r ' s" s ens i t ive t eam o f men and w omen" w ho ac ted as theus e r s ' advoca te . Th i s in fo rmed h e r des ign app roac hdramat ica l ly . B i r s e l c i t e s a s an example : "When Is how ed them th ings l ike a f low er vas e tha t migh t makeu s e r s h a p p y a n d i n d i v i d u a l i z e t h e i r s p a c e , t h e y w e r eto ta lly s uppor t ive an d pus he d me to go fu r the r ." Th es ede ta i l s have l ed peop le to r emark tha t on ly a w omancould have des igned Resolve, but Birsel bel ieves thatw ha t they r e s pond to a s " f emin ine" i s the ca re tha t theteam took in w e lcoming us e r s . "We w ere ve ry much in tomak ing s u re tha t they w ere ca red fo r in w ays tha t w en tb e y o n d t h e p h y s i c a l a n d q u a n t i f i a b l e , " s h e s a y s . " T h ebo t tom l ine w as w e w ere pas s iona te abou t the u s e r . "

Organizing PossibilitiesResolve's organic constellations use space

more economically andallow highe r densitiesthan traditional panel

systems, without sacrificing openness, communi

cation or user comfort

i officesand in how we work sinc e1 9 6 8 . Today people can workan ywhe re an d ye t the y st il lcome to o ffice s. They come tob e l o n g , t o b e p a r t o f a c o mmunity, to be p a rt of a g roupTh e emp ha sis sho uld be oc o n n e c tin g p e o p le , n o t o nseparatii

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^

C o m m u n i c a t i n go n S i g h tThe more people travel toforeign lands, the more theyrely on international symbolsthat transcend language barriers. Graphic images point theway to restrooms, dining establishments, lodging and transportation. Often a "faster read"than words, pictograms arealso employed by businessesand public entities to instruct,warn and assist. Choosing auniversally understood imageand reducing it to its simplest, most essential symbolicform is no easy feat. Its message must be easily deducibleno matter the spoken language, and it must be visibleeven from a fair distance.See if you can identify thesecommonly used markers.


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@ I S S U E :

O f cour s e , the P a lm P i lo t ' s s ucces s qu ick ly d rovenew compet i tors in to the f ie ld , a l l wi th the in tent ion ofone-upp ing P a lm w i th f ea tu res l ike v ib ra t ing a la rms ,vo ice r eco rd ing e lemen ts and g rea te r memory .

But Palm didn ' t waver f rom i ts bel ief that s impl ic i tywas i ts compet i t ive edge. Even with g iant Microsof tth r ea ten ing to make in roads in P a lm ' s marke t s ha re by

offer ing PDAs (personal d ig i ta l ass is tants ) wi th fourt imes more memory , Haw kins r e s i s t ed go ing mano-a-mano, b y t e - t o - b y t e . " W h o c a r e s , " H a w k i n s r e c a l l sth ink in g . " I don 't need e igh t mega by tes ; I can ' t ev enf i l l up two. Let ' s show the wor ld that th is isn ' t about

spe eds and feeds I t ' s abou t s impl ic i ty ."Haw kins r eached tha t conc lus ion ea r ly on w henhe was s t i l l t ry ing to envis ion what features the

o r ig ina l P a lm P i lo t s hou ld inc lude . Back then ,he ca r r i ed a c rude w ood p ro to type , abou t the

s ize of a deck of cards , in h is pocket as hecons ide red how cus tomers w ou ld us e s uch adevice throughout the course of a day. At

I s t a f f mee t ings , he s omet imes even pu l l edout h is wood block to scrawl imaginary notes

on the " s c r e e n . " T h e e x p e r i e n c e c o n v i n c e dh im tha t the p roduc t s hou ld compe te w i th

paper r a the r than l a rge r compu te r s , and s t i ck toJ bas ic func t ions , i . e . , s to r ing add res s es , phone

f number s , a ca lendar and to -do l i s t , bu t do i t f a s t e rHP and more conven ien t ly .m A s P a lm cons ide red enhancemen ts to i t s o r ig ina lI p roduc t , s imp l ic i ty r emained key to i t s s t r a t egy .Ins tead o f add ing f ea tu res ju s t f o r the s ake o f add ing

fea tu res , the company aga in took the road l e s s t r ave ledby focus ing on s ty le and e legance . A t the t ime , thecus tomer bas e fo r handhe ld compu te r s w as l a rge lyea r ly t echno-adop te r s and men f as c ina ted by e lec t ron icgadge t s . F emale u s e r s r ep res en ted a vas t and v i r tua l lyun t app ed m arke t . P a lm r ea l i zed tha t if i t s p roduc t

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w as eve r to ga in mas s cons umer appea l , i t w ou ld haveto look and f ee l l e s s l ike a mach ine and more l ike anacces s o ry .

