Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Habitat Trends Report
Habitat Trends Report
HABITAT TRENDS
REPORT
10/11
HABITAT TRENDS
REPORT 10/11
Texts:
David Gobert Teigeiro
Silvia M. Rodrguez Vives
Pepa Casado DAmato
Carmen Jover Esp
Raquel Glvez Orejuela
Jess Navarro Campos
Vicente Sales Viv
Cristina Revert Carreres
Design and layout:
Pepe Gimeno Proyecto Grfico
Index
of contents
In accordance with the provisions established under current legislation, no part of this
publication may be reproduced or transferred
in any form or by any means or process,
whether electronic or mechanical, including
digital format, renting or leasing, without the
prior written authorisation of the copyright
owners.
All the images remain the property of their
respective owners and have been reproduced
with their consent.
ITC, AIDIMA and AITEX, 2010. ITC,
AIDIMA and AITEX reserve all rights, in particular to the reproduction, distribution, public
communication and transformation, whether
in whole or in part. The information and
data in this report have been duly verified;
however, ITC, AIDIMA and AITEX accept no
responsibility for their use.
ISBN-13: 978-84-95077-40-0
Legal Deposit: V-1999-2010
Autonomous Community of Valencia,
May 2010
PRESENTATION
Prologue by the Honourable First Vice-President of Consell
Letter from the directors of ITC, AIDIMA and AITEX
Presentations of ITC, AIDIMA and AITEX
The Habitat Trends Observatory team
What is the Habitat Trends Observatory?
What do we understand by trends?
4
6
8
10
11
13
IN SUMMARY
Habitat: the general situation
Diagram of trend evolution
Table summarising accepted trends
Table summarising trends for 08/09
Table summarising trends for 10/11
Guide to using the Report
16
20
22
24
26
28
31
41
53
63
75
85
95
MARKET KEYS
1. Brand universes
2. Discreet luxury
3. Here and now
4. The consumer at the helm
5. Desire for simplicity
6. The alternative consumer
7. Reinventing the green model
107
111
115
119
123
127
131
SOCIO-CULTURAL KEYS
A. The value of emotions
B. The frugal society
C. The multitasking generation
D. Digital natives
E. The need for rationality
F. Change in attitudes
G. Eco-behaviour
135
139
143
147
151
155
159
This study by the Habitat Trends Observatory therefore provides Valencian companies with privileged information for the
design and development of innovative products that will satisfy the needs of todays
citizens. Having thoroughly sounded out the
mood and lifestyle of the modern consumer,
it offers a multitude of tools with which to
generate innovation as a strategic competitive weapon.
The Habitat Trends Report 10/11 identifies
and describes several of the predominant
trends that are, in turn, linked to a series of
socio-cultural and market keys. It provides
us with comprehensive information on how
trends identified in the previous study have
evolved; we learn how certain lifestyle
trends have transformed, or what were
then undefined, emerging trends have now
become firmly established. It offers a wide
range of examples, and refers closely to
the market and communication throughout,
placing the trends within their corresponding
socio-cultural framework.
Presentation
of ITC, AIDIMA and AITEX
ITC
AIDIMA
AITEX
AIDIMA currently holds the presidency of
INNOVAWOOD, the European Association
for R&D and Training in the Forestry, Woodworking and Furniture sectors.
AIDIMA has an established track record in
following trends in furniture, market analysis
and strategic planning, and research into
consumer patterns and distribution in the
short, medium and long term through the
Furniture Competitive Intelligence System.
AIDIMA has participated in the Habitat
Trends Observatory since it began in 2005.
AIDIMA (oth@aidima.es)
Jess Navarro Campos
Company
AITEX (oth@aitex.es)
Vicente Cambra Snchez
HTO
Habitat
Trends
Observatory
Strategic
and product
innovation
Business
development
units
Make
profitable
EXTERNAL EXPERTS
Ismael Quintanilla
Arantza Vilas
Observe and
generate strategic
information on
habitat, market
and environment
11
Analysis
Information
Knowledge
areas
What do we understand
by trends?
Socio-cultural
context
Habitat
Urbanism
Coverings
Society
Architecture
Lighting
Interior design
Home textiles
Furniture
Home
automation
Culture
Economy
Technology
Demography and
family
Values
12
Ceramics
Communication
and Market
Distribution and retailing
Communication
Marketing
Graphic design
Application
Reliable, tested information: our researchers come from various specialist areas, we
consult external experts, we explore a range
of international sources, we keep a close
eye on what is happening on the web and
we attend a broad spectrum of European
trade fairs, congresses and events in order
to build up a comprehensive picture of all
trend-related issues. We have also developed our own methodology to analyse and
summarise all the information we gather so
as to offer exhaustive and useful knowledge
to companies and designers.
Trend analysis: The HTO studies trends
from an in-depth perspective, by thoroughly
exploring their underlying motives and
causes, revealing the concepts behind each
one of the products proposed and finding out
what needs it covers. In this way, the trends
we describe show how design can connect
with users lives, and thus avoid the rapid
obsolescence of trend analyses that follow
different approaches.
13
In summary
14
15
Net de Mark.
www.markproduct.com
16
17
HK by Harri Hoskinen
for Alessi.
www.alessi.com
18
19
Current trends
CLASSICAL
Trends 08/09
Historical classical
Renewed classical
Excessive
Objects
Neo baroque
DIAGRAM OF TREND
EVOLUTION
The diagram traces areas of
activity where companies can
evolve from their present position
towards the trends of 10/11, to
adapt to consumer demands.
IDENTITIES
New
Classics
Sublime
by Hand
Rustic
(G)Local
Sublime
by Hand
Contemporary functional
Press Start
Everyday
Solutions
Natural functional
Home Sweet
Home
The
Essentials
Scandinavian design
Home Sweet
Home
The
Essentials
Manifesto
Renewed rustic
Trends 10/11
Ethnic
FUNCTIONAL
20th CENTURY
Minimalism
Industrial
New
Classics
Pop
20
Press Start
Everyday
Solutions
Connective
Space
Once upon
a Future
Green
Balance
Mind
the Green
21
TABLE SUMMARISING
Current TRENDS
Classical
Identities
Introduction
Manifestations
Functional
20th Century
Examples
Comersan Antibes
collection.
Monteb
by Azteca.
Crochet by
Manuel Revert.
Terracota Glass
by Cermica
Decorativa.
Duna by
Expormim.
Fiber by Tau
Cermica.
Arbres, Milenio.
Alta costura
de Piel S.A.
Top 2008
by BM200.
Geometric by
Vicent Martnez for Punt
Mobles.
Bruko duvet
cover by
Atrivm.
Dagon by Land
Porcelnico.
22
23
What it consists of
Manifestations
Transreality
Espacio Bisazza
in Barcelona.
Madam Rubens
by Frank Willems.
Retro collage
Slow growing, since the creativity and humour of this trend are giving way to real
problem solving and the new practicality
of Everyday Solutions.
Flying Carpet by
Emiliana Design
Studio for Nani
Marquina.
Wall Invader by
Radi Designers.
Hotel Fox in
Copenhague.
Home
Sweet Home
Extrasoft
Solid Poetry
by S. Happle &
F. Molenschot.
Soft Wall
by Forsythe
+ Macallen
for Molo.
Connective
Space
Supra-well-being
Z Island by Zaha
Hadid for Dupont.
Wireless speakers
by Inoda + Sveje
Architecture/ Design
Studio for One Off.
Interpolis by
Studio Jungen
Bey.
