Check out this new concept from BMW. It was truly an exercise in thinking outside the box and using design to solve a problem. I’m not sure if it will ever make sense to produce, but it is pretty stunning and innovative.

Read more here at Wired: http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/06/bmw-builds-a-ca.html

Garret Ohm
http://www.orange-element.com

We are all very excited to announce that Kaley Hymiller, a senior at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), has accepted a full-time intern position here at Orange Element. Kaley is a super-talented Industrial Design major there, which was really interesting to us as a graphic design and marketing communications firm. As you probably know from past blog musings on my part, we’re big believers in the importance of having a strong product or offering in order to be able to create a powerful brand. We are excited to have Kaley aboard and look forward to having her skillset in-house to be able to develop even more perspective on the intersection of product design and branding. You can see more of Kaley’s portfolio at http://www.coroflot.com/khymil20.

And while we’re on the topic of product design, I wanted to share something I read about in my latest issue of Popular Science (I love this magazine, as well as Popular Mechanics - call me a dork, I don’t care). It was an article in their Concepts & Prototypes section about a solar-powered sailboat that a Turkish design firm had concepted called Volitan. The article discussed that while using wind power is by default sustainable, nearly every sailboat has a motor that burns gasoline. In the US alone, there are over 10,000,000 gasoline marine engines.

Designnobis has come up with a solar powered craft that uses both wind power as well as solar to propel the hull forward in the water. It’s a boat concept with stunning good looks, but that to me seems completely feasible as a production model (although the carbon fiber hull would probably make for an extremely costly venture). Take a look at the pictures below and read more about Volitan at Gizmodo HERE.

Garret Ohm
http://www.orange-element.com/

As the marketing director for design and communications firm that does work all over the country, I work to extend our brand to clients and prospects every day. In doing so, I see part of my job as making these clients and prospects understand that great creative work isn’t the result of pushing a few buttons on the Mac. It’s actually a process that starts with a healthy dose of research, discovery and planning before an idea is even considered, a pencil is put to paper or a computer mouse is clicked.

As I’ve mentioned, Ande Campbell recently returned from the How conference in Boston, and in doing so she brought home a really cool poster that I had to share on this topic. It’s from a design professional named Maggie Macnab who recently wrote a book that I’m hoping to read shortly (I’ve heard it’s good) called Decoding Design.

I think it captures part of the challenge that I face everyday. Enjoy (click for full size):

Garret Ohm
http://www.orange-element.com

Yesterday, in true EJ fashion, she sent an email to the entire Orange Element staff that asked simply “Who left the elephant poo on my desk? Cool!” For a while I was really confused. Why would elephant poo be on her desk, much less in our office? And why would she think that was cool?

After a while my curiosity got the best of me and I had to go ask her what it was all about. It turns out, Andy Bonner had left a paper sample on her desk that was literally made from elephant dung. I’m not kidding and it’s not what you think. It actually looks like real paper - it’s light in color and it DOESN’T SMELL. I swear, I brought it up to my nose and…nothing.

I did a little more research and came up with this site: www.elephantdungpaper.com

We love sustainable products like this and we hope it becomes mainstream. What a great way to use a waste product for something good–after all, that’s what recycling is all about. And the best part is that every time you use this paper, it helps to save the elephants. Good stuff. I can’t wait to see the look on our clients’ faces when we recommend printing their next marketing piece on elephant poo.

Garret Ohm
http://www.orange-element.com

I recently met a golf course architect named Terry LaGree from a company called Barbaron out of Florida. Terry is a great architect, who also happens to be responsible for golf course renovations at The Golf Club at South River.

One of his newest ventures is what really caught my attention. Terry is a partner in a company called Harmony Pointe Greens, a company that makes synthetic golf greens which are mainly used for practice facilities. These greens are not only a much better solution for someone that can’t devote lots of time and money to maintenance, but they are also environmentally sustainable. They are made out of 100% recyclable materials and don’t require chemicals to maintain. You can read more about the product HERE.

What really struck me having read more about the product is how much Harmony Pointe has integrated product and design to create an amazing offering. By partnering with Barbaron, a real life golf course architect responsible for some amazing courses, they ensure that customers get the most out of their Harmony Pointe experience. Taking into account how the product is going to be used (shot angles, distances, spin), Harmony Pointe, through their partnership with Barbaron essentially ensure that people don’t spend thousands on a golf green that doesn’t function well.

While I likely won’t have the budget to put one of these in my backyard for years and years to come, I definitely think these folks have come up with a concept that will spread like wildfire. At Orange Element, we’re hopeful we can continue our relationship with Terry and perhaps even do work for Harmony Pointe one day.

Garret Ohm
http://www.orange-element.com/

As you can see at the bottom of the navigation at right we now have the ability to add a poll to our sweet blog. This week’s poll touches on something that I think about quite a lot. At Orange Element, we’ve always had this dream of developing our own custom designed product line. But not just any custom designed product line - one in which we are able to sell the products for profit, a portion of which would then be given directly to a charity or group of charities in our community.

We’re still in the initial stages of brainstorming how we could make it work, but it’s a very exciting thought for us. The opportunity to both help humanity while creating a tangible product that represents us and allows people to interact with our brand in a whole new way is very appealing to us.

So please, weigh in on the poll. Let us know what you’d be interested in. If you have other ideas or thoughts about this potential venture, please shoot them to me via email at garret [at] orange-element [dot] com.

My vote? Oh, I’m glad you asked! I cannot wait until we can do a limited-edition run of Orange Element designed Moleskines. I’m still researching the actual process of customization of the graphics and production, but I can definitely see it being a great icebreaker for new business meetings! The best part, which is great for lefties like me is that it opens completely flat. Previously the only option I had for taking notes in meetings where those stuffy leather portfolios that you’d expect an accountant to be bringing to a meeting. And that’s definitely not me…

In the meantime, I just ordered this limited-edition Plaid Moleskine. One of only 50 ever made! I can’t wait for it to get here.

Garret Ohm
www.orange-element.com