Archive for February 22nd, 2006
This custom-designed self-service check-in kiosk for JetBlue’s passengers further sets this airline apart from competitors and the off-the-shelf kiosks they typically use. Both the look and feel of the kiosk communicate JetBlue’s brand values, which are not about superficial frills but about providing customers with excellent quality achieved through design. The friendly, somewhat anthropomorphic expression of the kiosk exudes a nonthreatening and welcoming appearance.
The clean layout and graphics, simple instructions and high contrast large-size type make it easy-to-use, increasing transaction speed and customer satisfaction. The design has helped the client increase customer throughput, crucial to the company’s traffic growth of more than 32 percent over the previous year.
February 22nd, 2006
The design for DaimlerChrysler’s exhibit at the Mondial de l’Automobile 2004 in Paris focused on demonstrating the company’s commitment to the development of emission-free mobility. Under the motto “Energy for the Future,“ visitors saw how biomass is converted into fuel in a stylized laboratory.
The hands-on demonstration took guests step-by-step through the process of converting raw materials into SunDiesel, a biofuel regarded as the cleanest diesel fuel. As a result, DaimlerChrysler hoped to build trust and confidence and to communicate its technological potential. 
The architecture and design of the booth took the main theme of “Energy for the Future” and reflected it in the materials and colors used. The minimal, streamlined aesthetics further emphasized the groundbreaking components of the message.
February 22nd, 2006
This extremely rare Jeroboam features the first artist-labeled Mouton Rothschild by Baron Philippe de Rothschild. Jeroboam (5 lovely liters) Chateau Mouton-Rothschild 1945–considered one of the great vintages of the 20th century–sold at Christie’s London in 1997 for $114,614. One of the great vintages of the 20th century was 1945, and although the buyer remains anonymous, if he decides to sample it, please know that I am available to help him evaluate its drinkability.
The 1945 label is famous for its “V” for victory, indicating the end of the Second World War.
Price: $68,000.00
February 22nd, 2006
ImageNet’s new facility is a high impact, visually exciting space for selling, servicing and warehousing copy machines that also strives to change customer perceptions about copy machines. The design solution has also changed people’s preconceptions about warehouse space and remote office locations and transforms the limitations into assets. The customer is brought into an environment where the focus is on education and new uses of technology. The signature paper wall greets guests and communicates an immediate connection with the end product.
The status quo and advantage exhibits compare old technology and state-of-the-art advances. Information that once required five pieces of equipment to organize and transmit now is accomplished with only one. The warehousing and servicing functions are visible to the customer, allowing all aspects of the company to be understood and openly presented. The space’s many fun, cutting edge, educational and dramatic elements help the customers remember the product and the people. ImageNet has realized immediate benefits from the new space, including a 50 percent increase in sales in the first 60 days alone.
February 22nd, 2006
When an enterprising young man named James Christie opened his sales rooms in London in December 1766, his first auction consisted of the estate of a “deceased nobleman” containing “a large Quantity of Madeira and high Flavour’d Claret.” The records don’t relate how much these delightfully described “high Flavour’d clarets” fetched but as the whole sale realized a grand total �175, it is a sure bet that if Christie had known that two hundred years later, in 1985, his now famous auction house would sell one bottle of wine for 105,000, or $160,000, he might have held back a bottle or two to enrich his future heirs.
This bottle was a Bordeaux, a
1787 Chateau Lafite, and, according to The Guinness Book of World Records, 18 years later it still is the world’s most expensive bottle of wine. Its great age alone would have ensured a good price but what gave it its special cachet, especially to American collectors, and ensured the record price tag were the initials Th.J. etched in the glass.
The bottle had belonged to Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States and one of the most revered of its founding fathers. A philosopher, scientist and statesmen, the aristocratic Jefferson was also an avid oenophile. When he was ambassador to France he spent much of his time visiting the vineyards of Bordeaux and Burgundy, buying wine for his own collection and on behalf of his friends back home. He is also associated with two other bottles of very pricy wine, a 1775 Sherry ($43,500) and the most expensive white wine ever sold, a 1787 Chateau d’Yquem ($56,588).
February 22nd, 2006
The Clinton Presidential Center is a new model for Presidential libraries, serving as a public policy center, national archive and media-rich exhibition space. The library’s design pays homage to the architecture and traditions of some of the world’s great libraries. Its dramatic, vertical space punctuated by floor-to-ceiling piers was inspired by the library at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland.
The piers contain boxes of original documents from the presidential archives and frame the 16 policy alcoves within which the history of the Clinton administration unfolds.
The visitor’s journey is anchored by two major spatial events that signify the beginning and end of the museum experience: the Cabinet Room and the Oval Office. A 120-foot timeline chronicling the eight years of the Clinton administration’s work runs through the middle of the hall and serves as the historical and physical backbone to the exhibits.
The exhibits’ graphic design draws on journalistic standards by avoiding stylistic frills and utilizing bold typography and clear illustrations to present factual and statistical information
February 22nd, 2006
The Vectra multimedia interface is a flash-driven site that is presented on a concept ATM terminal. The goal of the project was to introduce a new, more sophisticated ATM screen user interface-more secure than those on the current market and more user-friendly towards the general publc, with consideration of handicapped and especially site-impaired users. The design has increased the perception of the client as a technological thought leader and has helped shape the future of usability and security for the ATM industry. The Vectra terminal was developed in less than 75 days, significantly raising the industry bar for a product’s speed to market.
February 22nd, 2006
The French architect Montferrand had created in St. Petersburg his main construction - St. Isaac’s Cathedral about 40 years and died soon after the building was completed. The artwork of the firm - The Easter Egg - is a tribute of respect and admiration to the great Master. All the architectural details of the Cathedral, statues on the roofing and inscriptions on pediments are made of gold according to the original.
Gold, silver, gilt, jasper, porphyry, nephrite, cloisonne enamel, transparent enamel on a guilloche ground.
Height 31cm
Height of the Cathedral 9,8 cm
1998 Private collection
February 22nd, 2006
The NIKE iD Web site provides a fun and easy way for users to customize and buy footwear and gear. The site transforms the visitor into a designer, allowing them to apply their own choice of colors and materials to a broad range of shoes, bags and equipment. In this redesign of the site, the original HTML version was completely replaced using Flash in order provide a more inspiring and vibrant experience in keeping with the dynamic and innovative characteristics of the NIKE brand. The result has been a site that soundly outperforms its HTML predecessor in terms of both user experience and commerce effectiveness. A more intuitive design interface, which includes visual call-outs and audio cues, helps guide users through the build process and has generated a higher completion rate for product builds. The new design also reduces the time it takes to add new products to the site by more than 80 percent.
February 22nd, 2006
Each evening guests can enjoy local, quality wines and delectable appetizers. During the warm summer months the social hour is hosted outside on the shaded patio, surrounded by the colorful flowers and the sounds of the trickling fountain and smooth jazz. Guests can linger and sample sumptuous appetizers while enjoying the afternoon sun and delightful evening Valley breeze.
In the cooler winter months, guests can enjoy lively conversation in the candlelit dining room and lounge. The festive hour is often enlivened by private winery tastings, featuring many of the valley’s prized boutique and limited production wines.
February 22nd, 2006
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