Cultural exploration
Bovist by Hella
Jongerius for Vitra.
Ceramic latticework
by Alejandro Zaera
(Cermica Decorativa) for the Spanish
Pavilion at the Aichi
Expo.
Imperfection
Suited
for Subversion by
Ralph Borland.
Hotel Bsico by
Design Hotels in
Mxico.
Sustainability
Ventilated facade
by Tau Cermica.
Kleensex
by Ana Mir,
Emiliana Design
Studio.
Excessive
Objects
Press Start
(G)Local
Manifesto
Rococo delirium
Fictional spaces
Everyday creativity
Bucolic nature
Exploration
Crafts revisited
Protest
Project: Utopia
Examples
Flowerchair
by Mareike Gast.
24
25
Green
Balance
Immediate nature
Community
Seoul Communes
2026 by Mass
Studies.
New
Classics
What it consists of
Manifestations
New rigour
The value of
emotions
The value of
emotions
The multitasking
generation
The multitasking
generation
Change in
attitudes
Sublime
by Hand
Creativity Labs
The
Essentials
Based on good design, aims to improve individuals quality of life. Objects must therefore be impeccable,
long-lasting and above all, useful,
in that they satisfy our functional or
emotional needs.
Once upon
a Future
Invisible objects
Everyday
Solutions
Form follows
solution
Basik
& Raw
Nothing is destroyed,
everything is transformed
Socio-cultural keys
The frugal
society
The need for
rationality
The frugal
society
Change in
attitudes
Digital
natives
Digital
natives
The need for
rationality
Change in
attitudes
Eco-behaviour
Presence in the
markets
Design leaders aiming at the luxury market
like Capellini, Cassina, Poltrona Frau, Kartell and recognised designers such as Konstantin Grcic, Tom Dixon or Petter Knudsen
are names associated with a return to the
roots of design.
Market keys
Brand
universes
Discreet
luxury
Desire for
simplicity
Brand universes
Desire for
simplicity
Here
and now
Here and
now
This trend is being taken forward by independent designers, since it involves high levels
of creativity and these are people motivated
to do things differently (Apparatu, Atelier
522). Some companies are also launching
collections based on this philosophy (Muuto
and ABR Produccin Contempornea).
Desire for
simplicity
The alternative
consumer
Discreet
luxury
The alternative
consumer
The consumer
at the helm
The consumer
at the helm
Desire for
simplicity
26
27
Mind
the Green
Eco-behaviour
Reinventing the
green model
Emerging. This social and holistic understanding of sustainability has great potential for
development in the medium and
long term.
New
Classics
The value of
emotions
Brand
universes
The frugal
society
Discreet
luxury
Desire for
simplicity
The value of
emotions
Brand
universes
The frugal
society
Discreet
luxury
Desire for
simplicity
Change in
attitudes
The alternative
consumer
Digital natives
The consumer
at the helm
Digital natives
The consumer
at the helm
Desire for
simplicity
Desire for
simplicity
Change in
attitudes
The alternative
consumer
Eco-behaviour
Reinventing the
green model
SOCIO-CULTURAL KEYS
Sublime
by Hand
The
Essentials
The Essentials
The
Essentials
Once upon
a Future
Everyday
Solutions
HABITAT TRENDS
Once upon
a Future
Basik & Raw
Mind
the Green
28
Everyday
Solutions
Desire for
simplicity
Basik
& Raw
Mind
the Green
MARKET KEYS
Change in
attitudes
The alternative
consumer
Eco-behaviour
Reinventing the
green model
29
New
Classics
30
31
Le Corbusier
collection by
Cassina.
Ac lounge
by B&b Italia.
New
Classics
Le Corbusier collection
by Cassina.
Bauhaus School:
School of design, art and
architecture founded in 1919,
that laid the foundations of
Industrial Design, based on
the notion of highly rational
responses to problems. It also
spread the idea that every object is designed and spread the
discipline into different fields.
32
Table B by Konstanti
Grcic for BD Ediciones.
Table, inspired by the firms
classic shelf unit Hypstila,
in production since 1979,
with a simple appearance
and materials like wood and
aluminium, behind which is
hidden a complex technical
development (a long piece of
extruded aluminium with a
minimal profile). Here, hightechnology is combined with
various manual processes.
33
New
Classics
34
bitat, our attention turns to the icons of design, celebrated objects that have remained
successful over various decades, demonstrating a timeless aesthetic as well as quality.
In the end, the person who acquires these
products is convinced their value is safe, and
it is factor that makes them cult objects.
Firms re-edit their most lasting, quintessential pieces, frequently incorporating more
contemporary elements. Indeed, renowned
designers are reinterpreting these icons of
design, always improving the product in one
way or another or updating processes and
materials, but leaving out their own personal
touch so as to remain true to the original
creator.
Homage is thus paid to those who, through
their work and formal research, have created
styles that are still with us today and have
helped to democratise the design of products for the home. Their creations form part
of our collective imagination and are perceived as the origins of modern production.
Some companies and professionals create
products based on these values of rational
design, explicitly reclaiming their icons,
while others, less explicitly, recall and
apply rationalist principles to create sober,
timeless and extremely high-quality pieces,
probably because they are regarded as fitting
into todays top end markets.
35
New
Classics
and consequently opt for what are considered to be more timeless and, above all, more
justified aesthetics, based on styles rather
than fashions.
Jade by Christophe
Pillet for Porro.
36
37
Archivald.
Poltrona Frau.
Lmpara Troag
by Luca Nichetto for Foscarini.
Fronzoni Color
Collection by Cappellini.
Series of chairs and
tables designed in 1964
by A. G. Fronzoni, now
re-launched in a new
colour version.
New
Classics
38
39
Other references
La crisis en la literatura:
www.elpais.com/articulo/cultura/
editores/ponen/peor/elpepucul/
20090207elpepicul_1/Tes
B&B Italia:
www.bebitalia.it
Piero Lissoni:
www.lissoniassociati.com
Cassina:
www.cassina.com
Poltrona Frau:
www.poltronafrau.it
BD Ediciones:
www.bdbarcelona.com
Tom Dixon:
www.tomdixon.net
Konstantin Grcic:
www.konstantin-grcic.com
Cotto Veneto:
www.cottoveneto.it
Nathalie Dewez:
www.n-d.be
Sublime
by Hand
Habitat:
www.habitat.net
Stefano Giovannoni:
www.stefanogiovannoni.it
Magis:
www.magisdesign.com
Capellini:
www.cappellini.it
Felix Diener:
www.felixdiener.com
Naturtex:
www.naturtex.es
New
Classics
Luca Nichetto:
www.lucanichetto.com
Foscarini:
www.foscarini.com
Christophe Pillet:
www.christophepillet.com
Porro:
www.porro.com
Andreu World:
www.andreuworld.com
Latent
Emerging
Growing
Current
Decorative objects
Textile
Furniture
Architecture
Coverings
Interior design
Lighting
41
Level of presence
40
Time
Sublime
by Hand
Cibola
Pendent:
Shallot by
Dominic
and Frances
Bromley for
Scabetti.
42
Sehnsucht piece from the Echos collection by Pour les Alpes with the collaboration of Swiss artisans Greta Valer
Jenaz and Elisabeth Davatz Fanas. The
work pays homage to the Swiss Alps
and alpine culture using various craft
techniques, in this case lace, which
they interpret in an extremely creative
way. The delicate silk and cotton lace
took over 200 hours to make and is
protected behind a piece of transparent
glass to ensure its stability.
