Comments

Madeleine, I like the looks of your bag. Very cute. Design is of ultimate importance when it comes to these things we carry with us every place we go. I have a duffel bag by Patagonia. It is near perfect. It has all the pockets it should, in all the right places. But then it drives me nuts because it opens in the wrong direction! I pack it by standing it on its wheels. The flap that unzips should lie flat on the floor during this process, but no. It opens up instead, and because of that design flaw, it is always in the way. It makes the difference between my really loving this bag, and just using it. Disappointing every time.

Posted by cathy at June 7, 2005 9:20 AM

Seem to enjoy a new Tumi wallet from Nordstrom - card holder style - gift ... ultra slim but holds the 4 cards [corp ID, drivers lic, AMEX/MSTCD] I carry, cash, a flat car key ... 2.5" × 3.5 " x .3". Enjoy the Motorola CamPhone RAZR V3 3.9" × 2.1" x .5"; 3.4 oz - both fit easily in a shirt pocket [as a minimalist they appeal]. $99 Costco gravity inversion table to stretch - a current addiction - simple inverted hanging/rocking. $150 Nike Shox TL 2 running shoes, awesome ride ...

Posted by Sean at June 7, 2005 10:03 AM

I suppose some people would consider the design of a product, especially a handbag, shallow, but I find it fascinating. I love products that are well designed and the Radley is known for being one of the best. Whenever I see something done well, I want to take it apart and figure out how they did it.

Here's something Steve Jobs said about design:

"Design is a funny word. Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you dig deeper, it's really how it works. The design of the Mac wasn't what it looked like, although that was part of it. Primarily, it was how it worked. To design something really well, you have to get it. You have to really grok what it's all about. It takes a passionate commitment to really thoroughly understand something, chew it up, not just quickly swallow it. Most people don't take the time to do that.

Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That's because they were able to connect experiences they've had and synthesize new things. And the reason they were able to do that was that they've had more experiences or they have thought more about their experiences than other people.

Unfortunately, that's too rare a commodity. A lot of people in our industry haven't had very diverse experiences. So they don't have enough dots to connect, and they end up with very linear solutions without a broad perspective on the problem. The broader one's understanding of the human experience, the better design we will have."

Posted by Noel Guinane at June 7, 2005 10:14 AM

bally duffle bag. tumi brief. what else? john lobb shoes. my old ray bans. what else? my one and only watch. crisp blue cotton shirt. dior suit. all year cashmere sweater, brown, green or navy. 501s. duffer kakis. gap boxers. falke socks. "kent style professional 85" (indestructable british comb). spanish cologne. bottle of water sin gas. a baseball cap. that's it. ready for travel.

Posted by jens at June 7, 2005 10:16 AM

it is love.

Posted by jens at June 7, 2005 10:29 AM

Sadly the bag is not my colour Madeleine ...just joking :-)

I see your point about the 'little' things.

I have just got a new car last Friday - a Renault Scenic - it is great - the things I love more than everything else about the car are the four little sunken storage wells under a carpeted cover in the driver and three passenger foot wells.

They are so brilliant!! ...boys with toys I guess...

Keep the air conditioning, the electronic windows, the automatic parking brake, and the wonderful stereo speakers but at all costs retain the four storage pockets.

I remember my Dad telling me when I was a 5 year old kid that one Christmas I got some great presents but played the whole Christmas with a hammer, wood and nails he left lying around in the front room ...sadly it did me no good I am still crap at DIY :-) but the feel of that hammer handle was just wonderful - I can still remember it!

Great topic

Posted by Trevor Gay at June 7, 2005 11:42 AM

Trevor - maybe your dad put you in a playpen/cage at 5 and you rattle-hammered your way out - ala RTC today. Congrats on the Scenic ... we seem to like an Infiniti FX - trim, easy on the eyes, fair mileage, fun on long/fast trips ... egads its an SUV though - the PC crowd [maybe Jens too] objects ...

Posted by Sean at June 7, 2005 12:15 PM

Excellence is in the details. Once again. I believe this is key for a succesful product, brand or even in personal relationships.

Trevor, probably you were fascinated by something you found by yourself and wanted to experience some kind of pleasure playing with it. That´s still a good way to learn.

Posted by felix gerena at June 7, 2005 1:40 PM

Love my Radley bag too - for the little things. The 'critical non-essentials' make all the difference; having a bag I use and a bag I love / a project I'm involved in and a project I'm engaged in!

