Thanks to YouTube I was able to find and now share a short video by the Eames, undoubtedly among the best designers of all ages and inexhaustible source of inspiration for me. Taken in 1956 and produced by Herman Miller it's a vivid example of the ability of the couple not only to design objects and to take videos (fully analogic, of course) but to tell stories. Watch at the part in which the assembler seats down on the chair and dream to be the boss - probably a bit machist today :)

This video confirm my perception that an important part of our work is made by the story we want to tell with our products, which is the strongest communication form.

An intelligent and open-minded brand should allow designers to express this part of their job too. Unfortunately this happens very-very rarely... On the other hands, how many designers are able to be so effective in storytelling? 

By the way, storytelling works only if products work and could create a strong link between them and the customers: that's why I post also this other video, example of how a company could be proud of its technology and want to share it.

In these days in Milan, the Public Administration is having hard time deciding if blocking the private traffic during the next City Marathon or not. It seems so difficult to ask citizens (or probably those "angry drivers") to have an "open air Sunday"...

And my mind goes to the Ciclovia in Bogotà: it is a temporary recursive event which takes place every Sunday and holiday in the main streets of the city from 7 a.m to 2 p.m. 

Those streets are closed every Sunday to become huge bike lanes.

I'm talking about an event that takes place SINCE 1976!!! and is spread over more than 120 km, approximately involving 2 million people (30% of city population)…

Ciclovia was the model of many other carfare streets all around the globe (Italy excluded!) and were immediately accompanied by Recrovias, areas in which Aerobics and Yoga teachers and musicians give lessons.

An example of how to change the lifestyle of our cities with events which change also our sense of belonging to a community, improve our wellbeing and create new  jobs (watch the "bikewatchers" in the video).

And we are discussing to close few streets in the day of an international event...

Ciclovia: Bogotá, Colombia from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

Maybe you know My Lane already.

It’s a project on which we’ve been working for more than one year now. It all started with a simple consideration: we all love to go running in the park, but we all experience the same problem. Where do I change myself? where do I leave my helmet? Some friends solved the problem subscribing to a gym (just for leaving their jacket and have a shower…) and then going to the park: quite silly, but till now is the only solution.

We started thinking of a reply: it’s based on running and it’s about using the city’s green areas and our own time in a better way by proposing a new structure for the parks of Milano. We made on-site observations and research, asked our friends’ opinion, made small prototyping and developed some concepts. Luis (Felipe Bueno) took them as a starting point to develop a PSSD for his thesis, which implemented the feedbacks on the ideas and fixed some points for the service design.

Basically speaking, the project is composed by a series of structures providing showers, lockers, bathrooms and changerooms for running newbies or habitués, which are manageable by a web platform where users can book their lockers for a fix period of time. More or less it works as the bike sharing service. 

We presented this project to the Municipality and they appreciated it a lot, but, as expected, didn’t offered any financial support. We tried to search for a sponsors on our own, but no one of the companies we contacted wanted to invest in this moment. So it seems that everybody like the project, but no institution wants to do it.

Now we have decide to go on a different road: inspired by “crowd-actions” we started to question if it wouldn’t be possible to use critical mass to promote this project and hopefully make it possible. We started a Facebook page for spreading the idea and to check people’s opinion. A pdf brochure is also available.

Next step? Crowdsourcing… Give us opinions, comments, suggestions on the project and on the strategy we should follow to make a meaningful next step… Do you believe its possible to develop a project by creating and motivating critical mass? And how would you promote your idea?

If you want it, My Lane is going to be yours…

Click here to download:

My_Lane_-_Il_Progetto.pdf (1.66 MB)

(download)

Click here to download:

My_Lane_-_Il_Progetto.pdf (1.66 MB)

Our office will be "open door" all along that week-end: those who want to join a spontaneous design community on a task that will be set up simultaneously in all spots of the world, just have to send an email at mail@pierandreiassociati.it before March 3rd.

Remember: not only designers are welcome but every open minded professionals (filmmakers, ethnologists, psychologists,..) who are available to share a week-end creating.

And we will be open also to all curious who will like to see a herd of creatives in their natural working environment: in this case just bring something to drink or eat!

Still thinking?!? Get convinced at Global Service Jam.