43
Decorative figurine
by Louise Hindsgavl
(Danish Crafts).
Creativity Labs
Sublime
by Hand
44
45
Sublime
by Hand
Products are designed to the highest standards, with quality and durability at the core
of the design. The highest quality materials
are used, together with precise finishes, as
the work that goes into these objects is of
a sublime quality, incorporating know-how,
care and patience, all of which are time
consuming.
46
Aventurina by Argenta.
Adaptation of ceramic glaze
based on the aventurine
effect commonly used in
artistic ceramic processes
and industrial processes.
47
Kirchschlag Collection
by Atelier Areti.
Sublime
by Hand
48
49
Designer-maker:
The designer-maker is a new
artisan with more institutionalbased knowledge about design
processes, who combines craft
with the discipline of industrial
design. He or she does not
reproduce industrial finishes or
items, but borrows certain techniques and knowledge from
the field of design that can
help to improve his or her work
and the processes involves.
Sublime
by Hand
50
51
Other references
Rodrguez S., Casado P. (2009).
Nuevas Formas de Habitar.
AIDIMA, AITEX e ITC-AICE,
Comunidad Valenciana.
Origin. The London Craft Fair:
www.originuk.org/venue.shtml
Hidden Art:
www.hiddenart.com
Knitted Landscape:
www.knittedlandscape.com
Fabrications:
www.fabrications-hackney.blogspot.com
Html Patchwork:
www.open-source-embroidery.org.uk/wiki
Kwangho Lee:
www.kwangholee.com/main.html
Fabrica:
www.fabrica.it
www.fabricafeatures.com
Alcantara:
www.alcantara.com
Katherine May:
www.katherinemay.com
B&B Italia:
www.bebitalia.it
Atelier Areti:
www.atelierareti.com
The Essentials
Scabetti:
www.scabetti.co.uk
Pour les Alpes:
www.pourlesalpes.ch
Pudelskern:
www.pudelskern.at
Soojin Kang:
www.soojinkang.net
Rodrigo Almeida:
www.rodrigoalmeidadesign.com
Sam Baron
www.sambaron.fr
EMBT:
www.mirallestagliabue.com
Sublime
by Hand
Patricia Urquiola:
www.patriciaurquiola.com
Louise Hindsgavl:
www.louisehindsgavl.dk
Tak Cheung:
www.fabrica.it/fab-tv/video-tags/
tak-cheung
Secondome:
www.secondome.eu
Bitossi:
www.bitossihome.it
Argenta:
www.argentaceramica.com
Danish Crafts:
www.danishcrafts.org
Casamania:
www.casamania.it
Harri Koskinen:
www.harrikoskinen.com
Moroso:
www.moroso.it
Latent
Emerging
Growing
Furniture
Architecture
Decorative objects
Current
Coverings
Textiles
Lighting
Interior design
53
Level of presence
52
Time
Furniture by Brikolor
Marcello chair by
Nathan Yong for
Ligne Roset.
The Essentials
Furniture by Brikolor.
Photo: Niclas Lfgre
This firms ambition is
to manufacture furniture
with a guaranteed
emotional and technical
durability of 300 years.
54
Rocking Chair by
Charlotte Guisset
for VIA.
55
Trio by Camila
Kropp for Iittala.
The Essentials
These manifestations are based on concepts coined by Jasper Morrison and Naoto
Fukasawa in their exhibition Super Normal
at Twentytwentyone Store in London at the
end of 2006. They call for design responsibility towards the user and his or her wellbeing, and the simple and sensible purpose
of this type of product is thus to be useful,
accessible and long-lasting.
This trend is a tribute to all the anonymous
objects (whether handmade or manufactured) that have served as examples of
good design with no other initial pretentions than to be useful and affable (without
being coupled to a strong brand image or a
renowned designer) and that form part of
our everyday collective imagination. Familiarity is therefore one of its attractions and
because of this, it is not particularly innovative from an aesthetic point of view; rather,
it goes back to these everyday objects, with
the result that its products are intimate
items closely related to the users own personal memories.
56
57
The Essentials
58
67
Product price
47
The products
environmental
impact
Brand
30
34
14
Very important
25
Rather important
2
8
42
49
12
37
23
DK/NA
59
Restoration of the
Casa del Condestable in Pamplona
by Tabuenca &
Leache, Architects.
The Essentials
The Essentials is a trend with great potential for market penetration as it responds
to highly rational criteria. Simplicity, in line
with the general attitude of the market;
quality, as promised by the product; and the
presentation of long-lasting objects with an
extended useful life.
Today the market is becoming polarised with
increased consumption of both high and low
price products, while spending on intermediate price goods has fallen considerably
(data for the period 1994-2004). This means
that users are opting either to buy objects
from low price ranges and own label brands,
or to make purchases based on the criterion
of quality.
The user/consumer of this trend not only
finds these products to be useful, in the
broadest sense, but also sees them as an
investment.
Brands such as Vitra, Thonet or Roche
Bobois, leaders in quality and know-how,
consolidate their products with this concept
of simplicity referred to above.
60
8.7
HIGH END
MIDDLE
-5.7
NO FRILLS/
VALUE
4.2
Market
average
61
Other references
Flatters, P.; Willmott, M. (2009)
Understanding the Post-Recession
Consumer. Harvard Business Review,
July-August.
The Laws of Simplicity:
www.lawsofsimplicity.com
Las Leyes de la Simplicidad (Spanish):
www.nerv.es/blog/las-10-leyes-de-lasimplicidad
Design for all:
www.designforall.org
Twentytwentyone Store:
www.twentytwentyone.com
Nathan Yong:
www.nathanyongdesign.com
Ligne Roset:
www.ligne-roset.com
Kensaku Oshiro:
www.kensakuoshiro.com
Patricia Urquiola:
www.patriciaurquiola.com
Hansgrohe:
www.hansgrohe.es
Tord Boontje:
www.tordboontje.com
Once upon
a Future
Kvadrat:
www.kvadrat.dk
Iittala:
www.iittala.com
Saloni Cermica:
www.saloni.com
Tabuenca & Leache Arquitectos:
www.tabuenca-leache.com
Mint:
www.mintfurniture.co.uk
Tau Cermica:
www.tauceramica.com
Rauzas Company:
www.rauzas.com
Via:
www.via.fr
Pinch Design:
www.pinchdesign.com
The Essentials
Antonio Ferre:
www.aferre.com
SCP Furniture:
www.scp.co.uk
Donna Wilson:
www.donnawilson.com
Brikolor:
www.brikolor.tumblr.com
Gervasoni:
www.gervasoni1882.it
Paola Navone:
www.paolanavone.it
Latent
Emerging
Growing
Current
Decorative objects
Coverings
Interior design
Furniture
Architecture
Textiles
Lighting
63
Level of presence
62
Time
Sonumbra by Loop.pH.
Once upon
a Future
64
Low Tech:
machines or systems that
do not use modern or highly
sophisticated technologies.
The concept appears as a
counterpoint to High Tech,
and typically requires fewer
resources, is easier to maintain, costs less and has a lower
environmental impact than
other comparable technologies. (Source: Wikipedia).
65
Lumiblade Mirrorwall
by Random International
for Philips.
Invisible objects
Once upon
a Future
66
67
Once upon
a Future
68
Sonumbra by Loop.pH.