To acco mp l i s h th i s , i n l a t e 1 99 6 P a lm tu rned toIDEO, known for contr ibut ing to the des ign of thousandso f new p roduc t s f rom the compu te r mous e to a po r t ab lehea r t de f ib r i l l a to r . Wi th in ID E O , D enn i s Boy le , P a loA l to s tud io manager and a s en io r p ro jec t l eade r , w ass een as a na tu ra l cho ice to l ead the P a lm V p ro jec t .Boy le w as know n a t ID E O as the guy w ho in t roducedthe f i rm to the "Tech Box," a t reasure t rove of hund reds o f odd ob jec t s and ma te r i a l s ,f r o m t e e n y s w i t c h e s a n d K e v l a rs w a tches to mood r ings , tha t ID E Od e s i g n e r s a n d e n g i n e e r s c o u l dr u m m a g e t h r o u g h f o r i d e a s a n dinspira t ion . Boyle led of f the Palmp r o j e c t b y s h o w i n g h i s t e a m ar a n g e of s l e e k p r o d u c t s t h a t h eadmired: a Sony MiniDisc p layer , aC a n o n Elph c a m e r a , a P a n a s o n i cm i n i t a p e r e c o r d e r , P e n t a x o p e r ag l a s s e s . P l a c e d n e x t t o t h e s e , t h ep u t t y - g r a y P a l m P i l o t l o o k e dc lunky and homely .

I t a l s o pa led w hen compared to the th in , u l t r a l igh tM oto ro la S ta rTac ce l l phone tha t debu ted abou t thes ame t ime , and s o ld fo r upw ards o f $1 ,000 a t a t imew hen many ce l l phones w ere be ing g iven aw ay . Boy lereca l l s tha t H aw kins w a lked in to one of the i r f ir s tmee t ings w i th a S ta rTac . " J e f f r emarked tha t the re w assomething about i t that had v isceral impact . I t ' s so smal land be aut i fu l . I t real ly grab s you. He as ked i f we co uldc rea te s ometh ing w i th the s ame emot iona l qua l i ty . "F or the P a lm p ro jec t , code-named Razor , a s in " th inas a razor ," IDEO out l ined p lans for a s l immer ,s l eeke r ve r s ion o f the ex i s t ing handhe ld o rgan ize r .Two majo r goa l s w e re to r e du ce th e th ic kn es s f rom19mm to 11mm and the w e igh t by one- th i rd .

W h a t o t h e r c h a n g e s s h o u l d b e m a d e , t h e I D E Ot e a m a s k e d itself. To lea rn m ore abou t u s e r p r e f e r ences , Boy le d i s t r ibu ted dozens o f P a lm P i lo t s to co l l e a g u e s , b u s i n e s s f r i e n d s , s o c c e r m o m s , p h y s i c i a n sand o the r po ten t i a l u s e r s . I n s ide ID E O , more than 200s ta f f e r s s t a r t ed us ing P a lms and p rov id ing f eedbackth rough emai l and in fo rmal ha l lw ay d i s cus s ions . A long

h e s t a n d a r dp r a c t i c e o f r a p i dpro totyping a t IDEOstems from its p h i lo so

phy t h a t you lea rn asmuch from a modelth a t 's wron g as you dof r o m o n e t h a t ' s r i g h t .

w i th p ra i s e fo r the p roduc t , " t e s t e r s " r epo r ted p rob lems , r ang ing f rom des ign f l aw s to minor annoyances .T h e p r o d u c t w a s p r o n e t o b r e a k i n g w h e n d r o p p e d . T h ecas e w as too r ig id . The ba t t e ry door w as bad ly p laced .The s ty lus s to r age w as inconven ien t . Boy le ' s t eam tookno te o f a l l o f thes e compla in t s .

S pec ia l a t t en t ion w as pa id to f emale com m ents ,s ince P a lm ' s in i t i a l r e s ea rch s how ed tha t a t l eas t 95%of Palm use rs were m en . To gain m ore ins igh t in to wh atapp ea l s to w om en , Boy le b rough t tw o f emale des igne n g i n e e r s A my Han and Trae N ies t - on to the t eam

as p ro jec t l eade r s . They , in tu rn ,co r r a l l ed 1 5 f emale ID E O w ork e r s to c r i t ique the p roduc t .

T h e y p e p p e r e d B o y l e ' s t e a mw i th a l l k inds o f ques t ions . "Theyas ked , w hy does i t have to bes q u a r e a n d corner-edged? W h ygray? Why not curved, tapered andgrace fu l?" Boy le r eca l l s . "Theyeven as ked w hy thes e th ings haveto be s o ld in e l ec t ron ics s to r es .Tha t ' s a guy k ind o f p lace . Whyn o t p l a c e s w h e r e w o m e n s h o p ,l i k e N o r d s t r o m ? " E v e n t h e P a l m

P i lo t ad s how ing a man s l ipp ing the p roduc t in to h i sb reas t pocke t bo the red them. G u ided by the i r r e s pons es ,the ID E O team de te rmined tha t the new P a lm V s hou ldhave more un ive r s a l appea l and s o f t e r edges .

