Comments

I wish South Korea, in the process of becoming a world-class design hub, ALSO focuses on STRONG / ETHICAL CORPORATE GOVERNANCE. People like Kim Woo-choong of Daewoo Motors & Chairman Lee Kun-hee of Samsung have tarnished the reputation of South Korea by grossly manipulating the minds of investors & betraying their co-workers / staff. "Tone at the Top" is very important for any corporate initiative (design incl.)

Posted by K.Sriram at May 22, 2008 11:48 PM

Just made a conscious decision to bring in a rock-star designer from overseas, on a large-scale one-off landscape project in central Damascus. Done specifically in order to break away from an over-cautious local tradition (last 50 years) of non-design in public spaces, to show that we can and should shape our world, and to empower the younger members of the design community. At a scheme presentation in the university's architecture faculty most professors were shaking their heads and sucking their teeth. The students were going: yes, yes, yes. Fantastic. Rock stars have their uses.

Posted by Rob at May 23, 2008 3:12 AM

To add another thought on Design; "It" is never good enough, however good it is. A design ethos is built on a relentless and total search for "better", and a complete abhorrence of the merely adequate.

Posted by Rob at May 23, 2008 3:19 AM

This is not meant as a criticism but as a legitimate statement of curiosity. It's several hours before Tom is giving a keynote for which we presume he is being paid tens of thousands of dollars for and he is crafting a new manifesto in the middle of the night? I'm curious about Tom's creative process and how much he "captures and unveils in the moment" based on what I assume are long-brewing thoughts and iterations of his previous thinking. How does he choose between "tested" material and brand new assertions he makes based on a recent trigger of new insight?

Posted by Jeffrey at May 23, 2008 9:20 AM

Jeffrey, as a one-time audience member of TP's, I wanted to hear his latest thoughts - even if some might be discovered later to be half-baked. By the time something is tried-and-true, it may also be dead-and-buried. So TP, more midnight inspiration, please!

Posted by Mike L. at May 24, 2008 5:09 AM

I can tell you what I've learned from working with Tom since 1999. I've posted the slides presentations almost since the beginnning of the practice. I NEVER post a PPT Tom sends me the day prior to an appearance; there will surely be an update the morning of the event. The slides deck he prepares in the plane on the way to his appearance reflects the freshest thoughts in his mind, collected from a book he might have picked up in anticipation of the topic, or a magazine article that catches his imagination. Overnight before the speech, however, the ideas he planned to present percolate in his mind, and he finalizes the talk of the day ON the day. He emails me a PPT right before going down to the car taking him to the venue. Only then do I post it on our website. Only then does he know exactly what he intends to say, but never the exact words he will use. He is always spontaneous when he speaks, though he does present the ideas he had planned (time permitting!).

Tom has said several times in this blog that he is an early riser. Note that 1:00 a.m. Korean time is Noon (or so) on the previous day in Vermont. We have to let him slide for being awake with mind racing in the middle of the night before his important Korea Design Forum presentation. This PPT did not pop into being at that time, however. As you all know, Tom has been talking about design for years, and some of that discussion with himself and past audiences gelled into this PPT right before this appearance, when design was the topic du jour.

Will there be changes? Yes! I look forward to them, and I hope you do, too.

Posted by cathy mosca at May 26, 2008 8:29 AM

This is a great article.

Thank you.

Posted by NAH at May 27, 2008 3:12 PM

Cathy, your far too kind comment reminds me of that oft repeated story about Picasso. He was in a restaurant and someone asked him to dash off a quick sketch, which the great man did. The supplicant asked the price, and Picasso supposedly replied, "$5,000 [the equivalent thereof, obviously]." Flabberghasted, the supplicant said, "$5,000?? It took you less than 5 minutes." To which Picasso is said to have responded, "five minutes to do the drawing, 50 years to prepare." (Or some such)

Posted by tom peters at May 30, 2008 5:34 AM

Tom, exactly.

Posted by cathy mosca at May 30, 2008 9:50 AM