This urban lighting system,
created with electroluminescent
textile fibres, was designed
to respond to the activity of
people moving around it or
69
Glowing Lampshades by
Kathy Schicker for Puff
and Flock. These printed
lamps give off light in the
dark when they have been
exposed to solar or UV light.
Once upon
a Future
70
71
Furniture by Martela
in collaboration with
PowerKiss. The
surface of these
pieces is capable of
recharging mobile
wireless devices.
72
2.5%
13.5%
34%
34%
Laggards
Categories of
Innovativeness
Late Majority
How are technologies introduced into society? Undoubtedly, the Once Upon a Future
trend embraces what Everett Rogers calls
Innovators and Early Adopters, in his book
Diffusion of Innovations. Although this is a
relatively small group, it plays an influential
role in transmitting and spreading innovations and changes in the rest of society.
Early Majority
Early Adopters
Innovators
Once upon
a Future
16%
73
Other references
Daz, J. A. El hogar inteligente del futuro. Tendencias de cambio en las TIC en
el entorno domstico.
XI Foro de Tendencias Sociales. 2009
J. F. Tezanos and J. Bords (2000). La
casa del futuro. Resultados de un estudio Delphi. Fundacin Sistema, Madrid.
Article in Wired How the tablet
will change the World:
www.wired.com/magazine/2010/03/
ff_tablet_levy
Future Vision Montage:
www.officelabs.com/projects/
futurevisionmontage/Pages/default.aspx
International statistics on
Internet penetration (Spanish):
www.exitoexportador.com/stats.htm
Libro Blanco del Hogar Digital:
www.sociedadinformacion.fundacion.
telefonica.com/docs/repositorio//
es_ES//TelefonicaySI/Publicaciones/
libro_blanco/1.pdf
Smart Bridge in Minneapolis:
www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/09/18/
minnsota-bridge-opens.html
Once upon
a Future
Tactility factory:
www.tactilityfactory.com
Loop:
www.loop.ph
Light blue optics:
www.lightblueoptics.com
Power kiss:
www.powerkiss.fi
Martela:
www.martela.fi
Everyday
Solutions
Nodesign:
www.nodesign.net
Nokia:
www.nokia.com
Compac:
www.compacmq2.com
Zeyron Technologies:
www.zeyron.com
Kathy Schicker:
www.kathyschicker.com
Puff and Flock:
www.puffandflock.com
Random International:
www.random-international.com
Philips:
www.philips.com
Nokia:
www.nokia.com
La Otra Cristina Serrano:
www.laotracristinaserrano.com
Lumiblade:
www.lumiblade.com
Latent
Emerging
Growing
Furniture
Coverings
Lighting
Decorative objects
Textiles
Current
Interior design
Architecture
75
Level of presence
74
Time
Everyday
Solutions
76
The creativity in dealing with new (day-today) challenges is what Everyday Solutions
puts to the test. Companies and designers
must, first of all, show expertise in identifying problems and situations that can be
solved or made much less complex, with a
single aim of improving quality of life for the
individual.
A recent phenomenon might be framed within this trend: products that were originally
designed for users in emerging economies
such as India, China or Taiwan are beginning
to see a consumer demand in more mature
economies. These objects tend to be smaller
or incorporate fewer special features; they
are more intuitive to use because they
were initially designed for inexperienced
users; they are more robust, more energy
efficient and are backed by good design.
Products like low cost netbooks, designed
for countries in Africa and Asia, domestic
water purifiers using jugs with built-in filters,
or the microfinance model devised for poor
countries are starting to be seen in countries
like the United States.
77
Composite, by
El ltimo Grito
for Uno Design.
Everyday
Solutions
78
79
Everyday
Solutions
80
81
Chambre dAmi
by Campeggi.
Everyday
Solutions
As a trend, Everyday Solutions has huge potential for market penetration since it falls in
line with the general feeling that we need to
rethink consumption in a more practical way.
These objects do not set out to downsize as
a way of saving, but as a more rational, simple, environmentally friendly and intelligent
way of consuming.
With the gradual permeation of design
culture in society, people are beginning to
look at objects through new lenses. They
are more experienced in recognising good
design in the lines stores carry: ergonomics,
solutions to specific problems, etc. Consumers growing experience enables them
to recognise objects that fit their needs;
Everyday Solutions refers to products that
Independent designers are also re-examining these solutions, as they offer a very attractive professional avenue in which changes in users routines are taken as a starting
point to propose new uses and functionalities. Examples include Arihiro Miyake, No
problem, Thierry Bataille, Meysan Myahedi,
Itamar Burnstein, Giulio Manzoni, Philippe
Nigro, Joran Briand, Charlotte Lancelot, La
granja, Matali Crasset, 5.5 Designers, Gabriella Crohn, Diane Steverlynk, etc.
82
A further sign of this trend is seen in exhibitions such as those organised by associations like the VIA, which select projects
related to this area of design work.
Exhibitions such as A la mesa! organised by
the DDI and curated by Martn Azua, present accessible, highly up-to-date products
that respond to this change such as Naranjasecologicas.com, Menos es Ms or Fagors
bread making machine.
Nuovoliol 10
by Clei.
83
Other references
Ricard, A. (2009). Artculo Respetar lo
inmejorable from the compilation
Articulando. Opiniones y reflexiones
sobre el diseo. ADCV, Valencia.
World Urbanization Prospects:
http://esa.un.org/unup
Genevive Lefebvre
and Marthe Marandola. Cohabiter pour
vivre mieux. JC Latts, 2009.
www.editions-jclattes.fr/livre/jc-lattes319229-Cohabiter-pour-vivre-mieuxhachette.html
Valores del diseo. Cotidiano:
www.circulobellasartes.com/fich_libro/
Valores__del__disenyo_(55).pdf
Eastpak:
www.eastpak.com
Campeggi:
www.campeggisrl.it
Maa-architects:
www.maa-architects.com
Bolia:
www.bolia.com
Clei:
www.clei.it
El ltimo Grito:
www.eugstudio.com
Uno Design:
www.uno-design.com
Via:
www.via.fr
A la mesa!!:
www.ddi.es/alamesa/index.html
Fluye estudio:
www.fluyestudio.com
Cerruti Baleri:
www.cerrutibaleri.com
Ole Jensen:
www.olejensendesign.com
Ovo Editions:
www.ovo-editions.com
Kvadrat:
www.kvadrat.dk
Mark Venot:
www.marc-venot.com
Everyday
Solutions
Hay:
www.hay.dk
Charlotte Lancelot:
www.charlottelancelot.com
G-Led:
www.g-led.es
Quinze & Milan:
www2.quinzeandmilan.tv
Latent
Emerging
Crecimiento
Coverings
Furniture
Textiles
Architecture
Current
Decorative objects
Interior design
Lighting
85
Level of presence
84
Time
Block by Inax.
Recent years have witnessed a crossover between design and art. Many young
designers have taken this stand in using
their work as a political and social weapon
to transmit their ideas. This trend shows a
reaction that, as a salutary lesson, proposes
alternative ways of working from design
itself, but from a perspective of intimacy
with the user, since in the end, it is offering
solutions within the context of consumer
ennui.
Here, design activity seeks out ways of
reconciling itself with and committing to the
environment we live in, and as such confronts the Kleenex culture that is constantly
throwing up new and very often unnecessary
products.
86
87
Table by Gaetano
di Gregorio.
Sofa III
by Christiane
Hgner.
88
Light Line by
NG Design.
89
Bootleg by Nadadora
for Sagen Ceramics.
Hybrid vases made using
different moulds.