The t eam a l s o r ecogn ized tha t i t had to s o lve th r eemajo r des ign i s s ues : 1 ) how to a t t ach the s ty lus ando the r acces s o r i e s w i thou t r e s o r t ing to the make s h i f tho lde r s many us e r s had deve loped on the i r ow n , 2 )p o w e r m a n a g e m e n t a n d 3 ) t h e c a s i n g . T h e y a d d r e s s e dthes e i s s ues by fo l low ing ID E O ' s s t andard p rac t i ce o fr ap id p ro to typ ing , w h ich s t ems f rom the f i rm ' s ph i lo s o phy tha t you l ea rn a s much f rom a mode l tha t ' s w rongas you do f rom one that ' s r ight . Or as IDEO founderD av id K e l l ey s ays , "F a i lu r e i s pa r t o f ID E O ' s cu l tu r e .We ca l l i t en l igh tened trial-and-error." E n c o u r a g e d n o tto hold ba ck , IDEO s taf fers go throu gh doz ens ofdes ign i t e r a t ions , p roduc ing c rude bu t f a s t p ro to typestha t they can c r i t ique and bu i ld on .

Boy le , w ho ho lds to the ph i lo s ophy "N ever go toa c l i en t mee t ing w i thou t a p ro to type , " made s u re tha th is s taf f a lways had something new to show at weekly

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I S S U E :

Design PhilosophyI DEO considers frequent,rapid prototyping the key toinnovation. Founder/CEODavid Kelley explains,"[Researchers at larger companies] are afraid of lookingbad to management, so theydo an expensive, sleek prototype, but then they becomecommitted to it before theyreally know any of theanswers. You have to havethe guts to create a strawman." Fast prototyping, I DEObelieves, quickly eliminatesbad ideas, letting the bestfunnel through to the end.

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Stylus Proto typesThrough prototyping, IDEOdesigners explored ways to

make a stylus that feltcomfortable in the hand

yet attached unobtrusivelyto the Palm V. Among the

features they c onsideredwere weights to make the

pe n heavier; springs tomake it longer or thicker,-an d grooves, grips, or

magn ets for attaching.

Prototype Progression As the prototypes become more detailed and finely rendered, the final model looks very close to the actual product

Low density foam form study High density foam("red stuff") form study Phase One industrial designprototype with stylus concept

Machined en gineering check prototype Final industrial design prototype Preproduction prototype19


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I S S U E :

Thin Is InSmall enough to fit into a purse andattractive enough to pull out at a partyand not come across as a geek, thePalm V proved that consumers wo uldbe willing to pay more for a beautifulorganizer, even if its functions and processing power basically stayed thesame as its predecessor.

.65"

Stylus Ra ilThe Palm Pilot is thicker than the Palm V and has only onerail for the stylus. The Palm V's two rails accom moda te a stylusan d removable leather cover, which can be placed on eitherside depen ding on whether the user is right- or left-handed.

3.25"Batteries Required

The need for two AAAbatteries dictated the

minimum thickness andweight of the Pa lm Pilot

and the placem ent ofthe enclosed stylus

holder. The Pilot is heldtogether with screw s,

while the Palm V issecured with industrial

glue to retain itssmooth surface.

4.7"

Weight: Six Ounces

Boxy AppearanceBoth the Palm Pilot and Palm V perform basically thesame task-based functions, but the Pilot is boxier, with aless elegant battleship-gray plastic casing and an LCDscreen that is difficult to read at certain angles.

Palm Pilot: 199620


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I S S U E :

Top-Edge FunctionsThe top edge of the Palm V incorporates Q a greenon-off button as well as an infrared device to beamdata from one Palm to another, an d Q a software control button to adjust screen contrast.

3.1" a 4 ,

# f lddrtss Cak Dati l o o k# #

DiddleBuq Expense Graf

HotSync Moil MerPocfvlan

4.5"

A More Elegan t FormNot only does the Palm V have a smaller footprint, itfeatures contoured edges, recessed buttons, brushedaluminum finish, crisp back!it screen an d removableembossed leather front cover.

HotSync CradleA conv enient way to keep thePalm V in view, the HotSynccradle recharges the lithiumion battery autom atically andsupports the transfer of databetween the Palm V and desktop computer. At left, noticehow the stylus fits the curve ofthe Palm.

Weight: Four Ounces

Palm V: 200021


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I S S U E :me e t i ngs wi t h Pa l m. The pro t o t ype c ou l d be a one - i nc hsqua re t ha t de mons t ra t e d t he on-of f bu t t on , a s e l e c t i onof di f fe rent LCD panels or s ty luses of var ious thickne sse s , l e ng t hs a nd sha pe s . "Thi s p roc e ss e nsure s t ha te ve n t he sma l l e s t de t a i l s a re c ons i de re d a nd t he c l i e n tfe e dba c k i s c on t i nuous , " s a ys B oy l e .

R ough a nd ra p i d p ro t o t yp i ng of s t y l us a t t a c hme nt s ,fo r i ns t a nc e , l e d t he IDEO t e a m t hrough fa br i c poc ke t s , hi nge s a nd e ve n t ua l l y t o a dua l - ra i l sy s t e m so l ut i on t ha t a l l owe d t he se c ure a t t a c hme nt s o f pe r i phe ra l swi thout the use of moving par t s , and wi thout adding tot he Pa l m V ' s d i me ns i ons .

