Category Archives: design

Business Cards and Digital Devices

Posted on March 14, 2012 by AXM

Dan S. Wang’s business card collection is a treasure trove of different design schemes. In a recent essay for Core77, I looked at a discussion brewing about QR codes on business cards, and whether they make sense. I also pointed to tools that allow you to scan a card that doesn’t have a QR code. [...]

Exhibition Design: Physical Work, Intellectual Work

Posted on September 19, 2011 by AXM

A friend commented recently that I look a little healthier, a little more in physical shape. While in Korea, I did do a lot of hiking. I climbed up to Sanghwangbong at the top of Mt. Gayasan, near Daegu, which is 1430m up, and then up to Guksabong at the top of Cheonggyesan in Seoul, [...]

Notes from the “Future is Co-” at Xindanwei: Coworking in China, America and the World

Posted on August 11, 2011 by AXM

Had a lovely discussion this weekend at Xindanwei to discuss “The Future is Co-”, a look at the future of coworking, collaboration and collective creativity. I wrote recently abotu Xindanwei’s coworking model in Hyperallergic, and in a way, the panel was a way to continue that dialogue. What added to the event was that Tony [...]

Texting in the Philippines, Sustainable Design in Malaysia, and the Southeast Asian Design Community

Posted on June 30, 2011 by AXM

Have a new photo essay in Design Observer this week. This time, I’m focused on Manila’s rich SMS/texting culture, and how that influences the design of storefronts, public space and even Starbucks trinkets. Did you know that the Philippines is the world leader in texting per user? In the United States, users send, on average, [...]

Aesthetic Minimalism, Ethical Minimalism

Posted on May 30, 2011 by AXM

When I moved to Asia, I packed up only two carry-on size luggages. “That’s it?” my friends asked. “That’s it,” I said. I couldn’t think of anything else. I had my casual clothes. My nice clothes. A couple dresses, a few pairs of shoes. Jewelry. Electronics, of course. If I needed something, I figured I [...]

JeepneED: A Mobile Science Lab and Internet Cafe

Posted on May 18, 2011 by AXM

I always loved science labs. The beakers, the strange liquids, even the white aprons we would wear. I never pursued a career in chemical or biological science, but I continue to have an intellectual interest in the field. And when I’m curious something, like when my dentist showed my teeth in his iPad, I know [...]

Rosary Designs

Posted on April 29, 2011 by AXM

Something I rarely see discussed in the design world is the role of new design in religion. How have Filipinos, quite often devout Catholics, adapted to the needs of modern life? Here are two examples: a stainless steel rosary to handle scooter riding through Manila streets, and a single-strand, single-decade design to be carried in [...]

24 Hour Books

Posted on March 30, 2011 by AXM

In a city abundant in mobile phones and Kindles, here’s a 24-hour self-service library, just outside the main Shanghai Library. Got me thinking about how to improve literacy, how to encourage literacy, how to get people to the library. In New York and Los Angeles, library hours were regularly a challenge: I’d have to rush [...]

Wifi Station

Posted on March 30, 2011 by AXM

I like it when one design affects another: here, a phone booth in Shanghai repurposed as a Wifi station.