90
Trends like Basik & Raw cannot be understood without examining the significant changes that society has undergone in recent
years, and the effects of the financial slump
on its citizens. Broadly speaking, a negative
feeling towards consumerism has emerged
that has spawned a number of different attitudes. On the one hand, we have seen how
some consumers are choosing functional
products such as those in the Everyday Solutions or The Essentials trends, or they have
gone back to traditional values that offer
security such as the case of New Classics or
Sublime by Hand.
On the other hand, a more extreme response to the socio-economic situation has
thrown up more critical proposals aiming
to explore viable alternatives that depart
dramatically from previous paths and that
respond to the weariness with consumer
fever. Every society clings to a myth by
which it lives. Ours is the myth of economic
growth. For the last five decades the pursuit
of growth has been the single most important policy goal across the world. The global
economy is almost five times the size it was
half a century ago. If it continues to grow at
the same rate, the economy will be 80 times
that size by the year 2100. (Tim Jackson.
Adbusters 84. Nihilism and Revolution).
We are therefore witnessing one of the
psychological effects of the economic crisis,
as the social psychologist Ismael Quintanilla explains: fed up with the predominant
91
Boxes shelving
unit by Kompott.
Shelves created from
interplay of the new and
the old, by reinterpreting
a wooden box to create
a simple storage system
based on the traditional way of assembling
wood.
M Lamp by
Ana Kra.
Some firms, such as Muuto and ABR Produccin Contempornea are also launching
collections or products based on this philosophy.
92
Bell Light by
Sebastian
Herkner.
93
Other references
Ferrn, G.; Barrero, G. Article
Vuelta a la esencia DXI 36.
Hay:
www.hay.dk
Nadadora:
www.nadadora.es
Sagen Ceramics:
www.sagenceramics.com
Ana Kra:
www.anakras.com
Nikolaj Lorentz Mentze:
www.designkolenkolding.dk
NG Design:
www.ng-design.be
Gaetano di Gregorio:
www.gaetanodigregorio.com
Kompott:
www.lovekompott.com
Annececile Rappa:
www.annececile-rappa.ch
DM Depot:
www.dmdepot.be
Jethro Macey:
www.jethromacey.com
Inax:
http://global.inax.co.jp
Apparatu:
www.apparatu.com
Sebastian Herkner:
www.sebastianherkner.com
Curro Claret:
www.curroclaret.com
Mart Guix:
www.guixe.com
Latent
Emerging
Growing
Textiles
Furniture
Decorative objects
Coverings
Architecture
Interior design
Current
Lighting
95
Level of presence
94
Time
Mind
the Green
96
Cradle to cradle:
McDonough and Braungart use this
principal to explain how products can
be designed in such a way that from
their conception, they can provide the
raw materials for something new once
their useful life has come to an end.
They may be biological nutrients that
can easily be returned to the water or
the earth without leaving behind synthetic or toxic materials. Or they may
be technical nutrients that continue
circulating as pure valuable materials
in closed industrial cycles rather than
being downcycled into lower quality
materials with a secondary use. (Source: Braungart M., McDonough W.
Cradle to cradle. Remaking the way we
make things. North Point Press, 2002.)
Dreamtelligence:
Global problems and economic
uncertainties are forcing us to think
beyond the logical, and to use our
imaginations and intuition to identify
visionary solutions for problems such
as climate change, food shortages,
global poverty, energy shortages,
etc. () The age of Dreamtelligence
calls on all aspects of the imagination
and draws on the creative spectrum
to envision our way out of these
problems. This is why the movement
is being driven by artists, designers
and storytellers alongside scientists, academics and philosophers.
(Source: Viewpoint 25: 44 -57)
Co-design
loop
Problematising
Experiencing
Solutioning
Co-understand
Co-frame
Co-conceptualise
Co-experience
Co-use
Co-monitor
Co-sense
Co-create
Co-design
Co-produce
Co- service
Source:
www.fuad-luke.com
Co-design:
The co-design approach, designing
together, circumscribes an equable
space where design thinking and practice harness collective intelligence
Where stakeholders and communities of interest can contribute to
improving economic and socio-cultural
equity, while strengthening societies
enterprises and institutions, and
regenerating the environment.
(Source: www.fuad-luke.com)
97
Mind
the Green
98
99
Cradle to cradle
Mind
the Green
100
A further issue to bear in mind is the inclusion in products and services of additives
that the user neither needs nor wants and
that may even be harmful or dangerous;
these are known as products plus.*
Bionictile by Ceracasa.
Cladding for facades in
urban areas that, through its
structure and composition, removes harmful NOx pollution
from the air. NOx is harmful
to people and animals and
is also partly responsible for
global warming and acid rain.
Downcycled objects:
Good intentions aside, your
rug is made of things that were
never designed with this further
use in mind, and wrestling
them into this form has required
as much energy and generated
as much waste as producing a
new carpet. And all that effort
has only succeeded in postponing the usual fate of products
by a life cycle of two.
Products plus:
As a buyer you got the item
or service you wanted, plus
additives that you didnt ask for
and didnt know were included
and that may be harmful to you
and your loved ones.
(Source: Braungart M., McDonough W. Cradle to cradle.
Remaking the way we make
things. North Point Press,
2002.)
101
Rainwater collector by
Frederic Ruyant.
Mind
the Green
102
Product price
46
19
44
Product brand
59
More important than...
Source:
Eurobarometer.
33
45
As important as...
26
Less important than...
12
DK/NA
103
Mind
the Green
104
105
Other references
Flatters, P. and Willmott, M. Understanding the Post-recession Consumer.
Harvard Bussiness Review, July-August
2009.
Braungart, M. and McDonough, W.
Cradle to cradle. Remaking the way we
make things. North Point Press, 2002.
Fuad-Luke, A. The Eco-Design Handbook.
A Complete Sourcebook for the Home and
Office. Thames & Hudson Ltd, 2009
Tezanos, J., Snchez, M.R. Grupo de
Estudios sobre Tendencias Sociales.
Estudio Delphi sobre Tendencias Internacionales. XI Foro de Tendencias Sociales
(Mrida).
Article (in Spanish) on the relationship
between climate change and the emergence of authoritarian states:
www.elpais.com/articulo/sociedad/
cambio/climatico/fomentara/
Estados/fallidos/regimenes/autoritarios/
elpepusoc/20100323elpepusoc_4/Tes
Europeans attitudes towards the issue of
sustainable consumption and production
www.ec.europa.eu
Mind
the Green
Eco-design:
www.fuad-luke.com
Kate Goldsworthy:
www.kategoldsworthy.co.uk
Chris Kirby:
www.chriskirbydesign.com
Frederic Ruyant:
www.fredericruyant.com
Mart Guix:
www.guixe.com
Market keys
Alessi:
www.alessi.com
Brand
universes
Positive flow:
www.positiveflow.net
Elisabeth Buecher:
www.elisabethbuecher.com
Wendy Legro:
www.wendylegro.com
Ludovica y Roberto Palomba:
www.palombaserafini.com
Whirlpool:
www.whirlpool.eu
Elmar cucine:
www.elmarcucine.com
Aznar Textil:
www.aznartextil.es
Ecohabitatge:
www.ecohabitatge.com
Philips:
www.design.philips.com
Hansgrohe:
www.hansgrohe.es
Ceracasa:
www.ceracasa.com
Latent
Emerging
Growing
Textiles
Furniture
Decorative objects
Coverings
Architecture
Interior design
Current
Lighting
107
Level of presence
106
Time
Prada Epicenter
(New York) fuses
point of sale with
a cultural centre.
www.prada.com
Emotional bonds
Brand
universes
108
109
More information
Market keys
Discreet luxury
Ritzer, G.: Enchanting a Disenchanted World: Revolutionizing the Means of Consumption. Pine Forge Press.