The powe r sourc e wa s more prob l e ma t i c . To e nsurea very thin product , the team knew i t had to replacethe two bulky AAA bat te r ies in the Pi lot wi th rechargeable l i thium ion ones . But in 1997, l i thium ion was an e w t e c h n o l o g y a n d b a t t e r y m a k e r s w e r e n ' t s u r e i twoul d func t i on prope r l y i n a de v i c e re qu i r i ng f re que ntand brief recharging. It was left to Frank Canova, Palm's

d i re c t or o f ha rdwa re e ng i ne e r i ng , t o c oa x re l uc t a n tba t t e ry ma ke rs i n t o he l p i ng Pa l m de ve l op a so l u t i on .T he br i t t l e and thick plas t ic cas ing had to go too,a nd t he IDEO t e a m i de n t i f i e d t h i n -ye t - r i g i da nodi z e d a l umi num t ha t wa s be i ng use d forJa pa ne se c a me ra s a nd b i noc u l a r s a s a n i de a l a l t e rna t i ve . B ut U .S . ma n ufa c t ure r s ha d l i t t le e xpe r i e nc ework i ng wi t h t he ma t e r i a l , so IDEO t urne d t o Ja pa ne sec ompa ni e s t o c re a t e t he work i ng pro t o t ype . In o rde r t oa voi d sc re ws (whi c h we re c ons i de re d a e s t he t i c a l l yu n d e s i r a b l e ) , I D E O a r r i v e d a t a b i n d i n g d e v i c e n e v e rbe fore use d for a ha ndhe l d o rga n i z e r i n d u s t r i a lglue . "I t took pla in old trial-and-error with dozens ofa dhe s i ve s t o ge t a s a t i s fa c t ory so l u t i on , " B oy l ea dmi t s . "B ut i n t he e nd , i t worke d ou t we l l . "

Anot he r unfore se e n c ha l l e nge fo r t he p ro j e c t t e a mwa s t he c ha nge i n p roduc t owne rsh i p : B e fore s t a r t i ngthe Pa lm V, Pa lm Com put in g had be en bo ugh t by U.S.R obot i c s , whi c h , i n t u rn , wa s bought by 3C om. ( In

The Palm LineEvocative of BMW's 3, 5 and 7 series,Palm's numbering system for its product seriescaptures some of the glamour of the luxury carindustry while targeting different market segments. The Palm III series appeals to theyoung, sporty crowd. The sleek Palm V exudesstyle and taste. The Palm VII with its wirelessInternet access suggests power and success.Palm III Palm V Palm VII

WebsiteOn Palm's website, e-tailing begins righton the hom e page with a lively pitch forPalm's new budget-priced "mlQO " handheldorganizer aimed at entry-level customers.

Personalized AccessoriesPalm's success ha s spawnedan array of accessories,including a broad choice ofcarrying cases. Designed byIDEO, this case matches thecontour of the Palm V.

Palm" Portable Keyboard

Q W

Al t


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I S S U E

Ma rc h 2000 , 3C om spun of f Pa l m i n t o i t s own c ompa ny t h rough a n i n i t i a l pub l i c o f fe r i ng . ) Wi t h t hePa l m V de ve l opme nt a l mos t c ompl e t e i n 1998 , Ha wki nsalso left 3Com on amicable terms to start up Handspring,a PDA t ha t l i c e nse s t he Pa l m ope ra t i ng sys t e m.

St i l l the projec t moved forward, and af te r a lmostt h re e ye a rs i n t he ma ki n g , t he Pa l m V wa s f i na ll yi n t roduc e d . The re c e p t i on wa s a s e n t hus i a s t i c a s fo rthe rol lout of a new luxury car . People didn ' t hes i ta tet o pa y t he h i ghe r a sk i ng pr i c e fo r t he p roduc t , e ve nt h o u g h c h e a p e r m o d e l s , i n c l u d i n g t h e P a l m I I I , w e r ea va i l a b l e . In f a c t , t he p r i ma ry d i f fe re nc e s be t we e nthe Pa lm V and i t s s i s te r product , Pa lm III , a re i t sc o o l a n o d i z e d - a l u m i n u m s k i n , r e c h a r g e a b l e b a t t e r y ,a nd u l t r a t h i n , u l t r a l i gh t fo rm.

Ne xt t o o t he r ha ndhe l d c omput e r s , t he Pa l m Vclear ly looks l ike an e legant accessory and not ane l e c t ron i c ga dge t . Ea r l y Pa l m V a dve r t i s e me nt s worke dt o re i n forc e t ha t pe rc e p t i on , wi th fa sh i on-or i e n t e d

i ma ge s by por t ra i t pho t ogra phe r T i mot hy Gre e nf i e l d -Sa nde rs , who phot ogra phs fo r suc h publ i c a t i ons a sVanity Fair a n d Vogue. One showe d a fe ma l e da nc e r ,na ke d a nd kne e l i ng , wi t h t he Pa l m V re s t i ng i n he rha nd . B l oc k l e t t e r s r e a d "S i mpl y Pa l m. "

