Understanding the 2.5th dimension: modelling the graphic language of products

Recognizing a product of a specific brand without seeing the logo is difficult. But for companies it is important to distinguish themselves from competitors with a consistent portfolio, which will be easily recognized by their target consumers. The recognition of brands and their associated brand values can take place in different ways. In this paper a framework is discussed to analyze a brand at different levels of graphical dimensions. The proposed framework distinguishes the difference between graphics (2D), such as a logo or a text; form and shape elements (3D); and everything in-between (2,5D), which we will call ‘graphical elements’. Examples of such graphical elements are the protruding letters on a beer bottle of Grolsch, the characteristic grill of a car or the illuminated apple in a Mac Book. The framework, based on the work of Karjalainen & Warell, was developed further within an educational setting. In an elective master course, students developed a product for a specific brand using the most remarkable design features of the brand. The results of the course showed that modelling the 2.5th dimension of the products actually had a great impact on the translation of the brand values of the analyzed brands into new designs. The integration of these ‘graphical elements’ is often underexposed, but this paper shows that they can play an important role in the recognition of a brand and its brand values

Sketching is more than making correct drawings

Sketching in the context of a design process is not a goal in itself, but can be considered as a tool to\ud make better designs. Sketching as a design tool has several useful effects as: ordering your thoughts,\ud better understanding of difficult shapes, functioning as a communication tool, and providing an\ud iterative way of developing shapes. In our bachelor-curriculum Industrial Design Engineering we\ud developed a series of courses that addresses these effects in particular.\ud The courses are Sketching and concept drawing (SCT), Product Presentation Drawing (PPT) and\ud Applied sketching skills (TTV). This line of courses is built on three pillars:\ud - Learning to sketch; Theory, speed and control of the materials.\ud - Learning from sketching; Develop a better insight in complex 3D shapes (Figure 1).\ud - Sketching as a design tool; Communication, ordering your thoughts, iterative working.\ud As a result we see that students who have finished the courses instinctively start sketching in an\ud iterative manner, use sketching as a source of inspiration and learn that the whole process of iterative\ud sketching helps in structuring, developing and communicating the design process. In this way the\ud students become better sketchers and better designer

The city in the information and communication technology age: a comparative study on path dependecy

The role of the city in the modem electronic age is rapidly changing. Cities are no longer closed islands of local opportunities, but are open nodalpoints in a global network environment. The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has lifted the traditional physical - geographicalconstraints which kept cities imprisoned since the early genesis of modem cities. More openness means also more actors in the global economic playingfield, so that cities tend to become increasingly competitors of each other. In such a competitive game between cities the success conditions arelargely determined by the adjustment potential, and the flexibility and resilience of several stakeholders in urban life. The paper analyses the causesand implications of urban path dependency and tries to offer an analytical framework through which actual developments in various cities cansystematically be mapped out. The paper proceeds then - by way of a comparative contrast analysis -with an empirical investigation of two dynamiccities, Berlin and Amsterdam. Based on extensive field work, an attempt is finally made to offer clear policy conclusions and recommendations for urbanICTpolicy

Unravelling the secret of successful brand extensions: a case study to explore consumer response

In this paper we try to disentangle the design of successful brand extensions and test this with two case studies. Earlier research revealed that typicality and novelty are related to the aesthetic preference of products. Despite the fact these two predictors are also each other’s suppressors, the equilibrium of both will determine aesthetically preferred products. When dealing with brand extensions we assume this effect is even bigger. We discern two approaches to explain this process. On the one hand the new product category with respect to the known brand can be seen as the novel experience of the design. On the other hand, the consumer can be familiar with the archetypical forms of a product category (typicality) and consider the branded product design as the novel experience. The outcomes show that typicality and novelty are jointly effective in explaining the aesthetic preferences of consumers for some product categories and that the appreciation of novelty for less typical designs is reinforced by the context they are presented in

A genome-wide RNAi screen in mouse embryonic stem cells identifies Mp1 as a key mediator of differentiation

Knockdown of the scaffolding protein Mek binding protein 1 (Mp1) in mouse embryonic stem cells suppresses differentiation but not proliferation, and more invasive human germ cell tumors express lower amounts of Mp1

Resectability and Ablatability Criteria for the Treatment of Liver Only Colorectal Metastases:Multidisciplinary Consensus Document from the COLLISION Trial Group

The guidelines for metastatic colorectal cancer crudely state that the best local treatment should be selected from a 'toolbox' of techniques according to patient- and treatment-related factors. We created an interdisciplinary, consensus-based algorithm with specific resectability and ablatability criteria for the treatment of colorectal liver metastases (CRLM). To pursue consensus, members of the multidisciplinary COLLISION and COLDFIRE trial expert panel employed the RAND appropriateness method (RAM). Statements regarding patient, disease, tumor and treatment characteristics were categorized as appropriate, equipoise or inappropriate. Patients with ECOG≤2, ASA≤3 and Charlson comorbidity index ≤8 should be considered fit for curative-intent local therapy. When easily resectable and/or ablatable (stage IVa), (neo)adjuvant systemic therapy is not indicated. When requiring major hepatectomy (stage IVb), neo-adjuvant systemic therapy is appropriate for early metachronous disease and to reduce procedural risk. To downstage patients (stage IVc), downsizing induction systemic therapy and/or future remnant augmentation is advised. Disease can only be deemed permanently unsuitable for local therapy if downstaging failed (stage IVd). Liver resection remains the gold standard. Thermal ablation is reserved for unresectable CRLM, deep-seated resectable CRLM and can be considered when patients are in poor health. Irreversible electroporation and stereotactic body radiotherapy can be considered for unresectable perihilar and perivascular CRLM 0-5cm. This consensus document provides per-patient and per-tumor resectability and ablatability criteria for the treatment of CRLM. These criteria are intended to aid tumor board discussions, improve consistency when designing prospective trials and advance intersociety communications. Areas where consensus is lacking warrant future comparative studies.</p