Thousand Oaks. 1999.
Russell Brumfield, C.: Whiff. www.whiffbook.com
Lindstrom, M.: Brand Sense. www.brandsense.com
Brand
universes
110
Cultural spaces
Another noteworthy development is the point
of sale-cultural space hybrid, in other words,
the doubling up of commercial and cultural
opening times, with events, presentations,
exhibitions, etc. This strategy is particularly
visible in the top of the range fashion sector;
examples include the Prada Epicenter in New
York, a brand universe where products intermingle with an art space, or the Louis Vuitton
store in Paris.
Finally, the evolution of pop-up stores is also
of note: brands recreate their own universe
at temporary points of sale for a limited time
period. What was initially a low-budget guerrilla marketing tactic (locations in suburban
areas, containers and improvised venues) is
now common practice among leading fashion
names.
111
Hidden luxury
Discreet
luxury
112
No-frills:
is a term used to describe any
service or product for which the
non-essential features have
been removed to keep the
price low. This choice is usually
reflected in an aesthetic of
plain, simple graphics.
113
Market keys
Discreet
luxury
114
Undoubtedly, this situation has led consumers to seek out more moderate ways of
consuming that typically play down ostentation. Consumers with high purchasing
power choose discreet ways to spend their
money, in contrast to the ostentation that
may be encapsulated in the Dubai style.
This new luxury opts for simple, timeless,
plain aesthetics that reject the baroque style
of recent years.
More information
Ten Ways To Buy Luxury, Discreetly:
www.forbes.com/2008/11/10/understated-luxury-shoppingforbeslife-cx_ls_1110style.html
Discreet luxury:
www.businessoffashion.com/2007/10/discreet-luxury-asegment-to-watch.html
Discreet luxury holidays:
www.quintessentiallysecure.com/private-security-luxurydiscreet-holidays.html
115
Constant connectivity
Information overload
Qualified information:
Alfons Cornella refers to the
tools to classify and separate
out redundant and unnecessary
information. [...] when Im in
a metro station waiting for the
next train, the information I
really need is how long I have
to wait. Watching a screen
with information about events
happening on the side of the
world (general news) isnt
going to make me less anxious
although it may entertain me
for a while.
However, excess information raises anxiety levels because it is impossible to discriminate among the avalanche of data.
The important thing in this situation is to
obtain qualified information* that helps us
to identify the best option from the many
available to us (Alfons Cornella, president of
Infonoma).
Transumer:
the word is a combination
of transit and consumer,
someone who consumes on
the move. Transumer refers
to consuming during waiting
times when travelling, moments when the audience is
especially captive since there is
nothing else to distract them.
116
Bicphone by Bic.
Transumers* defines a
new social role where
enjoying and using (as
opposed to owning) is
the maxim. Accumulating experiences without
accumulating objects; this
type of consumer uses
formulas such as renting
or temporary use of objects or products. This is
Augmented reality:
this term defines a direct or
indirect view of a physical
environment in the real world,
the elements of which are
combined with virtual elements to create a mixed reality
in real time. It consists of a
set of devices that add virtual
information to the already
existing physical information.
(Source: Wikipedia)
117
U*tique Shop is an
automatic distributor of
luxury products. Its vending
machines sell products
selected by a team of
specialists. The machine
has a LED touchscreen and
a robot that dispenses the
goods immediately. It also
shows videos and can give
out samples of the product.
www.utiqueshop.com
Photo: Michael Jacobson
Market keys
The consumer
at the helm
118
119
More information
Ubicuidad (Alfons Cornella):
www.infonomia.com/img/pdf/Ibicuidad_vers_cast.pdf
OFF=ON:
www.trendwatching.com/trends/offon.htm
Getsatisfaction.com is a
meeting place for consumers and firms where
both can ask each other
questions, put forward
ideas, clarify doubts
and share experiences.
www.getsatisfaction.co
Co-creation markets
The consumer
at the helm
120
Linux open operating system. In all these cases the firms have capitalised on
crowdsourcing* as an emerging value to
solve problems through a collaborative
approach. In the same vein, Henry Chesbrough coined the term open innovation to
refer to innovations based on contributions
from outside the firm (such as Inno-Centive,
www.innocentive.com, the first global open
innovation community that brings together
ideas from engineers, professors, scientists,
etc.).
Crowdsourcing:
this term was coined by technology magazine Wired writer
Jeff Howe and editor Mark
Robinson. In the same way
that outsourcing sends work
out to external firms to reduce
costs, crowdsourcing poses
a problem and rewards the
person or people who come up
with a solution. (Wikipedia)
121
Market keys
Desire
for simplicity
Images from inside the Globetrotter store in Cologne
(Germany), with an artificial lake where customers can try
out the canoes. www.globetrotter.de
Co-creating value
The consumer
at the helm
122
123
More information
Eric von Hippel. Democratizing Innovation. 2005.
Downloadable with the authors permission at
http://web.mit.edu/evhippel/www/books.htm
Jeff Howe. www.crowdsourcing.com.
The Rise of Crowdsourcing (documental).
Desire
for simplicity
One of the consequences of greater consumer rationality is that many people now
feel overwhelmed by the number of choices
at points of sale, by 24/7 connectivity and
by the constantly present opportunity to
acquire things.
As the economists Flatter and Willmott
explain downturns are stressful and typically increase peoples desire for simplicity.
Throughout the beginning of this century
we have started to see signs of this market
key, represented by John Maedas Laws of
Simplicity and with clear exponents like the
Apple iPod or the magazine Real Simple
from the Time Inc. group.
124
During
After
Long term
Consumer participation in generating and receiving information has led to spaces on Internet where this information can be shared.
In recent months a large number of websites
have sprung up to provide consumers with
information about all types of firms and products. These platforms have shifted away
from traditional subjects (opinions on hotels
and restaurants, price comparisons for books
and electronic goods) to other sectors that
until recently appeared to be immune to the
transparency virus. Every category of product and firm, whether or not it is found in
the Internet arena, is exposed to the scrutiny
of consumers. Websites like RealCarTips.
com (www.realcartips.com), PriceHub
(www.pricehub.com) or OpenCarPrice.com
(www.opencarprice.com) provide users with
information on prices paid for second-hand
cars and offer advice on where to get the
best deals when buying a vehicle.
125
Desire
for simplicity
Market keys
The alternative
consumer
126
More information
Post-recession consumer:
www.post-recession-consumer-2010.com
TNS Global:
www.tnsgloblal.es
127
The alternative
consumer
Free culture
The consumer is used to a shopping philosophy that increasingly involves some kind
of bonus or additional benefit for customer
loyalty, not unlike the systems established
by large retail chains in the past. Consumers
are therefore even more exacting when making new purchases or trying new services.
The language traditionally used in advertising is no longer effective and there has
been a visible shift towards direct language
and a typically raw message. In other words,
it uses a clear, sincere language and messages with no ulterior motives.
128
not just be a pose; rather this lifestyle philosophy must have a point of view, an opinion,
which the company must be able to get
across. Obviously not all firms and brands
will fit in with this philosophy, but it is true
that what previously was a somewhat outside the system posture is now becoming
an increasingly widespread way of thinking
and expression.