P r e s e n t i n g a h a n d h e l d c o m p u t e r li k e a f a s h i o na c c e ssory i s a r a d i c a l de pa r t u re f rom t he t yp i c a lm a r k e t i n g p i t c h e s a i m e d a t g e e k s a n d e a r l y t e c h n o -a dopt e r s . In s i gn i f i c a n t wa ys , t he a d s i gna l e d ac omi ng of a ge fo r t e c hnol ogy . Now t ha t c omput e r sare found in every thing from cars to toys , they a reno l onge r t he i r own d i s t i nc t c a t e gory . "Te c hnol ogy i si n t e gra t i ng i n t o de s i gne d produc t s t ha t we use , we a r ,a nd r i de i n , " B oy l e a gre e s . "I t h a s b e c o m e l i k e t h ew r i s t w a t c h w h i c h h a s a v e r y s o p h i s t i c a t e d m e c h a n i s mi ns i de bu t ha s e vo l ve d t o a s t a ge whe re pe opl e t a ket ha t fo r g ra n t e d . Pe opl e buy t he wa t c h t ha t l ooksbe a u t i fu l a nd i s a p l e a sure t o use . Now t he y a rec omi ng t o e xpe c t t ha t o f c omput e r de v i c e s t oo . "

relationship)

designed by Pentagram for Thinkroad. It folds down

1 1 "

Graffiti SymbolsUsers can write on their Palm organizer by usinga built-in handwriting recognition system, calledGraffiti. The handwriting strokes made with thestylus appear as printed characters on the screen.

Palm V ModemThe Palm V's modemechoes its shape and thin,

lightweight design. Withthe modem attached, the

organizer is still smallenough to slip easily into

a shirt pocket.


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I S S U E

H o w t o T a lk W e bDoes the " b rochureware" pos t ed onyour websi te a few years ago nowlook t i red and oh so las t century?W ant to jazz it u p with som e coolan imat ion and sound? Or maybeadd some moving images and text

tha t magica l ly appear every t ime a mouse rol ls over an icon? I fyou ' re re luc tant to s tar t because you are in t imidated by a l l of thetechno- j a rgon and ac ronym s tha t W eb des ign ers toss a ro un d , ch eeru p ! This l i t t le glossary won' t make you fluent in Webese, but i tdoes provide defini t ions for a few basic terms you're l ikely to hear.This g lossary was prepared wi th the he lp of San Francisco-basedWeb designer, Ryan Bailey.Clickth rou gh ra te :A way to measure the number of users clicking onto asite or ad.Cookie:

Personal information provided by the user that isrecorded as an encoded textfile and stored on the user'shard drive. When the uservisits the site again, theWeb server retrieves the"cookie" and reconfiguresitself based on the user'sprofile and preferences.

C GI (C ommonGateway Interface):An interface that enablesWeb authors to obtain realtime access to data storedin formats that are incompatible with Web browsers.Cross-platformcompat ib le:A website written with HTMLlanguage that can be readby different operating systems and browsers.Firewall:

Security measures designedto protect a networked sys

tem from unauthorized orunwelcome access.Flash:

Multimedia software, developed by Macromedia, thatprovides increased functionality through animation andinteractive systems whilemaintaining compact filesappropriate for the Web.Form:An interactive documentthat contains fields intowhich users can type ininformation - for such things

as surveys, purchases ordata search. Forms aremade up of the HTML codeand a CGI programmingscript that processes thedata.Frame:

One way to lay out andoperate a Web page usingHTML (also, see Table). AFrame divides the page intoa rectangular section that isa separate HTML documentfrom the rest of the page.This allows the browserdisplay window to be subdivided into sections that

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I S S U E :

change independentlywhile leaving title graphics,navigational bars and suchintact. A disadvantage isthat frames require morefiles from the Web server.GIF( G r a p h i c I n t e r c h a n g eFormat) :A file compression formatdeveloped by CompuServeto transfer graphic files toand from online services.G IF A n i m a t i o n :Simple animation usingmultiple frames stored ina single file - e.g., Webbanner ads that move.GUI( Graph i ca lU s e r I n t e r f a c e ) :Front-end software meantto provide an attractiveand easy-to-use interfacebetween the user andapplication.HTML( Hyper text M arkupL a n g u a g e ) :The language used to tagvarious parts of a Webdocument so that browsingsoftware will know how todisplay links, text, graphicsand attached media.Hyper l i nk:

An element in an electronicdocument that links toanother place in the samedocument or to an entirelydifferent document.

I n f o r m a t i o na r c h i t e c t u r e( s i te map,navi ga t i on system) :An organizational chart thatmaps out how users willnavigate through a site.

An object-orientedprogramming languagedeveloped by SunMicrosystems.JavaScr i p t :Not to be mistaken withJava, this is a scripting toolthat adds functionality butis not an independent language. JavaScript must berun within a browser.JPEG( Joi n t Photograph i cExperts Group):

An image-compression format used to transfer colorphotographs and imagesover computer networks.Along with GIF, it is a common way to move photosover the Web.Lossy:A way of describing datathat gets lost when compressing files. (Example:JPEG is a lossy image format because it drops pixelsto save space.)

MPEG(Moving Pi c turesExpe r t Gro up):An international standardfor video compression anddesktop movie presentation.

R a s t e r I m a g e s :Graphic images formedthrough pixels, or bit-maps.RolloverB u t t o n :Graphic object (button) thathas an "on" and "off" state,i.e., a button that highlightswhen the cursor is passedover it.S c r e e nResol ut i on:Resolution determinesthe amount of spacedesigners have to workwith on the screen. Thehigher the resolution, themore space, and viceversa. Most design is fora standard 15-inch monitorrunning at 800x600 dpi.S t r e a m i n gM e d i a :

A streaming file allows multimedia content stored on aclient server to start playingbefore it's completely downloaded onto the user's computer. To play streamingmedia, the user's browsermust have a streamingmedia player, which can bedownloaded free, and sufficient bandwidth to download quickly and get goodquality.

