ICM - Leeds Design Agency

Last Thursday night I sat down in front of the television after a long day at work craving the visual-bubblegum of early evening entertainment only to find that my television set wouldn’t switch on.

Just a few months outside the extended three-year warranty, the power unit has failed and the set (being an old ‘tube’ type) is beyond economic repair. So it’s off the local facilities who thankfully have an area for WEEE eligible items.

I feel a little frustrated at the times we’re living in; a generation where resources are becoming ever-more limited, but our consumer needs are becoming increasingly unlimited. Shouldn’t the products we truly desire have longevity as one of their main features?

Take the humble laptop for example; we all want to be seen on the train with the latest model with almost total disregard for the product’s lifespan or the less-than eco-friendly practices that went into producing the plastic case, the screen and so on…

Thankfully there is a shift in trends – Apple’s latest Macbook – To create the aluminum case, engineers take a sheet of aluminum 15mm thick and machine away 90% of its mass. They then regrind and smelt the leftovers up to 20 times to make 20 more notebooks. A small step towards a more sustainable product, the end product is beautiful and solid as a rock. It is these qualities that make the product a potential hand-me-down.

Howies, the clothing manufacturer, have taken this one step further. I recently purchased a lightweight rain jacket made from 50% recycled polyester. When I’ve finished with it Howies would like me to send it back to become a new jacket.

Going further still they now produce the Hand-Me-Down jacket where you are actively encourage to pass it on.

To me, these are the true desirable products. Looking for a new television I was bombarded by HD-ready, Full-HD, 100Hz, 1080p, rich blacks, attractive styling, 24fps and so-on. Nothing (other than power consumption figures) hinted at the product’s longevity. It’s easy to say ‘if the product lasts longer, we won’t sell as many’ but maybe this a gamble more manufacturers are going to have to start making – become more sustainable, be more desirab…

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Long gone are the days when watches are used just for telling the time. With the induction of technology, timepieces (especially wristwatches) have turned into a style statement or a wearable system to organize your day at work. Designed by Chris Holden, the “Remind” is a wristwatch that synchronizes with personal computers through a USB slot and can upload calendar and to do lists , thanks to the modern e-ink technology. Intended for people who suffer from Alzheimer’s it also would be of great use to the elderly and people like me who just forget stuff.

The wristwatch is about the thickness of a piece of paper, which users may recharge at any USB point, while the USB neatly fits into a female USB plug, and the other end of the band works as the clasp for the watch. You may customize the display by plugging the watch into your computer. Moreover, the low power e-paper screen reduces recharging time and frequency in a great way, making it lightweight and unperturbed for the users.

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Its Design & Technology Week. Time to crack open the thing and do that thing that you were going to … erm … and then … Its what? And when?


Well the official version of it is here if you want to have a look


So what does it have to do with you? Nothing (for the most part). Your life will continue on the way it has and this thing will happen without you. Unless you are involved, motivated and in that sector – in which case I wish you all the best.

So what about you bunch of nose-pickers out there? Design and Technology? Ooh – sounds complicated … I can’t even get my Sky+* to work properly … Sound familiar?

I ask that you change your attitude, just for this week. Design and Technology Week – yes, this week, no you can’t put it off until next week. This week … This year … now.


I would like you to look around and pick one project – one thing that is design and technology based and make yourself better at it. This could be a project that you have yet to start, an item that you own, a problem or bottleneck that seems unimportant until you run into it again, and then you just work round it.

Here are just a few examples:
• Set up that wireless network at home
• Getting all your music on to that MP3 Player
• Finally download and tagging your photos on the computer
• Find out what Blogs, RSS and Twitter are all about

You may encounter a few small problems in your attempt but once you have completed your mini challenge you will feel relief and a little bit of pride, you will have taught yourself a new skill. Your MP3 will have a more professional feel and not just say ‘Track 1, Track 2.’ You never know – this may even start to chip away at some other technophobic worries that you may have, encourage you to have a go. Shun taking the easy route before you have even taken the first step. Fortune favours the brave, take little steps and see what you can do … you WILL be surprised.

And those who already have the skills and knowledge – pass it on, don’t mock or ridicule someone for not using the technology to its full potential or understanding something that is second nature to you. (Shame on you if you do this, least of all THIS week.) Instead, have patience, empathise and take time to understand how people work (or in some cases don’t work) with design and technology.

If you try it and don’t like it… at least you can say that you participated in ‘Design and Technology Week’.

_(*Insert other technical sounding device/service as appropriat…

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