But not only language is important in connecting with this group of consumers, sceptics of traditional marketing strategies. New
tools must be created that are perceived as
useful based on the logic that both sides of
the equation will come out winning.
Social movements based on peoples generosity may offer a starting point for devising
strategies that will strike a chord with these
social groups. One example of this is Couch
Surfing (www.couchsurfing.com), a website
where users offer travellers a sofa for the
night. The company AirBed & Breakfast
applied this model to their business, which
provides accommodation and breakfast and
at the same time boosts local development
by helping people in an area rent free space
in their house while the firm takes care of
the paperwork.
This context encourages the creation of
products and services that provide additional benefits to their clients, who receive
certain immediate advantages related to the
companys offer. These incentives transform
the nature of the relationship between the
consumer and the company and economic
profit becomes a secondary motive in the
purchasing decision.
In New York, Smart Fortwo drivers can park
in all the Central Parking System establishments for half the price of other car drivers.
This is an example of projects and initiatives
that use strategies of generosity: giving
without expecting anything in return, but to
adapt to new consumer demands.
As platforms for the creation of social networks have emerged MySpace, Blogger,
Wordpress, Facebook, Friendster, etc. the
number of applications and widgets* that
go with them has grown dramatically. All
types of firms from a wide range of sectors
have taken advantage of this new fashion to
become suppliers of tools and services for
users. For example, Babycenter is an initiative from the Johnson & Johnson group that
offers information and help to parents, as
well as information about their own products
and is one of the most popular websites on
childcare and childhood on Internet. Since it
was set up in 1997, more than 100 million parents have visited and it has won numerous
awards. In the United States it reaches 78%
of all new mothers and now has versions in
seven different languages including Spanish.
www.babycenter.com
Widgets:
In computing, a widget is a
small application or program
usually presented in small
files or documents. One of
its purposes is to allow ease
of access to frequently used
functions and provide visual
information. However, widgets
can do anything the imagination desires and interact
with services and information
on Internet; they can be eyecatching screen clocks, notes,
calculators, calendars, agendas, games, windows with
information about the weather
in your city, etc.
Market keys
Reinventing
the green model
The alternative
consumer
130
131
More information
Rise of the neo-hagglers:
www.archives.chicagotribune.com/2008/oct/19/business/
chi-sun-neohaggler-price-negotiatiaoct19
Free! Why $0.00 Is the Future of Business:
www.wired.com/techbiz/it/magazine/16-03/
ff_free?currentPage=all
David Douglas,
Vice President of Eco
Responsibility at Sun
Microsystems.
US Vice-President.
The Toyota Prius has become a reference for sustainability in the automobile sector as a hybrid vehicle
that optimises energy consumption
and introduces an alternative energy
to fossil fuels. Numerous examples
of design oriented to sustainable
products in the car sector include
the electric sports car Tesla Roadster, the NmG (No More Gas) from
Myers Motors or the Nissan Pivo2.
www.toyota.es/prius
www.teslamotors.com
www.myersmotors.com
Reinventing
the green model
132
Beauty Engineered
Forever is a range of
sustainable cleaning
products whose
packaging bears no
resemblance to the
clichs normally
associated with sustainable products.
www.bee.net.nz
Ethical markets
The growing concern for environmental
issues across society has also led to a
change in working and business practices
towards greater honesty and environmental
and socially responsible behaviours. Social
marketing is helping to guide these new
strategies, based on ethical behaviour in
different markets.
Data suggest that there has been a significant change in consumers values: most
people want their behaviour to be perceived
as more ethical, responsible and sustainable. A recent international report, Havas
Media concluded that 81% of those polled
believed that a change in present lifestyles
was necessary. The growing activism in society over these issues is forcing businesses
to change their behaviour, which is reflected
through initiatives such as that of Wal-Mart
to reduce their waste emissions to zero or
their sustainable packaging programme.
www.packaging-gateway.com/features/
feature1319
Alternative consumer:
an individual who consciously
adopts consumer habits designed to reduce the pressures
of the consumer society;
consumers with a conscience
where the individual benefits of
consuming are contrasted with
the social effects of consuming
itself.
133
Socio-cultural keys
The value
of emotions
Reinventing
the green model
134
More information
Producto sostenible: www.productosostenible.net
Who Wants to Be Iconic? Designing Futures for Iconic
Brands StepInsideDesign:
www.stepinsidedesign.com/STEPMagazine/
Article/28734/index.html
Pangea Day: www.pangeaday.org
Triodos Bank: www.triodos.es
Banca tica de Badajoz: www.badajoz.org/bancaetica
135
The value
of emotions
136
137
This desire for emotions is
directly related to the search
for authenticity. In the case of
photography, analogue cameras are re-gaining popularity
because of the effects they
can achieve which digital cameras cannot easily reproduce.
Socio-cultural keys
The frugal
society
The value
of emotions
Emotional intelligence
From a scientific perspective, the publication
of Daniel Golemans Emotional Intelligence in the 90s placed the biological basis of
emotions and their relationship with reason
and human behaviour firmly at the centre of
debate. Through this stream of debate, the
idea of a rational use of emotions has spread
and has since been associated with social
adaptation, health and professional and
educational success.
Camera model
LOMO LC-A.
138
More information
Daniel Goleman. Emotional intelligence. Bantam books.
1995.
Joseph B. Pine and James H. Gilmore. The Experience
Economy. Work is Theatre and Every Business a Stage.
Harvard Business School Press. 1999.
J. A. Marina Torres.
El laberinto sentimental. Anagrama, 1998
Lomography: www.lomography.com/es
139
The frugal
society
Controlling consumption
Avoiding ostentation
In the midst of the present global sea change, luxury consumers are starting to show
a certain timidity in the choices they make.
They are beginning to shop more discreetly,
in response to the need to reduce ostentation and be more moderate. According to
the designer Marcel Wanders, Luxury is
now more hidden, disguised under a blanket
of innovation, intention and meaning. Before
it was just about spending money now its
about content, meaning and excitement.
The economic recession, affecting broad
sectors of society on a global scale, means
displays of ostentation are now socially
reprehensible, chastised and disapproved
of by others; consequently, we need to reexamine the culture of abundance we have
become used to in the recent boom years.
140
141
The Brick House,
London. Designed by
Caruso St. John. The
move towards a more
austere style is easily
recognised in architecture and interior design.
www.carusostjohn.com
Socio-cultural keys
The multitasking
generation
The frugal
society
142
143
More information
NY Times: www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/
business/30obama.html
Tras de Bes, F. (2009) El hombre que cambi su casa por
un tulipn. Temas de Hoy.
The multitasking
generation
144
Synthetic thinking
become frustrated and unsatisfied. They
have access to information wherever they
are through devices connected to Internet
round the clock (30% of Spanish young
people access the Internet from a mobile, according to the latest study from the
Nokia Trends Observatory ). An EIAA study
shows that 2.3 million Spanish people surf
the Internet on mobile devices, spending
an average of 5.5 hours per week to check
their e-mails (85%), to search for information
(82%) or to connect to social networks (74%).
Internet allows users to communicate in real
time across the globe and access all other
users and information stored practically
anywhere in the world, configuring what has
become known as the global village. Outdated information is no longer useful; what
matters is the instant in which it becomes
operative.