T a b l e :

Like Frame, Table is anelement of HTML thataffects how a page is laidout and operates. Tablesallow designers to arrangedata (text, images, links,forms, etc.) into rows andcolumns of cells similarto a spreadsheet.V e c t o r G r a p h i c s :A graphic format thatuses mathematical plottingpoints to form an image,rather than using pixels(see Raster).W e b Host:The service provider thatprovides the space on whichto place your website.W e b -S a fe P a l e t t e :

Because some Internet usershave operating systems with8-bit color resolution, theyare limited to viewing only256 colors (as opposedto some 16 million availablecolors). About 40 colorsvary between Macintosh andPC systems, thus leaving216 common colors thatare considered Web-safeand usable for imagesregardless of the operatingsystem or browser they aredisplayed on.

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I S S U E

A r e A n n u a l R e p o r t s S t i l l R e l e v a n t ?Are pr inted annual repor ts going the way of the dinosaurs?Do rec en t IPO s v iew an d us e an nu al s d if fe rently tha nFor tune 500 g ian t s? An independen t su rvey o f co rpora tec o mmu n i c a t i o n s e x e c u t i v e s , c o n d u c t e d b y Ro p e r S t a r c hWo r l d wi d e , p r o v i d e d s o me s u r p r i s i n g a n s we r s .

T o d a y t h e b e l i e f t h a t t h e c o r p o r a t eannual report i s pr imari ly a f inanc ia ldocument i s more fa l lacy than fac t . I tis much more than that , according to the just-re l e a se d R ope r S t a rc h Wor l dwi de surve y ,"Annual R e por t s i n t he Ne w Ec onomy . "

Mos t c ommuni c a t i ons e xe c u t i ve s (93%For t une 500 a nd 79% re c e n t IPOs) que s t i o n e d b y R o p e r S t a r c h s t a t e t h a t p r i n t e da n n u a l r e p o r t s s e r v e s o m a n y p u r p o s e sthey wi l l a lways be a round. They go on tosubs t a n t i a t e t he i r op i n i on by re ve a l i ng t ha tt he i r a nnua l r e por t p re s s run (on a ve ra ge )i n 1 9 9 9 a c t u a l l y r o s e o v e r t h e p r e v i o u syear ; percentage-w ise , recent IPOs increasedt h e i r r u n b y m o r e t h a n 4 0 % . T h i s i s i nsp i t e of t he fa c t t ha t 8 2 % of t he Fo r t un e50 0 a nd 7 6 % of t he re c e n t IPOs su rve ye dsay they post the i r pr inted annual report on the i rc orpora t e we bs i t e .

One re a son c ompa ni e s do no t f e e l t h i s i s r e dunda nti s be c a use a nnua l r e por t s s e rve so ma ny purpose s .

In June 20 00 , the global m arketing and opinion researchfirm, Roper Starch Worldwide,conducted a phone survey of229 Fortune 500 and recentIPO communicators to learntheir views on the future ofannual reports in the age of theInternet. The independent survey was commissioned by

i Corporation. Thresults have been compiled in"Annual Reports in the NewEconomy," which can be viewein part, on the Potlatch website, www.potlatchpaper.com.Acomplete printed copy, thatalso includes the winners of thePotlatch 2000 Annual ReportShow and 2000 ProductionTrends and Averages, is available on request through thewebsite as well.

Toda y t he y a re use d a s ma rke t i ng p i e c e s ,r e c r u i t i n g b r o c h u r e s , b r a n d - b u i l d e r s , c o r pora t e i ma ge books a nd s t r a t e g i c pos i t i oni ng t oo l s . Le ss t ha n 25% of t hose sur ve ye d be l i e ve t ha t a nnua l r e por t s a re j us tfo r i nd i v i dua l i nve s t or s .

The se myr i a d use s c onf i rm why sur ve ye d e xe c u t i ve s ra nk t he p r i n t e d a nnua lre por t a s t he s i ng l e mos t i mpor t a n t doc ume nt t he i r c ompa ny produc e s . The fa c tt ha t a nnua l r e por t s a re r e gu l a t e d by t heSe c ur i t i e s a nd Exc ha nge C ommi ss i on(SEC ) , a pprove d by t he c orpora t e C EO,a nd i s sue d ye a r l y i mbue t he m wi t h ac re d i b i l i t y , a u t hor i t y a nd t i me l i ne ss t ha tother corpora te col la te ra l se ldom command.The n t oo , un l i ke d ry 10K d o c u m e n t swhich the SEC severe ly res t r ic t s in forma nd c ont e n t , a nnua l r e por t s a re a l l owe d t o i nc l ude a

C EO' s l e t t e r a nd e d i t o r i a l t he me wi t h l o t s o f a ppe a l i ngi ma ge s . Mos t c ompa ni e s se i z e t h i s oppor t un i t y byus i ng t he " n a r r a t i v e " ha l f of the book to e labora te on

26
http://www.potlatchpaper.com/http://www.potlatchpaper.com/


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V E C E N T I P OIt must have atheme that tel ls howthe company hasdone and thatspeaks to the company's aspirat ionfor its products ani ts people,"

,6A clearmessage ofwhat the company stands forand how wellthe companyis movingfoward.'