Posted by Ruth MacAdam at June 7, 2005 2:06 PM

Unfortunately I had to visit someone in hospital recently*. One bit of design really caught my eye (or my ear really!) was a metal pedal trash bin where someone had had the good sense to put a dampner on the lid so it closed slowly and quietly - it doesn't sound much but it really is the little details that make a difference!

*Sidenote - Lots of people knock the NHS in the UK but they were on top notch form this time - lots of kudos to people over the years (like Trevor) who have worked damned hard to make this a really special org.

Posted by PaulH at June 7, 2005 2:46 PM

Hey, I'm getting some great ideas about new 'must-have' products from this debate!

Noel, I LOVE the Steve Jobs quote! His point about creativity as being a process of joining the dots reminds me of something a former colleague of mine used to do with new clients. He was a fabulous strategist, who would go off, spend time getting to know the business, and would then come back with recommendations. But in his later years he would commence these presentations by saying to the client. "I feel sure when you have heard my recommendations, you will tell me that the answer is obvious. So, before I give you it, would you tell me now what the obvious answer is......?" No-one ever could!! But his solutions joined all the dots so well that they did indeed seem obvious after the fact!

Posted by Madeleine McGrath at June 7, 2005 3:09 PM

Brilliant banter.

Sean - the Scenic is great - doesn’t beat running though :-) Great analogy on RTC - hadn't thought of that one!

Felix - wise words my friend - isn't it just magical to discover something yourself - You are right on my friend

Paul - great plug for the NHS – thanks for that. Although I am out of it now after 35 years - did I really get a 35 year sentence  - I am still, and always will be, a great advocate of the NHS.

It is the third biggest employer in the world after the Chinese Army and Indian Railways and for all its problems the great majority of patients are happy with the NHS.

Sure it is a ‘massive elephant’ that needs radical surgery and there will always be inefficiency, complaints and problems but the NHS is a British institution that is very special to the people of this country - ask any politician what percentage of letters they receive per week are about the NHS. Also ask yourself whether any politician would ever advocate scrapping the NHS - it is just too close to the hearts of British people.

Having said all that, there is a lot to do to make the NHS really customer sensitive and my passion nowadays is to represent the patient voice and the voice of the family carer in any way I can.

Excellent comments Paul - many of my friends obviously still work in the NHS and the final thing I would say on this is this. There are over 1 million staff working in the NHS and the massive majority of them are working not for the money but because they feel part of something special.

In my opinion the NHS is and always will be special.

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Phew ...that is better I must go and have a lie down now :-)

Posted by Trevor Gay at June 8, 2005 1:58 AM

noel.
the connecting thing is great!!!!

Posted by jens at June 8, 2005 4:46 AM

schluck....
it was not YOU, noel, it was steve jobs...

well then - of course - i have to correct myself:
STEVE, excellent!!!!
keep up the good spirit!!!!
point well taken!!!!

Posted by jens at June 8, 2005 4:53 AM

Jens, too late! I've already accepted the compliment!

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Posted by Noel Guinane at June 8, 2005 6:38 AM

I, for one, love the food at Pink's Hot Dogs, Los Angeles. Tender, tasty wieners; greasy chili, just the right mix between chunky and runny; a good amount of fresh onions, relish, and Monterey Jack cheese . . . Eating at this little hot dog stand on La Brea is a life-changing experience (and a cholesterol-raising one, too). It is truly a sin for me to visit LA and not eat there! I recommend the Three Dog Night, three wieners in a tortilla.

Posted by Ron at June 8, 2005 10:28 AM

I love the keyboard on my CrackBerry. Can't bring myself to use a smaller phone because of the keyboard.

Also loving my "wallet" from J. Crew. It's super-slim. Not something I ordinarily would have carried, but my wife bought it for me (whopping $2!) so I could have something that wasn't so thick. There's just enough room for my license, credit/debit card, about 3 business cards and a $20.

Makes me think about Simplicity, Trev. :)

Posted by Tony May / Mayday Media at June 8, 2005 7:40 PM

Tom

Great Blog - thanks for the link! Like you say, there is huge agreement amongst consumers about what they really value....! So who's listening?!

Posted by Madeleine McGrath at June 9, 2005 6:31 AM

Thanks, Madeleine.

I'm working with some folks in the design world who are listening real well.

I think all the attention the popular media has been paying to design is having a huge affect in product development circles. The word, "ethnography" is now common in their conversations, something I haven't heard in my 15 years consulting in apparel design and retail.

Posted by Tom Guarriello at June 9, 2005 8:12 AM