Spain
Europe
Instant messaging
76 %
16 %
Bluetooth
66 %
41 %
Sending/receiving e-mails
29 %
38 %
Website access
24 %
48 %
Search
16 %
18 %
The Multitasking
Generation:
The M Generation is the generation of digital natives who
were born into a digitised world
and interact with the new media such as Internet and video
games. These consumers are
known as multitaskers because
of their capacity to interact
with a range of different media
at the same time and carry
out different activities such
as chatting or watching a film
on-line simultaneously. Digital
natives bear the stamp of the
digital culture.
The craving for information and the readiness to take an active role enable individuals
to interact with a range of different com-
145
Socio-cultural keys
Digital natives
The multitasking
generation
Personalised service
These multitasking consumers not only demand direct and fast access to information,
but it must be customised, tailored to their
needs. These consumers have high standards and are fully conversant with the new
technologies. ITC-based tools are therefore
the most appropriate way of establishing
links with these users.
146
147
More information
Transumers:
www.trendwatching.com/trends/transumers.htm
The Multitasking Generation:
www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1174696,00.html
The PatientsLikeMe
website offers patients the
opportunity to manage their
own care and share information: patients can make
contact with other users
who have been through or
are in a similar situation
to share experiences and
advice. This platform allows
patients, doctors, pharmaceutical companies, medical
supply companies, research
institutions and NGOs to
Digital natives
Collective intelligence
its myriad realities. One of the consequences of advances in computing and the digital
era, which continues and appears to be a
long way from reaching any technological
ceiling, is that social and economic possibilities remain open and are expanding. The
concentration of the mass media (market
concentration, but also the concentration of
media channels in just a few hands) does
not stop it from having a very limited reach
due to fragmentation of interests, and it is
seen as a paradigm of an increasingly global
yet at the same time fragmented world.
148
But the final value of knowledge is its potential to be shared with others; it no longer
stagnates in libraries and manuals but
circulates among people. Collaboration is
gaining importance and if something cannot
be shared with others it loses meaning. It
is in this area that the Internet makes this
social revolution possible: the importance of
collaborative websites to construct knowledge and the appearance of alternatives to
the principal of private property such as
creative commons are shaping the rules of
the social game. The value of collaboration
is also based on the premises of democratic values: all contributions are important
to obtain a common construction, built
by everyone, such that any contribution is
welcome so long as it does not attack the
objective of the construction. Joint, democratic construction of knowledge (along the
lines of Wikipedia, Word Reference, etc.) is
spreading to other fields where proposals
are being made that affect products (furniture, decorative objects) as in the case of the
www.instructables.com website.
Digital natives:
these are people born into the
new techno-social environment
characterised by widespread
Internet use. In contrast to the
digital natives, a new class of
digital immigrants is coming
into Internet by means such as
the successive waves of digital
literacy. There is a certain
confrontation between digital
natives and digital immigrants
or foreigners, in the different
ways they perceive and use
technology.
149
Socio-cultural keys
The need
for rationality
Digital natives
150
151
More information
Fumero, A. y Roca, G. (2007). Web 2.0. Fundacin Orange.
Castells, Manuel (2001). The Internet Galaxy. Reflections
on the Internet, Business and Society. Oxford University
Press.
Pascual, Mayte (2006). En qu mundo vivimos. Conversaciones con Manuel Castells. Alianza Editorial.
The need
for rationality
152
Efficient decisions
fied by what is known as the tunnel effect*.
Sometimes we give in to our whims, to
save money by buying a low price bargain
and occasionally to give ourselves a luxury
that we can afford. This is what is known
as bipolarisation in consumption: relaxation
versus extreme experiences, frequent mass
consumption versus the search for individuality. By seeking well-being without excesses,
the consumer attempts to rationalise consumption, although this rationalisation may
be no other than a rationality forced upon us
by the compensatory effect of the recession:
we adapt consumption to ameliorate the
effects of a drop in available income.
Another effect of the present economic situation is the increase in shopping frequency: zero stock shopping, more visits to the
shops, but buying less, in smaller quantities
or spending less. Consumers are all too
clearly aware of prices and offers and the
search for cheaper solutions, and take decisions that attempt to make the shopping
process more rational and objective.
153
More information
Superando la crisis:
www.superandolacrisis.com
Omnicom Group:
www.omnicomgroup.com
Socio-cultural keys
Changing
attitudes
154
155
Anti-consumerism consumption
Changing
attitudes
156
REHOGAR
exhibition.
This feeling is growing, although anti-consumer fervour is not always due to lack of
economic means: Why accept the intrusion
of advertising in ones private life? Why
allow oneself to be manipulated on issues of
when and where to shop? Why follow fashions? Unable to escape consumerism, the
alternative consumers look for alternatives
within the market itself.
These alternatives are expanding: fair trade
consumption, responsible consumption, sustainable consumption, social consumption,
ethical consumption, critical consumption,
ecological consumption all of these start
with an attitude that permeates consumer
decisions; decisions based on an evaluation
of the way manufacturing companies behave and the processes used in the production
and distribution of the products.
Within these behaviours we find values
associated with a reasoned change in how
people consume. Users are looking for
products that are sustainable, that encourage local development, that are produced by
firms with ethical and committed behaviours
offering quality products with a low environmental impact and that resolve problems in
the best possible way. In summary, consume less but better.
Changing attitudes
Moreover, the reduction in average income
has led to greater price sensitivity, leading
shoppers to look for cheaper alternatives in
their shopping basket, and buy fewer products more frequently (Ismael Quintanilla).
They look for alternative ways of consuming
based on new business models in which
consumers play a part in an attempt to
reduce costs, but also to create a system
that listens to their opinions and provides a
better response to their own needs.
Plenxa.
Coat pegs made
from old irons.
157
Never Stant.
Shelving created from the
inside of a fridge door.
Laperluz.
Lamp made from a
hairdryer and a tree branch.
Socio-cultural keys
Eco-behaviour
Changing
attitudes
There are moments when people are unable to adapt to a new situation, for different
contextual or personal reasons. When this
happens, the system reacts by generating
tension, impotence, defencelessness, lack
of esteem, frustration and fear. (Ismael
Quintanilla)
Undoubtedly, in todays social climate, the
fear, stress and defencelessness brought
about by the economic situation is casting
a shadow over many sectors. This environment has given rise to various highly critical
stances on the economic system which
many people regard as unsustainable. The
relaunching of capitalism has led different
social groups to seriously question whether
the ways we consume are the right ones.
Some initiatives in response to this include
exchange or bartering, not based on profit
for the seller but on the advantages for both
parties involved. For the consumer, the aim
is to participate in a win-win model for both
parties, company and consumer.
158
More information
Freecycle Network, object exchange:
www.truequeweb.com
Nolotiro: www.nolotiro.com
Ecofactory: www.ecofactory.es
5min: www.5min.com
Vicente Verd (2009). El capitalismo funeral. La crisis o la
Tercera Guerra Mundial. Anagrama.
159
Eco-behaviour
160
Rethinking society
Environmental behaviour
More information
Understanding the Post-Recession Consumer, Paul
Flatters and Michael Willmott. Harvard Business Review,
July-August 2009.
Rovira, A. (2009) La buena crisis. Reinventarse a uno
mismo: la revolucin de la conciencia. Aguilar.
Pigem, J. (2009) Buena crisis. Hacia un mundo postmaterialista. Kairs.
Hammarby Sjstad. www.hammarbysjostad.se
Braungart , M., McDonough W., Cradle to cradle. Remaking the way we make things (North Point Press, 2002)
161
www.tendenciashabitat.es
www.observatoriotendenciashabitat.net
163