F O R T U N E

"It shouldbe the face ofth e firm.

F O R T U N E 5 0 0

"Brevity.Provide coreinformationwithout

'A great annual reporthas a certain look andfeel. It conveys clearmessages and communicates the imageof the company. Clearfinancial informationis a necessi ty. '

R E C E N T

fluff." "Rule # 1 : r e a d a b i l i t y.A great annual report should convey themessage in the fewest words and make iteasy to understand. Also, the diagrams musthave meaning. And the photography mustsupport the message or it is not useful."

F O R T U N E 5 0 '

" I t m u s t b e a t t r a c t i v et o g e t t h e r e a d e r ' s a t t e n t i o n ,b u t a l s o e a s y t o r e a d . "


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@ I S S U E

t he yea r ' s pe r fo rmance , in t roduce new p roduc t s andservices , explain corporate cul ture and lay out s t ra tegy al l in a f r iendly, approachable tone of voice .

A s migh t be expec ted , r ecen t IP O s (60%) a r e morel ike ly to invo lve the head o f marke t ing in the p lann ingproces s than F o r tune 500 compan ies (27%) . Bu t theovera l l l eve l o f s en io r managemen t invo lvemen t in a l lcompan ies con f i rms tha t annua l r epo r t s a r e no t s eenas ju s t ano the r com mu nica t ion s p iece , bu t a r e r ankedin a category a l l their own.G i v e n t h e i m p o r t a n c e p l a c e d o n a n n u a l r e p o r t s ,i t i s no tew or thy tha t s u rveyed compan ies s aytha t they r e ly heav i ly on ou t s ide des ign cons u l tants not only to create the look of thebook bu t to gu ide them th rough theen t i r e p roces s f rom deve lop ing c r e a t ive concep t and d i r ec t ing pho tog ra phy to s e lec t ing the pape r and p r in ter .A th i rd of the r ecen t IP O s ques t io neds a y t h a t t h e y b a s i c a l l y a s k t h e o u t s ide des ign f i rm to hand le the w ho lea n n u a l r e p o r t .

Tha t ' s no t s o s u rp r i s ing , cons ide r i n g t h e e m p h a s i s c o m p a n i e s p l a c e o nvisual quality. The majority of surveyedexecu t ives be l i eve tha t annua l r epo r t sp r o d u c e d f r o m c h e a p m a t e r i a l s i . e . , ama teu r i s h l ay ou t s and a r tw ork , in f e r io r paper and p r in t ing i m p l ytha t bus ines s i s no t good .

Conver s e ly , they r ega rd though t fu l ly conce iveddes ign and imagery as an ef fect ive means of d is t ingu i s h ing a company ' s s t r eng ths , va lues and b rand .Asked to ident i fy the theme topic for the pas t year ' sannua l , mos t men t ioned the s ame b road ca tego r ie s progress , products and s t ra tegy. What helps to d i f fer ent ia te each message is the way the s tory is v isual lyto ld . A s a r e s u l t , more compan ies a r e fo rming co l l abo r a t ive r e l a t ions h ips w i th des igner s and t r ea t ing themas in teg ra l pa r tne r s in con ten t deve lopmen t and p re s en ta t ion . D es ign i s no longer v iew ed as an appendageto co rpo ra te communica t ions . I t i s r ecogn ized ases s en t i a l to r each aud iences b rough t up on b roadcas te n t e r t a i n m e n t a n d I n t e r n e t s p e e d s .

T h e A n n u a l R e p o r t G a m eAnnual report designerstoday must walk atightrope of corporateobjectives - only one

Kerry Leimergoal of which is that

the book look good. As important isbringing visual impact to the year's

"Through t he thought ful use of des ign,I be l i eve we can he lpour c l ients f ramethei r message for theyear and make i tmore mean ingfu l andcoherent."

message and perpetuating the company's brandimage. One companythat has done thatexceptionally well is thevideogame giant,Nintendo Co. Ltd.,which produces the

i wildly popular Game Boy andcharacters such as Super Mario,Donkey Kong and Pokemon. For thepast ten years, Nintendo's award-winning annual reports have beendesigned by Leimer Cross in Seattle.This look at a decade of Nintendoreports shows how design hashelped to evolve the brand and create a visual bridge between thefinancial and marketing message.

28


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I S S U ENintendo CoversBui ld ing brand at Nintendo meansgiving audiences the feeling that theycan always count on the v ideogamemaker to del iver something new, funand unexpected. "Nintendo wants tosurprise," says designer Kerry Leimer.That effort begins right on the coverwith dramatic changes in size and format, lavish use of bold , highly saturatedcolors, inclusion of special techniquessuch as bl ind embossing and die-cutt i ng , and the use of a variety of photographic and il lustrative styles.

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I S S U E

Hardware DisplayAs with so many technologycompanies, Nintendo wantsto show off its hardware.Here playful typographygives bounce to w hat couldhave been a traditionalimage.

VHS Mark eting DemoTo give readers a true senseof its revolutionary n ew64-bit-processing player,Nintendo treated its 1996annual like a game box, witha scaled-down printed reportand a VHS demo tape inside.

End-User PhotNintendo's annual sid

stepped the cliche photo"customer using produ

by featuring portraiof happy customers givi

brief testimonials abowhy they like the produ

Book W ithin a Book7b suggest that its productsoffer youth a thrill a minute,Nintendo's 1998 report wasloaded with animated characters, video game scenes, sportshero shots, and photos of GameBoy Within this marketing context, the 'Today & Tomorrow"corporate message would feelout of place, so Leimer Crossset it off by treating it as abook within a book.

Two Currenc i esA common challenge for multinational companies is showingfinancial information in more than one currency, and oftenmore than one language. For Japan-based Nintendo, thefinancial section is presented only in English, but the numbersare stated in both U.S. dollars and yen. Color-coding helpsguide readers quickly to the appropriate column of numbers.

Typography as A rtLeimer Cross used bold typographyand strong colors to add impact to

what wou ld otherwise be a traditional product presentation. The

approach offers both printing eco nomy and visual impact as well. The

orange and blue combinationstrengthens the graphic quality of

the text and suggests atrendy look.

30


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I S S U E

Look InsideLeimer Cross has

high

nan cial Graphsgraphs echo the color and

_

esigning an annual report for acompany that markets Pokemon

and Donkey Kong may seem likechild's play but, in reality, it

demands addressing the

i

Clients of ten wantto be very l i tera lwhen showing the i rp r o d u c t . Bu t s o m e t imes the l i tera l lookstoo gener i c . Imaginat ive use of des ign canhe lp to convey whatm a k e s i t s p e c i a l . "

same kinds of communications issues othercompanies face."Nintendo uses its annualprimarily to talk toindustry analysts andcustomers like the Toys

CEO's Po rtraitTo clearly distinguish the corpo

rate message from the company'splayful products, the portrait of

Nintendo president, HiroshiYamauchi, is often rendered asWa ll Street Journal-style line art

R Us of the world ," saysdesigner Kerry Leimer. "They

want their annual to be fresh anddifferent every year and still berecognized as Nintendo."

Communicating brand in the annualis different from that on videogamepackaging, which appeals directlyto young buyers by "speaking" theirvisual language. The design of theannual, on the other hand, mustconvince investors that Nintendoproducts are playful and hip withouttrivializing the importance of itscorporate message.

31


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B U S I N E S S A N D D E S I G N C L A S S I C G O O D Y E A R B L I M P

-he Goodyear blimp gives real meaning to the term"promotional vehicle." Emblazoned with the logo of the

H and Rubber Company, it has been a familiar sight at major sporting events since the 1960s when itbecame a "platform" for telecasting a bird's-eye view of theactivities below.

Goodyear's blimp tradition began in 1925 when the company built its first helium-filled public relations airship, thePilgrim, painted its name across the sides and barnstormedthe country. An awesome sight, crowds loved it. Over theyears, Goodyear built 300 more airships, making its hometown of Akron, Ohio, the center for blimp manufacturing.

In the early 1930s, the U.S. Navy commissionedGoodyear to build two 400,000-pound rigid airships, eachmeasuring the length of seven football fields and needing6.5 million cubic feet of helium to become airborne. Designedas aerial aircraft carriers, they could launch and retrieve

specially equipped planes while in flight. Unfortunately, thelumbering giants were lost in severe storms within two years.But the U.S. Navy continued to rely on a fleet of 150 smallerGoodyear-built blimps to conduct aerial surveillance formilitary convoys and merchant fleets along the coast. Ableto stay aloft for more than a week at a time, Navy blimpsremained in service until 1962.

Today Goodyear no longer mass-produces airships. It onlyoperates blimps to serve as its worldwide "Aerial Ambassadors."Its current fleet of seven airships - three in the U.S., two inEurope, one in South America and one in Australia - cover'more than 120 events annually, traveling over 400,000miles at speeds of 35 miles per hour. In the U.S. alone, morethan 60 million people get a first-hand look at a Goodyearblimp at sporting events each year, with millions more viewing this beloved corporate icon on television - a successfulpromotional program by any measure.


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mentary mailing list, please fax your request Pot|atch corporationon your company letterhead to Potlatch at218-879-1005.

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C o r p o r a t e Design FoundationCorporate Design Foundation is a nonprofit educational and researcrorganization whose mission is to improve the quality of life andeffectiveness of organizations through design. The Foundation conducts research, develops teaching material, and collaborates withbusiness school faculty to Introdesign, and office design into the business school curriculum. TheFoundation also conducts conferences and workshops throughoutthe United States. For more information, visit www.cdf.org orwww.CommunityConference.org. Board of Direc torsSara Beckman, Professor, Haas School of Business,University of California, BerkeleyAgnes Bourne, Interior DesignerSam Farber, Founder, 0X0 InternationalClark Kellogg, ConsultantRobert Potts, Director,Industrial Design & Technical Communications, BayerChris P ullman, Vi( WGBHFritz Steele, Author and Consultant onOrganizational and Environmental ChangeRichard Teller, Attorney at Law, Sullivan & WorcesterPeter Lawrence, Chairman and Founder,Corporate Design Foundation

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